Cricket: County Championship 2010

[kevshat]

The new domestic cricket season is less than a week away now so it's time to start the 1st thread of the year, the County Championship. We had 2 seperate threads for the 2 divisions last year but with weather being a pain and only 8 matches per round at most I think we can get away with one thread this year. I've done a preview for each division which I'll put up in the next two posts but just a quick overview of the rules and format for those new to domestic cricket and the wonderful betting opportunities it brings. We have two divisions of 9 counties. At the end of the season the top 2 from Division 2 replace the bottom 2 of Division 1. Unlike last season, you now get 16pts for a win, 3 for a draw and nothing for losing which differs from 14pts for a win last season, 4 for a draw and zero for losing. All matches in this competition are 4 days long and 2 innings per side. You also score bonus points in the 1st innings of each match and they are scored as follows: Batting: 200-249 runs = 1pt 250-299 runs = 2pts 300-349 runs = 3pts 350-399 runs = 4pts 400 runs and over = 5pts Bowling: 3-5 wickets = 1pt 6-8 wickets = 2pts 9 or 10 wickets = 3pts Note: Unlike previous seasons you can only score bonus points in the 1st 110 overs of each 1st innings instead of the 1st 120 overs last season. Hopefully the rule changes will lead to more results and in turn lots more :cash for us at the end of it. Season runs from April to September and begins on Friday. Let's hope it's a decent season with plenty of involvement like the recent cricket threads on PL. I know we've lots of county fans on PL so this should be another good thread. Previews to follow shortly.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Division 1 Durham successfully defended their Championship title last season and it’s hard to see beyond them winning a 3^rd straight title. They are so strong in their bowling attack that results are always likely in their matches. They’ve decided not to go into the season with an overseas player but they do still have some real batting quality from the likes of Michael di Venuto and Dale Benkenstein not to mention Paul Collingwood on the rare occasions he isn’t with England. Steve Harmison’s England career looks well and truly over and their loss is Durham’s gain. Mark Davies, Callum Thorp, Liam Plunkett and Mitch Claydon form a serious good attack. Youngsters Scott Borthwick and Ben Stokes could well have excellent rookie seasons. I think Durham are the team to beat this season and I see them winning their 3^rd title in a row. They may go well in the new 40 over competition as well but they are yet to really crack twenty20. That said, I’m sure Durham skipper Will Smith will be delighted if his side retain the Championship as that is seen as the holy grail up in the North-East. Last season: 1^st Key players: Michael di Venuto & Stephen Harmison Best odds: 2/1 Totesport Predicted finishing position: 1^st Essex carried out a remarkable run chase on the last day of last season to earn promotion to the 1^st division for this season. Essex will be keeping a watchful eye on the England situation as having Ravi Bopara or not could make or break their season. Bopara will miss the 1^st 6 weeks of the season on IPL and world twenty20 duty. He’s key to the Eagles batting which still looks very light without Alastair Cook at the top. Graham Napier has made a name for himself in one day cricket and Essex will need more consistent performances from him in 4 day cricket to be successful. The probable absence of Danish Kaneria later in the summer is a big one for a side who don’t have the biggest squad. One day cricket is more Essex’s forte and I think that will be the same this season. It will be a long season in four day cricket and they will need some youngsters like Tom Westley and Billy Godleman if they are to achieve anything. With Kaneria likely to be away, the sale of James Middlebrook is a weird one. Ryan ten Doeschate looks likely to play a major role for Essex but ultimately I think they will go down and take the wooden spoon with them. Last season: 2^nd in Division 2 Key players: Ravi Bopara & Ryan ten Doeschate Best odds: 18/1 Boylesports Predicted finishing position: 9^th

Hampshire’s title ambitions fizzled out with a whimper last season and I fear that the newly named Royals will be found wanting this season too. Michael Lumb is away in the IPL and will then go to the world twenty20 which could lead to him being away with England through the summer. Dimitri Mascarenhas will miss the opening two months of the season with injury while overseas player Ajentha Mendis has been called into Sri Lanka’s world twenty20 squad and will be away for a triangular series as well but when he returns to the Rose Bowl the wickets will be right up his street.

Neil McKenzie is a very good kolpak signing who should score lots of runs at the Rose Bowl. He replaces the retired John Crawley while Royals fans will hope Michael Carberry avoids England duty through the summer. Sean Ervine is due a big season. Kabir Ali and Simon Jones were high profile signings in the close season but neither have a good record with injuries. Chris Tremlett has left the club and his pace and bounce could be a big loss. Hampshire are good enough for a mid table finish and will hope to pick up one of the two one day trophies.

Last season: 6^th

Key players: Michael Carberry & Sean Ervine

Best odds: 5/1 VC & Blue Square

Predicted finishing position: 4^th

Kent were runaway winners of the 2^nd division last season and should enjoy another solid season under the captaincy of Robert Key. Joe Denly’s England race looks temporarily run which is a boost. Martin van Jaarsveld is a run machine. Ryan McLaren and Justin Kemp are heavy losses as is Stuart Clark who looked booked in for a lucrative spell for the 1^st half of the season. Amjad Khan will be key with the ball as will Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara when he arrives.

