Friends Life T20 2012

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Desperately sad news about Tom Maynard. Really caught me by shock when I heard about the news earlier and the cricket world has been left in a massive state of shock. Future England player in the one day game no doubt and probably test player as well as he's been Surrey's saviour so many times this season in both forms of the game. Extremely talented batsman, and was an exceptional fielder like his old man as well. Shocking news indeed. Makes the cricket irrelevant really tonight and I'm not convinced either side will be anywhere near their best as I'm sure tons of the guys tonight will have known Tom pretty well. I am taking 4 in the TV match though and would be going bigger with the stakes but as I've said, I don't know what kind of mental shape the players will be in tonight. Derbyshire to beat Yorkshire- 11/10 Coral- (3/10) I think Derbyshire will win this one tonight. They have a supremely talented top order batting lineup in Khawaja, Durston, Madsen and Redfern, whilst the explosive hitting of Chesney Hughes and Rana Naved down the order gives them a pretty solid lineup. Naved is one of the best death bowlers around with his variations which will help come the end of Yorkshire's innings, whilst David Wainwright has been in terrific form with the ball this season and they have some experienced bowlers to support Naved and Wainwright so they are a pretty competent side all round. Yorkshire will be without Jonny Bairstow tonight as he goes off to join the England squad which to me, leaves them a batsman light in the middle order. They have some really good batsman in Gale, Jaques, Ballance and Root, but if a few of those don't get going, there's really not a lot else to hit the runs for them. Bowling wise they have more quality than Derbyshire do, but there's nobody in the Yorkshire attack that you would throw your house on to be economical. Mitchell Starc has done well for the White Rose men since arriving, but he is more than capable of getting hit for a few by a good Derbyshire lineup whilst without Adil Rashid, the spinners can also go around the park a bit as well. I just think Derbyshire have a good chance tonight. They are at home so will know the conditions well, and have really good depth in their batting options which Yorkshire don't IMO. As I've said, if the likes of Gale and Jaques go early doors, they will really struggle for runs so I think Derbyshire are worth a punt here. Over 5.5 6's- 5/6 William Hill- (5/10) I would have gone in with pretty heavy stakes for this one if the news about Maynard hadn't rocked the cricket world today but I do think we'll see at least 6 maximums tonight. If we look at the batting quality that's on show tonight, we have the likes of Gale, Jaques, Ballance, Root and Miller who can all pack a punch, whilst Derbyshire have Durston, Whiteley, Madsen, Redfern, Hughes and Naved as well so there's plenty of guys who can contribute to this line. Even if only a couple of the players who I've mentioned get going, the pair could quite comfortably clear this line to be honest. Bowling wise, there's really nothing special on show tonight, excluding Naved and Starc if they are on song, but both get it wrong at times and can be put away. In the recent T20 match that was played on this ground, there were 11 6's in total, and that was in a slightly reduced overs match! So that shows how low this line looks. There's plenty of big hitters on show tonight and I expect them to cover this line. Gary Ballance Top Yorkshire Batsman- 5/1 Coral- (1/10 E/W) 1/5 1,2,3 Gary Ballance has already impressed a couple of times on Sky this season and he could fell follow Jonny Bairstow into the England setup before too long. The fact that Bairstow isn't playing tonight should mean that Ballance bats as high as 4, with David Miller slotting into the number 3 position. That should mean he'll have plenty of time to find his feet and make plenty of runs tonight on what should be a pretty good batting track up at Derby. He was out for a golden duck yesterday against Leicestershire but he would have only been at the crease for a little over an over as the players before him got Yorkshire up to a decent score. Like I've said though, he'll be batting a place higher tonight and I'd be hugely surprised if he didn't get a lot more time to bat tonight. Andrew Gale and David Miller before him will look to play their shots so there's always a chance that they could go early in their innings so Ballance could see himself at the crease before he's finished getting his pads on. Ballance hasn't done too much in the T20 so far, but this season he's been in terrific form with the bat, particularly in the one day game so I'll back him to come good in front of the TV cameras again tonight. Dan Redfern Top Derbyshire Batsman- 6/1 Coral- (1/10 E/W) 1/5 1,2,3 Taking a top bat for both sides and I like the price on Dan Redfern here. He's been in superb form this season for his side, scoring over 500 runs in the longer form of the game which shows his quality, and although he's struggled to get going in the CB40, this will be the real opportunity he'll have to show what he can do on a big stage. He'll bat at number 5 probably, although he has batted higher in the 40 over competition this side, and I don't see that as a bad thing, as he'll avoid the new ball combination of Starc and Sidebottom who are Yorkshire's best bowlers, and he should be able to score runs off a spin attack which is without Adil Rashid which is a plus. Most of the guys above him are pretty much hit or miss, whilst Redfern has shown this season his consistency with the bat and with the TV cameras on him tonight, I will back him to hit some runs for his side.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 :lol Didn't even see any of Kev's writeups but looks as though we agree for the majority so hopefully it'll be a profitable night in here :hope

