This week brings with it the New Zealand ODI at Trent Bridge but in the background the County Championship has a full round of games. This means First Team Scorer Roger `The Duke’ Marshall will have to be on the ball to up his average over the coming weeks.
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 sees struggling Surrey welcome last year’s champions Warwickshire to Guildford. After both securing draws in their last outing Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire will be looking for a win to push themselves up the table. Two of the high-fliers so far this season, Middlesex and Sussex face each other and the final match has Somerset still looking for their first win when they welcome Durham.
The Challenger: Robin Chipperfield
The voice of Matchday on BBC Radio Nottingham and a good friend of Trent Bridge, Robin is known to sports fans across the county for his anchoring of contests across the country. A keen cricket fan, Chipperfield will watch the England v New Zealand NatWest Series One Day International from his preferred perch in Studio 41 in the Radcliffe Road Stand.
The Challenger’s Predictions
Middlesex v Sussex
I will go for a draw for this one as at Lord’s it will be a good batting surface and with two good batting sides it could be a high-scoring game.
Somerset v Durham
I will go for a Somerset win in this game. Although they have had a woeful start it has to end eventually and I think this will be the match. They have Nick Compton back and I think at Taunton they will rediscover their batting form.
Surrey v Warwickshire
This is a hard one to call but home advantage will be a big factor and I will go for a Surrey win.
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire
With the game being at Scarborough it is hard to predict what is going to happen throughout the four days. Due to this I think this game will end as a draw.
The Duke’s Predictions
Middlesex v Sussex
Both of these sides are very well balanced. As seen this week Sussex have some good bowlers in Steve Magoffin and Chris Jordan but with the weather set fair the pitches should be good this week and I will go for a draw.
Somerset v Durham
With the match being held at Taunton on a good batting pitch a draw is likely and I can see Somerset’s batting firing this week. However, with Durham playing well so far I think they could sneak a win in this fixture.
Surrey v Warwickshire
Last year’s champions Warwickshire are in disarray at the moment with the number of injuries that they have. With Surrey having the better batting line-up especially with Ricky Ponting in the side, I will go for a home win.
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire
Both these sides are coming off draws in the previous games and I think this game could end in the same way. The pitch at Scarborough is likely to be similar to the one at Hove with a bit of nip early on but getting flatter as the game moves on.
Previous Round
In the previous round, `The Duke’ took on Notts CCC committee member Darren Bicknell and won the battle 1-0 by correctly predicting that Sussex v Notts would end in a draw.