2012 Clydesdale Bank 40

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The domestic one day competition begins on Friday. 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. Fire away gents

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[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Just the one outright for me at the minute. Tomorrow's match is a day/night match so we've got until 3.30ish tomorrow for the outrights. 2pts ew Warwickshire to win Clydesdale Bank 40 14/1 William Hill (1/2 1,2) This is always a tricky outright market to assess because the qualifying criteria is pretty difficult really. You are only guaranteed a place in the semi finals by winning your group. With that in mind it is best to find the most open group or a group where it looks a two horse race. That immediate wipes out Group B because Surrey, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Hampshire all reside in that group and that's a tournament on its own. You wouldn't think the best runner up will come from there and picking the winner of that group with certainty isn't to be advised. So that leaves us with Groups A and C. Group A has Essex and Lancashire in it while Middlesex are live dangers whereas Group C has Sussex and Warwickshire in it with Kent potentially a fly in the ointment. I think Sussex are a bit of a fading force at the minute. I've not been impressed with their batting and with Luke Wright missing the start of the tournament on IPL duty and Matt Prior away with England two of their better batsmen have disappeared. There's no Lou Vincent this season so there is a lot of pressure on Ed Joyce, who will disappear with Ireland at various times, Chris Nash, Murray Goodwin and Michael Yardy, none of whom have begun the season in good form. With the ball there is no Rana Naved this year and neither are the likes of James Kirtley still around so the bowling attack has a cannon fodder look to it. That leads me to looking at Warwickshire who have begun the Championship brilliantly. Most of their batsmen are in good nick and their bowlers too and they've still got Woakes and Rankin to come back into the side. In Darren Maddy, Neil Carter, Rikki Clarke and Keith Barker the Bears have four big hitting all rounders while the likes of Jim Troughton has one day honours for England and it can't be long before Varun Chopra is recognised either. William Porterfield will come and go with Ireland but the Bears could see a lot more of Ian Bell this summer which would be a real boost. Warwickshire won this tournament two years ago and having started the season strongly I think the 14/1 on them to win it again is too big to ignore.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Hopefully the rain won't affect too much of the early one day action like it has done in the Championship. I've taken a few outrights in the competition, involving 4 teams in total. Surrey to win Clydesdale Bank 40- 8/1 Ladbrokes- (2/10 E/W) 1/2-1,2 I've backed Surrey in the Championship and I'm also going to take a punt on them here to successfully defend their CB40 trophy. Granted they are going to have to qualify from a ridiculously hard group compared to groups A&C but they should have the confidence in themselves to come through the group. Their team looks perfectly balanced for the one day game with the fire power of Roy and Davies at the top of the order, as well as Jacques Rudolph, followed up with the stability of De Bruyn, Ramprakash, Hamilton-Brown and Maynard in the middle order and a fearsome bowling attack which has the likes of Meaker, Dernbach and Lewis at the front of it. In most of the county sides, you can spot a weakness amongst the ranks but I just don't see one in this Surrey side. Perhaps the spin options could be stronger, but Gareth Batty is an experienced campaigner, whilst the youngster Ansari who we saw in the T20 last season looks a really promising talent with the ball as well. In their group, they will have to deal with sides such as Somerset, Notts, Durham and Hampshire but to me this Surrey side is stronger and has more depth than their rivals. Somerset look a little thin on the bowling side, whilst Marcus Trescothick has just had surgery so they will be without him for a while. Notts simply haven't batted anywhere near as good as they will need to so far this season given their bowling attack is a little thin and Durham have an ageing squad that I don't feel will play their best cricket in the shorter formats. Hampshire also haven't settled early season and like Notts, their bowling options won't exactly strike fear into many county sides across the country despite possessing some talented youngsters. I just feel Surrey will be really determined to prove last year's success wasn't just a one off and coach Chris Adams will really make them aware that they can't take last year's performance for granted so I'll back them to go similarly well this season. Lancashire to win Group A- 11/4 Bet365- (3/10) Lancashire to win Clydesdale Bank 40- 10/1 William Hill- (2/10 E/W) 1/2-1,2 This group looks far more closed than that of Group B with in my eyes, only 3 teams capable of reaching the semis. Those teams being Essex, Middlesex and my picks Lancashire whilst the other 4 sides in this group you'd have to say are quite a bit weaker than these 3. I actually don't give Essex much of a chance despite being favourites with the bookies simply because their team will be chopping and changing too much for my liking. Their 2 main batsman so far this season, Alviro Petersen and Ravi Bopara aren't going to be around for the whole season with Petersen only playing for them until June and Bopara could see himself play a lot more for England this year in both formats of the game. Granted Owais Shah and Ryan ten Doeschate will be back from the IPL soon but they will have to adapt back into the domestic conditions quickly as the Indian pitches are extremely different to the one down at Chelmsford. Cook obviously won't play much at all given his England commitments and there's always doubt over Graham Napier's fitness so the likes of Masters and Willoughby will have to bowl consistently and take wickets constantly but an injury to either guy and that leaves the side looking extremely thin bowling wise and without Bopara especially, they could struggle for runs as well. Middlesex could be the ones to watch in this group in terms of real danger for Lancashire but the bowling side of their side still would worry me a touch if I were backing them. Batting wise they are strong, especially with Andrew Strauss potentially available more this season which adds further depth to a strong top order. Without Stephen Finn in their side however, and that could be the case at times this season, it's debatable whether the seam options of Murtagh, Collymore and Gareth Berg will win you matches should the side struggle for runs and there's chances of that, especially when facing Leicestershire and Lancashire who's strength lies with the ball. Given the lack of real quality bowling wise, that leads me onto Lancashire who have one of the most consistent bowling attacks in the country. Skipper Glen Chapple has started the season exceptionally well, whilst Kyle Hogg and Saj Mahmood can provide decent backup as well. The spinners though are what win Lancashire so many games and with the quality of Gary Keedy and Simon Kerrigan, Chapple will feel confident enough to feel that both spinners can really turn a match in their favour, especially at a spinning Old Trafford. They have lacked a few runs early in the season, but Ashwell Prince has scored well, and the one day format usually brings the best out of Steven Croft, Stephen Moore and a few others in the middle order. Lancs have a lot of options in their squad with the majority of their side being made up of all rounders which is never a bad thing in one day cricket. This to me looks a fairly decent group for Lancashire to fancy winning, and with those spin options that I've mentioned, I'll back the likes of Keedy and Kerrigan to show just how good they are and hopefully see Lancashire go well this season in the CB40. Couple of value picks as well IMO, both coming in Group C: Northamptonshire to Qualify from Group C- 9/2 Blue Square- (2/10) Northamptonshire to win Clydesdale Bank 40- 33/1 Ladbrokes- (0.5/10) E/W- 1/2-1,2 I must admit Northants are actually becoming one of my favourite sides in county cricket but I don't actually know why :lol I think it's because for so long they have been considered a 'lesser' county but in the past couple