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH][/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Tuesday 19 June 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Warwickshire v Northamptonshire (19:00 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.93 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.1 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.43 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 That was a bit of a shambles from Derbyshire last night. The night was summed up by the Redfern dismissal. Disappointing really and -8.5pts for the night and back to -3.62pts overall. Taking one tonight. 4pts Northamptonshire to beat Warwickshire 11/10 Ladbrokes I'm surprised Northants are the outsiders in this match because while I applaud Ashley Giles' style about playing domestic players rather than shelling out for overseas stars the simple fact is his squad are not good in this format of the game. They've lost 12 of their last 14 completed matches in this format of the game and I repeat what I said on Sunday that this Bears batting line up is way too light. On that occasion they had Chris Woakes batting at number six but he's with England today so he won't be playing. Not only do they need to find someone else to bat 6 they need an opening bowler now too. Northants are missing one or two players themselves due to injury but that didn't seem to bother them on Sunday at Somerset where it took a special innings from Jos Buttler to deny them a well deserved victory. They will be without Andrew Hall and David Sales in this match so Alex Wakely will continue to skipper the side. In Cameron White and Chaminda Vaas they have a couple of reliable performers and there's enough in their younger players to get the job done here. Warwickshire have individual matchwinners in Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke but the majority of the matchwinners are on the Northants side and so I'll take them to pick up their first win of the tournament in this match at odds against.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Not getting much luck at the minute. Woakes started the day with England, was fielding with England then ends up being part of the winning partnership for Warwickshire :wall. -7.62pts now. A few more matches to go at on Wednesday so hopefully I can eat into that loss then.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Wednesday 20 June 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Lancashire v Leicestershire (17:30 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] Essex v Kent (19:00 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.96 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.02 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Derbyshire v Durham (19:10 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.5 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.66 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 My preview of Wednesday's TV match: 4pts Durham to beat Derbyshire 4/6 BetVictor

I think Durham will win this match. I like their array of bowling options even if they don’t all go well all the time. I think the likes of Scott Borthwick have improved with his time away with the England Lions over the winter while Graham Onions is quality in any format of the game. With the bat they have some power hitters and some nudgers and nurdlers so they have a good mix, a good balance and I think they’ll have too much for Derbyshire in what is an important North Group match. Full preview here:

http://www.punterslounge.com/derbyshire-vs-durham-betting--durham-should-have-too-much-with-bat-and-ball-for-derbyshire

