[Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July]

Re: Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July Onto the second night then and I'm taking a few more than I did last night. Similar thinking to Kev on a few of them... Colin Osborne to beat Mark Walsh- Evens Boylesports- (3/10) Mark Walsh 3 Dart Average Under 92.5- 9/10 Boylesports- (4/10) Under 6.5 180's- Evens Sportingbet- (3/10) Taking a fair few in the opening game of the night in which I expect Colin Osborne to prevail. Mark Walsh has been extremely fortunate to qualify for the Matchplay as the seeded player as his form this year as been atrocious in truth. He's made just 2 quarter finals all year and one of those came at the start of the year which really shows how he's been struggling for form. Colin Osborne however has shown signs recently that he is returning to a bit of form and making the quarters in Dusseldorf recently should have done his confidence the world of good and with that and the extra scoring power that he possesses, I think he's a decent bet to win here. I'm also taking an interest in the 180's in this one and I don't really expect we'll see too many. You can get a slightly higher line but I'd be suprirsed if we see 7 maximums in all honesty. Neither guy is that much of an out and out 180 scorer and both showed that over in Germany recently as neither player managed more than 2 in a single match. The format at the Matchplay is of course longer but with both guys really not performing at their best recently, especially on the big stage, I'm happy to back the unders. And if 2 bets aren't enough for me in this one, 3 will definitely do me and the line in which the Walsh average is set at looks too high to me here. Truthfully speaking, it's been a while since Walsh has even come close to covering this line on the big stage. Recently in Dusseldorf, he failed to average above 88 in his 2 matches so it's hard to see why this line is set so high given the way Walsh has been playing. As I've said, I think Osborne will win this one with the way both guys are playing and the fact is Walsh doesn't score heavily enough to trouble the top players in the game. He's also been prone to missing doubles over the past 6 months so I'd be surprised if his average finished above the 92.50 mark. Steve Beaton to beat Kevin Painter- 6/4 Betfred- (3/10) Backing the outsider in this one in the shape of Steve Beaton. The Artist has had a superb 12 months or so in winning his first Major and then narrowly missing out in qualifying for the semis in the PL in his debut season. Of late though, he has been far from convincing and hasn't been in the best of form. Even his wins over the lesser players if you like haven't been comfortable and have usually come down to the narrowest of margins so there's enough to suggest he might be at risk of an upset here. It's not as though he's up against a terrible player here either considering Steve Beaton is a former world champ and recently he's been playing himself into a bit of form. He's beaten the likes of Barneveld, Lewis and tonight's opponent Kevin Painter in the past few weeks which you don't do unless you're playing well so the Bronze Adonis should be confident coming into this one and will be desperate to show what he can do after a dismal UK Open showing. He's enjoyed some good results over Painter as well, considering he's won the last 6 games the two have played, including a 6-1 win at the start of the month in Crawley and with that mental edge, I'm happy to back him as the underdog in this one. Richie Burnett (Most 180's) vs James Wade- 6/4 Coral- (4/10) Richie Burnett 3 Dart Average Over 92.5- 11/10 Boylesports- (3/10) I'm already on the Welshamn outright so I hope he wins and if he plays how he has done recently, I think he's got a pretty good chance. Whilst I hope he wins, I'm surprised at the odds on both bets I'm taking here. Over the past 6 months or so, he's really found his form and is playing the best darts of his life right now. I've spoken a lot about him in my outright so I'm not going to repeat that again but he comes into the Matchplay in really good form after making the semis in Dusseldorf, losing only to Barney in the semis. The Prince of Wales hits a lot of big scores though and in his heavy scoring come a lot of maximums. If you need a reminder of that you only have to go back to the World Championship where he hit 11 maximums in just one game against Mark Webster which shows just how heavy his scoring is. This format is ideal for James Wade really but as good as he is, he's still not the most prominent of 180 scorers. He'll hit a lot of tons and 140's but not too many maximums and with Burnett the more accomplished player in terms of hitting maximums, I think he's decent value to win the 180 battle tonight. The average for the Welshman is also too low IMO. I've spoken about his good form and his heavy scoring, but to set the line this low when he has managed a 120 average this season as well as a ton plus average in beating Phil Taylor at the World Cup is criminal really. Burnett covered this line in all of his 4 matches over in Germany a couple of weeks back, even in losing to RVB and with him playing the best darts of his life, I'm happy to back him to hit a decent average tonight.

[County Championship 2012]

Re: County Championship 2012 Some ridiculous finishes to some of the matches this week. Warwickshire fell victim to a Craig Kieswetter onslaught and in the end fell a wicket short allowing Somerset the win whilst it looked like a similar thing was going to happen down at Chelmsford today with Adam Wheater but thankfully he fell for 98 and Essex 2 runs short. Think Kev and me deserve that bit of luck considering a few results that have gone against us this season. Yorkshire were looking good as well until the heavens opened. In the end though, +5.90 for this week taking me to +24.30 for the competition. Away next week so won't be having any there so pleased Hampshire secured that win ahead of a short break for me.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Happy enough to just watch how the results go today with nothing really standing out for me price wise. GL to Kev and co today. :ok

[Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July]

Re: Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July Was praying for another 180 in that Barney match to equal the total in the Jenkins-Huybrechts match but it never came unfortunately. Decent start for me though with +6.40 coming from tonight with RVB safely through as well. :ok

[July 16 - July 22]

Re: July 16 - July 22 Chin up mate. We all have runs like this but you'll make it all back and some when you start hitting them again. :ok

[Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July]

Re: Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July And a few for me on the opening night. Not going mad at all really but am having a few... Paul Nicholson vs Andy Smith- Under 16.5 Legs- Evens Boylesports- (3/10) Now there's a bit of logic to this one and anyone who is familiar with the tennis threads may have seen this from me before. Basically under normal circumstances, I'd expect Nicholson to win this one comfortably despite his poor year but the injuries that have hampered him this year don't exactly fill me with confidence. I do still think he will prevail though as he's spoken about how this game is so important to him so I'd be surprised if he wasn't fully focussed tonight. I'm never ultra convinced when I see Andy Smith on the big stage and his form hasn't been great for a while now in truth. he logic I'm putting into consideration here though is that I don't see either guy, if they fall behind, keeping up a decent level to fight back. Both are pretty good leaders in truth when in front, but do struggle when they are behind. With the tennis, it's sometimes the case that one guy will either will really easily or lose in the same manner with regards to injuries and forms and I think that may be the case here. I think Nicholson will ultimately win comfortably, but if Smith scores heavily enough, he may well with a bit to spare as well but whoever runs out winner, I think they will do it better than 10-6 at the very worse. Terry Jenkins vs Kim Huybrechts- Over 16.5 Legs- 9/10 Boylesports- (3/10) Kim Huybrechts Highest Checkout Over 109.5- 5/6 William Hill- (3/10) Now I don't think the first match of the night will be that close but this one could go all the way IMO. It has the potential to be an absolute cracker with both amongst the best in the world right now. Terry Jenkins has a really good record at the Matchplay and did okay at the UK Open last month and will be hoping for a good run again in Blackpool but he's got a really tricky draw here. Huybrechts is a superb talent and he showed just what he can do at the World Championship whilst he should have beaten Wes Newton at the UK Open really as well. He scores extremely heavily and when his doubles especially are generally reliable which is why I can't really separate the two here. Jenkins likewise scores heavily and finishes well which should mean both are pretty comfortable on throw for the majority with very few breaks of serve so I'd expect the winner to concede at least 7 legs here. I'm also backing Huybrechts to hit a decent finish in this one as well. As I've said, excluding the latter stages of that match against Newton in the UK Open, the Belgian tends to nail his finishing and misses very little. His combination scoring and cover shots are what makes him such a super talent and one of the main reasons he has such a gorgeous girlfriend...:lol He usually performs well in front of the cameras and at some point in this match, I expect him to nail a decent finish. Robert Thornton (Most 180's) vs Adrian Lewis- 2/1 Coral- (3/10) I can't overlook this price on Thornton to hit the most maximums in this one. He'll be desperate to put in a good showing after his superb UK Open win and that performances will have done his confidence no harm whatsoever and may just kick start his PDC career after he hasn't done too much in the big events since switching from the BDO. Throughout his career though, he has been a prominent 180 scorer and we saw just how heavily he scores over in Bolton. Adrian Lewis has been in really poor form since winning his second World Championship. He was extremely hit and miss in the Premier League whilst he didn't do anything at the UK Open either and we've seen in the past just how slow he is to get going in the early rounds of majors and if he is sluggish tonight, Thornton might just surprise him. I'm still more interested in backing him to hit more 180's though given the price. I've said Lewis has been in poor form and has tended to struggle in the early rounds of majors so I'd be surprised if he was hitting maximums left right and centre tonight. Thornton is always a threat when it comes to 180's though and I'll back the UK Open champ to outscore the World Champion on 180's tonight. Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael Smith- Over 6.5 180's- 4/5 Boylesports- (4/10) RVB vs Michael Smith Game with Most 180's on Night- 6/1 William Hill- (2/10) Can't add much to what Kev has said here. Spoken a lot about Barney so far and since returning to his old darts this season, he's been scoring extremely heavily and if he gets going tonight, he could cover the line on his own in all honesty. Michael Smith is no slouch with the heavy scores either and he's shown just what he can do with a couple of 9 darters over the past year so he should contribute to this line as well and I fully expect both guys to cover this line combined given their 180 credentials. Also having a little go with this match being the one with the most maximums on the night as we could see the total go into double figures if both get going. The threat is obviously the Lewis match but I've already mentioned that he's usually slow out of the blocks so he may not hit many at all tonight and with the price being so high on two guys who can hit the treble bed for fun, I'm happy to have a small punt.

[Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July]

