Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy He has to play now doesn't he. And if he does well I can't see why he wouldn't get into the test side either on the back of it. As I suspected, moving the last quarter final to Beckenham did me no favours at all. -40 for the last 2 days so back to -49.59pts for the competition. Semi final draw is: Durham vs Kent (4th July) Essex vs Yorkshire (5th July) Both matches will be on Sky so hopefully there will be plenty of markets to attack :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy 1st semi final tomorrow. Durham vs Kent. I'm going with 4 in total including two big priced top bats as the Riverside isn't the highest scoring ground going. 10pts Kent to beat Durham 11/10 Coral Durham and Kent meet at the Riverside for a place in the Lords final in August. Both sides are good one day sides who had stellar seasons last year. Durham won this title while Kent won the twenty20. Both sides have made it to the quarter finals in that competition which emphasises their standards in limited overs cricket. Durham have Paul Collingwood in their side for this match. In fact they are at full strength bar Graham Onions. Phil Mustard will hope to impress the England selectors the day after being named in England's 30 man preliminary Champions Trophy squad. Liam Plunkett will be hoping to do the same. Albie Morkel and Shaun Pollock bring a further South African alternative to South African skipper Dale Benkenstein. Benkenstein will be able to call upon the services of Steve Harmison for this match. Kent have a couple of men in that 30 man squad themselves and they'll want to do well too. Rob Key skippers the side and opens while James Tredwell is the spin option who can bat. Joe Denly was in good nick in the twenty20 and will hope to carry that on. Martin van Jaarsveld comes into this match off the back of a good Championship match with the bat. Yasir Arafat has been bowling brilliantly this summer and will be partnered with the new ball by Azhar Mahmood. Durham for me are just a batsman light. Sure Collingwood is back for this one but he's hardly scored a run all season bar a couple of one day international knocks. Albie Morkel looks like batting 6 and he's a hitter not a batsman. Kent can justifiably claim they bat down to 11 and it's that batting strength on a ground where big scores aren't frequent which could hold the key for Kent to go to Lords. 10pts Durham Highest 1st 15 Overs 5/6 Stan James Durham tend to pack their hitters up the order unlike most sides. Phil Mustard is obviously the standout but the likes of Collingwood and Benkenstein will bat 4 or 5 while Kent with go with Denly and Key as their openers. They may decide to use Yasir Arafat at number 3 but equally they've been using James Tredwell there. The key difference though is that Pollock will take the new ball and he's still as miserly as ever. His 6 or 7 overs in these 1st 15 could well be the difference when we consider Kent will open up with Arafat and Mahmood, who can both be a touch expensive at times. Pollock and Mustard give Durham a winning 15 over combination. 2pts ew Y.Arafat Top Kent Batsman 33/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Yasir Arafat was batting at number 3 in the twenty20 for Kent and if they lose an early wicket they could just use him at 3 again. It wasn't too successful until the last match where he smacked 42 in next to no time. With matches here tending to be low scoring a quick burst like that could prove to be the difference. I remember backing Andy Bichel in the semi here last year for Essex because he could bat at 3. He did and top scored. Arafat can bat normally though so he could come in at 7 and still trouble the scorers. This isn't a high scoring ground so if Kent get into trouble, the length of their batting order with Arafat at 7 or 8 can get them out of bother. At 33/1 Arafat is good value for a small each way bet. 1pt ew L.Plunkett Top Durham Batsman 33/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) As I've said in other bets this isn't a high scoring ground and we only have to look to the quarter final here to see that. Durham stuttered big time in that match emphasising that their batting is a touch on the weak side. Notts' 188 was nearly enough to win that quarter final. Liam Plunkett is someone who can do both innings. He can play the knock it around and get Durham out of trouble innings or he can do that bosh it innings if the required run rate is on the high side. With Durham's batting having a fragile nature to it coupled with the low scoring trend at the ground Plunkett looks a solid ew option who is worthy of a small stake.

[mdivenuto]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy I am risking a punt on Arafat as well, for reasons outlined above. Hopefully he will get shoved up the order to 3 or 4, as if not he is unlikely to be any higher than 9. At 33s with 3 places and decent chance of early wickets it's worth a go. Similar logic for durham top bat, I prefer Breese at 25s who will most likely bat at 8, ahead of Plunkett at 9. Looking ahead to Saturday, Graham Napier is available at 12s. We all saw the unbelivable 2020 knock when he batted at 3, the big question is will he be back down the order for the 50 over version?

