Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 No results last week: Surrey to beat Northamptonshire (DNB) 5/6 bet310 pts I went for Surrey in a game ultimatley decided by the weather and see no reason not go for them again. They are a side who look much stronger now than they were earlier in the season. Butcher has returned as well now so him, Ramps, Afzaal and Brown give a strong presence to the batting. Also they carry more of a threat with the ball now. Dernbach was in good form last week whilst they alse have the overseas recruit Harris, Nel and Schofield so not so bad in that department either. Northants' side play their first 4 day game for a while here and come into it on the back of some success in the 20 20. However their side looks more one day orientated with an awful lot of big hitting style batsmen who are used to good effect in the 1 day stuff but in 4 day cricket are arguably in too soon and cant play their natural game. Surrey have more depth especially in the batting department and I can see winning this one.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Nothing for me at the minute. Hopefully a couple of bookies offer end of day prices. I considered backing Surrey and wouldn't really put anyone off but I'm not a fan of rushing in at odds on to back a team who've not won a Championship match for going on for 21 months.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Well Surrey won well last week and I’m +10.8 in this division. For the new set of fixtures I only real have one strong view and that’s in this division and its the same that I have had for the last couple of weeks: Surrey to beat Leicestershire 8/13 skyb (DNB) 10 pts I’m on Surrey again here and after their first win for ages last match, they could follow up here against a team winless so far and bottom. Clearly they are much improved from the start of the season. Their team has now been improved so much with returning players and against a side who have struggled for wickets at times this season, I feel they have enough batting power to ensure they don’t lose here. Ramps, Butcher, Afzaal, Newman, Batty etc. and also they seem to bat quite deep. The question is if they can take 20 wickets but I think they could just. There is no Harris here but Jordan comes back in and he could join Dernbach and Nel with the spin option coming from the inform Schofield. The odds are fairly prohibitive but there is a bit of gap between these teams for me both in form and class and therefore I’m going for Surrey again.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Surrey doing quite well so far :hope One for later: Middlesex to beat Gloucestershire 6/5 skyb (DNB) 10 pts I think Middlesex could perform quite well this week. They have a side which suddenly looks much stronger than of late. Both Shah and Morgan return and along with Strauss, Compton, Dexter the batting suddenly looks better. Whilst murtagh absence still hurts the bowling, they have Finn and Silverwood as pace options and most importantly, two quality spin options in Kartik and Udal. On a Bristol wicket, spin often plays a crucial role and if this wicket is anything like the norm, that helps the visitiors here imo. Gloucester have made a good start to the season in most comps and will not be easy to beat here but Middlesex who have only drawn so far this season, might just have enough spinning quality to force a win here.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Surrey could force a win the other week and Middlesex had a shocker so back to +0.8 for this division. One for me this week: Kent to beat Gloucestershire 5/6 sj (DNB) 10 pts A pretty important game in this division. Gloucester have been a bit of a surprise package and currently lie top of the division whilst hot division favs at the start, Kent, had a defeat in their last game. However I just feel Kent might just be the team to force a result here. Kent suffer from some call ups/injuries in Denly and Joseph but Key remains in charge as he has been left out of the Lions picture this time. Sure Key has had a poor time this season but he is a quality player and it wouldnt be a surprise to see him back amongst the runs sooner rather than later. Plus they have such a luxury that they can miss Joseph only to bring in someone like Mahmood and very few counties have such a luxury, especially in division 2. Gloucester have done well this season in 4 day cricket and indeed 1 day cricket, just the 20 20s they were rubbish at. They should be missing Taylor today though and that's a bit of a blow to side who arguably dodnt have as much depth in their batting as they might like, certainly not the depth of Kent's level. However if Kent play like they can do, they might just be a step up and have that bit more class to force a result if there is one.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Tuesday 30 June 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Derbyshire v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)	1.66	2.25	104.44 %
	Kent v Gloucestershire (11:00 BST)	1.83	2.1	102.16 %
	Middlesex v Surrey (11:00 BST)	2.25	1.72	102.34 %

