Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40

[kevshat]

The domestic one day competition begins on Sunday. As the title suggests it's a 40 over comp. Why it's 40 overs and not 50 to support the international game is a debate for another day and another place but 40 overs it is. Format is simple. 3 groups of 7. 2pts for a win. Naff all for losing. 1 for tie/rained off. Top team in each group go into the semis with the best runner up joining them. 2 top teams with the best records get home semi. 16 overs of powerplay. Mandatory 8 then 4 for batting and bowling teams. Away we go :ok.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 One outright for me. 1.5pts ew Yorkshire to win Clydesdale Bank 40 12/1 Blue Square (1/2 1,2) Yorkshire aren't my favourite side at the minute for their Championship capitulation so they owe me a decent run in this. They were semi finalists last year where they were unlucky that Headingley was hosting an ODI close to the semi final so their home advantage was shunted out to Scarborough. Even then it took an exceptional run chase from champions Warwickshire to deny them. Obviously the Tykes have lost Jacques Rudolph since then but they've still got Andrew Gale who is one of the best one day batsmen in the country and has started the season well, Adam Lyth, Anthony McGrath along with cameos from Bairstow and Brophy so there's enough batting left. As in most one day cricket I want a good bowling attack and Yorkshire have got that. Ryan Sidebottom is one of the best limited overs bowlers in the country and rich Pyrah has begun the season well. Adil Rashid and David Wainwright are good spin twins and throw in the occasional appearances of Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad and that's a tasty bowling attack. I think Yorkshire are in the easier of the groups with England call up's hampering Sussex badly and at 12/1 I'll take the semi finalists last year to go 2 further and win it this season.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Cricket season is back then and after some interesting results in the CC, I'll kick my season off with a couple for tomorrow. Nottinghamshire vs Somerset- Somerset to win- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Somerset have been woeful thus far this season with 2 innings defeats against Wawickshire and Lancashire but regardless of this, over the last two seasons, they have shown consistently that they are one of the best one day teams about. Their team is oozing with talent with both the bat and bowl. The likes of Trescothick, Compton, Trego, Thomas, Suppiah, Willoughby and Kieswetter are some of the best county players about. Backed up with the youthful talent of Buttler, and the international class of Ajantha Mendis, on paper they look a class act. Notts have had a completely different start to the season to Somerset, with 2 wins out of 2. How they managed to dig a result out against Yorkshire is bizarre as they were hammered for the best part of 3 days, knocking Yorkshire out for 86 in their second innings to take the win. Despite the good form, Notts are planning to have a youthful outlook to their one day team this year according to Mike Newell. Tomorrow, two of their main strike force, Andre Adams and Charlie Shreck are being rested for the CC, leaving gaps open for some youngsters to break through. Although the batting looks pretty decent, feel they will struggle against the quality of Somerset's batsman with a relatively weak bowling attack. One day cricket is where Somerset really do shine and play with alot of freedom, which is what they need in my opinion to kick start their season. Really not sure about them being the dogs here, and at evens I'll back them. One for me in the first televised match of the season tomorrow as well. James Vince vs Varun Chopra- Chopra +1.5 run handicap- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Really don't understand why Vince is rated higher than Chopra in this one. Chopra's very much the man in form this season in the domestic game. He has amazingly hit two double centries already this season in 3 innings showing that the youngster is in the nick of his life. Many expected this kid to kick on while he was with Essex but it didn't really happen for kid who was once captain of the England U19s. Now he's at Wawickshire where he looks to have a bit more responsibility in the team, especially now as Trott is heavily involved in the England setup. He never really fulfilled his potential in many people's eyes but his one day average isn't too shabby, averaging around the 38 mark, significantly higher than his average in the longer form of the game. He'll probably open with Neil Carter I guess, and in that partnership it's Carter who plays the big and risky shots, allowing Chopra to get his eye in, and build the innings from the front. James Vince is another talented youngster but not in the form that Chopra is in at the minute. He has one fifty to his name this year, and a few other scores where he's got started, but not gone on. He's average isn't as high as Chopra's in the limited form of the game and despite Hampshire's better bowling attack, find it bizarre to have the handicap against a guy who has hit two double centuries in 2 games so I'll back Varun to outscore his fellow youngster opponent tomorrow.