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy That was a decent day for me. Kent won easily despite being well behind after 15 overs. +17.33 for the day overall and that eats into the loss which now stands at -32.26 for the tournament.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy

Looking ahead to Saturday' date=' Graham Napier is available at 12s. We all saw the unbelivable 2020 knock when he batted at 3, the big question is will he be back down the order for the 50 over version?[/quote'] My opinion of this is mate that a) I don't think they will bat him at 3 but if they are silly enough to is he really worth backing? He is a bowler who can bat a bit and I'd emphasise the a bit. It's all well and good smacking long hops and full tosses from shitheap bowlers in a twenty20 match where the boundaries were spitting distance apart but it's a different scenario here in that a) the boundaries will be back (they won't use a rope straight for starters) and b) Yorkshire have a bowling attack which can bowl well! I can see where the attraction lies but he won't hit 152 ever again or anything close to it so I'm a massive against that bet. I wish you well if you do go with it though mate :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy 2nd semi final and I'll go with 3. 10pts Essex to beat Yorkshire 3/4 Sportingbet Essex come into this match off the back of a decent twenty20 campaign and a solid Championship win over Derbyshire. Yorkshire also made the quarter finals of twenty20 but a defeat to Durham in the Championship, where they head on Monday for that quarter final just took a bit of an edge off their form. Essex have quarter final hero Ravi Bopara back for this match. Alastair Cook has been allowed to play too which is a boost for the Eagles. Mark Pettini is fit again and captains the side while James Foster and Ryan ten Doeschate are key cogs in the batting lineup. David Masters and Graham Napier are the main seamers and are bowling well while Kaneria guarantees wickets whenever he plays. Yorkshire's form men are Tim Bresnan and Anthony McGrath. This is a big match for them with this being Gough's last season and he's desperate to leave the scene with a trophy. Michael Vaughan hasn't been given permission to play but Rana Naved returns to the bowling attack for this match. Adil Rashid could be vital as the spin option. For me, and I've said it all season, Yorkshire are a batsman light. Essex don't have that problem as they could in theory bring Graham Napier in at number 9. Home advantage is often key at Chelmsford and Kaneria could be the main difference. I think most factors just point to Essex so I'll go with them. 5pts ew J.Foster Top Essex Batsman 8/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) James Foster has been in brilliant form with the bat in one day cricket. When we saw him last on the TV cameras against Sussex he hit a 23 ball 48 which emphasised his good form. He's a decent one day batsman overall and he's overpriced in a market dominated by Cook and Bopara. Naturally we'll need them to fail for Foster to take the top bat but if they don't 3rd place gives us a solid profit so I think that makes the Essex wicket-keeper a good ew bet. 1pt T.Bresnan Man of the Match 14/1 Boylesports Tim Bresnan is having a superb season and is currently 2nd in the PCA county rankings, behind only Martin van Jaarsveld who has suddenly gone off his tits with the bat. The fact Bresnan is in seriously good nick this season makes this price big enough but that fact he bats and bowls makes it even more ridiculous. I expect Essex to win the game but should Yorkshire pull off an upset Bresnan is extremely likely to have played a significant role so I'll have a small bet on the chubby Yorkshireman to get the man of the match honours.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy Poor staking from me today meant a loss of 3.5pts but a decent enough profit for the two semi finals which I'll take and I've an outside chance of ending this tournament in profit. -35.76 for the competition. Final is Kent vs Essex, two sides I know pretty well having followed Hampshire over the years. That final is 16th August.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy The final of the FP Trophy is tomorrow. It's Essex vs Kent at Lords.

