We might have moved into October on Thursday but that doesn’t mean the county cricket season is behind us. In fact for eight teams it is the biggest day of the year as the Vitality Blast quarter finals are played out up and down the country.
There was always going to be a chance taken with the weather but the gods are smiling on the ECB because the forecast for all four quarter finals in the main is pretty good. Places at Finals Day on Saturday are up for grabs in these matches, one of which is on TV while the other three will be shown on the county live streams.
The quarter final line up is as follows:
Surrey vs Kent (13.00)
Sussex vs Lancashire (13.00)
Gloucestershire vs Northamptonshire (14.00)
Nottinghamshire vs Leicestershire (18.00)
Special Offer
Opt in and place 5 accumulators either in a Boylesports shop or online and get an acca free! Click the image below to bet. ALL CUSTOMERS! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Preview
We have to wait until later in the day for the televised match. That is the clash between the two North Group protagonists who both know what it takes to win this tournament as Nottinghamshire take on Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. The only match where there are teams from different groups opposing each other is the one at Hove where both Sussex and Lancashire will be looking to get back to finals day which they have been regular attendees at in the last decade or so.
Considering their size, Surrey have a pretty ordinary record in this tournament over recent times and it is still a surprise that they have never got their hands on this trophy since the inaugural season of T20. They host a Kent team who were the champions in 2007 and the beaten finalists a year later. They took will be eager to get back to Edgbaston. The other quarter final could be the one where the winners will be genuine contenders on Saturday as Gloucestershire take on Northamptonshire in a battle of two of the better sides in the competition in recent times.
TV Match Betting
These aren’t the easiest matches to bet on because we’ve never had cricket in October so there is an element of the unknown about them but one thing that we do know is that Leicestershire prioritise this format of the game and they will have been working hard since booking their spot in this quarter final and they’ll be up for this. That’s not to say that Nottinghamshire won’t but they are not always the most reliable favourites and we’ve seen them falter in a few quarter finals in the past when they have been expected to win.
I would have given Leicestershire a shot here anyway but when you think that they beat Nottinghamshire in their last match you’ve got to think the Foxes have every chance here. You can get 5/2 on Leicestershire to win this match which is just far too big. No team are 5/2 to win a T20 match let alone when conditions are unknown and things. You tend to find Nottinghamshire are a bit like England – great on flat decks but can be found wanting on juicy ones. It is hard to believe this wicket will be perfect in October so I’ll chance the Foxes at this price especially as they have held their nerve in two must-win matches in this competition already.
Other Matches Betting
I favour the home sides in the two early quarter finals but Northamptonshire are being written off a little too much by the bookmakers in the other last eight clash. I accept that in their only meeting this season Gloucestershire won quite easily but a key to their success that day was the spin twins of Tom Smith and Graeme van Buuren and I’m not sure on a pretty cold and dank day that spin is going to get the job done in these quarter finals.
That brings Northamptonshire right back into the game because they have some clever seamers at their disposal, most of whom can bat a bit too and I would imagine batting depth is another requisite over the course of the remainder of this event. I like Gloucestershire but much like Nottinghamshire before them they are not always the best favourites. Northants have already had one knockout match when they chased down 192 to beat the Birmingham Bears to get through. That tells me they will handle the pressure here whereas I’m not convinced the home side will. I’ll side with the 2013 and 2016 champions.
Tips
Back Leicestershire to beat Nottinghamshire for a 3/10 stake at 3.50 with Coral
Back them here:
Back Northamptonshire to beat Gloucestershire for a 3/10 stake at 2.15 with 888sport
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