Am -2.25 coming in this week but hopefully we can get cracking on making some real dosh in this division too now the weather looks set and there's no more breaks in the competition. Just one for me to begin with. 4pts Surrey to beat Middlesex (DNB) 8/11 Ladbrokes In a tightly packed 2nd Division, Surrey in 2nd place travel across the river to their local rivals Middlesex who sit in 8th position in the table. Both sides have only lost one match this season with Middlesex's being to leaders Gloucestershire last time out. These two played out an excellent reverse fixture with Middlesex just hanging on for a draw. Middlesex are another side who've been hampered with call up's. Andrew Strauss is now away with England while Eoin Morgan is with the England Lions. A plus is Owais Shah is now available after being discarded by England. With the ball, Middlesex look a little light. Udal and Kartik will be good on a turning wicket but Berg and Burton, whilst the latter took 5 wickets last time out, lack experience. Surrey have named a very good squad. Mark Butcher captains the team having missed the twenty20 and Mark Ramprakash comes in too. He's in excellent form while the likes of Scott Newman and Usman Afzaal have been in great nick this summer. Andre Nel will be tough to face while Chris Jordan is returning to full fitness. Chris Schofield and Murtaza Hussain are solid spin options. Middlesex have struggled in all forms of cricket this season for consistency. A lot of that is due to being forced into changing their side constantly and as a result they've not made 300 with the bat since Phillip Hughes left. Surrey are getting going nicely in 4 day cricket under Adams and have the stronger side available here and I think that'll be enough to get the win in the London derby.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Tuesday 7 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Essex v Glamorgan (11:00 BST)	1.53	2.87	100.00 %
	Northamptonshire v Derbyshire (11:00 BST)	1.9	1.9	104.76 %
	Friday 10 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Leicestershire v Middlesex (11:00 BST)	2.25	1.61	106.35 %
	Surrey v Kent (11:00 BST)	2.2	1.83	100.10 %

Draw's are starting to get on my nerves :wall. One for Tuesday's two matches. 3pts Derbyshire to beat Northants (DNB) 10/11 Coral Neither of these sides look likely to enter the promotion shake up but this still looks a pretty competitive game on paper. Both sides have only won one match this season but Derbyshire are still unbeaten, admittedly in a division with a lot of draws, unlike the Steelbacks who have lost two matches so far. Northants are riddled with injury and haven't been helped much by Monty being called up for the Ashes squad despite not being in overly terrific form so far this season. He's still a threat at this level. David Sales and Niall O'Brien are both injured and that leaves the Northants batting looking very light. With Lucas and Wigley leading the seam attack alongside van der Wath, the bowling doesn't look a lot stronger. Derbyshire have a very talented batting lineup. Skipper, Chris Rogers leads the way while Wavell Hinds is a solid player at this level. Garry Park is having a good season while Dan Redfern is one of the most talented youngsters around at the minute. Graham Wagg will lead the bowling attack but Ian Hunter is in good form and comes here off the back of a 5 for last week. Jake Needham has found a bit of form too if selected. Northants have struggled a bit recently and as I said before I don't like their lack of batting depth here. Derbyshire are going along ok, scoring solid runs. This will be Northants' 1st championship game for 3 weeks so if they take any time to acclimatise that will be to Derby's advantage. However I feel the Phantoms are just about the stronger side and I'll go with them to win this.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Friday 10 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Leicestershire v Middlesex (11:00 BST)	2.25	1.66	104.44 %
	Surrey v Kent (11:00 BST)	2.2	1.83	100.00 %