Much of Kent’s 4 day season will depend on James Tredwell. He looks likely to be away with England for a fair bit of the summer. He’ll miss some of the start of the season on England duty. Geraint Jones was a big run scorer for the Spitfires last season and they’ll need his runs again but the ability to take 20 wickets is the main worry for Kent. They will score the runs to stay up but won’t quite be good enough for the title so a tilt at the one day titles are my expectation for Kent this season.

Last season: 1^st in Division 2 Key players: Robert Key & Martin van Jaarsveld

Best odds: 9/1 Skybet, Totesport & Coral

Predicted finishing position: 5^th

Lancashire are the nearly men of the county championship having come so close to the title they really want so many times. I think this will be another season of disappointment as well but I expect them to improve a little bit on last year. They have a very shrewd coach and a captain who leads by example. If Kumar Sangakkara can provide some real runs then Lancashire can push the top two. Paul Horton, Mark Chilton and Stephen Moore are all solid run scorers and if the younger seamers like Tom Smith and Kyle Hogg can improve on last year then the Lightning can have a good season.

Ashwell Prince will be a good signing for Lancs while Sangakkara is away and Daren Powell should boost their bowling attack. Francois du Plessis is a big loss but in Moore they have a good replacement at the top of the order. Gary Keedy will come into his own if we have a dry summer and any games Jimmy Anderson gets to play will give Peter Moores’ men a big boost. I see them pushing the top two but not quite having the tools to go all the way. Andrew Flintoff’s availability will be key to their one day fortunes.

Last season: 4^th

Key players: Stephen Moore & Glen Chapple

Best odds: 10/1 Bet365

Predicted finishing position: 3^rd

Nottinghamshire were closest to Durham last year and I think they will be again this year. They’ll be without Adam Voges this season but Hashim Amla and David Hussey will be very solid overseas players. Mark Wagh had a rare barren season last time round but Chris Read and Samit Patel will boost the Outlaws batting lineup which will looks full of runs. Injuries to the bowling attack never helped last season but if things improve on that front then Notts could end up even closer to Durham.

Charlie Shreck and Darren Pattinson will be key to Nottinghamshire hopes this season and any appearances they get out of Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann will be a bonus. Mark Ealham needs replacing having retired but Alex Hales has a bright future and will be looking to push into the starting eleven. Nottinghamshire are best equipped to stop Durham’s hat trick but for me they’ll fall just short so it will be the runners up prize again this year. An improvement in one day cricket looks likely but they may need a bit more to win a limited overs competition.

Last season: 2^nd

Key players: Samit Patel & Chris Read

Best odds: 13/2 Boylesports

Predicted finishing position: 2^nd

Somerset had an excellent season last term but the brains and runs of Justin Langer will be very tough to replace. Marcus Trescothick takes over the captaincy and Nick Compton, brought in from Middlesex is trusted with scoring Langer’s runs. Another major loss will be Craig Kieswetter, who scored 1200 runs last year, who will be away with England for lots of the season. Murali Kartik has been signed for overseas duties. He could be a good signing but will be supported by a weak bowling attack. Charl Willoughby was surprisingly the top wicket taker in this division last season but if it’s a good summer he’s unlikely to go as well again. Andrew Caddick is getting no younger so Alfonso Thomas, in a vice captain role, will be key. In Kieswetter’s absence, James Hildreth will need to step up with runs more than ever before. Somerset should have enough about them to stay up but they could be big losers in the new points system. I expect them to avoid the drop, just, and set their sights on a one day trophy, particularly the twenty20 where the signing of Kieron Pollard could be a very good one.

Last season: 3^rd

Key players: Marcus Trrescothick & Charl Willoughby

Best odds: 10/1 Bet365, Skybet & Boylesports

Predicted finishing position: 7^th

Warwickshire had a solid season last term and I expect similar this year. I think they’ve made a cracking signing in Varun Chopra, particularly if both Trott and Bell are away with England for most of the summer. Imran Tahir is another clever signing who will go well in the right conditions. Darren Maddy’s face injury will need a quick recovery but I think this is a season of promise for Ashley Giles’ men. Perhaps the biggest loss is Allan Donald as bowling coach but on the field they look ok.

Chris Woakes is a season more experienced and Neil Carter is usually reliable at this level. Ian Westwood surprised me as captain last season but he’ll look to be aggressive this term and take advantage of the points system. Rikki Clarke was disappointing last season and he’ll need to improve. Hopes will be high at Edgbaston this season but I think the promise could be unfulfilled unless Maddy and Ambrose have excellent seasons. They’ll avoid relegation but that’ll be it.