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 3 bets for me tonight. 4pts Lancashire Highest 1st 6 overs 10/11 Skybet I like Lancashire in this market. When the two sides met at Grace Road last week Lancashire won the six overs bet by five runs and I expect them to win again tonight. Leicestershire so far have put up six over scores of 41/2 against Nottinghamshire, 36/2 against Lancashire and 48/1 against Yorkshire although the 48/1 involved an over which went for 11 from the part time spin of Joe Root so even that probably wasn't a fair reflection of how they went in that six overs. Lancashire have put up totals of 52/2 and 41/2. They went for a few when Sajid slung a load of pies down at Derby last week but only went for the 36 against this opposition on Friday night with Glen Chapple back. He is in the squad for this match and he, Smith and Arafat who will bowl the baulk of the first six overs are all good bowlers. Leicestershire have a couple of experienced opening bowlers but their back ups can be quite expensive. Stephen Moore is in excellent form with the bat and it's only a matter of time before Tom Smith joins him in good form. Unless Josh Cobb does something beyond spectacular then I would expect Lancashire to lead through six overs tonight. 4pts Durham to hit Most 6's Evs Boylesports I think evens is a cracking price on Durham to hit the most sixes tonight. Derbyshire didn't manage a single six in their ridiculous run chase against Yorkshire the other night and Durham have a similar bowling attack to the Yorkshire one in that they have two very good seamers opening the bowling who can make early inroads and then a couple of decent enough spinners and medium pacers to back them up. To be fair Derbyshire's bowling attack is easily the strongest point of their game but they can do for a few sixes. They went for 3 against a weak Yorkshire batting line up the other night while Lancashire walloped them for 7 6's on this ground last week. Durham have a powerful batting line up with the likes of Mustard, Gibbs, Stokes, Benkenstein and Myburgh. Derbyshire have a few bigger hitters themselves but nothing in the Durham mould and certainly not as long a line up as Durham to be able to play risk free cricket at the top. Whichever way this match goes I think Durham will hit the most 6's. 2pts Derbyshire vs Durham - Highest Individual Score - 25-49 runs 11/4 Blue Square I think there's value in this market because we will almost certainly be using the same wicket as we was on the other night. I've not known Sky cameras move along a wicket with two days in between matches and the fact that they only chose this match to screen after the death of Tom Maynard suggests to me they have chose it because their cameras were already there (similar to their original choice being Surrey vs Hampshire because their cameras were at The Oval for the ODI). So with that in mind I think we'll be on a used wicket which won't be easily for someone to slap the bowlers around the park and score runs at a devastating rate. Durham have played two matches in the tournament and haven't yet scored an individual 50 while Derbyshire have played two matches and their top score is just 31. Both sides have decent bowling attacks to keep on taking wickets so I think there's value in taking the highest score of the night to be in the 25-49 runs area at double the price of Stan James' under 55 runs.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Gary Ballance top scoring was the only good thing to come out of the Derbyshire match as batting wise they were terrible. That puts me on -1.61 for the tournament now but hopefully tonight will change that. Taking a few but will post the 2 bets up that aren't on TV first with the TV match bets to follow on later as the match doesn't start for a while. Essex to beat Kent- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Essex start their busy T20 schedule against Kent tonight down at Chelmsford and I think they look well set to record their first win of the tournament. Surrey beat them last week in their only T20 match so far this season but in truth it was a match they threw away with their batting. At one point they were 44-0 after 5 and a bit overs needing only 129 to win but a massive collapse from the middle order presented Surrey with the win. That result would have disappointed them and they should be fully up for this match in front of the home crowd. Their bowling was actually extremely tight and impressive in that match against Surrey which was good to see as the bowling has traditionally been their weakness but the likes of Napier, Franklin and Phillips didn't go for much at all, and with the quality of Masters, Mills and ten Doeschate, there's an abundance of quality there. Although Ravi Bopara isn't playing tonight as well as Cook, they have a long batting lineup, with everyone down to number 9 competent batsman. Kent have started the T20 well with an abandoned match and a convincing win over Surrey to their name. Their side is actually not too dissimilar from that of Essex's tbh, with a long batting lineup, and match winners amongst their ranks with both bat and ball. The similarity between the two is probably why the bookies can't separate them but I think the home side will win. They would have been desperately disappointed with that result against Surrey, and know that they need a win here to avoid being left behind in their group early doors. They have a really busy schedule coming up with 4 games in 5 days so coach Paul Grayson will have emphasised the need to get off to a good start and build some momentum to that hectic run. The atmosphere down at Chelmsford is extremely intimidating to play in and it's almost a 12th man for Essex and they have my vote to edge out Kent here. Leicestershire to beat Lancashire- 13/8 Bet365- (3/10) I can't be having the defending champions at this price against Lancashire. They've not started the tournament well at all with 2 defeats in their 2 matches but the defeats haven't been massive ones and but for a couple of dismal middle order batting performances, they could well have won one of the matches, if not both of them. They do have a pretty limited squad, and rely on certain individuals far too much , especially with the bat but the likes of Cobb and Sarwan can get them off to a good start whilst we all know what Abdul Razzaq can do down the order. This bet is more against Lancashire though as I really don't like the look of their squad in truth. Bowling wise they are fine, even without Shahzad as their spin options in particular can bowl out any side in the country. Batting wise they look so short to me it's unreal. I've spoken about how Leicestershire rely on a couple of batsman, Lancashire are exactly the same, if not actually more in my opinion. Luckily for them so far, either Stephen Moore and Croft have made runs for them in their matches but if both go cheaply early on, their batting lineup is just filled with bits and pieces. Having Tom Smith opening up really says something as he's still not good enough to open the innings in my eyes, whilst I'm never too convinced about Paul Horton in one day cricket and once you get past that, there's no recognized batsman, and just all rounders which wouldn't worry any bowler in county cricket. Don't get me wrong, bowling wise they are extremely well equipped, but I don't see Leicestershire as such outsiders for this one given how thin the Lancashire order is. Lancashire won the reverse fixture last week by just 11 runs and I'll back the Foxes to gain their revenge tonight.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 And 3, well 4 for me in the TV match. Over 30.5 Total Boundaries- 5/6 William Hill- (4/10) This is a bet I quite like taking when it's available and I think it's a little too low for tonight's match. Although I'd expect the same pitch that was played on just a couple of days ago where only 29 boundaries were scored, I can't imagine Derbyshire batting anywhere near as badly as they did in that match. To be honest, they would have only needed a few more runs to have covered this line and given they only scored 109, they shows how this line looks a little out of proportion. It's also worth noting that Yorkshire went through the middle overs without scoring too many boundaries as they were pegged back for a while so there's plenty to suggest that the line will be covered tonight. To add to that, I expect a super pitch tonight despite it playing host just a couple of days ago. There was a bit of grass on the pitch the other day and I'm not so sure that there will be as much on the surface tonight which should suit the batsman. The outfield is electric up at Derby, and with the weather scorching today, I really expect a few runs tonight and in that I think we'll see this line covered. Durham Highest 1st 6 Overs- 4/5 Coral- (4/10) Think this is a decent price on Durham here. Both openers, batting and bowling wise they are stronger which is a key factor here. They will open up with Mustard and Gibbs with Ben Stokes likely to be at 3 and in those players, we have some of the cleanest strikers of a ball in county cricket, and all aggressive players as well. All will look to play their shots and get their side off to a good start, before the stable likes of Myburgh and Benkenstein come in and with the solid foundations in the middle order, it gives the top 3 a license to really attack the Derbyshire bowlers. Onions and Rushworth are really good quality opening bowlers and they should keep things a bit tighter than their opponents. Derbyshire's opening bowlers both went for a few against Yorkshire the other day and the pace they get on the ball just comes onto the bat perfectly up at Derby and I expect Gibbs and Mustard to really benefit from that. With regards to their opening batsman, of course Wes Durston can hit a long ball and is a very good batsman, but with him is Uzman Khawaja who isn't the most aggressive batsman and looks to manoeuvre the ball rather than rely on sheer power. Yorkshire won the 6 over battle a couple of days ago, and I prefer the Durham opening batsman with regards to quick run scoring so I'll back Durham to be on the higher score after the first 6. David Wainwright Most Economical Bowler- 4/1 Stan James- (2/10) Scott Borthwick Most Economical Bowler- 9/2 Stan James- (2/10) Only Graham Onions, David Wainwright, Rana Naved, Chris Rushworth, Scott Borthwick, Tim Groenewald count. I know I'm taking two players here and one is guaranteed to lose, but if one of these players does win this market, it will provide a decent profit and I think the spin will be key tonight. We saw the other day how the seamers struggled a little more than the spin bowlers and also Richard Pyrah so I don't see anything to suggest that the spinners won't keep things tighter tonight as well. If we look at the competition, I'll rule out Tim Groenewald straight away as he's not really at the same level as the rest here bowling wise and he'll be bowling in the powerplay as well in which I expect Durham to score a fair few runs. Rana Naved has been superb through the years but from what I've been reading, and also seeing in that match against Yorkshire, it looks as though he may be on the decline as although he is still extremely crafty at the death, he is throwing in too many loose balls these days which is something he hasn't done in the past so I don't think he'll keep things that tight. That leaves the two spinner and the 2 Durham opening bowlers and I'm never too keen on backing anyone who is likely to be bowling during the powerplay as there's always a risk that they can go for a few. The pitch looks to have decent bounce and carry as well which should make things pretty difficult for the seamers as they have to be so on the money with pitches like this otherwise they will go to the boundary more often than not. That just leaves me with the two spinners. Both have been in superb form this season, and taken plenty of wickets for their sides. Wainwright was superb the other day, taking wickets constantly, and going at 3.50 an over which is impressive against good quality Yorkshire batsman so I expect him to be pretty economical tonight. Scott Borthwick has improved leaps and bounds this season and the England Lions callup looks to have done wonders for his confidence and it probably won't be too long until he gets a proper chance. He's proven to be one of the best spinners in the country, and like Wainwright, I think he'll have enough about him to cause problems tonight and has a decent shot of winning this market.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Thursday 21 June 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]Middlesex v Essex (18:15 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.22[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.83[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.60 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Warwickshire v Somerset (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.62[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.61[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.07 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Top stuff last night Kev, full house I do believe :clap Decent night for me with only Leicestershire letting me down and Durham losing the 6 overs battle. Stopped the rot a bit though and last night's results take me to +5.35 for the tournament. Onto tonight then and initially wasn't going to be going near it with the weather but it looks as though the conditions have improved a touch so they might get a full match in tonight or somewhere close to it. On that basis I'm having a few, including a couple of top bats for Essex. Essex to Middlesex- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Would have probably had the visitors as bigger favourites for this one in all honesty. They recovered well yesterday against Kent and amongst all the confusion at the end of the match over penalty runs, then just about managed to sneak the win and that should have given the camp a ton of confidence heading into a busy week ahead of them. There's no Ravi Bopara again for them tonight, but Owais Shah should be back after he missed the game down at Chelmsford last night and that's a huge boost as he is one of the best T20 players about right now. It also provides the Essex side with a genuine front line batsman as yesterday it was really a lineup of all rounders so Shah helps in terms of that. Middlesex would have hoped for a better start to the T20 season in what is an extremely tough group down in the South. They lost their two opening matches to Surrey and Sussex but managed to beat Hampshire a few days ago in what was a must win game for them. That win was largely down to Paul Stirling who made 71 but the news that he's away with Ireland and misses tonight's match is a massive blow for them. They are already without Eoin Morgan as well who is with England, so in taking away those 2, you take away two of their best one day batsman so they will have to find runs from other sources which could be a problem. Tim Murtagh is also away with Ireland and the former Surrey man has been in good form this year with the ball so the Ireland duo will be replace with some youngsters who are still developing and this is a huge stage to be released upon. Essex's squad just looks like it's more experienced and oozing with more quality throughout and with the win under their belt last night, I think they will make it 2 wins in as many days with victory down at Lord's tonight. Essex to hit Most 6's- 11/10 BetVictor- (4/10) Looks a really good price this on Essex here at above Evens. I've mentioned above that Paul Stirling isn't playing tonight and so far in T20 cricket, he has been the one who has scored the majority of Middlesex's maximums. In fact the Irishman has hit 3 of the 5 maximums that Middlesex have scored in their 3 matches which says two things. One is that their 6 hitting talisman is missing and the other is that generally they don't hit a lot of sixes as well. They've managed just one a piece in the two matches they've played at Lord's this season in T20 which tells it's own story. The Essex team is filled with a ton of big hitters, most notably Graham Napier but when you add the likes of Shah, ten Doeschate, Franklin, Foster and Pettini, in that you have such a fierce and aggressive batting lineup it's frightening and all can clear the rope for fun. Bowling wise with Napier and Masters as well, if both are on song, they are extremely hard to put away for maximums and all in all, Essex look good to me to win the 6's battle. James Foster Top Essex Batsman- 8/1 Coral- (1/10 E/W) 1/5 1,2,3 Graham Napier Top Essex Batsman- 10/1 Coral- (1/10 E/W) 1/5 1,2,3 A bit like yesterday when I picked two guys in the same market I know both can't be clean winners and there's no reason why these two guys can't secure a win and a place here. I don't understand the price on either guy though in all honesty. I'll start with the Essex skipper who got them out of real whole yesterday against Kent. Foster top scored and got his side to a competitive total which they won with in the end, but in his innings, he made 51, hitting 4 6's in the process whilst only needing 36 balls to record his half century so he'll be in good nick coming into this one. Given the aggressive nature of those above him, he fairly regualrly finds himself at the crease fairly early into his side's innings and needs to stabalise the side before hitting out like he did yesterday so it looks a decent price for the Essex skipper to me. I'm also backing Graham Napier as I don't understand the price. He batted at 3 yesterday and was going well before he was run out for 20 and even with Owais Shah back tonight, I'd be extremely surprised if Napier went down to number 7 or 8 given he played well yesterday. If he does bat at 3, this price is absolutely huge, as Napier can make any boundary look tiny with his explosive hitting, but yesterday he only hit 2 4's and made his runs in forms other than boundaries so maybe he's worked on that aspect of his game as well over the summer. Like I say, even with Shah back in the side, I think it would be a bit pointless for them to shift Napier down the order after just one match so I'll back him to go well again today. Both Napier and Foster would have secured a win and a place in this market last night, so I'll back them to repeat that again tonight.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Cheers mate. Was a good night all round. 3/3 for me so +13.14pts for the night which moves me back to +5.52pts for the tournament overall. Still a bit of rain around according to the forecasts so I'm going to keep my powder dry tonight. Good luck to Fishy and anyone else who bets tonight.

