Bears to win CB40 final but Royals to hit more sixes

Most bookmakers are favouring Hampshire over Warwickshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final when, arguably, it is the Bears who should have the honour of being at the shortest odds.

Warwickshire and Hampshire have not met in a competitive match so far this season but they did bump into each other in the Caribbean before the serious stuff got under way, playing a Twenty20 game at Bridgetown`s Kensington Oval.

It was a closely contested match, with Hampshire scoring 162-5 in its 20 overs, Sean Ervine top scoring with 81 not out off 57 balls, including nine fours and one six. But it was not enough. Warwickshire got to 163-4 with two balls to spare thanks to strong contributions from five of its top six batsmen, thereby winning the game by six wickets.

Warwickshire and Hampshire locked horns twice in last year`s Clydesdale Bank 40 competition, with the Bears and the Royals each winning their Group B home match, although the former was triumphant by a considerably wider margin.

Hampshire prevailed by only three runs at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, scoring 274-5 thanks largely to Neil McKenzie`s unbeaten 87 off 69 balls before Warwickshire racked up 271-9 in its 40 overs after being 48-3 at the quarter point.

Warwickshire avenged its narrow defeat on the south coast three months later, winning the toss and scoring 273-8, including three quick-fire half centuries. Hampshire was tracking well at the beginning of its innings, reaching 147-2 in the 26th over before collapsing to 222 all out.

It would appear that bookmakers have installed Hampshire as the Clydesdale Bank 40 final favourite for no other reason than it won this season`s Friends Life t20 competition. The Royals won five and lost two of their seven completed South Group games before rattling off three knockout victories.

But everyone knows that Twenty20 cricket is the most random of the commonly played formats - there is a reason why many people call it hit-and-giggle cricket - and that, basically, any professional team is capable of beating any other full-time side in three-and-a-bit hours of mayhem.

It may only be slight but Warwickshire has had the edge over Hampshire in the 40-over game in recent times and that, coupled with the fact that the Bears clinched the County Championship recently, means that the Birmingham-based outfit should be supported at underdog odds.

Perhaps the most interesting Clydesdale Bank 40 final exotic is the one on which team will hit the most sixes. Bookmakers are, generally speaking, offering around 6-5 about Hampshire and 6-5 about Warwickshire, with the tie at around 5-1.

Hampshire is the value play here. The Royals have struck 34 sixes in their Clydesdale Bank 40 matches this year, whereas Warwickshire has smashed over 23 balls over the boundary rope on the full in getting to the Lord`s title decider.

Those numbers plus Hampshire`s Twenty20 prowess means that the Royals should be a shade of odds on to hit more sixes than Warwickshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final. A price of around 5-6 would be fair so 6-5 is somewhat generous.

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14/09/2012     © Frixo 2024