Heavy rain and snow is sweeping the UK which can mean only one thing – the County Championship season is upon us. With that in mind it is time to preview the Division One season and with a number of the side markets late to go up we’ll combine our usual county-by-county guide and our betting preview.
Last season it was all about Surrey and they are the favourites to defend their title but with eight sides all looking competitive we could be in for an exciting and challenging campaign in one of the highest profile cricketing summers there has been for a while.
Recent Winners
2018 – Surrey
2017 – Essex
2016 – Middlesex
2015 – Yorkshire
2014 – Yorkshire
2013 – Durham
2012 – Warwickshire
2011 – Lancashire
2010 – Nottinghamshire
2009 – Durham
The Format
It seems as though there is a change in format every season at the minute and there is another tweak to proceedings here. The league remains one of eight teams where everyone will play each other twice but unlike last year, only one team will be relegated at the end of it so it is important to stay with the pace for those down the bottom this term.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the scoring system. That remains the same with 16pts for a win, eight for a tie and five for a draw. As ever there are first innings bonus points too with points scored for getting 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 in the first 110 overs. Bonus points are also available for 3, 6 and 9 wickets, providing a maximum of eight possible bonus points in total.
The Schedule
The big change to the campaign is how much of the season is played at the height of summer. The campaign is split into three sections this term. The first two rounds of matches are played in April before it returns in the middle of May and goes through to July and then ends after the T20 group stage in August so the bulk of the season is played out in late-May onwards which is significant.
County-by-County Guide
Essex
The former champions Essex will be looking to go two better than they managed in the defence of their title last year. They have largely chosen to stick to a successful core of their squad and allow the season-long availability of Sir Alastair Cook to make the difference. Peter Siddle is around for the majority of the summer which will be a boost and with the timing of the competition this term, Simon Harmer could come into play as well.
You would think Essex have everything covered with the ball this season so if they can continually put up big totals then they are entitled to be right in the mix. They look like a squad that is built for First-class cricket with their better one-day players beginning to age so we can expect a strong challenge from them in the Championship this term.
Last Season: 3rd
Overseas Players: Peter Siddle; Adam Zampa (T20)
Key Players: Sir Alastair Cook & Jamie Porter
One to Watch: Aaron Beard – The 21-year-old belted a ton in the final second XI game of last season and picked up four wickets in the University match recently. His all-round skills could be called upon in various competitions this term.
Best Odds: 9/2 Coral
Predicted Finishing Position: 4th
Hampshire
It was a season to forget for Hampshire in the two main competitions last season but they came good in the 50 over sphere where they cantered to the Royal London One Day Cup title. They will hope to put up a successful defence of that but this is a squad that has been assembled to challenge in four day cricket under new coach Adrian Birrell.
If they are to do that then they will need their batsmen to stand up and be counted. James Vince has intimated that he is going to spend the season opening the batting to allow Sam Northeast, Rilee Rossouw and Liam Dawson to fill their boots in the middle order. Hampshire have a bowling attack equipped to take down this division but all too often a lack of runs and a slow start let them down. The slow start may not hurt them as much this year with only two matches in the first six weeks of the campaign. The schedule could make them dark horses, especially if the wickets begin to suit Mason Crane.
Last Season: 5th
Overseas Players: Aiden Markram (until May 5)
Key Players: James Vince & Kyle Abbott
One to Watch: Oliver Soames – He broke into the side for the final four matches of last season and it won’t take a lot to happen for him to be a regular fixture again.
Best Odds: 8/1 General
Predicted Finishing Position: 5th
Kent
After an eternity of knocking on the door, Kent are back in the big time and will be out to show that this is where they belong. They will be helped out by the fact that only one team goes down this season so anything other than the bottom of the table will allow them to establish themselves moving forward. Survival and a couple of tilts at the limited overs competitions will make this a successful season.
Unlike a number of sides in this division, Kent look to be batting happy with a deep and high quality batting line up at their disposal, helped by the early season addition of Matt Renshaw. If they are going to stay up they will need to find something with the ball as the wickets of Matt Henry are missing and Darren Stevens may find the going much tougher in his final season at Canterbury. I think they’ll have enough to stay up but lots need to go right for that to be the case.
Last Season: 2nd in Division Two
Overseas Players: Matt Renshaw (April & One Day Cup); Adam Milne & Mohammad Nabi (T20)
Key Players: Joe Denly & Harry Podmore
One to Watch: Zak Crawley – his potential has been in the spotlight for a while and having finished last season in fine form all eyes will be on him this year to see how he has improved.
Best Odds: 20/1 888sport
Predicted Finishing Position: 7th
Nottinghamshire
It was a season to forget for Nottinghamshire last year. A side beginning to form a fearsome reputation in white ball cricket offered little in that aspect of the game and their Championship campaign was a slog throughout with players coming and going at will, so they will be looking for a significant improvement in all departments, with both coloured balls.