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Agree totally with Fishy. Awful start to the season for me but hopefully I can get something going today. Going with 5 today, 3 in the TV match of which the shortage of markets is a pain in the arse and 2 others to follow in another post. 5pts Warwickshire to beat Hampshire Evs Skybet Warwickshire look a big price here. I always think one day cricket domestically is as much about style as it is personnel and Warwickshire just know how to play 40 over cricket. For that reason I don't think the absence of Bell and Trott will cause too much harm to them. In Chopra they have an in form batsman and the likes of Mohammad Yousuf, Porterfield, Maddy and Troughton are all good one day batsmen with the likes of Woakes and Barker big hitters when needed. I think they have a decent enough bowling attack with pace off the ball bowlers along with Woakes so I expect a good show from the defending champions. Hampshire have a few problems. Mascarenhas and Pothas are key one day players and they are both out as is Michael Carberry although his loss is tempered a bit by the signing of Johann Myburgh who I'm sure will open up with Adams today. Michael Lumb is at the IPL while Imran Tahir is still out with a thumb injury so if anything although Warks are missing Bell and Trott, personnel wise Hampshire have been hurt more. Hampshire are a good side on their own patch but I'm sure this will be a belting wicket to bat on and with Hampshire's batting looking a bit on the light side coupled with Warwickshire's excellent start to the season they are the pick here despite my loyalties to their opponents. 4pts V.Chopra (+1.5 runs) to beat J.Vince 5/6 Ladbrokes Agree with Fishy here. James Vince is a mighty fine batsman who is entitled to go very well this afternoon but he's up against a guy who has two double centuries to his name in two matches this season and who must be seeing the ball like a beach ball. Vince hasn't done too badly himself this term notching a 50 in tricky conditions at Notts a couple of weeks ago but his opponent in this match bet is not only in better form, the best form he's ever been in, but he could well open for the Bears too. Vince will bat at 3 for Hampshire and in these scenarios I always like to be on the guy who will bat higher especially getting a start. It's Chopra to beat the talented Vince for me. 1pt K.Barker Top Warwickshire Batsman 8/1 Bet365 I'm not sure if Neil Carter is fit for Warwickshire this afternoon as their website is about as helpful as a chocolate teapot but even if he is a lot of the time last season Keith Barker was chucked in to bat at number 3 in the line up, something he did pre-season too so I have every reason to believe he'll be in at 3 this afternoon. If he is then he automatically becomes a big price even in a side full of talented batsmen. He scores so quickly when he's batting that nobody will be catching him if he spends a significant period of time at the crease so at the price given the potential for him batting at 3 I'll take this to a small stake.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 And the final two. 4pts Northants to beat Leicestershire 4/5 Stan James Northants don't have a good record in this competition recently but they should go a lot better this season. Chaminda Vaas looks like opening with the bat and the ball here which is fine because he's in form with both. He'll probably open with Mal Loye so that's a good partnership. The likes of Peters, Sales, Hall and O'Brien can propel a total. With the ball Vaas is as good as anyone and then there's the youngsters Jack Brooks and David Willey while Hall remains a top level death bowler so Northants have all the weapons to go well. I'm always unsteady about Leicester's batting in this format since the likes of HD Ackerman and Boeta Dippenaar left. Paul Nixon is the experienced head but in Championship cricket the lineup relies a lot on Taylor and it's arguably more so in this format. There's nothing wrong with their bowling attack if they put runs on the board but Northants bat very deep, they've started the season very well and at home I think they can win today. 4pts Somerset to beat Nottinghamshire Evs Boylesports Again I'm with Fishy here. Originally I thought twice about taking the Sabres here because in 4 Championship innings so far they've not scored higher than 268 and all their main batsmen are struggling however Notts have rested their main bowling attack and although the young replacements are very talented, England 19's potential in many of them, this is a pretty fearful batting line up to be bowling at especially if the release of being able to throw the bat at a few to discover form works in their favour. I can't say I'm overly enamoured with Somerset's attack with Alfonso Thomas at the IPL but Mendis should have the class to keep things tight while Willoughby and the likes of Suppiah and Trego can go well. Kirby often goes for a few but does take wickets which could be key. In a 4 day game I don't rate this Notts batting line up and they've weakened it today with the likes of Mark Wagh and Ali Brown not playing. If Somerset can control the big three of Hales, Patel and Voges then I think they'll win this and given their record in one day cricket over the last few years they have to be taken at evens even accounting for their very dodgy start to the Championship season.