[hoddspur]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Middlesex v Essex Essex to hit most 6's 11/10 @ BetVictor - Agree with Fishy here. Looking at the two teams on paper Essex have the far more destructive batting line-up. I think that Paul Stirling will be a big miss for Middlesex and as Fishy says Middlesex have only hit 2 sixes in their first 2 t20 games at Lords. Essex have a very long batting line-up and bat all the way down to about 7 or 8. They have a lot of big hitters in Napier, Ten Doeschate, Foster, Wheater, Shah etc. On the other hand, Middlesex without Paul Stirling do not have many big hitters except for possibly Denly and Malan. I will take Essex at what i think is a generous price. David Masters Most Economical Bowler 4/1 @ Stan James (Only includes Master, Napier, Topley, Roland-Jones, Smith and Rayner) - IMO David Masters is one of the most economical bowlers in county cricket and he rarely gets hit out the ground. He is the most experienced bowler in this match and he took 2-24 in his four overs against Kent last night and i will take him here at 4/1. Toby Roland-Jones Most Economical Bowler 9/2 @ Stan James (Only includes Master, Napier, Topley, Roland-Jones, Smith and Rayner) - Will also have a punt on Roland-Jones as back up for Masters. He is a decent young bowler who can be difficult to hit. He has started the season very well and has taken 4-25, 2-19 and 1-27 from each of the 3 games Middlesex have played. Adam Wheater Top Essex Batsman 12/1 @ Stan James - There are a few Essex batsman who are decent value in this match with Foster at 8/1, Napier at 10/1 and Wheater at 12's. Wheater is another guy who can hit the ball long on his day and he could be promoted up the order if Essex are in need of quick runs and he has even opened the batting in this format on numerous occasions last season. Whilst i don't think he will open the batting today, i can see him being promoted up the order and on his day he can be destructive and looks a bit too big 12/1. James Foster Top Essex Batsman 8/1 @ William Hill - I like Foster here at 8/1 and he hit 51 off 27 balls last night against Kent, admittedly at Chelmsford where the boundaries are much smaller. However, Foster will probably come in at number 5 or 6 so there should be time for him to get the runs on the board to be Essex top batsman. He is a very quick and clever player and i will take him at 8's here.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Friday 22 June 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]Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire (17:30 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.91[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.91[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.71 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Leicestershire v Derbyshire (17:30 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.01 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Somerset v Glamorgan (17:30 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.58[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.26 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Worcestershire v Warwickshire (17:30 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.9[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.38 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Durham v Yorkshire (18:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.9[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.38 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Essex v Surrey (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.92[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.70 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Hampshire v Kent (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.83[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.26[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]98.80 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Lancashire v Nottinghamshire (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.75[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.62 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sussex v Middlesex (19:10 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.66[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Pretty annoying last night as for three quarters of the match, it looked as though Essex would win comfortably and take the 6's battle as well until Ollie Rayner and Steven Crook started hitting the ball to all parts. Napier also wasn't far away from top scoring either but in the end it meant a -1.80 loss, taking me back to +3.55 overall. Plenty of matches tonight and the weather looks pretty decent as well for once so hopefully there's some profit to be had. I'll do my match bets now but I might be back later with another couple as well. Not sure yet. Essex to beat Surrey- 11/10 Stan James- (6/10) There's no possible way Essex can be the underdogs here, and certainly not odds against. We all know the tragic events that have surrounded Surrey this week with Tom Maynard and although there's the argument that they will be spurred on because on that news and play for him, cricket must be the last thing on their minds right now and I can't imagine they've practised much, if indeed at all. They travel down to Chelmsford without skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown as he has been given compassionate leave, whilst their star man so far Gary Wilson is away with Ireland. Stuart Meaker and Jade Dernbach are away with England as well so it's clear Surrey will be no way near full strength tonight which makes me wonder how they can be given favourite status here. Bowling wise they still look pretty strong, batting wise it's a different story though as they have only included 3 recognized and experienced batsman in their lineup which is a real problem in T20 as you need a couple of star batsman which they are without here. Essex have won 2 matches in as many days, and confidence will be sky high for them right now. Can't imagine they will be make any changes from last night, unless Owais Shah is fit again which will only be a plus. They should have beaten Surrey in the reverse fixture last week, and with everything that's gone on this week, I think the home side will take this one. Northamptonshire to beat Gloucestershire- 10/11 Stan James- (4/10) Northants have started T20 life this season terribly and are without a win so far in the competition. They were unlucky against Somerset not to pick up the win and it was only an inspired innings from Jos Buttler that prevented them that day and then a similar thing happened when they played Warwickshire, but it was Laurie Evans this time that won the match for his side so you can perhaps say Northants have been a little unlucky with their previous 2 results. In Cameron White though, they have one of the most in-form batsman around right now and although O'Brien is missing along with skipper Andrew Hall, David Sales and Stephen Peters, they do have some batsman who can play around White so they don't rely on just the sole player unlike Gloucestershire. Unless Hamish Marshall or Kane Williamson make runs, I'm highly unsure about their batting lineup especially with Will Gidman still being rested and the thing is they need to score plenty of runs because their bowling attack is so poor. Worcestershire managed to score 213 the other day with only Murali having respectable figures so barring the Sri Lanka legend, there's really nothing to this Gloucestershire bowling attack. Northants actually have a very decent bowling attack indeed with Brooks, Willey and Vaas and if those guys can restrict their opponents to a decent score, they will feel they can chase pretty much anything. They've been a little unlucky to run into Buttler and Evans in their last 2 matches, but I think they will make up for it with a win today.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 3 for me tonight. Sticking to the South where the forecast is a bit better. 3pts Welsh Dragons to beat Somerset 11/8 Skybet This will be a tough match for the Dragons to play hence why I'm keeping stakes low but I feel I have to attack Somerset's much weakened line up. We knew they were without Richard Levi and Albie Morkel and now they are without Craig Kieswetter who is on England duty. To make matters worse Kevin O'Brien and George Dockrell are on Ireland duty and the Overton twins are in the middle of exams. To put it bluntly Somerset are down to the very bare bones again in this match. Welsh Dragons will be fired on by wanting to do this for Tom Maynard who tragically lost his life earlier in the week. 80% of the squad will have been friends with him from when he played for the artists formerly known as Glamorgan. So with the fire in their bellies and some real quality in the form of Marsh, North, van Jaarsveld, Allenby, Harris and Jones I think the much stronger Welsh side can upset last year's runners up in their own back yard. 4pts Northamptonshire to beat Gloucestershire 10/11 Stan James Northamptonshire are yet to win a match in the Friends Life T20 this summer but how that is the case I'm not entirely sure. They ran into a special innings at Taunton last week from Jos Buttler which is fair enough, he's a special talent who can do that to any side in the country but they then ran into a top innings from Laurie Evans against Warwickshire on Tuesday which is a different kettle of fish and is bang unlucky. However they are knocking at the door and eventually that door has to open. They will be without Niall O'Brien tonight but the rest of their squad is in tact. Gloucestershire will be missing a key player in Benny Howell and if Kane Williamson doesn't perform then you sense the Gladiators might not. Their bowling attack is fearful and has been for plenty in this competition already. As I repeatedly say bowling attacks win T20 matches and there's no doubt that Northants are better in that department. I'll take them to win this one. 5pts Essex to beat Surrey 11/10 Skybet Essex have won two matches in the last two days and while I'm not a fan of their side and realise they have been incredibly lucky at times in both matches it is important to remember that they should have beaten Surrey fair and square in their opening match of the tournament. However this match isn't about Essex. it's about Surrey who are performing for the first time since Tom Maynard's death. Many of their players have been hit hard by the tragic news, so much so that the captain Rory Hamilton-Brown, who went to school with Maynard, feels he isn't in the right mind to play. Gareth Batty will skipper the side in RHB's absence but the one thing we need to remember is this side weren't playing great even with Maynard and RHB in it so without them this could be a real struggle. To make matters worse Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker are on England duty so miss the match tonight which won't help either. Without RHB and Maynard this Surrey batting line up looks woefully short and their bowling attack will only be adequate if the wicket at Chelmsford turns but the days where it would rag square at Chelmsford are long gone. You have to put up runs at Chelmsford and I'm not convinced Surrey will do that tonight especially with their top run scorer in the tournament so far in Gary Wilson, away with Ireland. Emotions will be strong in this one but at the end of the day I think the emotions could get the better of Surrey and have to favour Essex who look a stronger side with the personnel on show tonight even without emotion being taken into account. Essex will be without Owais Shah but they've not missed him in the two matches earlier this week so I'll take them to pick up another win at Fortress Chelmsford this evening.

