Cricket: County Championship 2008

[Tranquillizer]

Cant believe Warwickshire chased down 383 in 82 overs
I thought a Bears win was the least likely of the 3 outcomes

saw an amazing game at Derbyshire today.

YTD -3

[kevshat]

An unbelievable run chase from Warwickshire, finally making their target of 382 off the 2nd last ball of the match. That gives me a double this week and a profit of 14.4pts which puts me +2.4pts for the Championship so far.

[Matt]

Just so you know Kev, Dippenaar and Du Preez arrived over the weekend and are in our squad for the Warwickshire game

[kevshat]

Tuesday 29 April 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Gloucestershire v Glamorgan (10:30BST)	1.57	2.78	100%	Details »
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Warwickshire v Leicestershire (10:30BST)	1.61	2.65	100%	Details »

Wednesday 30 April 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Sussex v Surrey (10:30BST)	1.88	2.12	100%	Details »
Hide « Sussex v Surrey
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (10:30BST)	1.80	2.14	102%	Details »

Northamptonshire v Worcestershire (10:30BST)

2.20

1.85

100%

Details »

Originally Posted by Matt

Just so you know Kev, Dippenaar and Du Preez arrived over the weekend and are in our squad for the Warwickshire game

Ta mate. Had been keeping tabs on their progress because Dippy is in my cricinfo fantasy team and could yet be transferred into the telegraph one!! Going with your boys this week .

10pts Leicestershire to beat Warwickshire 6/4 Boylesports

Leicestershire come into this match top of the table after two matches and they'll be keen to get one over their ex-player who is now Warwickshire captain, Darren Maddy. Warwickshire won last week chasing down a mammoth 382 on the final day at Northampton but they showed their Jekyll and Hyde side when they couldn't defend 290 odd against Northants in the 50 over match on Sunday.

Warwickshire have Ian Bell and Tim Ambrose at their disposal as the ECB want them to get matches under their belt. Monde Zondeki makes his home debut. Darren Maddy arrives in good form having hit a ton and a 50 at Northampton over the weekend. Lee Daggett and Neil Carter could both play although James Anyon is in the squad. If it's one of Daggett or Carter, Carter's batting prowess should get him the nod.

Leicestershire welcome overseas player Boeta Dippenaar into their side for the 1st time this week. He brings with him talented all rounder Dillon Du Preez who is meant to be a hot prospect and he will make his debut here too. HD Ackerman will be looked upon for runs while young opening pairing Tom New and Matthew Boyce will hope to continue their good start to the season. Leicestershire are that confident with their bowling attack that they leave ex Windies test star Jermaine Lawson out of the squad here.

Warwickshire are undoubtedly a good side but they are very inconsistant. 2 weeks ago a certain loss against Worcester was saved by the rain and then their was the mixed bag at Northants over the weekend. In a way Leicestershire are very similar but they can be very good as they showed in beating Middlesex in their opening match. Warwickshire are rightly favourites on quality alone but Leicester are bowling teams out now and if their batting gets going they won't be far away here so I take the away team to pinch this one.

I'll do Wednesday's bets tomorrow night when we've got more team news.

[kevshat]

Warwickshire are 128/4 after day 1 at Edgbaston. Leicestershire are only 1 wicket from the lower order but rain might have the final say there. Will take 2 more on Wednesday. Again though rain could be the winner.

10pts Surrey to beat Sussex 11/10 Boylesports

Surrey come into this match with a pair of draws to their name this season while Sussex come into it with the same record however their seasons have been totally different. Surrey were on top in both of their matches while Sussex were hanging on in theirs. Sussex lost to Essex in the FP Trophy ono Sunday so it's fair to say their season hasn't got going yet.

The defending champions will have Luke Wright and Matt Prior available here but their batting hasn't really fired yet although Murray Goodwin is a class act and will surely start firing soon. Jason Lewry comes back into the squad for this match in place of Chris Liddle. James Kirtley may get a game while all eyes will be on Mushtaq Ahmed after his good start to the season.

Surrey have hit their straps straight away, particularly with the ball. They bowled Durham out for 224 and had them 228/9 last week which is a decent effort. Matt Nicholson leads their attack with all rounder Chris Jordan getting better by the match. Their batting centres around Ramprakash and Butcher with Afzaal, Batty and Newman playing the support acts. Chris Schofield could play if the pitch is to take spin while Saqlain returns to Hove for the 1st time since leaving Sussex in the winter.