Re: Betfair World Matchplay - 21-29 July Should be a good week of darts ahead of us. Going away on Wednesday so going to miss the latter stages but I'll be involved up to that point. Can't actually look past Taylor for the tournament given the format suits him completely but I am taking a few outrights which have some value about them IMO. Raymond van Barneveld to win World Matchplay- 14/1 William Hill- (1.5/10 E/W) 1/2 1,2 RVB to win 1st Quarter- 5/2 Bet365- (2/10) Taking the Dutchman as my main man over the next week or so to really give Taylor some competition for the trophy. First thing you have to do really is look at the draw and the fact that Barney will avoid Taylor en route to the final is something which will suit the Dutchman as he has his mental issues when playing Taylor. Looking into his draw in more detail, it doesn't actually look that bad in my eyes. He shouldn't have too many problems against young Michael Smith in the first round despite Smith's ever growing reputation in the game and after that it will be Jenkins or Kim Huybrechts. Granted whoever he plays there will be a tough match but if Barney can win tonight in his first match, that will give him a ton of confidence and he has the scoring ability and when playing well, the finishing to beat either guy he'll face in the last 16. Now you'd imagine he will have to play Adrian Lewis in the quarters, but I'm not so sure. Since winning his second World Championship, Lewis has struggled for form really, especially in the PL where he was extremely inconsistent whilst he didn't do anything at the UK Open either and I'm not convinced Lewis will even make it to the quarters in all honesty. Barney will fancy his chances even if he does play Lewis, but the prospect of either Smith/Nicholson/Thornton in the quarters shouldn't worry him in the slightest despite Thornton's superb victory at the UK Open last month. As I've said, he's not going to be playing Taylor until the final should the two make it there so there's really nobody Barney can't beat in this half of the draw if he's playing well with confidence and he should be confident coming into the tournament considering he won over in Dusseldorf a couple of weeks ago where he beat the likes of Wade, Burnett and Chisnall which shows how well he is playing again. We saw further evidence of him returning to his best at the PL where he was extremely unlucky not to make the semis as for the majority, he was the 2nd best players behind Taylor. At times he was scoring heavily, and his finishing was generally solid, and if he can repeat the form he's shown this year, I think he'll have a good week or so up in Blackpool. Richie Burnett to win World Matchplay- 100/1 Bet365- (0.5/10 E/W) Richie Burnett to win 2nd Quarter- 18/1 Coral- (1/10) Having a couple of outsiders for the tournament as well and one of those is Richie Burnett. Now quite what this price is all about, I really don't know tbh. The Prince of Wales is playing the best darts of his life right now and whilst I appreciate he's got a really tough quarter with Wade, Whitlock and Painter in, if he's playing well, there's really nobody he can't beat. In that European Tour Event that Barneveld won a couple of weeks ago, Burnett made the semis where he lost to RVB so he comes into the tournament with a bit of form, and already this year, he's been hitting ton plus averages for fun, and even managed a 121 average a month or so ago in one of the Players Championship events which shows just how well he's playing right now. He's beaten the likes of Webster and Taylor on TV over the past 8 months or so and with him playing some superb darts at the minute, I can't overlook Richie at this price. Michael van Gerwen to win World Matchplay- 100/1 Coral- (0.5/10 E/W) MVG to win 2nd Quarter- 18/1 Sportingbet- (1/10) I know he's in Burnett's quarter as well but this price isn't right either. Although he's been a tad inconsistent this year, van Gerwen has shown just what he's about and in some of his matches, he's been absolutely electrifying. He has hammered the likes of Whitlock, Pipe and Lloyd to name just a few this year and you don't do that unless you are playing well. What I really like about his chances is the format of the matchplay because if the Dutchman gets on a run, over this format, it will be extremely hard for anyone to actually keep up with him. If he's on song, he will absolutely cream the treble whilst his finishing is a joy to watch when he's playing well so this format may well suit him as it gives him a bit of time to settle in. I know he's playing Whitlock in the first round, but like I said, he's already hammered the Aussie so far this year and was unlucky not to beat him at Ally Pally in the World Championship. With everyone watching on the big stage, I'm having a little punt at the young superstar to show us what he's about this week. Raymond van Barneveld (Higher Tournament Average) vs Gary Anderson- 11/10 BetVictor- (4/10) Not sure why we're getting odds against here for Barney but I'm happy to take them. I must state just what this bet is about as it is a little misleading. It's not who has the overall better tournament average, but which player reaches the highest average in one match and I fail to see how Barneveld won't come out on top here. The only way that will happen is if the Dutchman loses badly in the first round tonight whilst Anderson's form improves dramatically but I don't see it happening. I've spoken quite a bit about RVB already and how well he has been playing of late and that win in Dusseldorf will have done his confidence no harm coming into the Matchplay. Anderson on the other hand has had problems with his shoulder for a while now whilst he has been referred to a specialist about his eye which has meant he hasn't practiced properly for a little whilst now so it's hardly ideal preparation for the Scot. Put that with the fact that he will always miss a few doubles which lowers your average naturally and the distinct possibility that Dean Winstanley will beat him anyway leads me to think Barney is a good bet in this market. I think he'll have a decent tournament if he continues playing the way he has done, and I'd be surprised if at some point in the tournament he didn't top the 100 average which should be enough against Anderson here even if the Scot performs well.

[County Championship 2012]