[infamous]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 7pts Warwickshire to beat Hampshire at evens with Coral Big play to start the season here for me. Warwickshire have named a very strong squad here despite the absence of Bell and Trott. The defending champs will be after a strong start here and imo have all the tools to do just that. Woakes and Rankin provide good pace with the ball, and they also have decent variety available with Clarke, and Botha. Batting looks extremely good. Chopra is in great form and will open with Porterfield. Barker, Yusuf, Troughton, and Maddy all make up a very decent middle order. Just looking at the lineups Warwickshire look far stronger and I will back them to get off to a winning start here. Hampshire team JHK Adams, JG Myburgh, JM Vince, ND McKenzie, SM Ervine, LA Dawson, DG Cork*, CP Wood, AM Bates†, DR Briggs, SP Jones Warwickshire team V Chopra, WTS Porterfield, KHD Barker, Mohammad Yousuf, JO Troughton*, DL Maddy, R Clarke, CR Woakes, AG Botha, RM Johnson†, WB Rankin

[Tyler]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Flippin' ell what an end to that match :loon Great knock from Woakes, shame it went against the general concensus in here though. Not all bad however, seemed like a good day all round and nice shouts on Chopra. Well played chaps :clap

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Yeah good start for me, the irony of Chopra being the one to take the catch to dismiss Vince :lol. Unlucky on Wawickshire though. Hampshire and their dismal fielding made it a cracking first tv game. Let's hope for plenty more to come. Know you cricket guys like to keep a P/L record, not something we really do in the tennis forum. However I'll try and fit in ;). +7.33 to start off.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Not overly worried about Warwickshire as it meant Hampshire won. Finally got something going in this county season. Not before time either. +4.53 for Sunday and I'm going with 3 for Monday. 4pts Scotland +4.5wickets/49.5runs vs Leicestershire 10/11 Sportingbet Scotland amazingly did the double over Leicestershire last year and of the two sides on Sunday you would suggest Scotland fared better. Sources at Wantage Road tell me Leicestershire were poor while staying close to a nearing full strength Durham side is no mean feat. What I like about this handicap is I'm confident having taken 5 Durham wickets that on an equally as tricky Grace Road wicket that Scotland can grab 6 wickets with a decent total. If they bat 2nd I don't rate this Leicester batting line up to cover a 50 run gap against the Scots, especially not with no Will Jefferson and with Wayne White batting at 5. Whichever way the match works out I think Scotland have enough in their squad, which is boosted by Tasmania's talented all rounder Luke Butterworth as overseas player, to stay competitive in this one and possibly even win. 5pts J.Taylor (+0.5 runs) to beat J.Du Toit 5/6 Ladbrokes I've no idea what Ladbrokes have been on this weekend but I want some. To have James Taylor getting the tie in this match bet is ridiculous. It's like Sachin Tendulkar being matched up with Steve Tikolo and Sachin getting the draw as well such is the class between these two. Du Toit hasn't actually beaten Taylor in any innings this season in which the two have both batted. In the recent match with Loughborough University, in the first innings which was being taken seriously, Du Toit made a 2nd ball duck while James Taylor made 237. Against Northants on Sunday, du Toit went for 15 while Taylor made a 61 ball 69. The only thing du Toit has going for him is the fact he opens and Taylor's at 4 but I think Scotland will be competitive here so even that doesn't bother me. I've got to take Taylor, who will play for England within 2 years, to beat his South African colleague here. 2pts Holland to beat Derbyshire 7/2 Skybet The Netherlands look like they've learnt so much from their world cup campaign and to go to Headingley and win on Sunday was a fantastic result. Although they've got to Ryan ten Doeschate or Alex Kervezee from their world cup squad they still have the majority of the rest of the side and have added Michael Swart to their side. Most of their bowling attack from the world cup remains so the likes of Bukhari and Seelaar who impressed in that tournament are here and going well already. Derbyshire haven't had the best of starts to the season losing from a winning position in the Championship at the weekend. It's been a while since Derby have been a good one day side and so with the confidence of beating Yorkshire on Sunday and picking up a win over Derbyshire last season, I'll take Holland to win this at a big price.

