2023 County Championship Tips – Round 7
Below you can find picks for Round 7 of the County Championship season from The Stats Zone's top Cricket tipsters. All times given are based on UK start times.
Thursday, May 18
Division One
Hampshire vs Northamptonshire – 11:00am BST
Middlesex vs Somerset – 11:00am BST
Nottinghamshire vs Essex – 11:00am BST
Surrey vs Kent – 11:00am BST
Division Two
Gloucestershire vs Durham – 11:00am BST
Sussex vs Glamorgan – 11:00am BST
Worcestershire vs Leicestershire – 11:00am BST
Hampshire vs Northamptonshire – 11:00am BST
A combination of resilient Kent batting and a flat pitch denied Hampshire victory at Canterbury in a match that lost a significant number of overs due to rain. James Vince’s side will no doubt look to take their frustrations out on Northamptonshire, whom they have already beaten by an innings last month in Northampton. Since then, Northamptonshire drew against Somerset and were on the back of a hammering last time out against Nottinghamshire, losing by an innings after being bowled out for just 72 in their second dig. Such a fragile batting line-up should be taken apart by Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl and any outcome other than a third win of the season for the hosts would be a surprise.
Prediction: Hampshire draw no bet
Nottinghamshire vs Essex – 11:00am BST
Essex’s woes at Edgbaston continued to haunt them last time out as they suffered their third County Championship defeat in as many years on the ground at the hands of Warwickshire. The Eagles are now without a win since the opening round of the season and the pressure is on them as they travel to another venue where they may struggle. Confidence is no doubt high among the Nottinghamshire camp after thrashing Northamptonshire by an innings and England Test bowler Stuart Broad could come back into the side for this one. With Sir Alastair Cook out of form and on his ‘bogey ground’ of Trent Bridge, it would be no shock if the Eagles top order struggled again and Nottinghamshire end up capitalising. Back a home victory in this one via the safety of the draw no bet market.
Prediction: Nottinghamshire draw no bet
Surrey vs Kent – 11:00am BST
Surrey kept their place at the top of Division One with a London derby victory against Middlesex in front of the Sky Sports cameras. With Warwickshire hot on their heels, they can’t afford a slip up against another inferior opponent on paper in Kent. Such a strong batting line-up at the Kia Oval should be able to book in for bed and breakfast against a weak Kent bowling unit, who have found wickets hard to come by all season. Then on the flip side, Surrey taking 20 wickets is also expected with the bowling stocks at their disposal. Kent dug in well against Hampshire last time out, but had that match seen a full four days of play, they would have surely ended up losing. They aren’t expected to be as lucky this time round.
Prediction: Surrey draw no bet