The batting department at Trent Bridge did not have a good time of it last year and serious reinforcements were needed and have arrived. They now look loaded with quality in that department and with the schedule meaning they are likely to see a lot of Stuart Broad this term there is plenty to like about this Nottinghamshire side. Throw Jake Ball and James Pattinson into the mix and you’ll do well to find many better seam attacks than this one. If their batting promise turns into big runs this lot are title contenders.
Last Season: 6th
Overseas Players: James Pattinson (April 19 – July 16); Dan Christian (T20)
Key Players: Steven Mullaney & Stuart Broad
One to Watch: Zak Chappell – had a huge reputation at Leicestershire and the last two bowlers to make the transfer from Grace Road to Trent Bridge didn’t turn out too badly. This speedster could do some damage when unleashed.
Best Odds: 15/2 Bet365
Predicted Finishing Position: 1st
Somerset
The nearest challengers to Surrey last season ended up having a good season with good showings in both the T20 competition on the One Day Cup but ultimately the Somerset campaign ended without silverware and that will be the requirement this time around. The schedule has allowed them to plan their season nicely and the pitches could well suit Jack Leach by the end of it. He is unlikely to be left alone by England this summer and could be the man to launch a title challenge.
Budget restraints have ensured that Somerset go in with largely the same squad they attacked with last season and that continuity may be no bad thing. They produce wickets to suit their attack at Taunton which often gives them an advantage on the rest. The big question is whether they’ve done anything to get closer to Surrey. I don’t think they have but they can enjoy another positive campaign though.
Last Season: 2nd
Overseas Player: Azhar Ali; Jerome Taylor (T20)
Key Players: James Hildreth & Jack Leach
One to Watch: Eddie Byrom – broke into the side last season and with batting places up for grabs this term his contribution should be a much greater one.
Best Odds: 8/1 General
Predicted Finishing Position: 3rd
Surrey
It was a procession for Surrey in red ball cricket last season as they cantered to the title unchallenged. A serious strengthening has been undertaken at The Oval ahead of their title defence and so they have to be the team to beat once again. This is now a squad that will be looking to retain the County Championship and go deep in the limited overs competitions.
Whether Surrey are good enough to defend the title might well be determined by how much England want their players. They are going to lose Jason Roy and potentially Tom Curran and Liam Plunkett for the World Cup while Roy, both Curran brothers and Rory Burns could be involved in The Ashes. How they react to their absences could be the difference between retaining and finding one too good for them.
Last Season: 1st
Overseas Players: Dean Elgar (until end of April); Aaron Finch (T20)
Key Players: Rory Burns & Morne Morkel
One to Watch: Will Jacks – played a large part of last season but fired himself into the general cricketing sphere when he walloped a 25-ball century in a 10 over warm up game in pre-season.
Best Odds: 5/2 Betway
Predicted Finishing Position: 2nd
Warwickshire
It was a short spell away from the top flight for the Edgbaston outfit as they bounced back to Division One at the first attempt courtesy of winning the title in the second tier last term. Their experienced duo of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell provided the foundation for a young Warwickshire side to flourish but with the former now retired and the latter expected to miss half the season with injury, Paul Farbrace has plenty of work to do having taken charge of the Bears.
On the face of it, with the likes of Sam Hain, Adam Hose and Henry Brookes in their ranks, their better work could well come in the limited overs competitions once again. Beating the drop will probably be a good season for them in the Championship and if that is to happen they need England to leave Chris Woakes out of the World Cup and stay away from Olly Stone in The Ashes. I don’t see either happening so they could be in trouble as a result.
Last Season: 1st in Division 2
Overseas Players: Jeetan Patel; Ashton Agar (T20)
Key Players: Sam Hain & Olly Stone
One to Watch: Henry Brookes – looked a million dollars in the early part of last season before injury struck. All eyes will be on him to see if he has retained his pace. If he has don’t rule out an England cap before the season is out.
Best Odds: 9/1 888sport
Predicted Finishing Position: 8th
Yorkshire
Yorkshire will not have been impressed or happy with their season last term. A semi-final in the Royal London One Day Cup was as good as it got for them, as for much of the campaign they were fighting off the threat of relegation in the four day offering and never really put up the showing expected of them in the T20 competition. An improvement is required all-round to appease the notoriously tough to please Yorkshire members.
Eyebrows were raised when Duanne Olivier was signed as a Kolpak player but he could lead them up the table if he stays fit. Him and Ben Coad aside though, their attack doesn’t look as good as in the past. They could do with seeing their England players for longer than usual but the county season is not set up for that. Even so, Yorkshire should have enough to survive but don’t expect a title tilt.
Last Season: 4th
Overseas Players: TBC
Key Players: Adam Lyth & Ben Coad
One to Watch: Harry Brook – the England under-19 star played most of last season and needs to kick on and churn out consistent big scores with the role he will be given this term.
Best Odds: 8/1 Sky Bet
Predicted Finishing Position: 6th
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Outright Betting
I’ve eluded to it above but I think Nottinghamshire are outstanding value this season at 15/2. Whether they are good enough to win the title remains to be seen, and will depend on whether the potential of Ben Duckett, Ben Slater and Joe Clarke comes out in strong numbers of runs. If it does then with a pace attack to envy most there is no doubt in my mind that Nottinghamshire are serious challengers this season.