of years they have come on leaps and bounds echoed by almost gaining promotion in the 4 day game last season. The main favourites in this group are Sussex and Warwickshire, with Kent also being given a chance And whilst I agree with Kev that Warwickshire have a chance in the competition, Sussex simply aren't the force they once were with some key departures and IPL/England commitments as well which have taken their side down a couple of levels really. Kent are dangerous as well, especially considering the way they've started the season but I feel Northants have a decent chance as well. They haven't started the season well at all, but for the first couple of matches they have been without Andrew Hall but he's back now and is already amongst the wickets in their championship match at the minute. The bowling attack of the Steelbacks is one which I feel is overlooked and extremely underrated. With the new ball they have one of the most economical bowlers ever in Chaminda Vaas as well as the emerging Jack Brooks who has started the season exceptionally well and is now in the Lions side against the WIndies next week. They have the spin option of James Middlebrook as well who is a canny bowler along with Andrew Hall as well which shows they have 4 really good bowlers at their disposal. The one thing they have struggled for so far this season is runs, but if the likes of Stephen Peters, Kyle Coetzer and David Sales can score runs, the likes of Hall, Vaas and Alex Wakely will score crucial runs as well which should see them 'upset' quite a few sides in my opinion and at this price, I think they are more than worth a punt to get out of this group and trouble the bigger counties in the tournament. Yorkshire to Qualify from Group C- 9/2 Blue Square- (2/10) Yorkshire to win Clydesdale Bank 40- 25/1 Blue Square- (0.5/10) E/W- 1/2-1,2 Yorkshire also look a big price to me as well in this group. They may have had a disappointing season last year, being relegated from division 1 in the Championship but with Jason Gillespie at the helm now, he knows what it's like to win things and he'll be pressing that winning mentality into his players in order to bring some silverware to the club. Squad wise they look to have all the assets at their disposable to really challenge in one day cricket. Signing Phil Jacques is a big plus to the club, especially considering he doesn't count as an overseas player either, which has allowed them to bring in Aussie bowler Mitchell Starc who Gillespie rates highly and will be available from next week. The middle order has been strengthened by the return to fitness of Andrew Gale and Anthony McGrath who with the leading run scorer in division 2 so far Jonny Bairstow, make up a supremely strong middle order. Joe Root has already been in the lions squad as well and he'll be at the top of the order so Yorkshire must be delighted with the batting talent they have. Bowling wise they aren't bad either. In Adil Rashid and Ryan Sidebottom, they already have two England internationals at their disposal, with Tim Bresnan likely to be available for decent periods of time as well. The news that Ajmal Shahzad wants to leave isn't ideal, but with the Aussie Starc coming in, they will hope he slots in nicely for Shahzad. McGrath and Patterson will also chip in with some tidy bowling as well to peg sides back so to me Yorkshire look well set to have a good campaign this year, and at this price, it's simply too big for me to pass on Gillespie's men here.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Know you haven't stuck the odds up for the Surrey match tomorrow Kev but I won't have time to do this tomorrow so I'll do my match bets now. I won't stick the odds up either just in case you're pondering a couple more outrights :ok 2 for me to kick off with though: Surrey to beat Somerset- 4/5 Blue Square- (5/10) Not often I'll go with such high stakes in the opening fixture of a tournament but I can't look past Surrey here. Somerset are without plenty of notable absentees in this one, with the likes of Kirby and Trescothick injured and they are choosing to rest their best bowler thus far this season, Vernon Philander. Without Kirby and Philander, as well as Adam Dibble, the bowling department looks extremely thin and that's highlighted by the fact that they have been forced to bring in plenty of youngsters to make up the squad. They do have Nick Compton however, who has been in sublime form so far this season, and he'll open with Craig Kieswetter in the absence of Trescothick so there's plenty of batting talent at the top of their order. Surrey are pretty much at full strength, and have quality and experience oozing throughout their side. I've spoken quite a bit about their credentials already in the previous write up so I won't repeat that again but they do look a couple of levels above their opponents in this one with the key players missing for Somerset. Although Nick Compton has scored well this season, you have to take into consideration that some of those runs have come down at Taunton which is a bit of a road in truth. The Oval will do a whole lot more for the bowlers, and I expect the likes of Jon Lewis, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker to really cause problems for the Somerset top order. That's something which I'm not sure the Somerset bowlers will do given their inexperience at this level. They will be bowling at one of the most experienced and talented batting lineups on the county scene who know how the Oval plays out and given the look of both sides, I fancy Surrey to kick off the defence of their title with a repeat of the final from last season. Jade Dernbach Player Performance Over 30 & Over- 5/6 Bet365- (4/10) Think this line is on the low side to be honest. Dernbach has started the season relatively well with the ball, taking 11 wickets in his first 3 Championship matches and what I like about backing the overs here, is that Dernbach will both bowl in the first 8 over powerplay, as well as at the death. The death especially as that's where he really does take a lot of wickets with his variations of yorkers and slower balls which are hard to pick so he is always a threat there, especially bowling against a fairly inexperienced Somerset side. I also like this line because even if he takes just one wicket, there's always a chance of a catch coming his way which would cover the line as well. I'd fancy him to claim a couple of victims tomorrow though however so I'll back the overs on Dernbach.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH][/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 4 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Surrey v Somerset (15:40 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.76 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.3 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.30 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] First match bet of the tournament for me. Might still come back with some group betting but this price won't last much longer. Will also come back with some bets on the side markets once I've had a chance to have a good look. 6pts Surrey to beat Somerset 4/5 Boylesports Even though it is the first match of the tournament I've seen enough this season to take Surrey with a large chunk here. Somerset are really down to the bare bones and that doesn't bode well for them. They are missing Marcus Trescothick, for a longer period than they wanted to and thought they were going to and Vernon Philander is rested for this match. They also have injuries to Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain so this will be a very weak Somerset bowling attack which is given the task of controlling what can be a rampant Surrey batting line up. Surrey have rested Mark Ramprakash for this match but Jason Roy is a more than capable replacement who will get Surrey on the front foot from the off. With the likes Steven Davies, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Tom Maynard and Jacques Rudolph, Surrey have the talent to score plenty of runs and in Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker, Jon Lewis and Gareth Batty they have a very strong bowling attack too and it is that bowling attack which has to be favoured to be the more consistent and economical and although Somerset have a good batting line up I can't see them scoring enough runs against this Surrey attack to give their bowlers enough to defend. Home advantage and a much stronger all round side are all in Surrey's favour and so is my dosh on the opener.

