Daz Sampson has stuck his neck out to make a £500 charity bet on victory for the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Should he win, he will donate the £3,500 winnings to Avondale School, near Manchester, England, where he was a pupil himself.
William Hill offered him odds of 6/1 on coming first at the final, placing him as the current second favourite behind Greece, which they offer at 2/1. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams stated that a mammoth £100,000 has been wagered on victory for the UK, meaning that if Daz pulls it off, it will be the worst ever Eurovision loss for the bookmaker.
Rupert continues "it's certainly got novelty value- and if the likes of the Crazy Frog and Peter Kay can top the charts, then there's no reason why Daz Sampson can't make it as well".
A very polite young man
Daz used the experience of his school days as inspiration for the song Teenage life. The head of Avondale, Tim McCarthy, is certainly not disappointed with the route former pupil Daz has taken. He recently descibed him as "a very polite young man", and said he was thrilled that the former Avondale lad was doing so well for himself. Daz visited the school as part of the promotional tour for Teenage life, where he handed out autographs and spoke to staff and pupils, who are all behind him as he flies the flag in Athens.
A documentary based on Daz's Eurovision adventure is due to be shown on UK channel BBC3 on Thursday, May 18th. The single made number seven in the midweek charts in the UK, and with increased iTunes sales Daz hopes to make the top ten as the week in Athens begins.
