10th August 2012
Welsh Dragons vs Hampshire Betting: Neil McKenzie looks a good bet to beat Chris Cooke at the Swalec
Hampshire will be looking to move to the top of Group B of the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition on Friday when they head to the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff to take on the Welsh Dragons who aren’t yet out of qualification contention themselves yet. Not only will this be a big match for Hampshire in this competition but it gives them a taste of the Cardiff wicket ahead of finals day in two weeks time.
Welsh Dragons, or Glamorgan as we normally know them as, go into this match as the outsiders despite having home advantage. They are 2/1 with Bet365 to win this match despite winning their last two games in this competition. They have beaten Scotland and Nottinghamshire in their last two matches and if they continue to win out they could yet come out of this group. They will have to win this without James Harris and Robert Croft though.
Hampshire come into the match in second place in the group and a win will move them a point clear of Surrey at the top of the table but they will be without Dimitri Mascarenhas in this match. Michael Carberry still isn’t fit either which means two of Hampshire’s big guns aren’t playing. A lot will rest on the likes of Simon Katich and Neil McKenzie with the bat and Danny Briggs with the ball.
I think Hampshire will win this match but I’m not convinced it will be as easy as the odds suggest. With that in mind I’m not interested in the 4/9 about a Hampshire win. Instead a bet I do like is for Neil McKenzie to beat Chris Cooke by more than 1.5 runs. McKenzie comes into this match in excellent form. In his last three matches he has scored 133 against Essex in the Championship, a fantastic 79 not out against Nottinghamshire in the T20 quarter final and then 94 against Gloucestershire this week. McKenzie is an exceptional player of spin which will be key in this match and I think he’ll get the better of the inexperienced Cooke who could well bat down the order but whenever he bats he’ll be pinch hitting and taking more risks.
Back N.McKenzie (-1.5 runs) to beat C.Cooke for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Ladbrokes
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Author: 'Arry Allsports