As I said in the other division thread, there's one I'm looking at in this division tomorrow but I'll wait for a full weather forecast. Will be back tomorrow if I bet.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 With the 1st day near as damn it rained out the Derbyshire game looks like a draw. One more for today. 3pts Leicestershire to beat Middlesex (DNB) 5/4 Stan James The bottom two sides meet in this basement battle at Grace Rd but neither are that bad on paper. It's just weather and injuries playing parts in their seasons so far. Leicestershire look better equipped for Championship cricket than one day cricket to me this season so it's a bit of a surprise they are right down there. Middlesex have had international call up's kill them. Leicestershire will include their two star South African batsmen in their side. HD Ackerman has been a run machine for ages while after a poor 1st year, Boeta Dippenaar is finally coming to the party this season with the added responsibility of the captaincy and Tom New has taken over the keeping and averages well over 50 with the bat in Championship cricket. Iain O'Brien peps up the bowling attack which with Harris and Allenby in it too looks ok at this level. Middlesex have their two star batsmen available in Owais Shah and Eoin Morgan who returns after being with England Lions last week. Andrew Strauss is obviously with England. The big boost for the Panthers will come with Tim Murtagh returning but how match fit he is remains to be seen. Alan Richardson and Neil Dexter have been hit by injuries though so Middlesex aren't quite at full strength still. This should be a decent game between two sides with a lot of decent players in their teams for this level but I really like the two youngsters at Leicester - Cobb and Taylor. I think Leicestershire are good for runs so if O'Brien can inspire the attack I think they can beat Middlesex at Grace Rd which is always a tough place to go.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Two for me in this division: Middlesex to beat Leicestershire 4/6 skyb (DNB) 10 pts Middlesex have lost just one game all season in f/c cricket and they have a much stronger side out than they have at times this season. Shah has been in great form so far for Middlesex and he is joined by Morgan who returns today. Compton also hit a 100 last week so the batting seems fair enough although Dexter misses out. What I like though is the return of a really useful bowler at this level in Murtagh. He strengthens the pace attack and then there is the option of the spinning pair of Udal and Kartik. Bear in mind as well that this was a side who looked the more likely winners against Surrey last week. Leicestershire have a very similar record to Middlesex in that they too have only lost one game and drawn the rest. They have a very strong core duo of their two South Africans and a combination of useful and promising players to go with that, in particular a couple who have done well for the U19’s lately. However I still think the extra strength is with Middlesex and if there is to be a winner I think it can be them. Kent to beat Surrey 8/11 lad (DNB) 10 pts Kent’s side looks very strong today. Wayne Parnell returns and that is a major coup. Along with the likes of Cook, McLaren, Khan and Treadwell it looks one of the best attack anywhere in county cricket, never mind div 2. Their batting is historically pretty deep although they need more out of Key. However Denly comes back in and they still have the run machine MJV. As for Surrey they too have a strong looking top 5. However their bowling attack doesn’t look anywhere near as strong and whereas I can see Kent threatening Surreys’ batting on a regular basis, I don’t feel that anywhere near as much the case for Surrey. Kent look the stronger side and I like them here.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Derbyshire's game was also a draw so I'm still -2.25 but Middlesex have gone into tea on Day 2, 67 behind with only 9 2nd inns wickets left so there will be a result in that game. Leicester in the box seat so hopefully they can finish it off and put me in profit for the division.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Leicestershire are in complete control after 2 days. Middlesex are still 9 runs behind with only 4 2nd inns wickets left now. Prices for tomorrow's match

Sunday 12 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Gloucestershire v Derbyshire (11:00 BST)	1.61	2.37	104.01 %

No bet for me. Derby look a shade of value but not enough value so with the Pro40 next week I'll keep my powder dry until then.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Leicestershire won quite early on day 3 to give me a profit of 3.75pts for the week putting me +1.50 for the division. Slow progress with the weather but we're getting there slowly.