If the weather stays away this could be a cracking match between the two best sides in the division IMO. Surrey's bowling attack is in great form at the minute and with Butcher and Ramprakash in the team runs are guaranteed so Surrey is the call here.

10pts Worcestershire to beat Northamptonshire 5/6 Blue Square

Worcestershire are another side with 2 draws from 2 matches but Northants have picked up two losses from their 2 openers with the latest loss being extra bad as Warwickshire chased down 382 on the final day to win. Worcester had Warwickshire all but beaten before rain on the 4th day denied them a chance of victory.

Northants were in a way a tad unlucky last week but allowing Warwickshire to chase down such a huge score on a 4th day shows how brittle their bowling attack is. In the last innings of that match Northants bowled 82.5 overs of which 54.5 were bowled by Boje and Panesar which indicates how Boje has a lack of confidence in his seamers. That may change here with Johann Louw making his 2nd debut. He'll replace Steven Crook. David Sales hasn't got going with the bat yet and it could well be left to Klusener and Boje to rescue innings again.

Worcestershire will be without Graeme Hick's services as he's about a week away from a return to action. Simon Jones does begin the match though and the Royals will hope he finishes it this time too. Darryl Mitchell and Stephen Moore will open the innings with Solanki and Smith 3 and 4. Kabir Ali and Gareth Andrew have added good lower order runs as Worcester continue to bat a long way down. Kabir's probably the best bowler in this division and should cause problems as will Jones. Gareth Batty will relish this Wantage Rd pitch to bowl his off spin on.

In truth these sides are fairly evenly matched. Neither have a great deal of batting strength although Worcestershire do have runs in them. It's the Worcester bowling attack which impresses me though and it's that side of their team which I think can win this game for them.

[kevshat]

The weather won at Edgbaston and it will do at Sussex too but Worcester still have a chance of beating Northants if they can take quick wickets in the morning. Cash back from the Leicestershire bet so record is as it was.

[kevshat]

Annoyingly Nicky Boje hit an unbeaten double century so Worcester couldn't force the victory. Good for my fantasy team but not my bets! Stakes back this week as Surrey and Sussex was drawn too so as I was going into the week.

[kevshat]

Wednesday 7 May 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Lancashire v Durham (10:00BST)	1.70	2.37	100.93 %	Details »
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Nottinghamshire v Kent (10:30BST)	1.60	2.52	102.18 %	Details »
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Somerset v Hampshire (10:30BST)	1.53	2.70	102.25 %	Details »

Wednesday 7 May 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Essex v Middlesex (10:00BST)	1.90	2.12	99.80 %	Details »
Hide « Essex v Middlesex
Derbyshire v Warwickshire (10:30BST)	2.25	1.83	99.09 %	Details »

2 for me this week. No great prices but should be solid.

10pts Somerset to beat Hampshire 8/15 Ladbrokes

Somerset come into this match with just a draw to their names from their solitary match in the Championship this season. That was a rain affected match. Hampshire have a draw against Sussex and an innings defeat to Yorkshire so far this season. Somerset come into this match having already done the double over the Hawks in the FP Trophy.

Somerset will give a Championship debut to Zander de Bruyn in this match. Justin Langer returns to skipper the side while Marcus Trescothick is joined at the top of the order by Neil Edwards for the 1st time this season. Andrew Caddick misses out so Alfonso Thomas plays and Somerset will decide between Michael Munday and Steffan Jones for their last place on the day of the game.

For Hampshire it's a who's who that they are without. Obviously Warne has now quit the club but they will also be without Shane Bond who's gone lame, Dimitri Mascarenhas who is warming Jaipur's bench in the IPL as well as Chris Tremlett and Michael Carberry who are playing for the England Lions. That means their attack will be led by David Griffiths and James Tomlinson - both teenagers. Hamza Riazuddin, a teenage all rounder gets his debut in this match too. Kevin Pietersen plays though while Jimmy Adams takes over as captain from Pothas who reverts to being just the keeper.

Hampshire are massively depleted here and you can't go to Taunton with a seam attack of 3 teenagers and Sean Ervine. It's cannon fodder in truth. Even with KP in the side Hampshire aren't going to be competitive enough here. They certainly shouldn't bowl Somerset out twice. Somerset have won both FP Trophy matches this season and the hat trick will be complete by Saturday. I'm no fan of short prices in cricket but this does look too good to be true.