Last season: 5^th

Key players: Darren Maddy & Chris Woakes

Best odds: 14/1 Boylesports

Predicted finishing position: 6^th

Yorkshire narrowly avoided relegation last season and having finished 7^th in each of the last two seasons I’m afraid their time has come to get the chop this season. With Tim Bresnan likely to be away for much of the summer and Ryan Harris’ overseas spell looking iffy with each Australian call up he receives it’s hard to see the white rose competing in the bowling department. The losses of Matthew Hoggard to Leicestershire and Deon Kruis to retirement aren’t helpful. To top it all off they will have a rookie captain who won’t be able to call on the batting of Michael Vaughan. If Yorkshire are to beat the drop then Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath will have to score plenty of runs. Ajmal Shahzad will need to take plenty of wickets alongwith Harris if he does arrive. Adil Rashid could be around for most of the season which would be a boost but I don’t see their bowling being anywhere near strong enough to compete here. I believe Yorkshire will join Essex in division 2 next season. Last season: 7^th

Key players: Jacques Rudolph & Anthony McGrath

Best odds: 22/1 Bet365, Boylesports & Blue Square

Predicted finishing position: 8^th

[Samba_SamPa]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 The way you're tipping mate :hope you plump for us doing the hat-trick :lol Though at the prices I imagine you won't be.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 And now Division 2 Under John Morris, Derbyshire are improving slowly but surely. They finished 6^th last season but they are better than that and I fancy them to go very well this season. Australian, Chris Rogers, who skippers the side is a run machine who has been knocking on the door for the Australian team for a while now and Derby unearthed Wayne Madsen who looks a good player at the level. Throw in the likes of Redfern, Sadler and Smith and they have a half decent batting lineup. Steffan Jones and Mark Footitt could be shrewd signings with the ball and I fancy Derbyshire to be right in the mix at the end of the season.

Charl Langeveldt and Wavell Hinds have left the club but if Graham Wagg and Tim Groenewald have good seasons with the ball and Needham continues to improve then Derbyshire can challenge for promotion. This is still a young side but it’s a talented one and if Robin Peterson contributes like he can with bat and ball then he could be the missing ingredient to ensure Derbyshire make it to division one for the first time.

Last season: 6^th

Key players: Chris Rogers & Graham Wagg

Best odds: 20/1 Boylesports

Predicted finishing position: 2^nd

Glamorgan have plenty of improvement in them and having resigned Mark Cosgrove for the season as overseas player along with the shrewd signatures of James Allenby and David Brown. Gareth Rees and Tom Maynard are good young players with Mark Wallace a solid keeper-batsman. Robert Croft keeps on going forever and he’s got another year on his contract. James Harris is one of the promising youngsters in the country and if Harrison and Shantry bowl well then the Dragons might just push the top end of the table. Alex Wharf has retired and he was always pretty solid with the bat. As ever the spin twins of Croft and Cosker will be key, particularly at Sophia Gardens and if the batsmen, led by captain Jamie Dalrymple do provide the runs they have the ability to offer then this could be a decent season for Glamorgan. I think promotion is beyond them but an improvement in all 3 competitions would represent a good season in the valleys.

Last season: 5^th

Key players: Jamie Dalrymple & Robert Croft

Best odds: 16/1 Ladbrokes

Predicted finishing position: 5th

Gloucestershire had an excellent season last time around and ended up finishing 4^th but I think they overachieved somewhat and expect them to be a bit lower in the table this term. Their bowling options are good with Jon Lewis, Steve Kirby and James Franklin all solid seamers. David Payne had a good under 19’s world cup and looks a good prospect but with the bat the Gladiators look weak. Craig Spearman, Grant Hodnett and Steve Adshead have all left. That leaves Hamish Marshall, Alex Gidman and Chris Taylor carrying the batting unless Jon Batty rediscovers his best form.

One day cricket has always been the priority in the South-West but they tried to change that last year. I still think one day cricket will be their best form of success this season but if they find some runs from someone then they could push for promotion again. However runs do look a big issue so I think they’ll end up nearer the bottom than the top this term.

Last season: 4^th

Key players: Alex Gidman & Jon Lewis

Best odds: 16/1 Ladbrokes

Predicted finishing position: 7^th

Leicestershire have signed well in the main but it is a bit of a risk giving the captaincy to Matthew Hoggard straight away. It could be a masterstroke or a disaster but if it’s the former then Leicestershire have the personnel to be up there this season. If there’s a better batting prospect in this country than James Taylor I’m yet to see him. New signings Will Jefferson and James Benning covers the opening weaknesses and if Tom New produces the runs he did last season coupled with incoming overseas player Andrew McDonald this could be a good season for the Foxes.

Hoggard will lead a youthful bowling attack, AJ Harris aside that is. Claude Henderson has managed to stay and that’s a boost too but in Nathan Buck and Wayne White, Leicester have a couple of seam options who should learn plenty from Hoggard. Dippenaar and HD Ackerman’s departures have left a gap but Josh Cobb is another young batsman with a bright future. McDonald should be around most of the summer and while I think the top two will be beyond Leicestershire, this is an open division and I think they can be in the top half at the end of the season. Last season: 9^th

Key players: James Taylor & Matthew Hoggard

Best odds: 14/1 Bet365, Totesport & Skybet Predicted finishing position: 4^th

Middlesex fans will be desperate for success this season after a mostly disappointing season last year. They may well have the services of Andrew Strauss for the opening month of the season as he has knocked twenty20 on the head. Eoin Morgan will be a big miss for most of the summer but it appears Owais Shah is all theirs which is another boost. Iain O’Brien has been signed as overseas player and having given up international cricket he could be a good signing for Angus Fraser’s men.