[Matt]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Nice one Kev :clap Glad we werent chasing 100+ though :lol

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Nice one Kev :clap Glad we werent chasing 100+ though :lol

Aye :lol. It surprises me that you hadn't won before now mate. When I was up at your place that day you played some good stuff and had us in trouble yet we're in the final now :eek. I really like the look of those 2 kids you've got and O'Brien convinced me that day that he'll be a really good player for you this season. Shame he won't be there at the end of the season :(.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Wednesday 15 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Glamorgan v Kent (11:00 BST)	2.75	1.53	101.58 %
	Surrey v Essex (11:00 BST)	1.83	2.1	102.16 %

One for me this week. 3pts Essex to beat Surrey (DNB) 11/10 Stan James Essex are having a poor season by their standards in the Championship but although Surrey are a lot higher in the table theirs isn't much better. They are where they are off the back of 6 draws in their 8 games but there's a couple of them they could've lost. Essex's season has been disrupted by international call up's and injuries. Surrey could be without Mark Butcher who faces a fitness test this morning. Andre Nel comes back into the bowling attack but for me Surrey look a batsman light and a couple of bowlers light. Essex's problems have been runs and a distinct lack of them but Hashim Alma could solve all that. Dave Masters is going well with the ball and Napier is effective. Guildford isn't the batting wicket The Oval is so I can see Essex's attack getting stuck in and if they bat around Amla I think they can win this.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Another draw last week so still +1.50 for the division.

Monday 20 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire (11:00 BST)	1.73	2.25	102.25 %
	Tuesday 21 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Derbyshire v Middlesex (11:00 BST)	1.72	2.25	102.34 %
	Leicestershire v Essex (11:00 BST)	2.2	1.83	100.00 %

One for today. 3pts Northants to beat Gloucestershire (DNB) 5/4 Coral Northants travel to Cheltenham to take on early leaders Gloucestershire in this Championship match. Northants, who've been hit hard by injury are in 7th place while Gloucestershire, who are just losing their way a bit after a decent start. Their problem is a lack of 1st innings runs at the minute and that can't be totally surprising given Franklin has been batting at 4 or 5. Northants are slowly beginning to get their players back and with Monty Panesar playing here too I'll take the Steelbacks at a decent enough price.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Northants are in a decent position after day 1. Similar to Leicestershire last week really. 20 odd ahead with 4 1st inns wickets left having skittled Gloucestershire for 147. If they can scratch around and find another 50-75 runs then they'll be in a super position. Not going to mess with the weather this week. Fancy Leicester against Essex but I'll stick with Northants.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 I'm finally beginning to get somewhere now. Northants won with a day to spare and that's despite having a day washed out. +3.75pts for the week and up to +5.25pts now.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Friday 31 July 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Gloucestershire v Glamorgan (11:00 BST)	1.53	2.87	100.00 %
	Kent v Derbyshire (11:00 BST)	1.54	2.75	101.30 %
	Middlesex v Northamptonshire (11:00 BST)	1.94	2	101.55 %
	Surrey v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)	1.66	2.37	102.11 %