10pts Warwickshire to beat Derbyshire 8/11 Ladbrokes

Warwickshire are joint top of Division 2 coming into this match courtesy of a win against Northants and a couple of rain affected draws. Derbyshire beat Essex in a contrived finish and drew with Gloucestershire when defeat looked certain before the rain arrived. Both sides had contrasting fortunes in the FP Trophy at the weekend but the 4 day game is different.

Derbyshire will be without key all rounders Graham Wagg and Greg Smith. They are out through injury and illness and are both big misses, particularly Wagg. Charl Langeveldt should make his debut but once again this batting lineup looks way too light. Tom Lungley will support Langeveldt with the new ball while Nayan Doshi plays against the side who tried to sign him last season.

Warwickshire have the services of Ian Bell and Tim Ambrose one last time here before they disappear on England duty. Jon Trott has been in good form as has his skipper Darren Maddy. Monde Zondeki has settled ok with the ball and James Anyon is now back. Neil Carter will complete the seam option. Ian Salisbury has started the season well while Ant Botha will play against his old club.

Warwickshire have way too much strength for this Derbyshire side. The lack of batting nearly cost them against Gloucester until the rain saved them but the forecast is perfect in Derby for the next 4 days so that luxury doesn't exist here. Warwickshire for me.

[kevshat]

Originally Posted by kevshat

I'm no fan of short prices in cricket but this does look too good to be true.

Somerset 126
Hampshire 194/3 (57.0 ov)

That's exactly why I'm no fan of short prices in cricket . I've just seen a weather forecast which says there will be rain in Taunton on Friday so from a betting point of view Somerset can hang on for a draw.

Luckily Derbyshire have been bowled out for less than 300 having chosen to bat so I should be ok with Warwickshire to lessen any losses caused by Somerset.

[kevshat]

Both matches were drawn but I'll take that as neither ever looked like winning. Still +2.4 for the competition.

[kevshat]

Wednesday 14 May 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Durham v Yorkshire (11:00BST)	1.88	2.04	102.21 %	Details »
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Hampshire v Surrey (11:00BST)	2.30	1.72	101.37 %	Details »
Hide « Hampshire v Surrey
Nottinghamshire v Lancashire (11:00BST)	2.14	1.83	101.27 %	Details »
Hide « Nottinghamshire v Lancashire
Somerset v Sussex (11:00BST)	1.83	2.20	100.00 %	Details »

Tuesday 13 May 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Leicestershire v Northamptonshire (11:00BST)	1.89	2.10	100.53 %	Details »
Hide « Leicestershire v Northamptonshire
Wednesday 14 May 2008	Home	Away	BPP
Glamorgan v Derbyshire (11:00BST)	2.20	1.75	102.60 %	Details »
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Worcestershire v Gloucestershire (11:00BST)	1.85	2.24	98.70 %	Details »
Hide « Worcestershire v Gloucestershire

I'm not going to bet on Leicestershire vs Northants just yet but I've noticed Ladbrokes are offering end of each day odds so we might get something as we go along. I'll give my thoughts on Wednesday's matches tomorrow night when we've got all the team news.

[kevshat]

Ok 3 from tomorrow's matches. 2 from Division 1 and 1 from Division 2.

10pts Surrey to beat Hampshire 8/11 Totesport

Surrey come into this match in 5th place in the table having drawn all 3 of their matches so far. Hampshire are 7th having secured 2 draws from their 3 matches. The Rose Bowl hosts this match in what could be a mismatch. Mark Ramprakash comes into the match needing 1 more century to become on the 28th batsman to notch 100 1st class centuries.

Hampshire have lots of injury problems to contend with. 3 of them to their main players. John Crawley, Nic Pothas and Shane Bond all miss out here. Good news is that Dimi Mascarenhas is back from the IPL and captains the side while Chris Tremlett and Michael Carberry are back from England Lions duty. Chris Benham will come in for Crawley while Tim Burrows takes over the gloves from Nic Pothas.

Surrey's only injury concern is Chris Schofield. He's out for 6 weeks with a pear-shaped finger so Murtaza Hussain comes into the squad as Saqlain's backup. With Afzaal in the side though I doubt he'll play. Chris Jordan comes into the side and will probably replace Jade Dernbach from the one day side which got bashed up by Essex. Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher go with Afzaal to form a very strong middle order while Windies star Pedro Collins and Matt Nicholson will lead the bowling attack.