Surrey are the team to take all the beating, but they will lose players to England and were anything to happen to Morne Morkel, taking 20 wickets regularly might not be so easy. I don’t see Nottinghamshire struggling in that department so unless nobody takes responsibility with the bat I certainly don’t see them being out of the top three. At three times the price I’ll pay to see if they can nail Surrey over the course of the campaign.
Finish Bottom
I’m taking on the favourites here too as I think Kent will have just enough to survive be it through weight of runs or the number of bowling options they have at their disposal. There is no doubt that Warwickshire have better bowling resources available to them but at the same time there is a very fragile look to their seamers with Olly Stone, Chris Woakes and Henry Brookes having all had big injuries in the last couple of years.
There are many more question marks over the Warwickshire batting in the absence of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell and while Adam Hose and Sam Hain are huge talents, their best form tends to come in white ball cricket. Kent look full of runs especially when Joe Denly and Sam Billings come back from the IPL. They can survive at the expense of the Bears.
Top Batsman
I’ll go with a couple of bets in the top batsman market. Ollie Pope was the third highest scorer in the division last season and while an England call up is a concern if he goes well, I sense the Bairstow, Buttler, Stokes axis is set in stone so Pope wouldn’t be in the position to be elevated. Already this term he has filled his boots against the MCC and being in a Surrey middle order where the new ball should be blunted, I’m expecting the England man to go well again here. At 20/1 he looks a great price to top score in this division, especially if Burns goes away with England. Nobody averaged more than Pope’s 70.42 last term so if his rise in the order brings about a few more innings he’s the one to beat.
Somerset have pulled off a right coup getting Azhar Ali for the entire season and while Pakistan are doing battle in the World Cup, I expect the solid opener to be filling his boots even down at Taunton. Ali has shown in a Pakistan shirt that he can do it in English conditions and with pitches down at Taunton resembling those that he grew up on I see no reason why Ali won’t show his class with a top notch campaign. At 25/1 I think he’s overpriced given his undoubted quality at the very highest levels let alone this one.
Top Bowler
Two men interest me in this market as well with the first of those being Ben Coad who was strolling this last year when injury struck. In the nine matches he played last season he snaffled 48 wickets and when you think 64 was the highest total in the division, Coad would surely have had that if he has played the entire season. As it is, the winner isn’t in the division any longer so 59 was the number, albeit Morne Morkel didn’t play every match either. Coad looked quality as soon as he came on the scene and with Jack Brooks now gone he’ll be needed to take regular wickets. He looks decent value at 16/1.
Given that there is a lot of this season played in June and beyond we can’t rule out a spinner going well in which case Jack Leach shouldn’t be overlooked. If England take him this will have no chance but it would take something pretty remarkable for Moeen Ali and then Adil Rashid not to play The Ashes given how useless Australia are against spin so I’m willing to take a chance on the Somerset man. We know pitches at Taunton will suit Leach and with every ground in the country taking a battering in May and June with the World Cup, leading to a lot of cricket on outgrounds, he should encounter a few dustbowls around the scene. 25/1 looks big on a man who was second in 2016 and fourth in 2017.
Team Betting
There is only one bookmaker who have priced up the top team batsman and bowler markets which is a shame but two of them have caught my eye. In the Somerset bowler market the 7/2 on Jack Leach to be their leading wicket taker looks very good to me. He led it in 2016 and 2017 and was only nine behind in 2018 despite bowling in seven fewer innings than Lewis Gregory. I expect him to be around much more here and that should see him land the 7/2 on the top Somerset bowler market.
The top Hampshire batsman market seems strangely priced up as James Vince is odds on favourite. There are two issues I have with that. Firstly, once Aidan Markram departs he is expected to open the batting which he hasn’t done before, and secondly, if James Vince goes well he’ll play The Ashes because he’s highly thought of by England. If he doesn’t go well he won’t be winning this market anyway which makes me think the 5/1 on Sam Northeast to deliver the goods is the way to attack this market. Northeast is all class and while he didn’t show it throughout his first season at Hampshire, he’ll know with Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine retired the onus is on him to step up and be counted. I expect him to do just that.
Tips
Back Nottinghamshire to win County Championship Division One (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 8.50 with Bet365 (1/4 1-3)
Back Warwickshire to Finish Bottom for a 3/10 stake at 5.50 with 888sport
Back O..Pope Top Division 1 Batsman (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 21.00 with 888sport (2pts win 2pts 1-4)
Back A.Ali Top Division 1 Batsman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with 888sport (1pt win 1pt 1-4)
Back them here:
Back B.Coad Top Division 1 Bowler (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 17.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-4)
Back J.Leach Top Division 1 Bowler (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-4)
Back them here:
WON – Back S.Northeast Top Hampshire Season Batsman for a 2/10 stake at 6.00 with Bet365
Back J.Leach Top Somerset Season Bowler for a 3/10 stake at 4.50 with Bet365
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