Re: County Championship 2012 Same one for me today... Hampshire to beat Essex- 10/11 Coral- (4/10) After watching Essex in the flesh yesterday, I can't help but fear for them here. With Shah and Foster missing, as well as Bopara and Cook and also James Franklin who played last night, they really are extremely short in the batting department. It was only at the ground yesterday that I could see just how much they missed Foster as although they hadn't scored enough runs, in the field they were extremely quiet and some of the decisions made by stand in captain Mark Pettini were peculiar. To be quite honest, the bowling looked extremely weak as well to me excluding Masters and Napier and although Harbhajan will help in that department, he's not the bowler he once was so all in all, they look a little lacking in quality. Hampshire don't have that problem though as they are extremely strong batting wise which should mean they score a bunch of runs on this ground whilst their bowlers have been in good form as well. Essex have been in poor form in the 4 day game even with the players that are missing today, so without them, I expect Hampshire to win this one.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Heading down to Chelmsford in a bit so if anyone wants to know what the weather is like I'll try and put an update up later on nearer 4ish. The forecast generally looks okay though albeit with a few showers about but we should get a full match in by my reckoning. In a bit of a rush so will post these bets quickly. Taking 4 in total in this one... Essex (Most 6's) vs Middlesex- 5/4 Stan James- (4/10) Both sides have a few notable names missing tonight and in that some big hitters missing but I still think Essex look a good price here. Even without the likes of Shah, Bopara and Foster, the home side still have Pettini, ten Doeschate, Napier, Wheater, Phillips and also James Franklin who has been shifted in tonight due to the batting absentees so in those players, you're almost fairly likely to see a fair few sixes and even if a couple of those guys get in, with the size of these boundaries, they could really clear the rope regularly. Middlesex also have some big hitters in their side, none more so than Eoin Morgan whilst they also have Dawid Malan as well but they don't really have as many players likely to clear the rope in their side tonight. If Paul Stirling was playing I'd probably be a little more hesitant to take this bet, but the fact he isn't and news that Joe Denly may not play as well makes me think Essex will hit more 6's tonight. Their bowling is generally a little tighter as well with Napier and Masters never easy to get away and with all things considered, I'm happy to back them tonight. Essex Highest 1st 8 Overs- 5/6 Coral- (4/10) A lot of what I just said applies here really. In Pettini and Franklin, Essex have a couple of players who will look to attack from the outset and go after the Middlesex bowlers in the powerplay whilst I wouldn't be too surprised if Napier makes an appearance early on either given the players Essex have missing with the bat so if that happens, you can usually expect some fireworks. Joe Denly may not play for the visitors tonight and will have a late fitness test so if he doesn't play, that's a big blow for Middlesex. What I really like about taking Essex in this market is that Middlesex's best batsman Eoin Morgan is unlikely to be in during the first 8 overs which helps Essex out as when the Irishman comes in, he could well hit the ball to all parts but Malan and Denly are less likely to do so. Masters who opens up for Essex with the ball is usually tough to get away for too many, especially if the conditions are overcast and I fully expect the home side to be on top after the first 8 of both innings. Eoin Morgan Top Middlesex Batsman- 4/1 Coral- (2/10) A little surprised to see such high odds on the England man here. He'll be desperate to impress given the train incident against Lancashire the other day so he'll feel he really owes his side tonight and will be looking to impress. There's no Paul Stirling tonight, and maybe no Joe Denly as well if he fails a fitness test which might mean Morgan comes in at 3, but definitely 4 and in that he should get plenty of time to fill his boots. The dimensions of this ground should really suit Morgan, as his reverse sweeps and Dilshan scoops should work a treat given the length of the straight and square boundaries and with the pressure on him to impress tonight in front of the TV cameras, I think he'll show us just how good he is. Ryan ten Doeschate Top Essex Batsman- 6/1 Coral- (1/10 E/W) 1/5 1,2,3 Like the look of the Dutchman here in this Essex side tonight. Without Bopara, Shah and Foster, it leaves a huge gap open in their batting lineup and they will need some of their experienced faces to have good games tonight. Ten Doeschate is a real class act and despite not having his best season so far this year, he still is a real class act and he's shown in the past just what he's capable of in front of the Sky cameras. He may well bat a little higher than he has done generally this year and that may well suit him. He can hit a long ball whilst he can score quickly as well and with the experience he's carrying on his shoulder tonight in the middle order, I'll back him to come good and with the each way place I'm happy to go with him.

[County Championship 2012]