[celtic_hoops]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Dont normally bet Derbyshire but when I saw Holland had beaten Yorkshire, this was an easy play. 3/10 is in my eyes monster value, 30p on the £ for 6 hours. Huge let down spot here for holland, after a win against a pathetic Yorkshire team yesterday. They were pumped and now travel down to Derby against a rested team off an emotional win Khawaja likely wont play but Derbyshire will have way too much power for the Dutch. Realise I wont get any credit for tipping a 3/10 team but its all about value and this one is easy. Luke Sutton has his team ready and there will no repeat of last season.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 2 for me today in the televised match, both concerning Leicestershire's young talisman at no.4. James Taylor vs Jacques De Toit- Taylor +0.5 run handicap- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Think it's fair to say that Kev and I are equally bemused and confused by Ladbrokes' handicaps over the last couple of days. Yesterday that went against a guy who has hit two double centuries this season, and today they go against the Foxes' best player. The cameras are down at Grace Road today and all eyes will be on Taylor, who is a future England player and a guy who Leicstershire rely on so heavily in their batting lineup. He smashed a 50 yesterday against Northants, him being the only player to make a score and before that he hit 237 in a friendly, a match where Du Toit was out second ball. Du toit average around the 22 mark in one dayers, with only one century to his name and no fifties. Taylor averages in the high 40s and is generally a much better cricketer so to have him as the underdog in this one is criminal. Don't rate Leicstershire's batting lineup at all, so Taylor being at number 4 shouldn't be a problem and Du Toit could easily get himself out in the powerplay. Probably prefer the Foxes to bat first but regardless, have to back the youngster here. Reasoning for this one is covered in the above really. Top Leicstershire Batsman- James Taylor- 4/1 Bet365- (1/10) As mentioned, he's their best batsman and before I saw the prices, thought he would be the favourite but that's given to Du Toit for some reason. He top scored yesterday against a pretty decent bowling attack and hopefully he'll get in early and fill his boots, showing everyone what a capable batsman he is.

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 I'd like to take full credit for a cleansweep from shatman and fishy by not following them :spank Cracking stuff guys :notworthy

[RussP]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Awesome stuff. Very impressive indeed:notworthy

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Full house by the looks of things. Plaudits go to Kev though on the Scotland and Holland shouts. For me Taylor did the business, leading the Foxes' again, taking my total from the first weekend up to +14.66. Happily take that ;).

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 +19.34 now. Going with 4 today. 2 in the TV game and 2 away from the cameras. TV game first. 3pts Worcestershire to beat Kent 6/4 William Hill Worcestershire have a decent pedigree in 40 over cricket having won the Pro40 a few years ago and they've actually made a better start to the season than I'd have thought they would even though they haven't won a match yet. In this competition last week they were on track to beat Middlesex until a Gareth Berg wonderspell derailed their run chase. Kent begin their competition here but they'll have to makedo without one of their better one day players in Joe Denly who has a broken thumb. That will mean a youngster will come in which gives them a youngish element to their batting and their bowling. Worcester are never ones to totally rely on but in Moeen Ali and Vikram Solanki they have a couple of quality one day performers and if they play well and the rest go ok around them then the Royals can take the 2pts home with them. 1pt ew D.Stevens Top Kent Batsman 6/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Darren Stevens is now a top one day batsman who actually made the England provisional squad for the World Cup. With Joe Denly out of this Kent line up it frees up the potential for someone else to score the runs. I wouldn't actually be surprised if Stevens is shoved up to open the batting but wherever he bats he'll be scoring quickly. Kent aren't in great nick with the bat this season, which is another reason why I think Worcester will win this, having not made 250 in 6 Championship innings yet so it may not take much to win this. At the ew price I'm happy to take Darren Stevens here. 6pts Sussex to beat Derbyshire 8/13 Boylesports Short price this but it's just about on the value side given the excellent one day cricketers Sussex have in their ranks. Sussex will be pushing for the semi finals from this group while Derbyshire, having lost to Holland last weekend, are already up against it. Both sides put up fighting efforts to save innings defeats in the Championship over the last couple of days but Sussex's plethora of international cricketers in Rana Naved, Ed Joyce, Monty Panesar, Murray Goodwin and Luke Wright not to mention the quality of the likes of Chris Nash and Will Beer should be more than enough to see Sussex past a weak Derbyshire side. 4pts Essex to beat Nottinghamshire 10/11 Sportingbet Essex should come into this match on the crest of a wave after an excellent run chase got them past Glamorgan in the Championship in the week. In Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara they have the standout cricketers on show in this match but in Tsotsobe, Masters and Napier who returns to the side today they have a good bowling attack while the likes of Pettini, Foster and Napier again provide good support with the batting. Essex are another side who will be pushing for the knockout stages in this competition. Notts have already stated they are blooding youngsters in this competition and that is also the case this afternoon. Going to Chelmsford with a first team isn't easy so going there with a young side could be a step too far for the Outlaws. Essex to begin their campaign with a win for me.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 I've taken one now, then I'm waiting to have a quick look at the boundary lengths and the lineups in the televised game. So will post that at around 1:30 if I do take anything. Anyways with Kev on my definite one. Essex vs Nottinghamshire- Essex to win- Evens Ladbrokes- (4/10) Spoke last week about how Notts are resting some of their key bowling attack for the longer format of the game which leaves a rather inexperienced look to the team down the order. Watched quite a number of matches at Chelmsford in the past as my old man's an Essex supporter, and as Kev mentioned, the atmosphere plays a huge part down their. Small boundaries with the players near to the crowd isn't something that will play into Notts' hands as they will be getting all kinds of stick and banter from the Essex fans. Even the most experienced players struggle with this, and for the youngsters, it will be even harder to focus. With regards to the Essex squad, they've got the quality of Cook and Bopara, who's fresh off a century, whilst the returning Napier is a huge boost for them. In the past, Chelmsford has been a fortress to the Eagles, and at evens, happy to take them at a nice price to please the crowd down their today.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Good chase by Essex gives me some more profit taking my overall to +18.66. Few matches about tomorrow which I'm interested in but waiting for the odds.

