By Kevin Regan
Okay so Palatine face St Vincents this weekend and it’s a game in which the bookmakers aren’t giving them a prayer.
The Carlow Champions are 9/1 outsiders with Vincent’s priced at 1/33.
There was often times when higher priced outsiders upset the odds and here are five examples of similar situations when the underdog tore up the script.
Leicester City Become Premier League Champions 2015-2016
Right so when have you ever seen a 5000/1 shot win anything?! The answer to that is never.
The one exception came in the past few months when Leicester City became English Premier League Champions.
At the start of most seasons a team that’s expected to struggle stays up at the top of the table for a month or six weeks before the big guns get into their groove.
But Leicester kept on hanging in there and even at the turn of the new year many were expecting them to fall away but it simply did not happen!
The team ethic they developed which embodied hard work and determination saw them constantly get the better of more talented opposition and remarkably they won the title against all odds.
Japan Beat South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup
In last year’s Rugby World Cup we saw one of the biggest sporting shocks ever.
South Africa were expected to P**S all over Japan who were seen as the furthest thing from being a Rugby stronghold that you could possibly imagine!
Japan hadn’t won a World Cup game since 1991 with South Africa winning the tournament in 1995 and 2007.
On the day Japan gave it socks and ultimately came away with a 34-32 victory which touched the hearts of sports fans all over the world.
James ‘Buster’ Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson 1990
Mike Tyson was an absolute wrecking ball in the earlier part of his career. He sometimes even fought a couple of times a month which is unheard of nowadays!
One punch from Tyson would leave you seeing tweety birds, and he disguarded opponents left right and centre including England’s Frank Bruno
In February 1990, Tyson faced 42/1 outsider James ‘Buster’ Douglas in a fight that everyone thought was a formality.
In the 10th round, Douglas caught Tyson with a huge right hand and followed up with a couple more punches which left Tyson on the canvas.
Mike couldn’t make the count of ten and Douglas became Heavyweight champion of the world!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euZ08eWV4ME
Greece Win Euro 2004
Portugal hosted Euro 2004 in great hope that they might become champions on home soil.
After beating Portugal in their first group game, Greece still didn’t get the credit they deserved and many people felt that they just got lucky.
However They emerged from the group and took out the reigning champions France in the Quarter Finals by a goal to nil. They repeated that feat against Czech Republic in the next round and subsequently qualified for a rematch against the hosts in the final.
With Players like Rui Costa, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, it was widely expected that Portugal would gain revenge in the final.
But The Greeks proved that their initial win in the group stages was no fluke whatsoever and a 57th minute goal from Angelos Charisteas gave them the title against all the odds.
Ireland Defeat Pakistan – Cricket World Cup 2007
It was St Patrick’s Day 2007 and Ireland were in Jamaica to face a Pakistan side who were priced at 1/20 to beat what many people probably saw as a crowd of Paddy’s who were just there to make up the numbers.
But Niall O’Brien Inspired Ireland to a remarkable victory which sent them through to the Super 8 section of the tournament to defy all logic and it was fitting that it happened on March 17th.