The Double

£2.85.

That is the amount I risked on my second - and final - bet of the weekend.

The bet in question was a double on a football game and the winner of the Best Film award at this year's Academy Awards.

In football - Neil Warnock had just appointed manager of Queens Park Rangers and I fancied his new team to beat West Bromwich Albion.

Regular readers - and those who know me well enough - should remember I like to favour teams that have just had a new manager.

There has always been something psychological about players trying to work hard for the new boss.

I first won a bet on thought way back in 1995 when I won 50p from a schoolfriend.This theory has won more times for me than lost ever since.

A 3-1 win on Saturday at a price of 12/5 ensured another victory for my belief.

My double fell at the final hurdle, however.

I didn't think The Hurt Locker would win the Oscar for Best Film.

And there was a method behind this, too.

You see, a few years ago, I was reading an article about betting on the Academy Awards and the writer made it clear that the BAFTA Best Film winner very rarely does the double by bagging an Oscar.

Slumdog Millionaire did the double last year so I thought it would be a good gamble if I didn't back the firm favourite and went for the second favourite in Avatar.

Surely lightning wasn't going to strike twice.

I woke up early, checked the Telegraph app on my iPhone and the headline read: 'The Hurt Locker triumphs over Avatar'.

I didn't need to read any more.

The BAFTA/Oscar double seems to be in trend now. Maybe next year, I will stick with this new trend.

Or should I gamble against lightning striking thrice?