[hoddspur]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Northamptonshire to beat Gloucestershire 10/11 @ BetVictor - Can't really add much more than what Fishy said and i think Gloucestershire's batting line-up is one of the worst in the competition and lacks depth. Their bowling attack is also nothing special despite having Murali in the side and he has little back-up from elsewhere as was shown against Worcestershire where they went for 213 and Worcestershire aren't exactly a top side IMO. Despite Northants having not won a game so far in this competition i think that will change today and i was impressed with how close they were to beating Somerset at Taunton on Sunday. I think Northants should be a shorter price than this and will take 10/11. Essex to beat Surrey 11/10 @ BetVictor - I think Essex should be favourites in this one and not just because of the sad death of Tom Maynard. Essex have won 2 games in 2 days and confidence will be high and add to the fact that they are playing at "fortress Chelmsford" and i think the bookies have priced this one wrong. Although Surrey's bowling attack looks very dangerous with the likes of Kartik, Nannes, Batty etc. their batting line-up on the other hand lacks depth and only Davies, Roy and De Bruyn could be considered as genuine batsman. Although Spriegel and Ansari can bat, apart from that no-one really stands out as a batsman. Essex on the other hand have a strong batting line-up and they bat deep down the order and despite Surrey having the stronger bowling attack i think that the tragic death of Tom Maynard will clearly have an affect on the Surrey team and i will back Essex in this one. Hampshire to beat Kent 4/5 @ BetVictor - Will take Hampshire in this one as i think they will have a bit too much in the batting department for Kent. Hampshire's batting line-up looks solid with Carberry, Adams, Vince, McKenzie, Ervine etc. so they have experience in the batting department. In the bowling attack they have Mascarenhas and Briggs who is a brilliant young spinner. Whilst they may miss Afridi i think they still look a real solid outfit. Kent on the other hand are a decent side with some good young players like Northeast, Billings, Coles, Ball etc. and they have some experienced players like Key, Stevens, Tredwell etc. and whilst they have a nice mixture of youngsters and experience i think that Hampshire's batting line-up may just see them edge this. Good Luck all :ok