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Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 2 more outrights for me before the tournament begins. 2pts Middlesex to win Group A 9/2 Stan James I like the look of Middlesex in this group. Essex are worthy favourites because of the side they have but it isn't going to be too often that their best 11 will be on the park which season with Shah and Ten Doeschate in the IPL and Bopara, Cook and Petersen all on international duty. There's huge fitness concerns over Graham Napier and while the likes of James Foster and Greg Smith are good cricketers chopping and changing all the while doesn't help. For me Lancashire aren't an option because that Old Trafford wicket is going to be too unpredictable and I don't like the quality of their batting line up especially when they are away from Old Trafford and needing runs on the flat decks of Chelmsford and New Road/Kidderminster depending on flooding. I do think the winner will come from Essex or Middlesex and at 9/2 I'm more than happy to take Middlesex who have a few good one day players in their ranks. With the bat Joe Denly was one of the best openers in the country in one day cricket a couple of years back while Dawid Malan is a quality batsman. Chris Rogers can score runs and when he gets back from the IPL, Eoin Morgan will be around more now that he has lost his test place. With the ball Steve Finn still hasn't tied down a test spot so is likely to be around a lot more while Tim Murtagh has been a good limited overs bowler for a while now. Toby Roland-Jones has potential too and then the medium pace of Dexter and Berg gets the job done. Ollie Rayner's spin option gives Middlesex another edge they didn't have last season and of course even Andrew Strauss will be around when England are in one day duty. I think Middlesex have strengthened well in the off season to be a very competent one day side this year and at 9/2 I see them as the value to win Group A. 1pt Nottinghamshire to win Group B 11/2 BetVictor I wouldn't say I'm not on Nottinghamshire's chances in this group but not because they are not a good side but because this group is an absolute nightmare. However I don't see why they are twice the price of Surrey and Somerset so I think the value lies with them. Surrey will take a lot of beating but with England and England Lions call up's they will be without Dernbach and Meaker for various times this season and I wouldn't think Tom Maynard is too far away either. Steven Davies can't be guaranteed to play every match either. Somerset will miss Marcus Trescothick and their bowling attack looks very weak this season so I'll pass them over while I don't think Hampshire are quite strong enough in this company. Durham can have a strong case made for them but they too will be messed about by England an awful lot and for whatever reason their attack historically goes around the park away from the Riverside in one day cricket. I like Nottinghamshire because they have often been a competent one day side and for this year they have added Michael Lumb and James Taylor to their batting line up. Ok the latter will be on England Lions duty occasionally but all the indications are that Nick Compton is the next batsman off the conveyor belt for England so that is to Notts' advantage. Adam Voges arrives soon for overseas duty and as we've seen this week every now and then Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann will play for them. In Samit Patel they have a top all rounder and the likes of Luke Fletcher, Ben Phillips and Paul Franks are decent enough with the ball. The only thing that has held Nottinghamshire back in one day cricket in recent seasons has been not scoring enough runs but in Alex Hales and Michael Lumb they have a top opening pair and Taylor, Patel, Voges and Read make up a pretty strong top 6 with good players in Mullaney and Wessels waiting in the wings. This group will take a lot of winning but the 11/2 on Notts to do it seems a little big to me.

