It must be nearly summer because cricket’s County Championship gets underway this week and even the weather is set fair.
Usually, the start of England’s premier and oldest cricket competition is greeted with either frost or rain (snow on the odd occasion) but sunshine and unseasonally warm temperatures are forecast for most of the country this weekend and many counties will be able to name strong sides with only a handful of international players competing in the Indian Premier League.
Middlesex are the defending champion in Division One and a general 7/2 to follow up their last-gasp triumph in 2016. They’ve not changed much over the winter – but will last year’s squad be good enough this time around? Toby Roland-Jones was their main weapon last season but is on the fringes of the England squad and, if he was called up, that would leave the Lords-based club in dire straits as Steven Finn will almost certainly be away on international duty for much of the campaign. They pipped YORKSHIRE to the title on the final day last year but I wouldn’t bet against the White Rose county regaining their crown in 2017 – the 5/2 with Ladbrokes looks more than generous!
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Andrew Gale is the new first-team coach at Yorkshire having retired from playing. The former opener has been understudying Jason Gillespie so don’t expect many changes in approach or direction. The Yorkshire team is packed with experience and it says much about their strength-in-depth that they’ve been able to cope without the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid for much of the last couple of seasons. Liam Plunkett and David Willey are also an integral part of England’s limited-overs squad but there are youngsters queueing up to take their place thanks to a thriving academy. This really is another golden era in Yorkshire cricket and they should be back on top at the end of the season.
Warwickshire are next best at a general 11/2 and they will be helped this year by the fact that Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott will be available more often than not. There is a concern about their bowling attack, however. Surrey have brought in Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick from cash-strapped Durham and are 6/1 with Stan James but they may need a season to establish themselves back in the top flight.
Somerset are a best 8/1 having gone so close to a maiden title last year but I fear for the Cidermen this season. Chris Rogers has retired and was the main man for the team from the west country in 2017. They are 5/2 to be relegated with Stan James and that is worth a speculative wager.
County Championship Division One Winner Best Odds
Yorkshire (5/2), Middlesex (7/2), Warwickshire (11/2), Surrey (6/1), Somerset (8/1), Hampshire (14/1), Lancashire (16/1), Essex (25/1)