And two for me in this division as well. 3pts Glamorgan to beat Gloucestershire (DNB) 15/8 Betfred Gloucestershire have really hit the buffers since flying out the traps early in the season, they were turned over by Northants in 2 days last week and lost a game which was their's to win in the Pro40. Glamorgan haven't got the results they've deserved but they've been right in most matches they've played. Gloucestershire will replace keeper Snell with Steve Adshead as their batting continues to misfire. Craig Spearman is still out though so for me the Gladiators batting is way too light. There's nowt wrong with their bowling attack but when they've got nothing to defend it's always difficult. Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby remain 2 of the best bowlers in the country. Glamorgan have Herschelle Gibbs in their side for this game. He's the key man in the batting lineup but Jamie Dalrymple is having an excellent season captaining the side. With the ball, James Harris is always a threat while Adam Shantry has been taking wickets. Robert Croft has also been in the wickets and has been rewarded with a new contract. Glamorgan are overpriced here. Unlike the Gladiators they are scoring runs and that could be the key. If they can have the success with the ball they've been having previously they'll make Betfred's standout 15/8 look a very good price. 3pts Northants to beat Middlesex (DNB) Evs Ladbrokes Northants have been playing some really good championship cricket for a long while now without ever really threatening promotion. Bottom of the pile Middlesex have had real problems this season, problems which have culminated in their coach walking away from the job. Northants will be buoyant after booking their place at their 1st ever twenty20 finals day. Middlesex have their big 3 batsmen in their side but there's a couple of youngsters in there too but they'll be glad to see Udal, Kartik and Murtagh in the same side at last after the latter two have suffered with injuries this season. Dawid Malan is going well opening the batting and he looks set to continue that role. Northants will probably only make one change to the side which beat Hampshire in their twenty20 quarter final. David Lucas will probably come in for Lee Daggett after the left armer was on fire last week against Gloucestershire. Niall O'Brien is back in a Northants batting lineup which suddenly starts to look a lot stronger. Middlesex haven't won a game in this division yet this season and this will be tough as well with Northants having plenty of batting and bowling options. They usually play good cricket in this competition and I'll go for them to win this match.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Could be the other way around in this division though. Northants lead by 153 but only have 3 wickets left in their 2nd innings. Hopefully van der Wath can eek them up to a lead of 200 and then you never know. Middlesex are favourites there though now. The other game looks like being a draw.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Pleasant surprise for me at Lords today. Northants pushed their lead up to 220 which was 35 too many for Middlesex. The other game was a draw so +3 this week and +8.25 in total now. Kent's win today has put them in a very good position to win the league as well so everything is looking good in this division.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2

Wednesday 5 August 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Essex v Gloucestershire (11:00 BST)	1.83	2.12	101.72 %
	Glamorgan v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)	2	2	100.00 %
	Kent v Middlesex (11:00 BST)	1.45	3	102.30 %
	Thursday 6 August 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Surrey v Derbyshire (11:00 BST)	1.83	2.1	102.16 %