Adam Gilchrist will generate a lot of focus around Lord’s when he arrives for the twenty20 so Middlesex will be under a lot of scrutiny. If England don’t call on Steven Finn too much then with he along with O’Brien and Murtagh will form a very good seam attach. Murali Kartik has moved on but Shaun Udal remains and leads the team again. Scott Newman should score runs at the top and if Dawid Malan, one of last year’s disappointments for me, shows his true potential then Middlesex will be right in the mix challenging for promotion. They are getting used to disappointment at Lord’s though and I think when the season is done Middlesex may just miss out on a place in division one. Last season: 8^th

Key players: Owais Shah & Steven Finn

Best odds: 7/1 Coral & William Hill

Predicted finishing position: 3^rd

Northamptonshire were cruelly denied a place in division one by Essex’s last day of the season run chase and have possibly been hit the hardest by the new rules on Kolpak players. Losing Riki Wessels and Johannes van der Wath is tough to cope with and I don’t think they’ve improved their squad. Ground improvements and a now failed attempt to bring Virender Sehwag in for the twenty20 have used up a lot of the budget wihch hasn’t helped recruitment. Mal Loye has returned and James Middlebrook has signed but departures of Monty Panesar and Steven Crook are key.

David Sales will be like a new signing but there has to be a doubt whether he can play the whole season so there will be a lot of reliance on the likes of Andrew Hall and Nicky Boje. To make things even worse Ireland have a lot of international commitments so Niall O’Brien won’t be around much. Stephen Peters will need a good season if Northants are to achieve their goals as will David Lucas with the ball. This squad looks weak to me though and although they may pick up the odd win here and there, they’ll be down the bottom end of the table rather than the top this year in my eyes.

Last season: 3^rd

Key players: David Sales & Andrew Hall

Best odds: 16/1 Bet365, Skybet, Blue Square, Ladbrokes & Betfred

Predicted finishing position: 9^th

Surrey had an awful 1^st season at this level last year and I don’t see things improving a great deal even with the plethora of signings they’ve made. I guess the most high-profile one of them was of Rory Hamilton-Brown. A 22 year old who has played 8 first class games in his career and is now given the task of captaining this side with all the pressure there is both on and off the field at The Oval. He can’t argue with the personnel he’s taken on. Steven Davies, Gareth Batty, Chris Tremlett, Piyush Chawla and Rao Iftikar Anjum who will share overseas duties with Chawla look good signings. Mark Ramprakash will be the rock in the side and his runs can be relied on as can his fitness despite his age. Opening the innings could be a concern however with no Benning or Newman anymore. Michael Brown will form one half of the opening pair but his partner isn’t obvious. On paper this Surrey bowling lineup looks good. Very good in fact but the wickets at The Oval are very batsman friendly so the likes of Tremlett, Andre Nel and the very talented Chris Jordan could suffer more long days in the field. Batty and Chawla provide good spin options however. I’d say Surrey would go better in the one day competitions but even a trophy in 20 or 40 over cricket looks beyond them. I think another disappointing season lies in store for Chris Adams and his men.

Last season: 7^th

Key players: Mark Ramprakash & Andre Nel

Best odds: 11/4 Totesport, Stan James & Coral

Predicted finishing position: 6^th

Sussex’s fall from the top flight was a surprising one given that they’ve won 3 titles in recent seasons but they failed to cover the void of Mushtaq Ahmed and paid the price for it. Michael Yardy’s leadership was good but his bowlers couldn’t provide the wickets that were required. With the wickets at Hove prone to turn a bit Monty Panesar goes down as a big signing. James Anyon is a clever signing to replace the retired Jason Lewry. Dwayne Smith has lost his Kolpak status but Corey Collymore is still able to play. Yasir Arafat may well miss a good chunk of the summer but West Indies have international commitments so finding an overseas player won’t be easy at Hove. Chris Nash scored well last year and as always Murray Goodwin’s runs will be relied upon. Sussex could benefit from the emergence of Craig Kieswetter by seeing more of Matt Prior and they’ll need to in a batting lineup which could yet struggle a bit. Monty looks a good signing though and I’m confident in the likes of Nash, Yardy, Goodwin, Prior and the very solid Ed Joyce that Sussex will score enough runs for their attack to defend and given their 4 day recent history I’d be surprised if Yardy isn’t lifting the title come the end of the season. Last season: 8^th in division 1

Key players: Murray Goodwin & Monty Panesar

Best odds: 5/2 Betfred, VC & William Hill

Predicted finishing position: 1^st

Worcestershire had a rotten season last year and the exodus in the close season was huge. Stephen Moore has left as has Simon Jones, Gareth Batty and Steven Davies and then there was the high-profile Kabir Ali departure. There hasn’t been much coming in either it has to be said. Vikram Solanki’s runs will be relied upon more than ever this season and Phil Jaques will score well while he’s at the club. The Royals have had to take Ben Scott on loan from Middlesex while regular keeper Ben Cox does his A-levels. The bowling attack looks very weak. Alan Richardson has come in and Imran Arif has been here for a couple of seasons but losing quality like Kabir and Batty would take it’s toll on most sides. Shakib-al-Hasan is an interesting 2^nd half of the season choice as overseas player and he should bring wickets with him and a few runs too but this Worcestershire side looks weak even at this level. New Road regulars will be hoping for a quick return to division one but I can’t see it happening at all. In fact I think they could end the season propping up the rest.