[celtic_hoops]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Derbyshire have to be avoided at all costs, did them to beat Holland, thought they would get killed yesterday and they beat Sussex :eyes

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Interesting games about today. I was actually going to take Holland at an overpriced 8/1 last night but the price dropped rapidly and I decided against it. Anyways onto today, and I'm taking 3. A couple in the televised match and one other up at Grace Road. Televised match first. Andrew Gale vs Usman Khawaja- Gale +4.5 run handicap- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Thought long and hard about this but backing Gale to get within 4 runs of his Australian counterpart in this one. The Yorkshire captain will open the batting and look to make the most of the early powerplays by playing some shots. This is of course a bit of a hit or miss tactic as he could smash his way to a quick 50, or equally get himself out in his first few balls. I'll favour the former in that one for a man who is still on the outskirts of the England set up, despite being 27 now. His average is around the 30 mark in the one day game, which isn't particularly jaw dropping, but it's not terrible for the role he plays. Khawaja is in the top 2 of Derbyshire's best batsman in a team which still lacks quality. Along with Madsen, and arguably Greg Smith, they are the ones who need to make scores if Derbyshire are to put up a competitive total. However the Australian hasn't been in the runs this season. A top score of 45 in the Championship in 4 innings isn't great whilst he made 20 in his sides victory over Sussex yesterday. Today he'll face two of the best county bowlers about with the new ball in the likes of Sidebottom and Shahzad. Famously the Headingly pitch is known to have some nip and bounce which will work in Yorkshire's favour as they have the better bowlers. But early up with the new ball, the Derbyshire opening pair should be caused some problems and an out of form Khawaja will need to be wary of this. Derbyshire's opening bowlers aren't the best and Gale will get a chance to play some shots. The handicap is just too big in my estimations to throw up so I'll favour sides with the captain of the white roses. Wayne Madsen top Derbyshire batsman- 11/2 Bet365- (1/10) Already spoken about how I fancy the Derbyshire openers to struggled against the new ball which leaves the likes of Durston, Smith and Madsen. Wayne Madsen is one of the better players in this team though, averaging over 40 in FC and around 25 in one dayers. Although his average isn't the best, he hasn't played a great deal of one day cricket which explains such a low average for such a good player. Yesterday he batted at 5 and made 48 not out, putting on a big stand with Durston to see Derbyshire through. Durston is another good one day cricketer who can make some runs but on a bowler friendly surface, his style of play won't be as effective as it is on other grounds. In Madsen's other one day innings this season, he hit 75, this added with his 106 in the four day game this season shows what a good player he is and if he gets in early enough, he is more than capable of hitting some runs. Fancy the South African if he gets in to make a few runs so I'll back him over the likes of Durston, Smith and Khawaja. One other game for me today then. Leicstershire to beat Durham- 6/4 Bet365- (4/10) This bet will have a necessity on James Taylor continuing his good form and getting the Foxes some runs but after yesterday's performances, cannot be happy with Durham in any way. They were hammered at home to a decent Northants side, with the only positive thing coming out of the game was some runs made by Gordon Muchall. They were knocked over for 172, failing to bat out the full 40 overs, with both their openers getting ducks, and only 4 players in total getting to double figures. Northants struggled for a time but eventually got over the line with Alex Wakely carrying his bat but what was strange to me looking at that match, was that Durham used a total of 8 bowlers. Not entirely sure what that was about but none of the bowlers went for a great amount so I'm a bit puzzled to what went on there. Leicestershire almost chased down a mammoth 294 yesterday against Wawickshire, but just fell 9 runs short. Their batting was impressive with James Taylor hitting a century, and that was backed up by scores from the two openers and Boyce's 49. They were let down by their bowling as they so often are with Henderson getting hit around but he's a good bowler and should keep it tight again today. Worry about their seamers though. Yesterday they went for Malik, Wyatt and White, along with the captain Hoggard, which is a bit worrying as none of the first 3 are bowlers who will strike fear into the Durham team. Not sure if Nathan Buck is back today but he looks like a decent bowler which would certainly help his side's cause. Think this match as far as the Foxes are concerned is going to boil down to how many Taylor can hit, with how many decent scores around him much like yesterday, and how tight they can keep things as far as the bowling side of the game goes. Their last two matches have been incredibly close though, with them not winning either match, and at home today, I'll back them to record a win here.

