Cricket: NatWest Pro40 2009

[kevshat]

My favourite tournament of the year punting wise, and a lot of other PLer's too, begins on Monday. In the 3 seasons I've been on PL we've had 3 very profitable threads so hopefully we can do the last Pro40 justice and see it out with another one. Unfortunately the outright odds don't come out well on PL so I won't put them up. Division 1 outright odds are here though: http://odds-comparison.bestbetting.com/cricket/england/natwest-pro40-div-1/2009/winner/ Division 2 odds: http://odds-comparison.bestbetting.com/cricket/england/natwest-pro40-div-2/2009/winner/ Quick heads up on the format. It's 40 overs per side. The 1st 15 overs are powerplays so big scores are regular. 2pts for a win and 1pt for a Tie/NR. No promotion or relegation issues to worry about as it's the last Pro40.

[kevshat]

Re: NatWest Pro40 2009 3 outrights for me. 2pts Hampshire to win Pro40 Division 1 6/1 Betfred Hampshire are having an excellent season in one day cricket having qualified for the quarter finals of the Twenty20 Cup and made the final of the Friends Provident Trophy. Unlike a lot of their rivals in this wide open division, Hampshire won't be too badly hit when the mass exodus to the Champions Trophy takes place. Only really Dimitri Mascarenhas will go and while he's always a big loss Hampshire have coped well without him this season. Sussex will take a lot of beating as defending champions but with Luke Wright and Yasir Arafat probably heading off to SA they could be found a little short. It's an England exodus which could do for Notts while Essex will be very depleted. Somerset are another danger but take them away from Taunton and they're not half as good as they look. Yorkshire look out of their depth while Durham have struggled in limited overs cricket and will be hit by the Champions Trophy too. I'll come onto Worcestershire shortly but with Michael Lumb in top notch form along with Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine coming back into excellent all round touch with Imran Tahir and Liam Dawson taking advantage of the potentially dry wickets I expect Hampshire, who would've won this title last season had their last game not been washed out, to be right in the mix when the trophy is won. 1pt ew Worcestershire to win Pro40 Division 1 12/1 Betfred (1/5 1,2,3) Worcestershire won this title in 2007 and I don't see why they are such a price this year. They would've made the quarter finals and beyond in the FP Trophy but for an inexplicable loss to Ireland and although they struggled in the twenty20 they weren't disgraced. Ashley Noffke will leave before the season ends but there is talk of Zaheer Khan replacing him although I'm sure the Royals will want someone who isn't at the Champions Trophy. Kabir Ali is back now and with Chris Whelan bowling well this season Worcester can bowl sides out. Stephen Moore and Vikram Solanki are in good touch and Steven Davies made a name for himself in this competition. I think Worcestershire have every chance of winning this competition and 12/1 is a ridiculous price so I'll take them ew in what is the most open 1st division I can remember. 3pts Lancashire to win Pro40 Division 2 7/2 Betfred There's some really good sides in Division 2 this season and I expect a really tough battle for the title. However I think Lancashire are well equipped for it. Sure Kent will be all the rage but they failed in a weaker division last year when the top 2 went up. They didn't even make the playoff. With Parnell going to the Champions Trophy and Key and Denly with a chance of following I can pass Kent over. Warwickshire are a tight little one day side who could be decent ew value but they lose Bell and Patel and possibly even Jon Trott while Surrey have the personnel to go very well but not the consistency. Northants could be live contenders with nobody leaving for the Champions Trophy unlike Middlesex who will be depleted again. Leicestershire could well surprise a few but losing Iain O'Brien will be big while Glamorgan and Derbyshire look the weakest sides on paper. Lancashire will obviously be without Anderson and Flintoff but they don't have them much anyway. The key is they won't lose Laxman. Chapple, Hogg and Mahmood offer very good bowling options with Keedy and Du Plessis clever spinners. Loye, Horton, Croft, Laxman and Du Plessis are a good batting lineup and with the success Lancashire have had in one day cricket so far I think the Lightning will take a lot of stopping in this competition.