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Further and final 2 for me then. Durham to beat Yorkshire- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Give the slight edge to Durham here myself really after they've enjoyed a decent start to T20 life this season. 2 wins out of 3, including a thriller against Yorkshire up at Leeds has left them in a good position in the North Group. The arrivals of Herschelle Gibbs and Johann Myburgh have proven to be good signings, particularly Myburgh who has impressed so far and you feel it's only a matter of time before the likes of Mustard and Stokes find their feet in T20 and start to pile on the runs as well. Their bowling options are amongst the best in the country and can bowl out any side really which is a good full back if they struggle for runs. Yorkshire continue to look a batsman light to me in the middle order with Jonny Bairstow unavailable and the news that skipper Andrew Gale is a doubt for tonight's match would be such a heavy blow for them. If Gale doesn't play and there's a decent chance he won't, that leaves the side with only 4 real recognized batsman, none of whom have been consistent in T20 so far as it's been Gale who has really been the one to score the bulk of their runs at the top of the innings. If Gale doesn't play, young Azeem Rafiq will captain the side and that's a big ask for the youngster if he is called upon to captain the side for the first time. I do just feel that Yorkshire, even with Gale are a proper batsman short, whilst without him their batting lineup looks ridiculously thin. Durham look the more rounded side to me, with all bases covered and I fancy them to make it 2 wins out of 2 against their opponents today. Worcestershire to beat Warwickshire- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Think Warwickshire are overrated here because of what they've done in the Championship and CB40 so far this year. In this format though, they look short of a couple of genuine quality T20 players which is probably down to the lack of a further overseas singing for the competition. The fact that Porterfield and Woakes aren't playing because of England commitments has meant that the squad's depth has been pushed a little and the side really lacks a front line batsman and another quality bowler, especially with Chris Woakes missing. The abandoned matches haven't exactly helped them either as it's meant a lack of income for the club so all may not be well behind the scenes there. Worcestershire have actaully only played the one match, with the reverse fixtures against today's opponents called up before a ball was bowled. In the match they did play though, they were extremely impressive, putting 213 on the board before bowling Gloucestershire out for well short of that. Bowling wise they look a little short, especially without Alan Richardson who takes so many wickets for them in the Championship but Jack Shantry has been amongst the wickets recently and the return of Gareth Andrew also strengthens the attack. It's the top 3 for Worcestershire that I really like though. I, like so many are not convinced about Phil Hughes as an international batsman but county wise, there's not too many better and he scores a ton of runs, and with Moeen Ali and Vikram Solanki at the top of the order with him, Worcestershire have 3 of the best county batsman around in all formats really whilst Gareth Andrew and James Cameron can provide decent support as well. If Worcestershire can bowl well, and keep things pretty tight, they will be extremely confident in their batting and their ability to either post decent scores or chase runs down. I've said Warwickshire lack a couple of genuine match winners that you need in T20 which Worcestershire actually have in their batting ranks so I'll back them to remain undefeated and win this one.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Frustrating night to say the least for me tonight. Northants couldn't chase down 140 in one of the matches and one man nearly scores that on his own to deny me in another :wall. Thankfully Essex came from the clouds to sneak home else I'd have been seriously screwing. -1.5pts on the night so back to +4.02 overall now. Bad luck guys. Tough night all round tonight.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Saturday 23 June 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Northamptonshire v Worcestershire (15:00 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.1 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.8 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.17 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Glamorgan v Gloucestershire (18:00 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.66 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.3 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.48 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 My preview for the TV game on Saturday. It's on the Welsh channel which is Sky 134. 5pts Welsh Dragons to beat Gloucestershire 4/6 Boylesports