[mdivenuto]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Great work from Blue Square's crickets traders. Rogers, Petersen, Sadler & Goddard all priced up in their top bat market. If they are as on the ball as that all season, it's nailed on there will be a fair few ricks coming from their direction

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 I was discussing that with someone last night. Will be interesting to see Glamorgan's prices on Friday :lol. Fortunately Sussex's demise didn't hit too hard as profit was secured yesterday. Up to +21.68 for the competition now. Going with 4 today. A top bat in the TV game and 3 non TV bets. Will do the TV bet first. 1pt ew J.Bairstow Top Yorkshire Batsman 6/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) This Yorkshire batting line up is missing at least one batsman if not two but one man who is able to step up to the plate for them is Jonny Bairstow. He's already made a couple of half centuries in the Championship this year, one of them in that shambles of a 2nd innings against Nottinghamshire when wickets were falling like ten pins around him. This line up still has a couple of good players in the form of Andrew Gale and Anthony McGrath but apart from Gale's 145 against Notts neither are in superb nick so at 6/1 I'll take Bairstow to build on his Championship runs with a top score here. 5pts Middlesex to beat Kent 4/5 Blue Square I expected Middlesex to be a lot shorter than this even without Chris Rogers and Steven Finn. Corey Collymore and Tim Murtagh are more than capable with the ball as is Toby Roland-Jones. Throw in the spin options of Rayner and Smith on what I would imagine would be the same wicket they used at HQ yesterday and that's a decent attack. Malan, Newman and Dexter are all in good touch with the bat as are the likes of Simpson and Berg and I think that gives Middlesex too much for Kent here. As we saw on the box yesterday this is a very young Kent side, especially in their bowling attack and if Middlesex are savvy they will play out Tredwell and Mahmood and look to clatter the youngsters. I would expect a highish scoring game here but I feel Middlesex have the ability to stop the flow of runs more than Kent's youngsters do. Middlesex for me here. 4pts Essex to beat Lancashire 4/5 William Hill Essex produced a superbly timed run chase to beat Nottinghamshire on Sunday and I expect them to go well against a youngish Lancashire side here who are missing a few key players. Tom Smith, Glen Chapple their captain and Mark Chilton his replacement are all out here and that leaves Steven Croft skippering the side. I never like new captains in the hurly burly format of one day cricket particularly on grounds which are impossible to defend. Essex must be wondering why they bothered signing Lonwabo Tsotsobe because he's been rotten so far so they will hope he gives them a performance today. The rest of their attack is decent enough and having chased down almost 290 against Notts yesterday we know they're not missing ten Doeschate or Shah too much. I expect Essex on home soil to be too good for a young Lancashire outfit. 1pt Netherlands to beat Sussex 9/2 Ladbrokes I don't expect the Dutch to win this but at the price I'll pay to find out. Sussex by all accounts were awful at Derby yesterday and never got anything going with the bat or the ball. Netherlands, who've already beaten Yorkshire and Derbyshire in this competition so far, almost chased down nearly 300 at Lords against a decent enough Middlesex attack, eventually losing by one run. Most of the Dutch batsmen have contributed solid contributions in this competition already and their bowling attack is a lot better than it's given credit for. Sussex look likely to bring Amjad Khan back into their side today but he's not the most economical either and so at the price I'll pay to see if Holland can continue their good form and pull out another surprise here.