Re: County Championship 2012 Back to normality a bit now with the weather hopefully easing off a bit for the next couple of weeks. Currently on +18.40 for the tournament before the T20 break and hopefully that will improve this week with some decent prices about. Will start with division 1... Nottinghamshire (1st Innings Lead) vs Surrey- 8/11 Bet365- (10/10) What this price is about I don't know in all honesty. Just looking at the Surrey squad for tomorrow's game in terms of batsman, it's pretty horrible viewing in truth. There's still no Hamilton-Brown and unlike last week against Lancashire, there's no KP to score a double hundred and take the pressure off their other batsman this week so they are at least 2 recognized batsman short coming into this one with Mark Ramprakash retiring last week as well. If you don't believe me, the only players in the squad who will be expected to make runs are Roy, Davies, Burns, de Bruyn, Ansari and Spriegel which although you feel for them given what's happened, it's such a weak batting lineup for the second division, let alone against one of the best counties in the country. You only have to remember what happened at the weekend between these 2 sides if you're in doubt of Surrey's appalling batting setup right now. Notts at one point had them at 8-5 on what is an extremely batsman friendly pitch down at Guildford which says it all really and then if you want further reasoning for this bet, you only have to take a look at Notts' batting quality. Their top 5/6 could all, and mostly have played some form of International cricket and they could get into any side in the country. They made the Hampshire bowling attack look extremely ordinary tonight when it really isn't which shows just how strong they are and in all honesty, I wouldn't be at all surprised if 3 players in this Notts side combined to outscore Surrey and given the extremely generous price, I have to get on board here with maximum stakes. Warwickshire to beat Somerset- 4/5 Stan James- (5/10) Must admit before the season started, I thought Warwickshire would find it hard going to repeat their form of the past couple of seasons in the Championship but they've proved me wrong and they've been playing some superb stuff. Despite the disappointment of not reaching the last 8 in the T20, they bounced back well against Sussex in the Championship and despite only drawing because of the rain, the amount of points they picked up was probably the best they could have hoped for and it must have felt like a win in all honesty. They continue to impress with the bat throughout their side, and even without Trott, Bell and Porterfield who will all be away with their International sides, in the likes of Chopra, Troughton and Rikki Clarke they have guys who have been extremely consistent for them this season whilst the overseas signing of Jeetan Patel has only strengthened what is a really talented bowling attack. If Warwickshire's Championship credentials this season weren't enough to get my backing, the Somerset team news is really worrying in truth. Bowling wise especially, they have so many absentees which leaves a really inexperienced look to the side. Steve Kirby is injured again, leading man with the ball this year George Dockrell is away on U19 duty as well as the Overton brothers as well which leaves only Peter Trego and Alfonso Thomas really as the only out and out experience bowlers with bits and pieces around them. Batting wise they are still strong on paper even without Marcus Trescothick but with that bowling attack, it's hard to see them getting a win here and they will have to bat extremely well just to salvage a draw considering the way Warwickshire have played so far this season. If the league leaders just post a big score when they bat like they have done consistently this season against far stronger bowling attacks, it's going to be an extremely tough ask for the home side to get anything out of this one and I have to go with Warwickshire here. A couple in Division 2 as well... Yorkshire to beat Derbyshire- 4/5 Boylesports- (5/10) Top of the table clash here and despite Derbyshire's excellent start in the league, they had an extremely poor T20 campaign and I can't help feel that will have stopped their momentum a touch. They really struggled for runs in the T20 and that continued against Northants the other day and they were lucky that rain came to their rescue as they looked destine to lose that one as well. Even against the Unicorns in the most recent match, only 3 guys got into double figures which says to me that the T20 has really made them lose confidence and they will need to find their form at the crease again if they are to maintain their early season form. Yorkshire on the other hand have had no such problems with runs recently and they will be extremely high on confidence after their T20 efforts which has seen them qualify for the quarter finals. Joe Root in particular has been in sublime form with the bat and scored an unbeaten double hundred against Hampshire in the recent Championship match and with Jonny Bairstow not being picked for England, he'll be eager to impress again and he just strengthens what is a really strong top order. Despite not having Mitchell Starc for this one, Steve Harmison fills in for him and he's spoken about how much he wants to impress as well given his poor form and being plagued with injuries so he makes up a pretty decent bowling attack as well. I just fear that the T20 season has sort of come at the wrong time for Derbyshire as they haven't been amongst the runs for quite a while now and they need to put some runs on the board as their bowling attack isn't the strongest. If the Yorkshire bowlers can make some in-roads early on, they've got the batsman to really score the runs and punish what is a pretty lacking Derbyshire bowling attack and with the prospect of closing the gap at the top, I fancy the men with the White Rose to win this one. Leicestershire to beat Gloucestershire- 11/8 Stan James- (4/10) I mentioned how the T20 period seems to have stopped Derbyshire's momentum a bit, well it seems to have done the opposite for Leicestershire as before the T20 they were really struggling but since returning to CB40 action, they've won their last 2 matches they've played and the result against Worcestershire should really have given the dressing room a boost and they should be full on confidence coming into this one. They found a couple of local stars during the T20 season in Robert Thornely and Rob Taylor who really impressed, and with the returns of Robert Joseph and Claude Henderson to boost the bowling attack, they will be pretty confident with the squad they are putting out as they have some quality batsman as well, none more so than Ramnaresh Sarwan who scored that magnificent century the other day on TV. Gloucestershire had a good T20 campaign and are into the quarter finals which looked unlikely with the last couple of games to play in the tournament and they have backed those performances up well with a good batting performance against Essex in the interrupted Championship game and then they won comfortably again today against Worcestershire in the CB40. Where I think Leicestershire have a chance however is from looking at the game today down at Cheltenham, it looks as though the pitch was aiding the spinners and the medium pacers which Leicestershire have in Rob Taylor and Claude Henderson. The likes of Alex Gidman and Moeen Ali in particular has a lot of success so I'd fancy Henderson in particular to be licking his lips at the prospect of bowling on this surface. Gloucestershire have been really impressive in the one day format this season, but I'm still not convinced they have the right balance in their side especially without Will Gidman who was their best player in the early part of the season. They didn't chase down the modest total that Worcestershire set them today with too much conviction and with Leicestershire sure to be on a high from their recent couple of results, I'll back them to carry that form and momentum into this one and take the points back to Leicester with them.

[County Championship 2012]

