Below you can find picks for Round 4 of the County Championship season from The Stats Zone's top Cricket tipsters. All times given are based on UK start times.
Friday, April 26
Division One
Durham vs Essex – 11:00 BST
Surrey vs Hampshire - 11:00 BST
Warwickshire vs Nottinghamshire – 11:00 BST
Worcestershire vs Somerset – 11:00 BST
Division Two
Gloucestershire vs Middlesex – 11:00 BST
Leicestershire vs Northamptonshire – 11:00 BST
Yorkshire vs Derbyshire – 11:00 BST
Surrey vs Hampshire – 11:00 BST
Coming off the back of their first victory of the season, Surrey now look to kick on after thrashing Kent by an innings and 37 runs at Canterbury. They return to the Kia Oval and a clash with Hampshire, whom they boast an excellent record against at home. Hampshire’s bowlers have been unusually poor so far this campaign, with wickets hard to come by and when considering the strength of Surrey’s batting line-up, they could be in for further struggles on what is usually a very good pitch. Should the weather hold long enough to get a significant number of overs in across the scheduled four days, then Surrey are expected to make it back-to-back wins.
Prediction: Surrey draw no bet
Worcestershire vs Somerset – 11:00 BST
Somerset were frustrated by a Nottinghamshire club record third wicket partnership by Will Young and Joe Clarke, who combined to ensure their clash with the Cidermen finished a draw. But Somerset have shown really bright patches across the season and it feels like only a matter of time before they secured that all-important first win. It would be no surprise if it came at Kidderminster, where Worcestershire were beaten last time out by fellow newly-promoted side Durham. Somerset are likely to pile up the runs quickly on a ground with small boundaries and Worcestershire’s batters don’t have the quality to resist as strongly as players such as Young or Clarke at Notts. Therefore, back Somerset to come out on top.
Prediction: Somerset draw no bet
Gloucestershire vs Middlesex – 11:00 BST
Middlesex laid down a marker going forward with a fantastic victory at Lord’s over a Yorkshire side boasting the likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook and Shan Masood. Now they aim to back this up against Gloucestershire, who were defeated away at Sussex. With players such as Leus du Plooy, Toby Roland-Jones and the excellent all-rounder Ryan Higgins at their disposal, Middlesex look a side more than capable of sustaining a promotion push over the course of 2024 and are well worth backing to emerge triumphant in Bristol.
Prediction: Middlesex draw no bet