Last season: 9^th in division 1

Key players: Vikram Solanki & Alan Richardson

Best odds: 14/1 Skybet, Ladbrokes & Coral

Predicted finishing position: 9^th

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

The way you're tipping mate :hope you plump for us doing the hat-trick :lol Though at the prices I imagine you won't be.

Fraid not mate. If it's any consolation though, I don't think I'll be touching the outright market at all in that division. Can't see any real value there given that I can't see past Durham at all. Am going to take one bet now though. There's a stack load of outright side markets which I'll look at over the weekend but I'll stick with the Div 2 outright for now. 1pt ew Derbyshire to win Division 2 20/1 Boylesports (1/5 1,2,3) Boylesports are a standout 20/1 on Chris Rogers men and I think they are a little big. Year on year under Jonny Morris the Falcons have improved and given their young squad I see no reason why it can't improve against this summer. Chris Rogers is a good captain. Being Australian he's aggressive as we saw on the final day last season and he can take advantage of the new points system. Madsen looks a solid opening partner for him while Smith, Sadler and Redfern are good enough at this level. Robin Peterson looks a good Kolpak and Wagg, Groenewald and Footitt should be a really good seam attack backed up by Steffan Jones who is back home now. This is a wide open division is you possibly take Sussex out who could be another Kent. Even then with England call ups maybe hampering them they could be fallable. I like Derbyshire and the improvement they make and I'm sure a promotion tilt is the order of the day. At 20/1 I'm happy enough to go with the Falcons to hit the top 3 if not top spot this season.

[Samba_SamPa]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Stan James have Lancashire (you tip for 3rd) in a season-long group bet with Kent (5th) and Somerset (7th). 7/4 all 3 of them. SJ are also standout about Warwickshire in the same bet against Essex and Yorkshire. Stan has it priced: Warwickshire 6/4 Essex 13/8 Yorkshire 11/5 Whilst William Hills have the same grouping and make Warwickshire odds-on: Warwickshire 5/6 Essex 9/4 Yorkshire 11/4 Anybody interested in locking in a guaranteed profit could lock in a 2.5% profit by dutching the best prices.

[Samba_SamPa]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Been looking at the squads in more detail tonight. I actually think 2/1 for us to do the hat-trick is pretty generous. Won the Championship by nearly 50pts last season, won double the amount of matches as anybody else and didn't lose a single game. Got by far and away the best bowling attack, with plenty strength in depth. A more than adequate batting line-up. Plus the new scoring, if anything, will benefit us with our ability to take 20 wickets. I'd suggest there's not been many better 2/1 ante-post bets available in recent years - if it was a team like Surrey who had this squad they would be 4/6!!

