Twenty20 Cup Finals Day

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Odds taken from bet365 as I can't get onto oddscomparison or oddschecker for some reason. Lancashire 2.37 Surrey 3.75 Somerset 4.50 Leicestershire 4.50 Lancashire 1.61 v Surrey 2.20 Somerset 1.83 v Leicestershire 1.83

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Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day A few things from the Twenty20 website. The Lancashire Lightings Twenty20 dream day has turned into a nightmare for angry fans. And they are giving Saturday's Oval showpiece the thumbs-down. Only 1,000 Red Rose supporters will be there to roar on Mark Chilton's side when they take on Surrey in the first match on finals day, highlighting a crazy situation which the England Cricket Board need to sort out. Staging the four-team showdown at the Oval has made it virtually impossible for Lancashire supporters to watch their side bid for their first major trophy in six years. Yet Surrey will be roared on by thousands on their home ground. Lancashire's chief executive Jim Cumbes said: "Having the semis and the final on the same day at the Oval makes it extremely difficult for our supporters to get to the match. "The cost of a family travelling down to London is prohibitive if they have to spend a night, or maybe two, in a hotel. "And those going on the coaches we are laying on from Old Trafford will have to leave home around 5am on Saturday and not get back until 24 hours later. That's not enjoyment, it's an endurance test." Lancashire will be handing back a third of their 1,500 ticket allocation, judging by the lack of interest shown so far, and captain Mark Chilton said: "It's a shame. The crowd can give you a real lift but we just have to get on with it and we will be totally focused on the job in hand." Cumbes added: "It is a long way to go, and a lot of money to pay out, especially if we get knocked out in the semi which is what happened last year. However, that was at Edgbaston which was much more accessible. "We need the semis and the final to be held on separate days, with the final at Lord's. That would still mean a trip to London for three hours of cricket, but with a 2.30pm start, fans could get there and back in reasonable time and still have a great day out." Another idea which has been floated is to have a two-legged final with the aggregate runs deciding the winner, but that has found little support. Somerset, who along with Leicestershire, make up the semi-finalists, are also hard-hit by the choice of ground and Lancashire chairman Jack Simmons said: "It would be a lot easier if Edgbaston was the venue. "Travelling costs, hotels and tickets which aren't that cheap. It mounts up to a very expensive occasion for our fans. I wonder also if security fears are another problem." The attitude of the England Cricket Board is that the finals days have proved successful in the past and that the venue had to be decided well before the start of the season.

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Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day John Sadler has been ruled out of Leicestershire Foxes' Twenty20 Cup semi-final against Somerset Sabres at the Brit Oval on Saturday. A scan yesterday revealed that the talented left-hander has a fractured collar-bone, an injury sustained when he was struck by a delivery from Australian fast bowler Brett Lee in the recent tour match at Grace Road. Initial X-rays taken immediately after he had received the blow showed no break and Sadler felt that he was close to playing in the Cup quarter-final against Middlesex last week. But, with no significant improvement since then, he underwent a scan, revealing the damage which will rule him out of action for another couple of weeks. Sadler has played a major part in the side's progress to their third successive Finals Day. He may not have been the most prolific batsman but his runs have come at an excellent rate at important times. He is also an asset in the field. However, the Foxes proved have that they can cope without Sadler. James Allenby stepped into the side against Middlesex and it seems likely that he will retain his place at the Oval.