[kevshat]

And one more for this afternoon. 5pts Over 5.5 6's 8/11 Stan James This line looks a bit low to me as often these one day games are played more to the side of the square especially with Championship matches being played recently so I expect there to be a short boundary here. Even if there isn't though both these sides look to hit big and with the likes of Davies, Hamilton-Brown, Roy and Maynard for Surrey and Kieswetter, Trego, Buttler and Maschede for Somerset there's enough hitters on show to cover this line. The Somerset bowling attack looks weak to me while certain elements of Surrey's can go round the park too. Even this early in the season I'd be surprised if there aren't half a dozen 6's here.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Nothing doing in that match. Surrey were comfortable winners, should have really backed them with bigger stakes as they never looked like losing from the first over. Dernbach didn't do anything with the ball though so nothing to show from that match. Plenty of fixtures on sunday though along with a televised match so should be plenty to have there.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Sunday 6 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Scotland v Surrey (13:00 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 8.6 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.1 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.54 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Gloucestershire v Netherlands (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.29 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 4.5 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.74 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Lancashire v Leicestershire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.57 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.62 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.73 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Unicorns v Derbyshire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 4.65 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.23 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.81 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Warwickshire v Northamptonshire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.66 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.31 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.53 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Yorkshire v Kent (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.83 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.18 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.52 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 No joy with the sixes on Friday but lost count of the amount of balls which landed within a yard of the rope :(. -0.2pts overall but I'll go with two on Sunday. 4pts Kent to beat Yorkshire 6/5 Skybet Kent have the makings of a decent one day side now with Robert Key an able leader and the likes of Ben Harmison, Brendan Nash and Darren Stevens forming a very solid middle order. Even the supposed weak link of the middle order in Alex Blake scored a few against a University side last week to give him some form coming into this match. Kent's bowling attack has begun the season very well especially Matt Coles who all eyes will be on after his England Lions call up and his excellent start to the season. Personnel wise Yorkshire have a decent side with the likes of Root, Gale and McGrath all under England consideration with the bat and then the experience of Ryan Sidebottom with the ball. There is no Tim Bresnan for this match so aside from Sidebottom there is a cannon fodder look to Yorkshire's bowling attack so they will need plenty of runs from their young batsmen. I don't think there will be too much between these sides but Kent has by far the better of their two draws in the Championship and I think they can finally get their win against Yorkshire in the 40 over competition. 2pts Holland to beat Gloucestershire 7/2 Bet365 Gloucestershire aren't a great side and while they have a couple of decent batsmen in the form of Kane Williamson and Hamish Marshall they don't have anything in their bowling attack. I expect most of Gloucestershire's matches to be high scoring this season but even then that is only if their main batsmen contribute. Holland don't have Ryan ten Doeschate in this competition or Alex Kervezee but we saw last season that they can still win matches and I think they will fancy the job here. They have Cameron Borgas as their overseas player which is a good signing while the likes of Tom Cooper, Mitchell Swart and Mudassar Bukhari are all in the squad again. The left arm spinner Pietar Seelaar is also in the squad so this is a talented if slightly limited Holland side. They're not facing anything special in Gloucestershire though and I think the Dutch can put Gloucestershire's young attack to the sword and they have an attack who can bowl the Gladiators out and I think at 7/2 the Dutch are a value bet to me.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Taking 5 in total today, including a top bat in the TV game. Will do those in one post and the other match bets in another. Kent to beat Yorkshire- 11/10 Blue Square- (4/10) Although I've backed Yorkshire to have a decent CB40 campaign, the value is with Kent here. The main problem for them is their bowling attack coming into this one, as they are without Tim Bresnan, whilst Ryan Sidebottom is rested along with Anthony McGrath as well and Mitchell Starc, their new overseas acquisition won't play until the 4 day match against Gloucestershire. Add to that Ajmal Shahzad leaving the club and it leaves a very inexperienced and significantly weaker bowling attack for Andrew Gale to choose from in this match. Batting wise they have some good quality, with the likes of Jacques, Gale, Root and Bairstow amongst others, but you fear for them when they are out on the field. I'm not entirely sure if Kent skipper Rob Key is fit to play today, but in any case, their middle order consisting of Harmison, Nash and Stevens is pretty experienced and solid so they will make it tough for the Yorkshire bowlers. Matt Coles has started the season extremely well with the ball which has seen him get a chance in the England Lions squad, whilst they also have Davies, Tredwell and the promising Adam Ball as well so they are pretty equipped in the bowling department. The fact that Yorkshire are missing a couple of their senior bowlers doesn't bode well for me. We saw how Somerset struggled without their main seamers against Surrey the other day and that could well be the same for Yorkshire today. Kent have pretty much dominated both Championship matches the two teams have played this season without managing to win, but I fancy them to break that duck today. Matt Coles Top Kent Batsman- 16/1 Coral- (1/10) E/W- 1/5-1,2,3 Although there are much higher prices available on Matt Coles here, Coral are the only bookies that offer the each way place which is what you want here. This price still looks astonishingly high to me. He has started the season superbly with the ball which has seen him be named in the England Lions squad for next week so he'll be looking to impress on TV with the ball today but it's his batting I'm more interested in here. He has already hit an unbeaten century against Yorkshire this season at this very ground which shows he can bat as well as bowl. He's extremely aggressive and against a weaker than usual Yorkshire bowling attack, he could well get a chance to hit some runs. Of course the obvious worry will be where he bats, but there is a chance he may be boosted up the order as a sort of pinch hitter as he has been a couple of times before which automatically makes him a better price than what he is here. If he doesn't though, I'd imagine he'll bat maybe at number 8, but like I said, I think it's worth the risk of Coles here just in case he does get promoted up the order and I'm willing to take that small chance that he might score some runs today.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Northants to beat Warwickshire- 11/8 BetVictor- (3/10) Spoken about Northants in my outright and feel they are slightly overpriced here. Both sides will be coming into this one on a high with Warwickshire being the form side so far this season, whilst Northants managed to pick up their first win yesterday by bowling Hampshire out on the final day of their Championship match. That should give them confidence and the return of skipper Andrew Hall definitely lifted them in that match. Their main problem this season has been scoring enough runs, with their top order really struggling and if the likes of Peters and Newton at the top of the order can start to find some form, they are a really dangerous side. With the likes of Vaas, Brooks and Hall with the ball, they have 3 players there who would get into most county sides across the country IMO, and the backup that the likes of Middlebrook, Willey and Daggett provide aren't bad options either. There's no doubt that Warwickshire should be favourites in this one given the way they've started the season, but it'll be interesting to see if they can maintain that form in the shorter format of the game. I can't find any news on their team, but I don't expect it to change very much from the side that beat Durham, with Bell and Trott in the middle order. Rankin and Woakes are still missing though who are key death bowlers for Warwickshire though, and although the likes of Barker and Clarke have started the season well with the ball, I'm still just not totally convinced about either as they both have the ability to spray it around a bit. The main thing with Northants though is that they will need some of their senior batsman to score runs, but if they can do that, they should have a fighting chance in this one and I'll back them to spring a surprise in this one. Holland to beat Gloucestershire- 3/1 Coral- (2/10) I don't really see why or how Holland can be such underdogs in this one. Sure Gloucestershire are the county side and Holland are supposed to be one of the 'minnows' in this competition, but the truth is most of their side have played international cricket or at least faced better opposition than what Gloucestershire possess. Excluding Kane Williamson and Hamish Marshall, their batting, which is meant to be their strength is extremely lacking and if both of those players don't make runs, they are really struggling. Although they managed to salvage a draw against Derbyshire yesterday, it required both Marshall and Williamson to make runs and without that, you'd feel they would have been beaten after being outplayed for the best part of 2 and a bit days. Their bowling attack is poor though to be honest. David Payne, who is their best talent bowling wise is injured at the minute which leaves them pretty short in the bowling department. They often need 6 or 7 bowlers to chip in when they play Championship matches which shows that they don't have any stand out bowlers who will guarantee them wickets. Holland, despite being without ten Doeschate and Kervezee, still have some decent batsman in their side, including overseas signing Cameron Borgas and at this price, I'll back the Dutch to record an early win over a side struggling for real quality. Unicorns to beat Derbyshire- 7/2 Bet365- (2/10) Also going to back another one of the more unfamiliar names in domestic cricket in the Unicorns. I often feel early in the season is a decent time to back the lesser sides as they are sometimes overlooked and can put in some decent performances. The Unicorns side is made up of domestic players who are without a contract, so seek to play some cricket in order to impress the county scouts. Wes Durston is a prime example who this has worked for who is actually playing for Derbyshire now so the Derby coaching staff will know that this won't be an easy match. They do have some decent players in their side as well though, with the likes of Chris Benham, Mark Hardinges, Chris Murtagh and Chris Peploe playing for them this season and captained by the experienced ex-Somerset man Keith Parsons so there is some quality cricketers in there. Derbyshire have started the season well, but it's worth noting that they were on the field yesterday for the entire day, as they weren't able to bow Gloucestershire out and never got close to either really. Wayne Madsen finally scored some runs, and in Martin Guptill, they have a pretty good top order but it's the bowling that lets them down. A bit like Gloucestershire really, they don't have anyone who is guaranteed to take wickets and that's what cost them yesterday. With the Unicorns having some decent batsman, if they can score enough runs and get rid of the likes of Guptill and Madsen pretty early on, they should have a chance and to me their price looks like a bit of value.