Re: County Championship 2012 Division 1: [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Wednesday 18 July 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Lancashire v Worcestershire (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.02[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.6[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]159.40 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Nottinghamshire v Surrey (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.25[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]172.80 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Somerset v Warwickshire (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]162.64 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sussex v Durham (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.85[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.7[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]138.71 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Division 2: [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Wednesday 18 July 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Derbyshire v Yorkshire (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]141.69 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Gloucestershire v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]145.83 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Thursday 19 July 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Essex v Hampshire (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.6[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]137.50 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Kent v Glamorgan (11:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.7[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]147.71 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Notts couldn't manage one more 6 in their innings to win that bet but the 2 in the previous match sailed through comfortably. Today's action brings me to +25.63 overall. Actually heading down to Chelmsford tomorrow to watch the game that's on TV so hoping the forecast stays okay for it as there's plenty of quality players on show.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Gloucestershire are going well and taking just the 1 in the TV game later on which should be a cracker. Nottinghamshire Most 6's- 5/4 Coral- (4/10) This match has the potential to be an absolute cracker and I can't actually pick a winner but I think Notts will win the 6's battle. Their batting order is the strongest in the country and in their top 5/6, any of those guys can and mostly have played international cricket which shows the strength they have and all of these guys can hit a long ball. Even the likes of Read and Mullaney down the order can clear the ropes with ease and when you have the likes of Hales, Lumb, Wessels, Voges, Taylor and Patel above them, that makes for a fierce-some and extremely aggressive top order oozing with quality. Hampshire also have a good batting lineup but not to the same aggressive degree that Notts do. Without Michael Carberry who is injured, it's only really Sean Ervine and Dimi Mascarenhas who you'd say are natural big hitters of a ball but they are down the order and may not get much time at the crease at all. Notts though have plenty of guys who can hit a long ball, all throughout their team and I think they are a good bet to score the most maximums tonight.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Stayed away because of the rain yesterday but pleased Lancashire won and they look well placed in their group now. Couple of matches today with one starting earlier than the TV match later on. Taking 2 in that non televised game and might be back later if I see anything worth taking in the other match. Gloucestershire to beat Worcestershire- 4/5 Stan James- (4/10) I'd have the home side as bigger favourites here in truth. Worcestershire's preparation has been far from ideal for this game. They threw away the game against Leicestershire in truth which heaps more pressure on them to win this one whilst their ground has been flooded again so in the dressing room, things aren't going particularly well. Gloucestershire on the other hand will be on a massive high after clinching a spot in the quarter finals of the T20 when it looked as though they weren't going to make it but a results on the final day meant they snuck in. They will know a win here puts them in a really good position in the group and will give them some breathing space from their opponents today. Although there's no Murali in the side, Gloucestershire have a really good batting lineup which will give them confidence in scoring plenty of runs which I see being the difference here. The home side have plenty of good batsman in their side and bat pretty deep, but Worcestershire still rely too heavily on their top 3 for runs IMO. If neither of those 3 fire, they simply won't have enough runs. We saw the other day the pressure on the likes of Hughes to bat through without taking too many risks given the lack of batting below him and they can't rely on the Australian to score runs in every match. Their bowling attack isn't frightening either as Leicestershire found out the other day so Gloucestershire just look the more balanced side and I think they will win today. Under 8.5 6's- 5/6 Sportingbet- (6/10) I literally have no idea where this line has come from. The only threat to this line that I can see is if Gareth Andrew or one of the Gloucestershire top 3 start taking steroids tbh as this line is way too high. There's been a fair few runs score on this ground so far this year, and at no point has this line been covered so I see no reason not to take the unders here. There's only been a couple of matches that have even gone close to producing 9 6's and when these 2 sides met the other week in the T20, there were 5 6's in total in a fairly high scoring match actually. It's only really the home side who are going to really trouble this line today as well as the main big hitters of Worcestershire are down the order and given the lack of batting quality they have, the top 3 of Ali, Solanki and Hughes will try and bat for the majority and none of those guys are excessive big hitters, especially when the pressure is on them to score most of the runs. We have to remember that although there should be a completed match today, the rain will have taken its toll so the pitch should aid the bowlers a bit so there shouldn't be that many runs I don't imagine. Regardless, there hasn't been a game played on this ground this season that has covered this line and I don't think it will be today either.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Not taking anything today as nothing stands out. Weather may affect a few games so happy to just watch today.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Cracking match today which sort of makes up for the rotten weather over the past couple of...well months :lol Looks like a full house in here although I'm not sure what Skybet's sports rules are on reduced overs matches but hopefully Kev's bet was a winner. A couple of winners for me though which takes me to +21.43 for the tournament.

[July 9 - July 15]

Re: July 9 - July 15 Got to love Slider's tips. Just pops in once a day with a winner at massive odds. :lol Cracking stuff as usual bud. :clap With regards to the outrights, Dolgopolov was serving for the first set earlier but couldn't close it out and was all downhill from there. Monaco is favourite against Tipsarevic tomorrow though so hopefully he can bring home the goods at 4/1 in what's been a really tricky week.

[Antepost > 2012/13]

Re: Antepost > 2012/13

Chelsea must be loving that post! As will Tottenham, whereas United, Arsenal and Newcastle will not be so keen. So in managerial terms your top 6 look like this: 1st R Mancini (1 previous PL title) 2nd Ferguson (13 previous PL titles) 3rd Di Matteo (no PL titles) 4th A Villas-Boas (no PL titles) 5th A Wenger (3 previous PL titles) 6th A Pardew (no previous PL titles) Or if we go with the one-man team argument instead then it would look like this: 1st Aguero (or I suppose you could argue Balotelli) 2nd Rooney (Hmm can't call a second one!) 3rd Torres (Sturridge? Nahh I doubt that very much) 4th Adebayor (Van der Vaart? Defoe? Bale? God knows who their goalscorers will be this time) 5th Van Persie (or Giroud if he ends up buggering off) 6th Cisse (or Demba Ba if he does the same as he did early doors last season) LOL that puts a new angle on the discussion I feel :D

