With the t20 competition in the spotlight for this part of the season the LV= County Championship can sometimes be pushed into the background. However that doesn’t mean that First Team Scorer Roger 'The Duke' Marshall will have any respite as he looks to build on last week’s victory.
Ahead of each round of fixtures, he will be pitched against a Nottinghamshire illuminary in a prediction challenge. You can join in by tweeting your predictions with the hashtag #Beattheduke with prizes on offer for competitors and champion tipsters.
This week two teams at the opposite ends of the table face off, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Both came up last year but are realising different fortunes this season. Elsewhere, two of the form teams so far, Sussex and Middlesex, face off at Hove. Finally, last year's champions play host to the travelling Notts party looking to build on their defeat of Middlesex last time out.
The Challenger - Bryan Robson
A stalwart of Nottinghamshire's history, Bryan Robson oversaw numerous events at the club. During his time as the club’s Secretary, the Nottinghamshire team won every major trophy in County Cricket and two thirds of the ground had been rebuilt. His time in the game leave him well placed to take on our expert, ‘The Duke’.
The Challenger's Predictions
Derbyshire v Yorkshire
I can’t see past Yorkshire in this one as they have been flying high and are title contenders this year. Unfortunately, Derbyshire find themselves at the other end of the table and they look like being relegated.
Sussex v Middlesex
The home side should have the upper hand here as they are a better all-round team and I think they will come away with the victory.
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
With the weather how it is, the pitch should be good for batting. Warwickshire’s Varun Chopra is a class batsman and I think there will be some big runs scored in this game so I will go for a draw.
The Duke's Predictions
Derbyshire v Yorkshire
Derbyshire are still struggling to get their batting sorted and with Yorkshire being realistic title contenders I will back the travelling side to win.
Sussex v Middlesex
Middlesex had a surprising loss in their lass outing and with Sussex on a roll at the moment I will back a home win.
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Last year in this fixture rain intervened but the weather couldn’t be any further from that now. The pitches should be flat due to that and I can only see a high-scoring draw in this game.
Last Round
In the previous round ‘The Duke’ showed his class by predicting three correct results to comfortably beat Sky Sports cameraman Matt Bentley-Walls who predicted one correct score.
League Standings
After twelve rounds the score is The Duke 16 – 11 The Challenger’s.
Duke’s Average- 1.33