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40

Great work from Blue Square's crickets traders. Rogers' date=' Petersen, Sadler & Goddard all priced up in their top bat market. If they are as on the ball as that all season, it's nailed on there will be a fair few ricks coming from their direction[/quote'] Could you explain to a divvy (me) what that means? Why should BSQ be praised? What Is a rick?:$

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 It was sarcasm mate. All 4 players that mdv mentioned no longer play for Derbyshire. It highlights what I've said on PL for years that you can make a lot of cash on county cricket because most bookmakers seem to have no clue about it :clap:clap. Long may that continue ;).

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Ah... My little brain was missing the Derbyshire link... All makes sense now! And ricks being rickets ? Cheers for reply.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 First overall loss for me today. Madsen just simply didn't have enough time to get the top bat which was a shame, whilst at times, Leicestershire were looking competitive but alas my fear for their bowling attack was justified. Gale outscored Khawaja comfortably though to give me -1.67 today, leaving me +16.99 overall.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Bit late for today's CB40 match. Still in a bit of a haze from last night tbh :lol. 6pts Glamorgan vs Essex - Under 6.5 6's 10/11 Stan James The Swalec isn't the easiest ground to hit 6's on. Sure the boundaries straight aren't the biggest but square they are which makes whacking to cow corner for 6 quite difficult. Under the lights in the hottish conditions the ball is entitled to move around a fair bit which won't help clean hitting either and both sides have a decent seam attack to take advantage of those conditions. Both main batsmen in Alastair Cook and Alviro Petersen are more 4 hitters than 6 hitters and with RTD away on IPL duty there's no natural 6 hitter in the match. Ground, conditions and batting line up's all point to fewer than 7 6's here. 1pt ew J.Foster Top Essex Batsman 11/2 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) James Foster has begun the CB40 in fine form. He's got an unbeaten 66 against Notts and a top scoring 77 against Lancashire from his two matches. Both those knocks have come at quicker than a run a ball which is good because he can close in on Cook if Cook gets a decent score. Foster has put himself in at 4 in this Essex line up which I think is a perfect position for him to bat. Cook and Bopara are ahead of him but if either fails then Foster will have plenty of time at the crease to go well. Foster will hit the square gaps on this ground and I'm very confident he'll go well. Given he's batting 4 with 3 places paid he looks a good ew bet to nothing.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40

	Sunday 8 May 2011	Home	Away	BPP
	Kent v Yorkshire (13:45 BST)	2.14	1.85	100.78 %
	Lancashire v Glamorgan (13:45 BST)	1.57	2.75	100.00 %
	Northamptonshire v Warwickshire (13:45 BST)	2.22	1.8	100.60 %
	Somerset v Gloucestershire (13:45 BST)	1.5	2.92	100.91 %
	Surrey v Leicestershire (13:45 BST)	1.57	2.96	97.42 %
	Sussex v Middlesex (13:45 BST)	1.8	2.2	101.01 %
	Unicorns v Essex (13:45 BST)	6.5	1.19	99.42 %
	Worcestershire v Derbyshire (13:45 BST)	2	2.04	99.02 %