Tbh I'd pretty much agree with Mirage on that top 6. The 2 Manchester teams are a level or two above anyone else right now despite your opinion that Giroud could make Arsenal finish higher than the likes of Van Persie and Fabregas could achieve together. Speaking as a Chelsea fan, I think the signings we've made have been really positive ones, whilst letting the old crop go is the best thing imaginable. Providing we get a bit of cover at the back, RB especially I think we should be coming third really. IMO (might be hugely debatable), I think Van Persie leaving (if he does of course) is a bigger blow than the likes of Henry and Fabregas leaving. I say that because when the previous 2 left, there were still some world class players at the club attacking wise. Without RVP, there's nobody you'd call world class anymore and the goals he contributed last season will be extremely hard to match with two players, let alone one. With regards to this one man team argument. You can't call Man City a one man team whatsoever so you can immediately discount them from that 'argument'. Think you're missing the point when you are talking about this one man team. If you are picking out one player from a side, it doesn't necessarily have to be the leading man up top. A class example of that is with Chelsea. Even with Drogba at his best, I still felt we missed Lampard more when he wasn't in the side and he was more important to the side than Drogba was. Silva was better than Aguero last season and Toure was as well IMO so if you were to pick one player from that side it wouldn't be Aguero. It's a bit pointless anyway as Man City are far from a one man team. I think the main point about the one man team regarding Arsenal is the fact that without Van Persie last year, they would have been stuffed. He single-handedly won matches on his own really and it's virtually impossible to say that about other sides. You say you base most of your stuff on facts and evidence from what I've read but where is the evidence supporting your argument that Arsenal will finish higher than they did last season? You've said you think Arsenal are ahead of Man Utd this year but I don't see how that is true. To suddenly get ahead of them you would need to improve your side and if they lose Van Persie, you can't possibly say their squad has been strengthened surely?

[July 9 - July 15]

Re: July 9 - July 15 Monaco choking to a massive degree here. :puke

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Weather looks okay for this afternoon on the whole so taking 2 in the TV game. Not massive write-ups as I want to make sure I get these done in decent time ahead of the game. Leicestershire (Most 6's) vs Worcestershire- 11/10 Stan James- (4/10) Although Kev is opting for the other 6's market, I do like Leicestershire's chances to clear the boundary more often today. One of the main reason I like them is the Worcestershire top 3. Ali, Hughes and Solanki will have to bat the majority of the overs you feel as they are the 3 class batsman in this Worcestershire side and although all 3 can hit a long ball when they have got themselves in, they all tend to generally pick the gaps in the field cleverly and hit more 4's than maximums so with those 3 occupying the crease for the majority, it won't give the likes of Cameron and Andrew in particular much time to execute the big strikes. Leicestershire have the likes of Cobb, Thornely, Boyce and White who can all hit a long ball whilst Sarwan can occasional clear the ropes as well. The Foxes know the conditions and boundaries better than their opponents here and although I don't think they will win today, I think they will win the 6's battle. Phil Hughes to score more runs than Vikram Solanki- 10/11 William Hill- (4/10) Not sure why the Australian is the underdog in this market considering the form he's in. He's batting superbly well at the minute and must be full of confidence and that's reflected in his recent games. He topped the charts in terms of runs in the T20 which was the main reason Worcestershire made the quarters and recently in the Championship match, he scored 87 whilst everyone else failed to score above 24. I do really like Vikram Solanki and he is a class batsman as he has been for many years but with Hughes batting the way he is, I have to back him to outscore the veteran here. With the match being on TV, Hughes will be out to prove a point given the criticism he's received over here in the UK and I think that will drive him on to perform well today.

[July 9 - July 15]

Re: July 9 - July 15 Really tricky week by the looks of things. Glad I've stayed away really. Rajeev Ram in an ATP semi sums it up really. :lol Querrey blew match points against Sela and went onto lose, but Dolgopolov and Monaco are both in the semis for me so think I'll just let those outrights play out.

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Lovely weather. :eyes Although probably did me and Kev a bit of a favour there with Derbyshire struggling. Glad Northants got through their innings though, allowing Wakely to top score. +13.00 today though which takes me to +13.40 for the tournament. Hopefully the weather improves for the weekend to actually allow some results to happen. :hope

[2012 Clydesdale Bank 40]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Looks like there might be a chance of a completed match today so will take 3 in total. Derbyshire to beat Northamptonshire- Evens William Hill- (5/10) Don't really understand how Northants can be favourites here. They haven't anything to play for in the tournament now and looking at their squad for this match, you can certainly tell that. They've chosen to rest virtually all of their big players for this one including Jack Brooks, Vaas and Andrew Hall which leaves a hugely inexperienced front line bowling attack and when you put that together with the fact they've struggled for runs this season, I really have to oppose them. Cameron White isn't playing for them any more now the T20 is over and he was the only player to really score any substantial runs for them in the tournament so that leaves a huge gap in their side. Niall O'Brien isn't playing as well so it leaves probably 5/6 main batsman in their squad who will have to score runs as there really isn't anything below them. The squad just looks too weak to me here and when you consider Derbyshire have a couple of good players with both bat and ball, I think they will win this one. Couple of top bats for me as well. No each way so taking 2 for the same side. Alex Wakely Top Northamptonshire Batsman- 5/1 Bet365- (3/10) James Middlebrook Top Northamtonshire Batsman- 14/1 Blue Square- (2/10) I'll do just the one write-up for both players as it's much the same reasoning. As I've said, Northants are resting a ton of players tonight which leaves them short in both departments and the prices on these two guys are way too high IMO. First of all the absentees with the bat, which include Niall O'Brien and also Stephen Peters who isn't playing, as well as Andrew Hall which some bookies haven't picked up on so automatically the prices on both Wakely and Middlebrook are too high. Both will have to bat up the order as Northants will need the runs desperately and aside from David Sales, they are probably Northants' best 2 batsman in the squad tonight. When you look around at the prices, some firms have Wakely at 7/2 favourite, whilst Middlebrook is as low as 4/1 with some places which shows the over exaggeration of these odds and with notable players missing for Northants tonight, I'll back these 2 to go well and hopefully bring home the goods.