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Monday 7 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Hampshire v Glamorgan (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.49 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.81 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.70 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Leicestershire v Essex (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.62 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.55 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.61 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Middlesex v Gloucestershire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.66 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.37 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.35 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Northamptonshire v Unicorns (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.18 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 5.4 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.26 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Scotland v Nottinghamshire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 6.4 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.14 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.13 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Worcestershire v Netherlands (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.4 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]98.10 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Two winners on Sunday puts me up to +11.6pts already in this competition. Just the one for Monday. Was a couple of match bets I liked but sadly there's a lot of rain around the Midlands so I'll stick to one I like in the TV game. 5pts Middlesex Highest 1st 15 overs vs Gloucestershire 8/11 Bet365 I think Middlesex are good things on the first 15 overs in Monday's TV match. Middlesex are likely to open the batting with Joe Denly and Dawid Malan in the absence of Andrew Strauss and that's a pairing which I think can be free scoring. Paul Stirling will come in after them and he flays away at the best of times but against this weak and inexperienced Gloucestershire new ball pairing I think the trio can really make hay while the field is up. Gloucestershire might change their opening partnership in this match after the Gidman brothers got off to a slow start on Sunday against the Netherlands but even if they do all they will do is to stick Chris Dent up to open and he's pretty one paced at the best of times. Middlesex's bowling attack is decent enough in what should be seaming conditions even with Steven Finn unavailable. Tim Murtagh's a decent bowler as is Roland-Jones while Berg and Crook are accurate nagging medium pacers too. I don't see anyone in this Gloucestershire top three who are going to take the game away from Middlesex early doors unless they move Benny Howell up to open but with him almost finishing their innings well on Sunday I don't see that happening. Middlesex's top three batsmen are a lot more free scoring than the Gloucestershire top three or four and their bowling attack is god knows how many times better. The Netherlands beat Gloucestershire by 23 runs in the first 15 overs on Sunday and I fully expect Middlesex to do the same on Monday afternoon.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Good work yesterday Kev. I took on more than I should have really, with Northants and the Unicorns both comfortably beaten. Currently sitting on +3.40 for the tournament though, and looking to build on that in the TV game today in which I'm taking 3. Middlesex Highest 1st 8 Overs vs Gloucestershire- 4/5 Coral- (4/10) Can't add too much to what Kev has said really although I'm taking the bet for the first 8 overs rather than 15. The absence of Andrew Strauss actually makes me like this bet even more than if he played to be honest, at it leaves the likes of Joe Denly, Dawid Malan and maybe Paul Stirling to kick off the innings aggressively, far more so than Strauss anyway. They should be able to play freely the Middlesex top order given the lack of quality and experience in Gloucestershire's bowling attack. Holland managed to make a decent score yesterday and score well in the early powerplays, and Middlesex have better batting quality than Holland do so I'd expect them to make the most of the fielding restrictions and get them off to a decent start, better than Gloucestershire do when they come to bat anyway. Middlesex (Most 6's) vs Gloucestershire- 6/5 Blue Square- (4/10) I've already spoken about the natural aggressive nature that the top order Middlesex batsman have and the inexperience that the Gloucestershire bowlers have and that to me seems key here. The likes of Denly, Malan and Stirling can all hit a ball a long way, and with the all round talent of Gareth Berg, Ollie Rayner and Tim Murtagh down the order, there's always a chance of a few maximums coming from them as well. There's nothing in the Gladiator's bowling attack that the Middlesex batsman are going to be scared of, and you'd expect them to get some loose balls which they can put away given the inexperience. Although Gloucestershire have some decent batsman in Hamish Marshall and Kane Williamson and the Gidmans, none of the before mentioned are massive hitters and are more stroke players. Benny Howell packs a punch as Holland found out yesterday but he's the only one from what I can see who is likely to be going for the big shots regularly. The Middlesex bowlers are just that more experienced than their opponents, and are used to the Lord's conditions where it should seam a bit so they should keep it a bit tighter and at odds against, I'll back the home side to record more maximums today. Fall of Gloucestershire 1st Wicket Under 26.5 Runs- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Quite like the line set on the visitors here as they play on what should be a seaming and swinging Lord's pitch. The conditions look pretty overcast so the likes of Murtagh and Roland-Jones should get some help early on with the hard new ball and cause problems for the Gloucestershire openers. Both Murtagh and Roland-Jones have started the season well in the Championship so should be pretty confident at the minute as well which is always a good thing. Another thing I like about this line is the way the Gloucestershire openers usually play. Their main talent comes within the middle order, but the openers are usually fairly cautious for the Gladiators, and at Lord's where the ball will nip about, there's every chance they could nick one behind or to slips if the likes of Murtagh and Roland-Jones stick to the right length. I think there's a decent chance of an early wicket to fall in the Gloucestershire innings though and that's what I'll back to happen.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Sunday 13 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Durham v Somerset (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.77 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.24 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.14 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Essex v Worcestershire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.55 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.82 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.98 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Gloucestershire v Leicestershire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.82 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.2 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.40 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Scotland v Glamorgan (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.62 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.54 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.03 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Sussex v Unicorns (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.14 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 6.4 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.13 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Warwickshire v Derbyshire (13:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.55 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.88 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Monday 14 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Netherlands v Middlesex (12:45 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.75 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.53 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.58 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 No joy on Monday sadly. Back to +6.6pts now. Two for this afternoon. 4pts Somerset to beat Durham 6/5 Boylesports Somerset have just dominated a Championship match against Durham so I see no reason why they should be strong odds against on the same ground against the same opponents even allowing for the fact that they are missing a lot of players. In Kieswetter, Trego, Hildreth and Suppiah they have enough about them to be competitive especially if the Durham batting line up continue to fail. There is no Dale Benkenstein for the Dynamos this afternoon or Ben Stokes and they have continued to rest Michael di Venuto in one day cricket too. Even their bowling attack is a young one and has the potential to go around the park should the right Somerset men get stuck into it. Somerset's bowling attack looks like cannon fodder but it did in midweek too and they bowled Durham out for 125. I don't expect them to bowl Durham out for 125 in this match but I do believe they can contain the out of form batting line up to a score which their patched up side can cover so at 6/5 I'll take Somerset in this one. 4pts Leicestershire to beat Gloucestershire 6/5 Bet365 I can't believe Leicestershire are odds against in this match. Granted Gloucestershire looked much better against Middlesex on Monday but let's not forget that it was only a week ago Gloucestershire were losing to the Netherlands and I couldn't back them at odds on after that. Leicestershire may not have won at Lancashire last week but they put up a mighty fine performance especially with the bat, against a much better bowling attack than the one they will face against Gloucestershire this afternoon. Leicestershire have chosen to rest a couple of bowlers in this match but the likes of Wyatt, Henderson and Malik can keep Gloucestershire honest before their batting line up gets to work against that young Gloucestershire attack which has just suffered the blow of conceding 400 to lose a Championship match against Yorkshire. Leicestershire battled hard for a draw in the Championship and will be buoyed by getting that and I think they can go down to Bristol and come away with the two points in this one.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Nothing for me today. Was tempted by both Leicestershire and Somerset, but the team news coming out of both matches has put me off enough to stay away. GL kev:ok

