2023 County Championship Tips – Round 9
Below you can find picks for Round 9 of the County Championship season from The Stats Zone's top Cricket tipsters. All times given are based on UK start times.
Sunday, June 25
Division One
Essex vs Warwickshire – 11:00 BST
Hampshire vs Middlesex – 11:00 BST
Northamptonshire vs Kent – 11:00 BST
Somerset vs Nottinghamshire – 11:00 BST
Surrey vs Lancashire – 11:00 BST
Division Two
Glamorgan vs Sussex – 11:00 BST
Leicestershire vs Durham – 11:00 BST
Worcestershire vs Derbyshire – 11:00 BST
Yorkshire vs Gloucestershire – 11:00 BST
Hampshire vs Middlesex – 11:00 BST
With Surrey pulling away at the top of Division One following the most recent round of fixtures, which saw Hampshire beaten at the hands of Lancashire, this represents a must-win encounter for James Vince’s side against struggling Middlesex. Whilst the newly promoted visitors are currently outside the bottom two, they are currently on a 12-match losing streak in all competitions. From a red ball perspective, key batters have performed in Division One and are expected to struggle again vs Hampshire’s notoriously strong bowling unit and although Hampshire’s own batting is far from formidable, they have more than enough within their ranks to outscore Middlesex comfortably over the course of four innings. Expect a home win in this one.
Prediction: Hampshire draw no bet
Surrey vs Lancashire – 11:00 BST
Speaking of Surrey, the reigning champions are already well-placed after seven Division One fixtures played to defend their title. They boast a 32-point-cushion between them and second-placed Warwickshire and are coming off the back of a historic record first-class run chase in their long history, chasing down a mammoth 501 to beat Kent at Canterbury, their fifth win of the competition. Although Lancashire held them to a draw at Emirates Old Trafford, and were victorious themselves most recently against Hampshire, Surrey are simply a level up in class compared to any Division One opponent right now and the hosts should record victory over four days at the Kia Oval.
Prediction: Surrey draw no bet
Yorkshire vs Gloucestershire – 11:00 BST
Following a huge upturn of form helped by the T20 Blast, Yorkshire finally secured their first Division Two win of the campaign in mid-June, beating Derbyshire by three wickets at Chesterfield. The big question now is whether they can use that as a springboard towards putting a winning run together in County Championship cricket? They certainly won’t get a better chance of gaining back-to-back red ball victories that here against Gloucestershire, who have not only lost consecutive Division Two fixtures, but are also yet to win in the league this season. Therefore, Yorkshire are well worth backing to triumph in this one.
Prediction: Yorkshire draw no bet