[County Championship 2012]

Re: County Championship 2012 Weather is pretty rotten in truth which is annoying as there looked to be a few teams worth taking this week but I'm going to stay away with the weather like it is.

[July 9 - July 15]

Re: July 9 - July 15 Actually taking a few today as some of the odds and favourites look misplaced to me which I can't let slide. 5 in total... Sergei Bubka (+4.5 games) to beat John Isner- 5/6 Bet365- (5/10) I'm on the same thought path as Slider with regards to Isner here but I'm taking the handicap instead of the overs just in case the American wins 6-4 6-4 as he has the tendency to do from time to time. I'd be surprised if both handicap and overs weren't fine here though as they lines are too high or low depending on which one you're looking at. Isner is extremely overrated on grass and apart from his serve, he really struggles as his movement is poor whilst his returning skills aren't great by any means and he'll struggle to really get a look in on Bubka's serve here. The Ukrainian should be fairly comfortably in his own service games with the bombs he can throw down and the lack of balls Isner will return into court and on the whole, I'd expect a pretty tight affair with not many breaks whatsoever and in that, I expect the handicap to be covered here. Izak van der Merwe (+3.5 games) to beat Gilles Muller- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Opposing another big server with the handicap here in the shape of Gilles Muller. It's the case again that Muller really isn't that great on return and I struggle to see him causing enough problems on van der Merwe's serve to cover the handicap. In SW19, Benneteau was all over most of his service games like a rash which really isn't a good sign as if his serve goes missing or isn't working well, he's pretty much going to struggle with most players, main tour or challenger in fact. Now the South African is no world beater by any means but the fact that he's beaten James Duckworth and Adrian Mannarino here in qualification show that he's settled in nicely to the courts here and is playing some decent stuff. He lost in the final qualifying round over in London but he does generally play some decent stuff on the grass and he should have enough about him today to keep this close and cover the handicap. Grega Zemlja to beat Rajeev Ram- 4/5 Bet365- (3/10) Would personally be having Zemlja as a bigger favourite here. He's had a really good grass season thus far, winning a challenger over in Nottingham, before reaching the second round in SW19 and taking a set of Verdasco in the process so he should be high on confidence right now. His serve was working well a couple of weeks ago and on the grass, he is extremely comfortable and has enjoyed wins over the likes of Falla and Lacko in the past, whilst taking sets off Monfils and Verdasco at Wimbledon this year which shows that he's a decent player on the surface. Rajeev Ram is still pretty much a doubles specialist IMO. He has had some decent results in a few challenger events this season but he's still not a lot more than a doubles player really. Decent serve, but hasn't really got the weapons to do much once in the rallies and that's where I'd expect Zemlja to dominate a bit. Ram won their only meeting before this one, but that was on the clay and on grass, where Zemlja is a lot more comfortable, I'd expect him to run out as winner here. Marinko Matosevic to beat Jesse Levine- 5/4 Bet365- (3/10) I'd expect a pretty tight one here but overall I'd be having Matosevic as favourite. The Aussie has had his best season on the tour this year and has reached an ATP final as well as the quarters in Munich and Eastbourne as well so he's had plenty more experience in the bigger tournaments than Levine has this season. Despite reaching the second round at Wimbledon, Levine hasn't really done much else this year and it must be said that his draw over in London was a pretty good one before David Goffin beat him comfortably in the end. Levine's serve is pretty handy, with the angles he can get with his lefty serve, but he still makes far too many errors in the rallies which let him down. Matosevic has become a far more consistent player this year on the tour whilst he possesses a decent serve as well which can get him out of a trouble a fair bit. I just don't really get why the Aussie is the underdog here, considering he has beaten the likes of Ward and Gasquet on grass this year so at odds against, I feel there's a little bit of value with the man from down under over in Boznia ;) Daniel Gimeno-Traver to beat Mikhail Kukushkin- 11/8 Bet365- (3/10) Now usually, I wouldn't be going anywhere near the Spaniard here as his consistency is as poor as they come really but I feel he might be worth a small punt here. Of late, he's finally been able to put some decent performances together as he's qualified in Madrid where he went on to beat Hanescu and then take a set of Djokovic whilst only a few weeks ago, he won a challenger event in Italy where he beat the likes of Maximo Gonzalez, Starace and then Montanes in the final which was a really good effort by the Spaniard. Now of course as you'd expect, after that fine week, he's since lost to a Brit teenager at Wimbledon and then lost to Mischa Zverev a couple of weeks ago but he's had a little rest since then so he might just be ready to go for this one. It's not as though he's playing a guy who is in form either, considering Mikhail Kukushkin has lost his last 4, including to a guy ranked outside the top 200 on clay just after the French. At Wimbledon, forgetting the singles but in the doubles, he struggled to rally with Alla Kudryavtseva which tells you all you need to know about how well he is playing right now and it was the female who usually came out on top in those rallies from the baseline. Despite his inconsistencies, Gimeno-Traver does have a fair bit of quality at his disposal and if he really wants to win this one, he probably should be able to and from what I've seen of Kukushkin of late, I've not been impressed so with everything crossed in the world, I'll side with the Spaniard for this one.