I think the Dragons will win this match. To me they look a very strong side with the bat with Shaun Marsh in excellent form after his 80 odd on Friday night and with the ball the likes of Simon Jones and the spin twins of Cosker and Croft should be more than enough for the Gloucestershire side. Full preview here:

http://www.punterslounge.com/welsh-dragons-vs-gloucestershire-betting--better-batting-and-bowling-strength-can-lead-the-dragons-to-another-win

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 First bet for this afternoon. No huge write up because toss is soon. Left it as late as possible to allow for the weather to clear up. 4pts Northants to beat Worcestershire 11/10 Stan James Northants have cost me a few quid in this tournament so far but I'm going to stick with them one last time this afternoon on home soil because I don't rate this Worcestershire side much. Sure they have a very good top 3 but after that their batting runs out dramatically and their bowling attack offers no demons. Northants have the bowling attack to deal with Worcestershire's top 3 and if the likes of Cameron White, Rob White and Kyle Coetzer can get stuck in then Northants, who've lost a lot of close matches so far, can finally get over the line in one this afternoon.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 And one in the TV game tonight. 4pts Welsh Dragons Most 6's 11/10 BetVictor I think the home side are a good bet to hit the most 6's at odds against here. Gloucestershire have a couple of fine batsmen in Kane Williamson and Hamish Marshall but neither are what you would call natural hitters and so it could well come down to the lower order to hit any meaty 6's. However they will be facing the likes of Simon Jones and Jim Allenby who aren't easy to get away especially when batting isn't your strongest suit. Glamorgan's top order is lined with a lot of batsmen who hit the ball a long way. Shaun Marsh, Jim Allenby, Martin van Jaarsveld and then Mark Wallace and Chris Cooke all hit a long ball for the Dragons and Murali aside there isn't a lot to worry about in this Gloucestershire attack. Welsh Dragons will know their own conditions and with their bowling attack much better and therefore much harder to get away and the likes of Marsh and van Jaarsveld in good form from last night I'll take the Welsh outfit to hit the most 6's this evening.