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I'm going to go with 3 here. 10pts Essex to beat Kent 11/10 Bet365 Both these sides have had their problems in the lead up to this final but we are finally here and it promises to be a cracking final between probably the two best one day sides in the country right now. Neither have been to Lords for a final recently so it's a day all will relish. The two sides know each other pretty well however. This is their 6th one day meeting this season. In winning the twenty20 semi final, Kent took the lead 3-2 in their series with this match and a Pro40 meeting to come. Both sides have injury problems coming into this match. Essex's main concern was over their captain Mark Pettini. He had to see a specialist in Birmingham for blurred vision but he's been given the all clear to play. James Foster was suffering from a virus and was on a drip in Birmingham but he'll play here too. As will Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara who have both been released from England duty. With the ball, Maurice Chambers is out. Essex might prefer that as his dropped catch in the twenty20 semi final cost his side a spot in the final and the riches which came with it. All eyes once again will be on Graham Napier while Danish Kaneria is a real matchwinner. Kent have injury concerns over Darren Stevens, Justin Kemp, Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat. The word is Stevens and Kemp will be fine, Mahmood is more likely to play than not but I don't think Arafat will be around. However many of those play, it's open to debate just how fit they'll be. Kent will once again be led by Robert Key who has given up Lions duty to play here. Joe Denly will open the batting with him. Ryan McLaren could be a key man with the ball, especially if Mahmood and Arafat don't play while Tredwell's spell turned the twenty20 match on it's head. You can pretty much toss a coin to pick a winner between these two. They are both great sides and are sure to give us a great final but I just think Essex have one or two real matchwinners more in their side. They come into the match a bit more settled than Kent. Essex's Championship match was called off pretty early on the final day so that potential problem was avoided and still smarting from losing to the Spitfires on finals day, I think Pettini's Eagles can get some kind of revenge by winning the FP Trophy at HQ. 10pts R.Key's Match runs 41 and over 11/8 Blue Square I really like Rob Key's approach to one day cricket. I think he's a fine player and he comes into this final in good form. He looked solid as a rock while his teammates came and went around him against Leicester on Tuesday night and then hit a measured half century for the England Lions against South Africa on Thursday. What I really like about Key is his laidback approach but at the same time how he leads from the front. He and Joe Denly have a perfect understanding and on the real big occasion I expect the Kent skipper to go well. It's usually a good pitch at Lords and even though it will do a bit in the cloudy conditions, Keysy's seen it all and played it a thousand times over. He's a real class act, there's no doubt about that and I'll take him to get his team going and to go past 40 in his innings. 5pts R.Bopara Man of the Match 11/1 Blue Square For me, Ravi Bopara has been the best player in county cricket this season. And in this tournament he's been different class. His unbeaten 201 in the quarter final against Leicestershire was one of the best innings of all time. As well as that knock, he's also hit 3 half centuries in the competition, one of which was a 99 which came against Kent. He averages 82 in the tournament this season. If that's not enough he's picked up 9 wickets too. 3 of which came against Kent. In the 3 matches he's played against Kent this summer he has a quicker than run a ball 99 with the bat, 7 wickets and he looked in top form in the twenty20 semi final with the bat before a leading edge off the spinner got him. He comes into the match in good form having bashed Derby all around the Midlands a week or two ago and I expect him to be a real major player in this final. He'll contribute with bat and ball and at 11/1 he's a top bet for the man of the match award.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy The good thing about Luton being at Gillingham today was I got to listen to the cricket on Radio Kent. Kent were never in it in truth. I saw Key's dismissal on TV before I left. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. I thought Bopara had a good chance of MOM at half way but it wasn't to be. Just the Essex win to show for today so -4 on the day making a total loss of 39.76pts for the competition.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Friends Provident Trophy

Outrights: Somerset 9/1 3 pts e.w to win its group 4 pts 2/1. Put Somerset up in the championship too and undoubtedly there huge batting line up and strength in that line up is the main reason. Langer, Trescothick, Hildreth and then the likes of Blackwell, the promising Kieswetter and not to mention useful tail enders such as Jones and Trego provide strong depth to the line up. Their bowling is the weaker suit and a doubt may further occur over Caddick's back but providing Caddick is fit, along with willoughby, Blackwell (very economical in one day cricket), Banks and mediocre but reasonably reliable seamers in Trego and Jones (good in one day cricket) their line up is not as bad as sometimes suggested. Their one day form like their cricket in general improved last season which was shown by a pro 40 promotion and they can translate that to the 50 over version in what might not be a massively strong group. Kent 16/1 3 pts e.w to win his group 4 pts 10/3. I like Rob Key as a cricketer and a captain and he was one of the main reasons for the improvement in Kent last season in the shorter forms of the game. They won the 20 20, were possibly a touch unlucky in both this competition last year not to the semis and even the pro 40 competition not to get promotion with 5 wins from 8. That marked a bit of a change for Kent who previously had poor one day form for a few years. Looking at their squad on paper it looks quite a strong line up. Certainly their batting depth looks very strong with the likes of the ocassionally big hitting Arafat coming in possibly at 10, Tredwell, McClaren, Mahmood are all very useful lower order players to have and Kent probably have one of the strongest tails around. They also provide a fairly reliable bowling unit as well. The top batsman are not to bad either, key is a much improved one day player, denly has a poor one day record so fr but that should improve if picked, Van Jaarsveld, Walker and Stevens are pretty solid too. Benning fastest 50 20/1 2.5 pts e.w. Just a little fun market from the players provided, who can get the fastest 50 with the likes of Mustard and Trescothick leading the market. However as big hitters up the order go, Benning has to be up there with the best, he has shown he can destroy bowling attacks in no time at all when at his best and whilst an aggressive player like Benning can be very inconsistent, he will have his good games too and he is very capabale of getting at least one very quick half century in this competition.

Seems like a long time ago that I did these bets but in the end Kent won their group and reached the final to secure an e.w pay out but unfortunately just like the 20 20 final when I was actually pleased they lost, they couldnt go any better so +19.33 overall.