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 I agree completely mate. The 2/1 has gone now and it's 15/8. Wouldn't put anyone off backing Durham at all. Backing 15/8 shots over a 6 month period isn't my thing though. I definitely don't see any other team winning the division though.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 2nd bet of the summer. 2pts Worcestershire to finish bottom of Division 2 13/2 William Hill It baffles me how Worcestershire are so high up in the betting for this division. Their batting looks well if we want to be kind, light if we don't then fragile. If Vikram Solanki doesn't score big runs this season I can see Worcestershire winning very few matches. Phil Jaques gives the batting a bit more substance while he's there for the opening half of the season but other than Solanki and a couple of bits and pieces players that batting is awfully light unless Mitchell fills his boots again. If their batting is bad their bowling is even worse. Admittedly losing Kabir, Jones and Batty isn't going to be easy but a seam attack of Jones, Mason and Richardson isn't scaring too many even at this level. Shakib's an interesting signing but a risky one too and I really don't see Worcester achieving much this season. For me this is a straight race between Worcester and Northants but Northants have a bit more about their batting and a reasonable bowling attack. I think they'll win a few when they need to. Obviously when we take Worcester in a market like this there's every chance they'll spend half the summer underwater and with fewer points for draws this season that won't help them much either. I think 13/2 is a great price on the New Road outfit ending up propping the rest up.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Will add a few more outrights in here over the rest of the evening before doing the match bets for the opening games tomorrow. 1pt ew J.Taylor Top Division 2 Runscorer 20/1 Skybet (1/4 1,2,3,4,5) As I said in the preview I did, I've not seen a batsman as promising as James Taylor in a long while. He reminds me a bit like Shivnerine Chanderpaul in that he's diminutive but he's full of class and quality. He was 3rd in this division last season in a struggling Leicestershire side which had a few off field problems. I think Leicester might go well this season and one of the reasons for that will be Taylor's run scoring. There's no Ackerman or Dippenaar this season so the Foxes will be relying on the youngster to bag them a lot of runs. One of the two who finished above him last summer was Martin van Jaarsveld who isn't in this league this season. Furthermore I'd expect Taylor to improve given the extra experience he has. I think this lad is something special and I think he's a top ew bet at 20/1 to lead the run charts in the 2nd division in 2010.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Happy with them 3 outrights in Division 2 for now. Don't really like any of the division outrights in Division 1 but Stan James have done some excellent team markets which I'm going to attack. 2pts I.Tahir Top Division 1 Bowler 3/1 Stan James This is a fairly short price over the course of the season but Imran Tahir is head and shoulders above anything on offer this season. He was 2nd on the wicket taking charts last season despite only play 12 of Hampshire's 16 county championship matches. He was only 2 behind Willoughby who played 16 matches so you'd have to believe that Tahir would have been the top wicket taker had he played the full season. He is with Warwickshire all season this term and that's a big boost for the Bears and us punters. English batsmen still don't play spin well and this guy is one of the better ones I've seen. He'll bowl plenty of overs for Warwickshire this summer and I think he'll end up topping the wicket taking charts when the season is over. 1pt R.ten Doeschate Top Essex Season Batsman 5/1 Stan James Ryan ten Doeschate is a very aggressive batsman but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, especially in a side I expect to struggle this season. Obviously Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook are the main men for Essex but England will be seeing as much if not more of them than Essex will. The Dutch international averaged 45 in first class cricket last summer and although I don't expect a similar return this year I do think he's capable of scoring big runs. Holland haven't qualified for the world twenty20 this summer so ten Doeschate will be with Essex for the duration. We saw in the final game of last season how ten Doeschate can be used to maximum effect in a run chase and with no standout contender in this market, I'm happy to take ten Doeschate to win this. 1pt N.Pothas Top Hampshire Season Batsman 10/1 Stan James Nic Pothas is a serial run scorer and while he's in a top top Hampshire lineup on paper, in reality they often need him to get them out of the brown stuff. Michael Carberry could spent the summer travelling the country carrying drinks for the England team and Michael Lumb is away on IPL duty and world twenty20 duty. So that leaves the main contenders as James Adams who scored very well last summer and has every potential to improve, and Kolpak recruit Neil McKenzie who could fill his boots this summer. However Pothas, who only played 11 matches last season due to injury, averaged 74.18 in 4 day cricket last year and has been a solid performer for a while in this format. He's a massive price at 10/1 to top score in a Hampshire batting lineup which always finds a way to flatter to deceive. 1pt C.Thorp Top Durham Season Bowler 10/1 Stan James Callum Thorp is an underrated member of Durham's bowling attack and due to the presence of Steve Harmison in this market, Thorp is grossly overpriced. Thorp will share the new ball with Harmison who could yet be on England duty at some point in the summer. He's getting no younger either and injuries could creep into such a big unit. Thorp's a tidy seamer. He's generally very economical and he can rip out any top order. He took 30 wickets last season but was pushed out of the attack with Onions' presence. He won't be in the Durham side too often this season and that's Thorp's gain. In a normal season Harmison would probably win this but I'm no fan of backing odds on shots over the season so I'll take the chance on the 10/1 Callum Thorp instead. 1pt R.Joseph Top Kent Season Bowler 12/1 Stan James When he burst onto the scene in Kent's relegation season 2 years ago, Robert Joseph was a revelation. His 2009 season was plagued with injuries but if he can get himself fit and keep himself fit and on the park I expect him to have a good 2010. James Tredwell is the favourite in this market but it remains to be seen how long he'll be away with England. Malinga Bandara has the overseas duties but Sri Lanka are adding more and more dates to their international diary so his attandance may be affected. Amjad Khan is a good bowler who was playing for England not long ago but he's just as, if not more injury prone than Joseph and is 1/3 of the price. I'm a big fan of Joseph's though and if he can play upwards of 12 matches this season when I think he'll go very close to topping Kent's wicket charts at a ridiculously big price. 2pts G.Jones Top Wicket Keeper Season Runscorer 4/1 Stan James For the purposes of this market the only players we are concentrating on are: Jones, Chris Read, Nic Pothas, Phil Mustard, Craig Kieswetter, Gerard Brophy, Luke Sutton, Tim Ambrose and James Foster. Geraint Jones had an excellent season with the bat last year and I think he can take this market. Craig Kieswetter will be away with England for a lot of the summer so for me this market will revolve around 3 men. Pothas, Read and Jones. Of the 3, Jones batted the highest in the order last season and with the success he had at 3 and 4 I would imagine he'll stay there this season. Read and Pothas are likely to bat at 7 in their batting orders so Jones has a lot more potential for scoring runs. Of the rest, Ambrose is a solid batsman but he too bats down the order. James Foster can score runs but he'll be in a struggling team so I'm happy to take Jones to land this one for us at a fair enough 4/1.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Ok onto the 1st round of matches. I should say at this point that all bets of mine on matches in this thread will be with UK bookies which are all DNB, unless the game is on TV :ok. Division 1:

Friday 9 April 2010	Home	Away	BPP
	Essex v Hampshire (11:00 BST)	2.5	1.61	101.90 %
	Warwickshire v Yorkshire (11:00 BST)	1.62	2.5	101.73 %

Division 2:

Friday 9 April 2010	Home	Away	BPP
	Glamorgan v Sussex (11:00 BST)	2.75	1.5	103.03 %
	Leicestershire v Northamptonshire (11:00 BST)	1.9	2.1	100.00 %
	Surrey v Derbyshire (11:00 BST)	1.44	3	102.56 %
	Worcestershire v Middlesex (11:00 BST)	2.25	1.66	104.44 %

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 3 for me in the opening round. 5pts Warwickshire to beat Yorkshire 8/13 Totesport As I've said in my preview, I think Yorkshire will struggle this year and I think Warwickshire will have an improving season. Team news is key here with Warwickshire having Bell and Trott available. Bresnan is available for Yorkshire which boosts them but I favour the Bears here. Warwickshire have a solid all round unit and they are close to full strength for this match. Their only notable absentee is Darren Maddy who is out with a facial injury. As I say, Ian Bell and Jon Trott boost the batting lineup and Imran Tahir is around in the bowling attack. Chris Woakes and Neil Carter may well take the new ball. Yorkshire may have Tim Bresnan available but I think they'll need more than that. Jacques Rudolph is reliable for a few runs as is ex-captain Anthony McGrath. One of my main concerns with Yorkshire this season is their new captain, Andrew Gale. He's very young for a captain and I'm not a huge fan of young captains. Particularly when they haven't got much of a bowling attack at their disposal. Warwickshire are on home soil and man for man shape up much the better side here. Bell and Trott's availability is a huge bonus and I'll take them to win their season opener here. And onto Division 2. May well go down to The Oval tomorrow as I'm betting in that match. 4pts Leicestershire to beat Northamptonshire 10/11 Bet365 Leicestershire enter a new era under Matthew Hoggard and he's picked a nice match to open up with. Northants I guess begin a new era too without their South African duo of van der Wath and Riki Wessels. Northants pushed hard for promotion last year and just missed out. Leicestershire will be out for improvement. I like Leicestershire's make up this season. Will Jefferson and James Benning can go well against the new ball and then there's Taylor who I've covered enough in other posts. With the ball Matthew Hoggard leads the attack while Buck, Harris and White will support him. Tom New had a great season last year and he'll be hoping to reproduce that form. Overseas player Andrew McDonald will be missing as he's with the Delhi Daredevils. Northants will also be missing their overseas player as Elton Chigumbura doesn't join until after the world twenty20. Niall O'Brien is already in the Caribbean with Ireland so Paul Harrison will play and keep wicket for the Steelbacks. David Sales returns to the side which will be a big boost and Mal Loye looks set for his 2nd debut. Andrew Hall and David Lucas will need to go well with the ball. I like Leicestershire this season. Northants have talked a good game but I can't be having it, especially without a key player in O'Brien too. Matthew Hoggard may not have much captaincy experience but Leicestershire won a 40 over match against Notts on Monday which shows they have the potential and I'll take them to win this. 3pts Derbyshire to beat Surrey 2/1 Bet365 Derbyshire weren't far away from promotion last season and they'll be hoping to push for that again. Surrey have signed a lot of big names but for me this season is a transitional one for them and I don't expect too much. Surrey are another beginning a new era and like Yorkshire they too have a new captain who is very young. Rory Hamilton-Brown is a surprising choice as captain and managing the egos in that dressing room could be tricky. He's another without a bowling attack really. Take Andre Nel out and it's young and fairly inexperienced. Michael Brown is out with injury as is Chris Jordan. Chris Tremlett's workload is being managed. Derbyshire are close to full strength. Robin Peterson will debut and Chris Rogers will reform his strong opening partnership with Wayne Madsen. Dan Redfern is a promising talent as is Chesney Hughes by all accounts. It's with the ball Derbyshire need to go well. Graham Wagg and Tim Groenewald are experienced enough to do well and Mark Footitt is a bowler I've always thought would be handy for the right county. I don't like Surrey and even if you wanted to make them favourites it can't be as clear as to make Derbyshire 2/1 shots. It will take a few games for all the new signings to gel and Hamilton-Brown to stamp his mark on this side. Chris Rogers knows how to get the best out of his side and at 2/1 I'm very much on the Falcons here.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Never got the chance to get to any cricket today so it will have to wait until Sunday but all 3 teams backed above are all batting 1st and going ok at the minute so :hope they can all put on decent scores throughout the day.

[WizardofOddz0]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Dont know much about cricket but do know about money management. No offence but 5pts, 4pts and 3pts? what kind of plan is that dude? Hows it work? whats your max pts?