Hampshire are having to overcome a few problems on and off the pitch at the minute and this Surrey side isn't one you'd want to face with a depleted side. There's no longer any problems with the pitch at the Rose Bowl, it should be good for batting and with a near on non existant batting lineup without KP, Crawley and Pothas, and a weak bowling attack that can only favour Surrey and so do I.

10pts Nottinghamshire to beat Lancashire 6/5 Coral

The top two do battle in this clash at Trent Bridge but it's a different Lancashire lineup to the one which has been playing so far. Notts come into the match top having won and lost to Kent and getting a draw against Yorkshire while Lancashire have a win and two draws from their 3 matches.

Nottinghamshire will be without their England bowling duo Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom which means Darren Pattinson and Paul Franks come back into the side. Graeme Swann returns from England Lions duty and will form a lower order with Franks and Mark Ealham. Adam Voges continues while David Hussey is in India with Jefferson and Wood opening the innings and Wagh at 3. Chris Read's been in great form so far.

Lancashire will be without James Anderson who is with England and Andrew Flintoff and Kyle Hogg who are injured. Dominic Cork returns to the squad and may well play. It's the batting which worries me for Lancashire. It's probably led my Mohammad Yousuf but he's hardly got a run yet and other than Loye and Law there isn't much there at all except for the improving Paul Horton. Saj Mahmood could lead the pace attack alongside Cork with Newby and Smith in contention for a spot. Kolpak Francois du Plessis could make his 4 day debut but Glen Chapple is also injured.

Lancashire are lacking a few runs in this competition, so far they still haven't gone past 300 this season which needs to be improved if they are to win here as Notts bat a long way down. Notts are surprising many and come here in good form having won in the FP Trophy at the weekend despite losing a close match in the Championship last week. I think they can make up for that disappointment here though and get another win.

And now into Division 2.

10pts Glamorgan to beat Derbyshire 6/5 Skybet

Both sides come into this match unbeaten in the longer form of the game but Derby would've been beaten in the opening week but for rain. Glamorgan were most people's tip for the wooden spoon but they've shown they could be better than that by beating Gloucestershire last time out. The SWALEC Stadium hosts it's 1st 4 day match here.

Glamorgan have teen sensation James Harris back in their squad after he's recovered from injury. He'll replace Ryan Watkins. Robert Croft also plays here as does opener Gareth Rees. Jamie Dalrymple plays too in a twin spin attack with Croft while Dizzy Gillespie plays as the overseas player. David Hemp, Matthew Wood and Michael Powell will make up the top order with Alex Wharf handy with bat and ball.

Derbyshire will be without Greg Smith who is still injured and Jamie Pipe who is out with a finger injury. Danish keeper Fred Klokker will take over with the gloves. Graham Wagg returns here after his illness. Even with Wagg though my concern is the lack of strength in the batting of Derby. Chris Rogers isn't really doing it and neither are any of the top 4. It's being left to the lower order and tail to score runs and they won't do that forever. Tom Lungley and Charl Langeveldt look to be becoming a good new ball pairing and Jon Clare backs them up after signing a contract extension earlier this week.

I don't think there's a great deal between the sides if I'm honest. Both lack a bit of batting depth and quality but if anything Glamorgan are marginally the stronger while they look evenly matched with the ball so with Glamorgan odds against I'll take them to win the opening 4 day game at the newly named SWALEC Stadium.

[kevshat]

It's going pretty well this week. Notts need just another 112 runs to beat Lancashire and they've got 9 2nd inns wickets left so they should win that. Glamorgan lead a toothless Derby by 10 runs with 7 1st inns wickets left and Surrey look like getting a 1st inns lead against Hampshire. Hopefully the weather stays good and they can complete victories and make it 3 from 3 this week.

[kevshat]

Notts wrapped up a comfortable win this morning to start the week off nicely, as I type Surrey are 80 ahead of Hampshire who have lost Tremlett for the rest of the match and still have 8 2nd inns wickets left and Glamorgan finished 95 ahead on 1st innings so there's every chance of 2 more wins this week.

[kevshat]

Hampshire managed to hold out for a draw while yet again the rain saved Derbyshire against me but Notts win made it +12 for the week and now +14.4 for the tournament.