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sunday 20 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Kent v Unicorns (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.14[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]7.2[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.61 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Lancashire v Essex (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.83[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.16[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.94 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Leicestershire v Middlesex (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.03 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Northamptonshire v Sussex (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.24[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.74[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.11 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Scotland v Hampshire (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.23[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.91 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Surrey v Durham (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.67[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.48[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.20 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Yorkshire v Derbyshire (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.77[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.42[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]97.82 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Not been the best of starts in the one day competition for me and I'm currently sitting on -1.26. Hopefully I can turn that round on Sunday in which I'm taking just the one. Lancashire to beat Essex- 5/6 Coral- (4/10) Would have Lancashire as favourites here. Although their start to the season has been poor, especially in the Championship, the draw they managed to snatch against Warwickshire out of nowhere after being outplayed for virtually 3 days should give them a massive boost in morale. They do owe Paul Horton a massive thanks as he hit an unbeaten century which saved them from a huge defeat as at one point it was entirely possible that they could have lost by an innings over well over 150 runs. Glen Chapple spoke about his side's performance after the first day saying it was a complete shambles but managing to get something out of the match should give them some confidence. They beat Leicestershire narrowly in their first CB40 match, posting 290 and they just about managed to contain Leicestershire enough to win by 10 runs and they will hope for a similar batting performance again tomorrow. Essex also drew their Championship match this week, and were also a tad lucky that their match was interrupted as Leicestershire probably would have beaten them if there weren't any delays. I do fear for them in this one as well given the notable absentees they have. Owais Shah and Ryan ten Doeschate are still at the IPL, Cook is with the England side and Charl Willoughby and Ravi Bopara are also unavailable to play. They are also waiting on Tim Phillips as well who will have a late fitness test tomorrow so with that list, it leaves Essex with a pretty inexperienced look to their side, especially in the bowling department. Lancashire's main problem has been scoring runs, but Horton and Cross were amongst the runs yesterday, whilst Croft and Prince have also done okay so far this season. There's no worries in the bowling department for them, which has been boosted by the addition of Ajmal Shahzad to their side. I just feel that if Lancashire can get rid of the likes of Petersen, Pettini and Wheater early on, where their runs will come from I'm not quite sure. They will need to score plenty as well you feel given the bowling talent they are missing and the Lancashire side just look far better on paper and I'll back them to make it 2 out of 2 in the one day game.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Just the one for me. Awful week last week. In a bit of a rush as I've got a big day tomorrow and I want to try to get some kip if it's possible before I set off. Will update +/- after I get back. Just the one for me. No massive write up. 4pts Derbyshire to beat Yorkshire 6/5 Coral Derbyshire were wiped out last week but wiped out by a Warwickshire side who are flying at the minute. Yorkshire aren't. Certainly in one day cricket. Warwickshire skittled Derbyshire but you don't see this Yorkshire attack doing so especially without Sidebottom who is rested, Bresnan who is with England and of course Shahzad who was dumped on his arse and sent to Lancashire. The likes of Wardlaw, Ashraf and McGrath ain't getting this job done so unless Mitchell Starc shows a lot more than I've ever seen from him you feel Derbyshire will score at will. Derbyshire's batting line up is going great guns this season and their bowling attack isn't far behind either. Yorkshire will miss Jonny Bairstow with the bat while a couple of senior players aren't in the best of form. I've no idea why Yorkshire want to bat Joe Root at 5 in this competition but that will only help Derbyshire. Derbyshire have had a day off to recover prior to this match while Yorkshire were bowling for most of Saturday for no real end gain. Derbyshire take the tournament seriously unlike Yorkshire and I think the away side look a good bet here.

