English journalist and World Strip Poker Champion Jon Young has thrown down a daring strip poker challenge to new James Bond star Daniel Craig.

Young is offering to play Craig in a game of high stakes poker for his World Strip Poker Champion crown – anytime, anyplace, anywhere the suave spook wishes.

‘There is no higher stakes in poker than the shirt of a man’s back.’ mused Young. ‘Bond rates himself as a bit of a shark at the poker table but I want to prove it’s all posturing and that underneath that glacially cool exterior lies a big scared-y cat who’ll crap himself at the first sight of a REAL poker player. It’s just a shame 007 isn’t a woman.’

In the new Bond movie Casino Royale, which premiere’s at Odeon Leicester Square in London on November 14, 2006, Bond plays a game of high-stakes no limit texas hold `em in Monte Carlo with the dastardly villain Le Chiffre.

Young, who hones his poker skills on paddypowerpoker.com, became the world’s first Strip Poker Champion in London in August this year, beating 195 other hopefuls for the coveted title in the largest strip poker tournament the world has ever seen.

The budding Bond-beater wants to test his mettle against some of the coolest men on the planet.

‘I’m so confident I can outplay these shadowy super-spies I’ll let Connery, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan and Lazenby into the game too. I mean, c’mon, with such a bunch of lady-killers sat around one table gambling for such impressively high stakes the ladies are gonna be shaken AND stirred. Especially the Bond girls the boys will no doubt bring along for the post-game party.’

‘Craig can get Miss Moneypenny to give me a call on the secure phone to arrange a time and place for the game. I hope it’s in a giant secret volcano or a shimmering underwater lair but if he wants to come round to my house that’ll be fine too as long as the girlfriend doesn’t mind.’

‘I’ve even started working on my killer lines: “Do you expect me to raise? No, Mr Bond I expect you to fold!', and 'Will the Diamonds be Forever? I don’t think so Mr.Bond!'. Should they fail to sufficiently unsettle him I’ll get my third nipple out. It’s much scarier than Scaramanga’s – I’m getting a laser fitted next Wednesday y’know.’