Yeah, I'm the same. I lost any sense of excitement when Hurst ruled himself out. The other front-runners don't inspire any real hope in me really. Ardley seems like a safe-ish bet, but he left Wimbledon recently after an awful run of form. Brown has plenty of experience, but his best years are behind him.
Just checked the odds - Ardley now 1/7, so looks like it's him.