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 kev works on a 10pt scale, so you could say his confidence for a 5pt bet is 5/10 or 50% of his maximum betting stake. Have no fear... kev knows his stuff, just look at his success in the other threads of the other sports forum, he's the daddy of these parts!... If he says jump, you say how high:lol sounds like a cross between arse licking and protective father! It is neither... But stuck my oar in as the man has made me a hatful of cash since I've been on here!

[ShanAce]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Have no fear... kev knows his stuff, just look at his success in the other threads of the other sports forum... If he says jump, you day how high:lol Agreed :notworthy

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

kev works on a 10pt scale, so you could say his confidence for a 5pt bet is 5/10 or 50% of his maximum betting stake. Have no fear... kev knows his stuff, just look at his success in the other threads of the other sports forum, he's the daddy of these parts!... If he says jump, you say how high:lol sounds like a cross between arse licking and protective father! It is neither... But stuck my oar in as the man has made me a hatful of cash since I've been on here!

Have no fear... kev knows his stuff, just look at his success in the other threads of the other sports forum... If he says jump, you day how high:lol Agreed :notworthy

Cheers guys, appreciate the support. Leicestershire had a bit of a 2nd innings wobble but thankfully were only chasing 65 and not 165. They won by 6 wickets. Warwickshire had Yorkshire 5 down and 170 away from the total but a 153 run partnership between Rudolph and Bairstow, who I'm hearing big things about, gave Yorkshire the win. As I type, Derbyshire have Surrey 6 down and need 4 more wickets to win. Surrey need 258 which isn't an issue. Play goes on until 6pm so :hope Rogers' men can take the tail out in the next hour and 50 minutes.

[barrhead73]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Dont know much about cricket but do know about money management. No offence but 5pts' date=' 4pts and 3pts? what kind of plan is that dude? Hows it work? whats your max pts?[/quote'] Coming from someone with a massive total of 4 posts in here whilst talking about someone who has posted over 10,000 i think you need to mind your manners wee man. Have a good read through the forums on here before commenting like that again.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Derbyshire secured the win so I end the week +4.64 :D.

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Good work kev :ok I am stupidity personified... Put them in a treble... Will I ever learn? :wall

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Good work kev :ok I am stupidity personified... Put them in a treble... Will I ever learn? :wall

Eventually ;).

[pakelly]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Hey guys, Did derbyshire win? Paddy power has it as result pending on my account.

[DafsT]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Hey guys, Did derbyshire win? Paddy power has it as result pending on my account.

Yes, by 208 runs

[pakelly]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Thanks DafsT :ok. Must get on to paddy power about it.

[wizardofoddz10]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Coming from someone with a massive total of 4 posts in here whilst talking about someone who has posted over 10,000 i think you need to mind your manners wee man. Have a good read through the forums on here before commenting like that again.

Please dont patronise me. What difference if someone has 4 posts or 100,000? I simply asked a question. To me you bet 1 unit, not this scatter gun approach, what kind of money management is that? Each to their own but that kind of betting = poor house. Am I allowed to make that comment?. I meant no offence to Kevshat it was simply my opinion.

[RuleBritannia]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Please dont patronise me. What difference if someone has 4 posts or 100' date='000? I simply asked a question. To me you bet 1 unit, not this scatter gun approach, what kind of money management is that? Each to their own but that kind of betting = poor house. .[/quote'] Well, 1pt - Minimum strength, 10pts - Maximum Strength bet. In between = varying strengths of bets. Nothing to do with "stakes", just strength of bets with regards to they Kevshat does things. Ok... it may say "10 pts staked", but that is for forum purposes, tracking profit/loss etc...... but in actual fact (in true money sense) the amount of points staked, purely represent the level of strength he is tipping to.

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010

Please dont patronise me. What difference if someone has 4 posts or 100' date='000? I simply asked a question. To me you bet 1 unit, not this scatter gun approach, what kind of money management is that? Each to their own but that kind of betting = poor house. Am I allowed to make that comment?. I meant no offence to Kevshat it was simply my opinion.[/quote'] Would you bet 1 unit on a 1/50 mega favourite, an evens match up and a 100/1 longshot? That staking plan seems odd to me?

[DafsT]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 County Championship Division One

Thursday 15 April 2010	Home	Away	BPP
	Durham v Essex (11:00 BST)	1.44	3	102.56 %
	Nottinghamshire v Kent (11:00 BST)	1.62	2.37	103.83 %
	Yorkshire v Somerset (11:00 BST)	2.1	1.84	101.97 %
	Lancashire v Warwickshire (11:00 BST)	1.61	2.5	101.90 %

County Championship Division 2

	Thursday 15 April 2010	Home	Away	BPP
	Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire (11:00 BST)	1.72	2.22	102.94 %
	Middlesex v Glamorgan (11:00 BST)	1.61	2.62	100.21 %
	Sussex v Surrey (11:00 BST)	1.62	2.37	103.83 %
	Derbyshire v Leicestershire (11:00 BST)	1.9	2.1	100.25 %

[mouse]

Re: Cricket: County Championship 2010 Lancs, Notts and Middlesex in a treble for me 2moz