[Carlisle Blue]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 With Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn in the Middlesex team for the first time time today it gives the balance of the team a much stronger look. I don't think the bookies have applied their inclusion to the price as yet so I believe at 4/5 with Boylesports they are a good bet

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Great work Fishy and CB :clap.

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 618]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Thursday 24 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sussex v Yorkshire (16:40 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.72[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.38[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.91 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 Lancashire's win over Essex puts me up to +2.07 for the tournament. The TV match on Thursday sees Yorkshire travel down to Hove to play Sussex and there's 3 bets I like the look of in that one. Yorkshire to beat Sussex- 5/4 Coral- (3/10) Think the value lies with Yorkshire here. They beat Derbyshire well at the weekend, chasing down a decent score pretty comfortably in the end and they are boosted by the return of Ryan Sidebottom and Adil Rashid to the squad tomorrow who they were without at the weekend. Both guys are key to the bowling attack which was on the weak side at the weekend so Andrew Gale will have the added luxury of turning to both guys for this one. Mitchell Starc finally made his debut against Derbyshire and made an impressive start to his Yorkshire career with a few wickets. That will have given him plenty of confidence ahead of a big summer for him really with the Australian bowling attack as it is right now so he'll be looking to carry on his early form. The Yorkshire batsman should also be high on confidence right now after a couple of successful chases in the past week or so. First chasing down 400 to beat Gloucestershire, and then that win over Derbyshire at the weekend as well. Gary Ballance was the pick at the weekend, as he led Yorkshire to victory but the likes of Gale, Jacques, Root, Lyth and McGrath have all made decent contributions in recent weeks so this Yorkshire side look to have all areas covered. Sussex have Luke Wright back from the IPL now and he is a huge player for them in both batting and bowling terms. He'll open the innings and look to get them off to a flyer but what I feel with this Sussex side is that if they lose a few cheap wickets early on and the likes of Nash, Joyce and Wright don't perform, they simply won't score enough runs. They only made 180 at the weekend against a Northants side who were without their two leading seam bowlers in Jack Brooks and Chaminda Vaas and this point was highlighted in that match. Both Wright and Joyce did okay at the top of the order, but the middle order really didn't do anywhere near enough and in the end they were fortunate enough that Northants faltered towards the end of their innings. Chris Nash returns for them tomorrow but I just feel if Yorkshire can remove Wright and Joyce pretty cheaply, they should be able to really make some inroads into this Sussex order especially considering talisman Murray Goodwin is terribly out of form. I just feel Sussex rely on certain individuals too much whereas Yorkshire have talent all through their side and at odds against, I feel they are value to win this one down at Hove. Over 5.5 6's- 5/6 William Hill- (4/10) This line is too low by my reckoning. It should be an extremely flat wicket down at Hove tomorrow with the sun beating down and I expect plenty of runs tomorrow and a fair few maximums as well. With Luke Wright back from the IPL, he just adds to the aggressive batsman on show which includes the likes of Nash, Joyce, Machan, Gatting and Yardy for the home side, whilst Yorkshire have Gale, Lyth, Root, Balance and McGrath who can all clear the fairly short boundary down at Hove. That's plenty of attacking batsman that will be playing tomorrow and a combination of just a couple of them could clear this line alone. In recent years during the televised matches down at Hove we have seen some big hitting and large scores and I expect that tomorrow really. Already in the 1 CB40 match down at Hove this year, there were 7 6's and that included a rather timid 147 score in the second innings by the Unicorns. I just expect some big scores tomorrow on what should be a batsman friendly wicket tomorrow and I expect 6 maximums at the very least. Gary Balance (+2.5 runs) to beat Murray Goodwin- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (3/10) This handicap looks to be going on reputation alone here and certainly not current form. So far this season, Goodwin has scores of 4,0,3,16,8,29,1,6 and 0 which tell it's own story really. Whether time and his age is catching up with him I don't know but despite his outstanding contributions for Sussex for so many years now, his form is shocking to be honest and it's perhaps only a matter of time before he makes way if his form continues. On the other side of the spectrum though is Gary Balance, who has shot to fame a bit in recent weeks and is now a possible call-up for the Lions later on in the season. He led his side to victory over Derbyshire at the weekend with an unbeaten 77 off 60 balls so he'll be sky high on confidence coming into this one. In fact, his last 3 scores have been 121*,76 and 77* which shows the form that the youngster is in right now and no doubt he'll be looking to improve on that golden duck he got in Yorkshire's previous televised match against Kent a few weeks ago. Since that innings, the youngster has really shown what he can do, and with the form of both guys right now, I fancy the youngster to win the battle of youth and experience.

