After a night ruined by rain on Wednesday, the Vitality Blast should get back to a little bit of normality on Thursday evening when three more matches in the competition take place up and down the country.
Both group tables are getting very tight so there is plenty to play for in all three matches. We have one match on TV after the Test match which could be the most interesting of the lot. The other two should both offer plenty of ways to follow. Even though it is the last match to start we’ll begin with the TV game.
Derbyshire vs Leicestershire (19.00)
Once the Test match action concludes at Lord’s, all eyes will be on Derby where a top four spot is up for grabs in the North Group for the winner of the match between Derbyshire and Leicestershire. With matches beginning to run out, being in the top four is very much the place to be.
Derbyshire go into the contest off the back of a couple of very good wins over Yorkshire and Worcestershire in recent times, a run which has seen them move up to fourth in the table while Leicestershire thrashed Birmingham and then got a point from a washout at Northampton to keep themselves within a point of the team they face in this contest.
This is one of those matches where I’m not really sure who will win so I’m going to go to the side markets for a couple of punts. The first of those is the same bet I took here two nights ago which is over 319.5 runs. There were more than 340 on that occasion and given that both these sides are better with the bat than the ball I’m expecting to see something similar to that here. We saw the damage Leicestershire can do with the bat against Birmingham last week while Derbyshire have gone beyond 180 in three of their last four innings. The three first innings on this ground this season have been 198/5, 160/5 and 181/2. Most of that sees this line covered.
I took Lewis Hill to be the top Leicestershire batsman in the match against Birmingham last week and he fell just short but I’m nothing if not a glutton for punishment so I’m happy to get involved again. I think there is another big innings in him and with Derbyshire’s bowlers often going round the park he could be set to deliver it here. Only Ravi Rampaul is going at less than 7.5 an over for this Derbyshire outfit. Hill should be able to put this attack to the sword at 8/1.
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Durham vs Worcestershire (18.30)
Another match on Thursday night where there is a lot of attention on the top four spots is the one between fifth placed Durham and third placed Worcestershire where once again whoever wins will end the night inside the qualifying positions.
Both these two teams have four wins from their nine matches so consistency is an issue for both of them which is a problem for us punters. Worcestershire just got walloped by Derbyshire a couple of nights ago but they are the defending champions and so their quality is there for all to see. Durham should be doing better than they are with the players they have. This feels like a match to leave alone and given that I’m on Durham outright I can use that as an interest.
Surrey vs Sussex (18.30)
The Oval hosts the other match on the night as Surrey start to play out the remainder of their competition knowing that they can no longer realistically qualify for the knockout stages, when they host the leaders of the South Group in beaten finalists last year Sussex.
Surrey have only beaten Glamorgan in this competition so far and that isn’t exactly a form guide because the Welsh side are still without a win this season, but they did tie with Sussex earlier in the competition, the only points Sussex have dropped in competitive action this term. Sussex should win this match but there is more than enough danger in the Surrey side and with them playing with freedom that danger could come out so I’m in no rush to take the visitors at odds on. I’ll leave this one alone too.
Tips
Back Derbyshire vs Leicestershire – Over 319.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back L.Hill Top Leicestershire Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 9.00 with Betfred
Back him here:
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