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Friday was annoying as there was never going to be 7 6's from Essex :sad. +16.88 overall after that loss on Monday. Going with 3 tomorrow. 2 in the TV game which is the Somerset/Gloucestershire game and one other. TV game first. 5pts Somerset -3.5wickets/29.5 runs 10/11 Sportingbet Both these sides come into this match with unbeaten records but Gloucestershire have got some key injuries hampering them here. They will definitely be without Hamish Marshall who has a fractured thumb and Jon Lewis who has a heel injury. Chris Taylor could well be doubtful too having had to bat with a runner against Middlesex in the week. He'll have a fitness test here. I don't normally take anything betting wise which needs a performance from Somerset with the ball but Gemaal Hussain and Steve Kirby will probably have an extra pep to their game here given that they face their old side while Ajantha Mendis is always likely to be a threat. With Somerset's powerful batting line up against Gloucestershire's young bowling line up I think Trescothick's men can put up enough runs to win this by 30 or stroll to a comfortable run chase. 1pt ew W.Gidman Top Gloucestershire Batsman 7/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Will Gidman comes into this match in decent nick with the bat. He's just scored a couple of half centuries against a very good Middlesex bowling attack and that's something not many will do this season. He's also scored a ton against a university side and a top scoring 89 against Derby in the Championship so he's in real good touch with the willow over the opening month of the season. He's been batting as high as 5 and 6 in this competition so with Marshall out and Taylor maybe missing too we might even see him as high as 4 in this one which would give him longer to play himself in before letting the big shots flow. This is a lovely ground to bat on and with the form Gidman is in I think he can lead the run charts for the side skippered by his brother. 4pts Yorkshire to beat Kent 5/6 Ladbrokes Yorkshire have lost their opening two matches of this competition purely down to a lack of runs but I expect them to go better here after they put in two solid batting performances against Nottinghamshire where their top order were all among the runs. I also think their batting is a bit longer here with Tim Bresnan available for the first time this season and a potential return of Anthony McGrath. In contrast Kent continue to struggle. They beat a poor on the day Middlesex side at Lords in this comp last week but then slipped to a defeat which was a lot more emphatic than the 5 wicket margin suggested against Northants in the Championship. But for a big ton from Darren Stevens in the 2nd innings it would've been an innings defeat. Kent's bowling attack is still very young unlike Yorkshire's which contains 4 England bowlers. With confidence in their batting order now I expect Yorkshire to be too strong for Kent here.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Taken 4 in the TV match, all quite different which should make for an interesting view. Well I'm at uni, so an interesting view via the scorecard :lol. Somerset vs Gloucestershire- Somerset most sixes- 4/5 Bet365- (6/10) Really did not expect this price to be as high as this. Some bookies even have it down at under 1/2 so this price is a highly attractive one for me. Somerset are one of the best county outfits around, with some of the best players and the biggest hitters. Put this together with tiny boundaries on a batsman friendly pitch and you have a formula for some big shots. In Somerset's ranks, they have the likes of Trescothick, Kieswetter, Trego, Buttler, Hildreth and Suppiah who can all clear the Taunton boundaries with ease even without timing the ball properly, and with a relatively youthful Gloucestershire bowling attack, they should rack up the maximums in a fairly large number. In their last 40 over match, it was affected by rain by they still managed 8 sixes in just 27 overs which just gives a small example of how damaging they can be with the bat. Gloucestershire on the otherhand aren't the biggest hitters in the domestic game. Thus far in their one day matches, they've only managed 1 six in 2 matches, against the Unicorns and Glamorgan. Their opponents have outscored them in both of those matches on the six count and within their team, I see more shotmakers than big hitters which is where they majorly differ from Somerset. No matter who bats first here, it should be Somerset who are pounding six after six on a more consistent basis so I'll favour them for the maximums. Somerset -3.5 wickets/29.5 runs handicap- 10/11 Sportingbet- (4/10) Agreed with Kev on this one and personally feel the shorter price should be on Somerset rather than with Gloucester. They have some key players out with injuries, and although having an unbeaten record this season, beating both the Unicorns and Glamorgan, this will be a much bigger test. Somerset in the early couple of matches were dodgy in the longer version of the game but in the limited form, they have played better cricket and won all 3 of their matches, without playing to their top levels yet. Not concerned at all with them batting, it's just their bowling attack that isn't world class but Mendis will cause problems, then the likes of Trego and Kirby with Hussain should be a threat so I'll back Trescothick's men to get this one done via the handicap. Gloucestershire over 20.5 4s- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) This one will perhaps require some luck and need Gloucester to bat first and put some runs on the board, rather than Somserset batting first, putting something near 350 up and then Gloucester going for it from ball one and getting knocked over for around 150. But saying that, if Somerset do post a massive total, Gloucester will have to hit some boundaries so perhaps that wouldn't be the worst thing. However, 21 boundaries at the batsman's paradise of Taunton isn't alot by any stretch of the imagination. Even a score around the 200 mark could bring this total in due to the small distances to the rope. They have some decent strokemakers in their team. The Gidman brothers and Chris Taylor will probably have to hit some runs for them to stand a chance in this match, especially without Hamish Marshall today. I just can't ignore the small line of 21 boundaries though and with an inconsistent Somerset bowling attack, I feel Gloucester can sneak over this line today. Craig Kieswetter top Somserset batsman- 7/2 Bet365- (1/10) I'll take the former England man to hit some runs today in front of the Sky cameras. He's in good nick at the minute. He hit 117 in the Championship match at Taunton against Worcestershire last week, and hit 95 in the one day match on the same pitch in the match before showing how he's enjoying playing in the Taunton conditions at the minute. He's second in the Somerset runscoring list in the Championship, only behind Trescothick who hit a double century recently. He'll open with Marcus, who hasn't done anything with the bat this year in 40 over cricket so I'll back Kieswetter to turn it on today and get his team off to a good start and hopefully bat for the majority of the overs.

[fishy25]

Re: Cricket: Clydesdale Bank 40 Good day for me with only Gloucestershire's boundary total letting me down. +7.93 today giving me +24.92 overall.