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn, align: left]Sunday 24 June 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 Essex (14:40 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.83[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.2[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (14:40 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.9[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.25 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn, align: left]Kent v Hampshire (15:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.02[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]99.50 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[fishy25]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 A couple of dismal batting performances the other day have set me back to -1.85 for the tournament. There's a few TV games this week though so hopefully I can turn that figure around starting with today in which I'm taking two... Sussex to beat Essex- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) I'm already on Sussex outright but I really fancy them to continue their impressive start today down at Hove. They are unbeaten in the tournament so far, winning their last 2 after their first couple were abandoned due to the rain. What I like about the Sussex side is that everyone has contributed so far over the 2 matches which firmly shows they don't rely on certain individuals unlike a lot of other sides in the tournament. Luke Wright played a blinder of an innings against Middlesex on this very ground a couple of days, hitting 91 so Sussex will be hoping he continues in that manner today at the top of the innings. Even the highly out of form Murray Goodwin has looked like he is returning to some form in the T20 which is a huge boost for Sussex and that gives them the stability in the middle order. Essex had a tremendous week in the competition last week, winning 3 matches in just 3 days but from watching them and listening to the matches, there were things that really concern me over their side. The most recent win over Surrey was one which they shouldn't have won really and but for an extremely late cameo from Tim Phillips, they wouldn't have got the 2 points there. The fact that Surrey were severely under strength because of the tragic events that took place last week, worries me about Essex and really makes me question them a bit. Granted it couldn't have been easy for them like Surrey, but to barely make 145 on a Chelmsford pitch against a side who really weren't there for cricketing reasons isn't a great showing. Looking at their top order, they desperately need Owais Shah back really as without him, they only have one proper batsman, with plenty of all rounders making up their top order and it just looks to me that if the in form Franklin gets out early, they haven't got enough batting there to win matches. Sussex have more match winners amongst their side and are generally just playing the better cricket right now and in their own back yard, I expect they will bring Essex down to earth a little bit and carry on their excellent form with the win. Nottinghamshire to beat Yorkshire- 4/5 Stan James- (4/10) Surprised to see Notts' price so high here as in my eyes, they should be clear favourites here. I went against Yorkshire the other day against Durham and although Yorkshire won that match, I don't know how. Durham were cruising at one point, and with something like 7 wickets remaining, they needed a run a ball off the last 7/8 overs to secure victory but suffered a massive collapse. The same issues that I spoke about for that match remain with Yorkshire, in that without Jonny Bairstow, they are a clear batsman short, and that's furthered by the fact that skipper Andrew Gale could be missing again so there's not enough batting there for my liking in this Yorkshire side. Notts will be without Samit Patel and Alex Hales today as they are with the England squad but they have plenty of talent throughout their squad to cope with the absences of those 2. In truth, Alex Hales hasn't been having his best season anyway, but with the likes of Wessels, Lumb, Taylor, Voges and Chris Read, there's plenty of batting quality there, whilst Harry Gurney, Andy Carter and Darren Pattinson have all bowled well so far in the competition and will fancy their chances against a pretty weak Yorkshire batting lineup. To me, even with the England players missing, Notts just look a better outfit on paper than Yorkshire here, especially with Bairstow missing and Gale doubtful. I'm still not overly convinced about Yorkshire's bowling attack either in all honesty as there's nobody ultra consistent there and they all have the ability to go round the park a bit and with Notts oozing with quality throughout, I think they will win up at Scarborough today.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Rotten yesterday. +0.02pts for me now so time to begin the tournament again. Two for this afternoon. 4pts Sussex to beat Essex 4/5 Bet365 I'm not a huge Sussex fan obviously as a big Hampshire fan but I think they will win this afternoon. Sussex are unbeaten in the tournament this season with a couple of big wins over Middlesex and a couple of washouts and now they face an Essex side who somehow have three wins to their name but someone greater than me is going to have to explain well. They beat Kent via a scoring cock up which had that not happened they could easily have lost. They then beat Middlesex when the Panthers ballsed up their run chase in the first six overs before getting to within half a dozen and then they came from the clouds to beat Surrey on Friday night in an emotional game. They can't keep going to the well and getting their wishes granted though. Eventually that luck is going to run out and I think it will be this afternoon. I like the make up of the Sussex side. Luke Wright is continuing to show that he's too good for county level while Scott Styris adds a lot with bat and ball. Chris Liddle is also in excellent form with the ball so Sussex are fine in both departments. Essex's batting doesn't convince me. They are all good players in their batting line up but you get the feeling they chop and change their order so much that it could be a hindrance sooner or later rather than a help. There is no Owais Shah or Ravi Bopara for the Eagles this afternoon while Sussex are at full strength if you exclude Ed Joyce who probably wouldn't get a game anyway. Sussex have home advantage too and I think they'll win this one. 4pts Kent to beat Hampshire Evs Bet365 I take this one with a really heavy heart but Kent thrashed Hampshire in truth on Friday night. Although the winning margin was only three runs that was only the case because of some late slogging from Glenn Maxwell and Kabir Ali. In truth Hampshire needed 36 off the last two overs in that match and while they did close to get within 3 they were never winning from there. For some reason Hampshire's batting line up hasn't got going in this tournament yet. If you take Vince's 64 out against Middlesex then Hampshire's highest individual score is his 31 against Kent and you need better than that to win T20 matches in this South Group. Kent are going very well in all cricket this season. Robert Key is still a canny operator and alongside him is Sam Billings who is arguably the biggest young talent in the country right now. Then you have seasoned hitters and run scorers in Azhar, Stevens and Nash with the likes of Northeast, Coles and Ball with the youthful exuberance to slog a few down the order. With the ball they are very hard to score off. Mark Davies is as tight as they come while the likes of Tredwell and Ball are economical too. Matt Coles can go for a few but at late 80's mph in speed he can take wickets too. Kent are at full strength in this match while Hampshire will be without Danny Briggs in this match who is carrying drinks for England this afternoon. There's still no Shahid Afridi for the Royals yet either so at even money the home side have to be the call to continue their impressive start to the competition.

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Monday 25 June 2012[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Lancashire v Durham (19:10 BST) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.9 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.14 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.11 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012 Monday TV game preview: 10pts Over 5.5 6's 5/6 William Hill

Where the line comes from I don’t know but in the last match here there were 14 6’s and these two have a history of producing high amounts of sixes with 17 coming here between these two in 2005 and 16 in 2008 on this ground when these sides met. Full preview here:

http://www.punterslounge.com/lancashire-vs-durham-betting--the-barrage-of-sixes-at-old-trafford-can-continue-in-crucial-north-group-encounter

[kevshat]

Re: Friends Life T20 2012

Monday TV game preview: 10pts Over 5.5 6's 5/6 William Hill

Where the line comes from I don’t know but in the last match here there were 14 6’s and these two have a history of producing high amounts of sixes with 17 coming here between these two in 2005 and 16 in 2008 on this ground when these sides met. Full preview here:

http://www.punterslounge.com/lancashire-vs-durham-betting--the-barrage-of-sixes-at-old-trafford-can-continue-in-crucial-north-group-encounter

Been walking into a string of wonder innings in run chases to deny me this week. -0.8pts on Sunday and -0.78pts overall now. Need a good week and I'm hoping that can start here. After waiting over a year for a max bet I'm having two in a matter of two days :loon. This line looks every bit as ridiculous as the one in the Eng/WI T20 match. Hopefully the result is the same. The above bet is likely to be my only bet in this match unless something really jumps out when I look at the rest of the markets when they are priced up on Monday.