[Carlisle Blue]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 I was tempted by the overs on the 6's but decided that I thought the 4/5 offered by Bet365 for Sussex to score the most runs in the first 15 overs might be the better option. Ladbrokes are offering 4/7 for the same bet which i thought was about right. If you look at the comparative scoring rates for both teams you will see that Sussex's scoring rate for their batsmen is better than Yorkshire but it then drops off pretty quickly. Yorkshire aren't as gungho looking at the stats. I couldn't pick an outright winner from these two but thought this play was an attractive option. :cow:nana

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 After a good start to the competition it has gone a bit pear shaped in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully we can sort that out tonight. I'm taking 3. 4pts Yorkshire to beat Sussex 5/4 Ladbrokes I think Yorkshire are a big price in this match. Sussex have won both their matches in the tournament so far but one of them was against the Unicorns who should always be beaten and the other win came against a Brooks less Northants and they were made to work hard in that match eventually winning by just 12 runs. Yorkshire's first match in the tournament was effectively over before it began as Matt Coles ripped through their top order but they bounced back on Sunday to beat a very competent Derbyshire side. What I liked about that win was the performance of Mitchell Starc on debut and you would expect him to go better in this match with that match behind him. Ryan Sidebottom has been named in the Yorkshire squad for the first time too which is a huge boost. Spin is always key at Hove and in Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq Yorkshire have a couple of very good spinners. They also have a good top six too even without Jonny Bairstow who is away with England. Adam Lyth, Andrew Gale, Phil Jaques, Gary Ballance, Joe Root and Gerard Brophy can all get the job done and they all have a score behind them recently which is important. Sussex's batting hasn't really fired in recent times and their seam bowlers are there to be got after. I think Sussex's reputation has factored into this price a wee bit too much because I don't see too much between these two sides. Given that I see it fairly even and on a perfect day where batting second won't be too bad because the natural light will remain until 2/3 through the second innings, I see Yorkshire as the value call here. 4pts G.Ballance (+2.5 runs) to beat M.Goodwin 5/6 Ladbrokes Murray Goodwin is a mighty fine batsman but like Mark Ramprakash down at Surrey, Goodwin is the experienced man in the side but can't buy a run at the minute. His last three innings have been 1 and 6 in the Championship at Worcestershire and a third ball duck at Northants on Sunday. Contrast that to the Zimbabwe born Gary Ballance who has hit a couple of 70's in the last week, a week or so after his unbeaten century guided Yorkshire to a very impressive run chase at Gloucestershire. So the form of these two is in stark contrast to each other so the fact that Ballance gets a 2.5 run head start in this innings is both puzzling and nice. I think the Yorkshire attack is better all the way down so Goodwin will be under pressure throughout his innings whereas Ballance may well have a get out bowler or two to face. Ballance is in excellent form right now and I believe he'll win this match bet. 1pt ew B.Brown Top Sussex Batsman 16/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Ben Brown was my one to watch for Sussex this season so I'm hoping on the big stage in front of the TV cameras he proves me right. This Sussex batting line up isn't in good touch as a collective unit and I think there's a couple of middle order batsmen who could wilt under the pressure of this Yorkshire attack. With Mitchell Starc and Ryan Sidebottom likely to be opening up for the Carnegie side they could open up the order for someone lower down the pile to come in and smack it about to push Sussex to a competitive total. That man could well be Ben Brown who has a 40 odd at Worcestershire under his belt from last week and he nearly ran into a place with 20 at Northampton on Sunday. Against a better attack the opportunities for not needing so many is better here and given that he's in fair enough nick I think the 16/1 is a touch on the large side and is well worth each way support this evening.

[kevshat]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 That was looking alright until Mitchell Starc got it into his head that he could bowl. Mitchell by name, Mitchell by nature :loon. He was even worse than the other left arm Mitchell to come out of Australia and that takes something. -8.06pts overall for me now so I need a good weekend to get back on track. Thankfully the next TV game involves Hampshire :lol. Good work Fishy and CB :clap:clap.

[kevshat]

Just the one for me today. Am on a train at the minute so can't copy prices over. 4pts Hampshire to beat Somerset Evs Paddy Power Hampshire come into this match off the back of two wins in the tournament while Somerset have lost both their matches so far. It isn't just form why I like the Royals here though. They have a full squad to choose from here which is key with Mascarenhas back. Somerset's bowling attack still looks a little weak even with Thomas back and their batting line up still misses Trescothick. Ervine got a ton for Hampshire in the week while Carberry has runs in this tournament so I think Hampshire have the batting to put up runs and the bowling attack to defend it. Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using PL Forum

[fishy25]

Re: 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sunday 27 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Durham v Scotland (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5.7[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.88 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Northamptonshire v Warwickshire (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.68[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.61[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.22 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Somerset v Hampshire (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.92[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.1[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.70 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Unicorns v Yorkshire (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.5[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.25[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.22 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Worcestershire v Middlesex (13:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.5[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.72[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]97.89 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Monday 28 May 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Netherlands v Lancashire (12:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.75[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.36[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]