2 for me tomorrow. 3pts Essex to beat Gloucestershire (DNB) 5/6 Stan James Essex take on Gloucestershire at Southend in what is a key match in the promotion hunt. Kent look away and gone at the top now so there's only one promotion spot up for grabs. Derbyshire are in the firing line at the minute and they are 23pts of Essex and just 9pts ahead of Gloucestershire so this really is a key battle at the top of the table. Essex's batting this season has been nothing short of pathetic. They've taken just 17pts from a possible 45 bonus points with the bat. That's crap in anyone's language but understandable given Cook and Bopara's absence. That isn't going to be helped by Hashim Amla having gone back to South Africa. However the confidence he'll have given this lineup could be key. Tom Westley comes into the batting lineup but there's still quality performers in Pettini, Chopra, Walker and ten Doeschate. Danish Kaneria comes back for this match which could be vital as Southend traditionally spin. Napier and Masters leads the attack. Gloucestershire have been no better with the bat, certainly in recent weeks. They've only taken 22pts from a possible 50 and they still look light in the batting with Franklin at 6 to me. He had a great season with the bat in New Zealand but hasn't carried that form on over here. Craig Spearman is still out which isn't helpful. Bowling isn't a problem though. Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby are about as good a new ball pairing as there is. This wicket will turn and that will favour Essex now Kaneria is back. It's a fairly low scoring ground but I just prefer Essex's depth in their batting and with Kaneria in their ranks I'll take the home win here. 3pts Leicestershire to beat Glamorgan (DNB) Evs Coral I like what Leicestershire are doing at the minute on the field. They are going along quite nicely and scoring lots of runs in recent weeks which is crucial at this level. Glamorgan are also having a decent season with the bat but bowling sides out isn't happening for them at the minute. It's 7th vs 8th in this match but I think both could be better than those league positions. Glamorgan could be without overseas player Herschelle Gibbs for this match as he's got a hamstring strain. That would be a big loss for the Dragons. Tom Maynard stands by to cover and he's very talented but is getting to the stage where he needs to produce the results. Jamie Dalrymple is having a good season with the bat but when you consider their leading wicket taker this season has just 25 wickets that's where their problem lies. Leicestershire coped well without Jim Allenby last week which was a concern of mine as I never like it when players and officials use the media for their arguements. In Josh Cobb and James Taylor, Leicester have two very very good young batsman and batting with the likes of Boeta Dippenaar and HD Ackerman will only help them. Tom New has been given a new lease of life this season and continues to go well with the bat. Jacques du Toit did well replacing Allenby last week. The bowling is a touch weak with Iain O'Brien away with New Zealand now but AJ Harris is a solid pro, as is Claude Henderson. 16 year old Nathan Buck has been given a go in O'Brien's absence and is touted as a huge prospect. He took the wicket of Ramprakash last week which can only boost his confidence. Leicestershire are the better side of the two here I believe and Colwyn Bay is probably a good wicket for the seamers. Neither side really have much to worry about but Leicester have a touch of class about their batting and as the outsiders here I'm happy to take them.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Both bets lost last week. Will update totals when I have more time. One for today though. 3pts Essex to beat Middlesex (DNB) 5/6 Coral Bopara and Cook are playing for Essex which should make a big difference to their batting. Middlesex still aren't up to much even though they beat Kent last week. Now the Eagles are at full strength I expect them to win this one.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Essex won that so +4.75pts coming in this week.