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Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day Stuart Law will know in the next 24 hours whether he has won his battle to get fit in time for the Lancashire Lightning's Twenty20 Cup bid on Saturday. The 34-year-old run machine missed the championship clash with Essex last week because of a trapped nerve in his neck, but has improved over the last couple of days and will take on Surrey in the first semi at the Brit Oval if he comes through a practice session at Old Trafford today. Manager Mike Watkinson said: "He is doing OK. He will have some throwdowns to see how he responds, but he seems to have improved a lot." Lancashire also need to test one of their overseas players, Marcus North, who was also sidelined for the Essex match because of a thigh strain. But Law, who has been in brilliant form in the competition, is the biggest worry as Watkinson and captain Mark Chilton finalise their squad for the Oval showpiece. Law hammered 92 not out against Nottinghamshire, a century against Yorkshire and 67 at Derby as Lancashire marched through the qualifying stage. And he has formed a formidable opening partnership with Mal Loye, which fully exploits the fielding restrictions in the first six overs. When Law hasn't scored runs, Loye has - at a remarkable rate - and Lancashire are preparing for Saturday confident of avenging their semi-final defeat at the hands of Surrey last year. If they are at full strength, Watkinson and Chilton will have to decide who makes way for Andy Flintoff, who returns to county action after his batting failures with England in the first Test at Lord's. Freddie's presence certainly boosts the Red Rose side, but it means changing the side that accounted for Derbyshire in the quarter-final 10 days ago. And it is almost impossible to guess which way they will go, as Flintoff's strengths as an all-rounder gives them all sorts of options. Lancashire could even ditch their plan of using three spinners. In the qualifiers, they tied sides up with Muttiah Muralitharan, Brad Hodge and Gary Keedy, and even when the Sri Lankan and Aussie stars left for international duties, they maintained the strategy, with Andrew Symonds and Andrew Crook joining Keedy. But the `spin to win' format has been successful for other teams as well, and so Lancashire are unlikely to abandon it now. The fitness of Law and North is the key, and they will be taken through their paces today. Lancashire are also aware of the problems of a long day of cricket where niggles could be aggravated or new injuries could crop up in the semis, forcing them to switch players for the final six hours later.

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Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day Somerset's young bowler Gareth Andrew has been ruled out of the Twenty20 Cup finals day on Saturday with an ankle injury. The Yeovil-born player has played a major part in the Sabres' journey to the Oval which will see them take on Leicestershire Foxes in the semi-final. Coach Mark Garaway said: "Gareth Andrew won't be featuring. He is probably ten to 14 days away from full fitness and although we don't see it as a major problem he cannot be considered." Somerset are still hoping batsman Wes Durston will prove his fitness in time to force his way into the squad. Durston has had a hamstring injury but was named in the second eleven for a championship game against Warwickshire at North Perrott that was delayed yesterday due to rain. "Wes has recovered enough to play in this game but we would like to see him play in a game before we consider him for Saturday," added Garaway. Better news for the county is the continuing comeback of seamer Richard Johnson. He is playing in the Championship match against Durham at Taunton and despite their score of 462-7 is bowling well. Somerset have been boosted by the return of England opener Marcus Trescothick and will be seen as favourites by many to see off under-rated Leicestershire. While the Foxes are the defending champions Garaway believes Somerset have a fighting chance. "There could be nothing better than Graeme Smith holding up the cup in his final game for the club," said Garaway.

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Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day England stars Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff will play for their counties in next Saturday's Twenty20 Cup finals day at The Oval. The duo could meet up in the final if Flintoff helps Lancashire past Surrey and Trescothick 's Somerset beat Leicestershire in the semi-finals. Decisions on availability of the rest of the England squad are due on Monday. Michael Vaughan could play in Yorkshire's Championship match against Derbyshire, which starts on Tuesday. And the England skipper is desperate to find some batting form. "I batted at number three and scored three and four and that's not good enough," he admitted. "Against Australia the number three has to get runs. "I didn't get them in this match, but I've been in this position before and I'll come through it."

[Run Dmc Vs Pat Nevin]

Re: Twenty20 Cup Finals Day Make that 1001 Lancashire fans. I'll be there cheering on the red rose to victory. Not sure how much play there will be on Saturday as there are thundery showers predicted. Sunday's forecast isn't much better. Could be worth having a speculative punt on the outsiders as the matches might be reduced to to farcical 5 or 10 over games.