The second week of the LV County Championship season begins on Thursday, although quite why it doesn’t start on Good Friday so that those who are off on Bank Holiday Monday have some cricket to go to I’ve no idea!
Nevertheless we have seven matches getting underway with teams either looking to build on a positive opening week or make up for a disappointing one, while some get their campaign underway as well. As ever it is the county streams needed to watch all the action.
Division One
Hampshire were the only winners in the top flight in the opening week of the season and they will look to confirm their early dominance on the league table when they head to the capital to take on Surrey at The Oval. Surrey drew their opening match against the champions Warwickshire so this looks the standout fixture of the week. Lancashire were the runners up last season and having had last week off they get their campaign underway on Thursday with a trip to Canterbury to take on Kent. Yorkshire are the other team who get their season underway this week. They will look to put a terrible winter behind them when they head to Bristol to take on Gloucestershire. The other match sees Somerset hosting Essex.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this series! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Division Two
Nottinghamshire were the only winners in the opening round of matches in Division Two and with just three contests taking place in the league this week they have the chance to stamp their authority on the division. They welcome Glamorgan to Trent Bridge. Durham were forecast to be title rivals of Nottinghamshire and after a draw which they had the better of in their opening match they welcome Leicestershire to the Riverside. The other match in the division this week sees Derbyshire taking on the only team to lose last week in the form of Sussex.
Betting
Sussex delivered a positive performance last week even though they went down to Nottinghamshire but there aren’t going to be many teams who handle Peter Moores’ men in this division this season so the fact that Sussex gave as good as they got for the first three days certainly bodes well for them. They now add two world class players to their batting order in Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan so they are likely to be even better from here on in.
Derbyshire were by no means terrible at Lord’s against another promotion chasing side in Middlesex but I always felt they were hanging in on that match rather than able to get on top of it and while this is going to be a much better Derbyshire outfit than ones we’ve seen before it, I’m not convinced they are yet in a position to be odds on for matches. Rizwan in particular gives Sussex the option of putting time back into the game whereas Derbyshire’s batting is likely to plod along at the one pace. We’re expected to get a good week of weather and a warm week too so the Sussex spinners could come into play later in the week. I think their extra experience could be crucial in this one.
Tips
Back Sussex to beat Derbyshire for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfair
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