Wednesday 26 August 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Essex v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)	1.53	2.75	101.58 %
	Northamptonshire v Glamorgan (11:00 BST)	1.66	2.37	102.11 %
	Thursday 27 August 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Middlesex v Gloucestershire (11:00 BST)	2.2	1.83	100.00 %
	Friday 28 August 2009	Home	Away	BPP
	Kent v Surrey (11:00 BST)	1.53	2.75	101.58 %

One for me for tomorrow's matches. 3pts Glamorgan to beat Northants (DNB) 11/8 Bet365 This is a fairly big game in the promotion battle. Both sides have an outside chance of promotion but those chances will go with defeat in this match. Northants beat a dogged Derbyshire side by 2 wickets last week while Glamorgan saw off Middlesex. These two drew the reverse fixture back in June. Northants will be without Niall O'Brien who is away on international duty with Ireland. Captain, Nicky Boje returns so Andrew Hall's stint in charge is over. Monty Panesar is back with the side now and should replace Graeme White while Rob White will move up to open the batting on O'Brien's absence. Glamorgan are at full strength and going along nicely in this now having won their last two matches. Herschelle Gibbs provides a bit of real quality to their side while Will Bragg has come in and scored some decent runs. Robert Croft adds runs down the order and valuable wickets alongside Dean Cosker, both of whom should go well at Wantage Rd. Jim Allenby adds further quality and solidity to the away side. Both these teams are in decent form but Glamorgan are going quite nicely at the minute and although Northants edged them out in the Pro40 recently, I think the Welsh side can get revenge with a win here at a big which is a smidge bigger than I'd have it.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 One for today........ 4pts Gloucestershire to beat Middlesex (DNB) 8/11 Ladbrokes Gloucestershire go to Lords still in with a chance of promotion to Division 1 and judging by the side they put out in their Pro40 match on Tuesday, that's very much the main aim. Middlesex are bottom of this competition and really haven't been able to get going. They've only won 1 of their 12 matches although to be fair that was against champions elect Kent. Middlesex will be without 2 key batsmen in Owais Shah and Eoin Morgan, both of whom are with the England one day squad. They've been replaced by John Simpson, Sam Robson and Alex London in the squad. There's nothing wrong with their bowling attack though with Steve Finn and Tim Murtagh in good nick and assuming they use the same wicket the Pro40 match was meant to be on last night, Murali Kartik should go well. Gloucestershire have recalled their best players. James Franklin, Steve Kirby and Jon Lewis all come back into the side and the only decision they need to make is whether to play 2 spinners or if Ian Saxelby will be the final piece of the bowling attack. There's still no Craig Spearman for the Gladiators. Middlesex have been poor in this competition while Gloucestershire seem to have sorted out the batting problems of 3-4 weeks ago. They've started to get runs and this bowling attack will always get wickets. Shah and Morgan represent big losses for the Panthers which leads me to take Gloucestershire to win this one.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Glamorgan were in command of their match but couldn't get the job done because of the rain interruption half way through. Gloucester were never in the game so back to +0.75pts for the competition although the best news of the week from a betting point of view was that Ramprakash is the only guy ahead of van Jaarsveld in the runscorers and he's out for the season with a broken thumb. He's 212 runs ahead of MVJ so I'd expect in the remaining 4 matches that van Jaarsveld will get those and bring the 12/1 outright in. Kent play 3 of the bottom 4 in their last 4 matches and with a 28pt lead they've as good as won the title. If van Jaarsveld bats to his average for the rest of the season he'll go past Ramps in his next 4 innings.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 4 matches begin today but with the weather as unpredictable as it is I'm going to give them a miss. It doesn't look like we'll get much play anywhere today and if it rains that badly we might not even get much tomorrow.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 van Jaarsveld's 63* put him ahead in the run scorers in this division with only Geraint Jones with any chance of catching him but he's 150 behind and out in this current Kent innings. Kent are already 40 runs ahead with 6 wickets left so they may not need to bat again which would mean Jones only has 2 innings left to deny van Jaarsveld top spot. That shouldn't happen. Kent also look set to win the title this week so it'll be a pretty lucrative week this week.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2009 Division 2 Kent have won the title going into the last round of matches. van Jaarsveld is almost 250 runs ahead of anyone playing this week but unfortunately, van Jaarsveld isn't playing this week so if either Jones, Rogers or Taylor get in it could be a nervy watch :lol. This division includes the TV game this week. That's Derby vs Essex in the race for promotion which is really tight. 3 for me. TV game 1st.

4pts Essex to beat Derbyshire (DNB) 4/5 Stan James

It’s almost winner takes all at Derby this week. It certainly is for Essex anyway. If they win they will be promoted back into Division 1 but if they slip up they open the door for Northants, Glamorgan and indeed Derbyshire. As you would expect, Essex have named their strongest side for this game with Ravi Bopara away in South Africa. Danish Kaneria plays though and he could be the key on a wicket which tends to be tired at this stage of the season. Derby have had a great season in this competition but for me they rely too much on their opening pair with the bat and the bowling has a hit and miss look about it, especially with Tim Groenewald out injured. Essex for me in the live TV game.

1pt W.Madsen Top Derbyshire Batsman (1

^st Inns Only) 4/1 Stan James

Wayne Madsen comes into this match in decent nick having hit 167 and 89 against Middlesex at Uxbridge last week. Chris Rogers is in decent nick as well as you would expect from someone which so much ability but at the bigger price I’m going to take Madsen to top score here as when he gets in he generally fills his boots while Rogers could well have bigger issues on his mind in trying to forge a win to give his side the best chance of going up. 4/1 on an opener is always a good price and it’s one I’m happy to take here.

3pts Glamorgan to beat Surrey (DNB) 5/6 Bet365

Glamorgan can still in theory get promoted which is testament to the excellent work Matthew Maynard is doing down there and here they face a Surrey side who’ve been awful in every competition this season. The Oval wicket should help the likes of Croft and Cosker with it’s turn and in Allenby, Cosgrove who is now back as overseas player and Dalrymple, the Dragons have 3 big scorers with the bat. Glamorgan ultimately may well miss out on promotion as I expect Essex and Northants to win but I still think the away side can win this match.