The Rothesay County Championship season is moving on at pace with all 18 counties in action for the third time this term over the Easter weekend as another full round of matches across both divisions begin on Good Friday.
The two tables are beginning to take early shape and with the weather set generally fair those who made good starts will be looking to enhance them and those who haven’t will be looking to spark theory campaign into life. Once again it is the county live streams if you want to follow a bet.
Division One
We have three teams on 35 points at the top of the table heading into this round of matches and two of them meet in the pick of the games at Edgbaston where Warwickshire play host to Nottinghamshire. Sussex are the other team with 35 points and they will be hoping to continue their positive start to the season when they host the champions Surrey at Hove. Hampshire and Essex are the other teams in the top half of the table. Both have home matches against Somerset and Worcestershire to come through respectively. The other match sees the two Northern sides meeting at the Riverside where Durham welcome a Yorkshire side who broke records in their win over Worcestershire last week.
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Division Two
It is tight at the top of Division Two as well with Leicestershire currently leading the way. They face a tricky looking trip to Old Trafford to take on Lancashire in what is probably the pick of the matches in the second tier this weekend. Kent are currently in second spot in the standings and they welcome Gloucestershire to Canterbury. The bottom two also meet this week when Middlesex, who were expected to be challenging at the top end of the table, host Glamorgan who looked weak going into the campaign and so it is proving. The other match comes from Derby where Derbyshire will look to build on a positive beginning to the season when they host a Northamptonshire who were much improved in their draw with Lancashire last week.
Betting
This is a tricky week to bet because there are a lot of early injuries floating around and key ones too while some bigger names are beginning to get their season underway ahead of the England players joining in with the competition in the next couple of weeks. I might well have a good look at these ones in play over the Easter weekend but before the off there is only one bet and price which tempts me and that is for Leicestershire to beat Lancashire.
Lancashire have added Saqib Mahmood to their squad for this match this week but he hasn’t played a first XI match for a good while and he might need the week to get up and running and if he does then I didn’t really see much in the Red Rose against Northamptonshire last week to inspire me here. Leicestershire have started the season really well. Peter Handscomb is looking like an astute captain and there are enough batters both in good enough form for the Foxes and who score quickly enough to put time into the game. Leicestershire could easily be sat on two wins for the season but at 6/4 they look a big price to beat a Lancashire side who look like they’ve still got the poor campaign last term in their heads.
Tips
Back Leicestershire to beat Lancashire for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Betfair
