Twenty20 / Editor / 17 May 2007 /

Although the televised action continues to concentrate on the England clash with West Indies in the first Test at Lord's, there are still masses of punting options available this Sunday in the Friends Provident Trophy, including the first Roses Match of the season.

Yorkshire travel across the Pennines to Old Trafford for the 50-over clash looking to bounce back from failure to win their last two games, although one was abandoned due to rain, after a start to the season that had them protecting a 100% record in the North Conference.

Although Lancashire will be without talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, they have an extremely strong squad and should still be able to field a very-competitive side - now boosted by the addition of Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who made his fourth 'debut' for the Lightning in the County Championship in midweek.

The domestic season has not been very kind to them so far though, with just two wins in seven games in the County Championship and Friends Provident Trophy combined - not what would have been expected for a side with so much talent and potential.

However the pressure of a Roses game is unlike most other domestic matches and it would be absolutely no surprise to see current form turned on its head, something which may be reflected in the match odds market nearer the time.

Lancashire have proved in the past that they have the ammunition to score big runs, even in the current absence of Flintoff and an injury causing the loss of the big-hitting Stuart Law at the top of their order.

They will rely on England discard Mal Loye in the opening berth, and most cricket fans will be well aware that he can make some huge scores if he gets past what can be a very tricky opening spell - his slog sweep to cow corner, often for six, has become one of the most-recognisable trademark shots along with Paul Nixon's reverse sweep.

In the absence of Law and Flintoff, Loye and Australian all-rounder Brad Hodge become the main threats in the top Lancashire scorer market, and Hodge has not been slow in showing the form that earned him a World Cup call - he scored an unbeaten 130 against Northants and should be among Sunday's batting favourites.

On the other hand, the White Rose county have had big innings from nearly all of their top-line batsmen - making selection for the top Yorkshire batsman a tougher proposition - with two of their biggest off-season additions making massive contributions. Chief among them has been Jacques Rudolph, the South African batsman who put his international career on hold to sign for the Headingley side as a Kolpak player.

His best innings came in their last completed match, which also proved to be the game that ended their 100% start to the season, when they fell to Leicestershire at home. Rudolph scored 100 in a decent knock of 282-8, but their usually reliable attack failed miserably as the Foxes cruised to victory for the loss of only four wickets.

Younis Khan has also reached three figures in one of his FPT outings, and with Craig White and Anthony McGrath providing support, as well as Gerard Brophy proving to be a much under-rated wicketkeeper-batsman, scoring runs should never be a problem.

But there has to be a question mark against their bowling attack, especially in the absence of England swing-bowler Matthew Hoggard. Outside the opening pair of Jason Gillespie and skipper Darren Gough, none of their other options have proved to be a consistent wicket-taker.

That could be where Lancashire have the big advantage as, even without Flintoff, they have the depth of bowling that most other counties would kill for. Muralitharan is the obvious star, while James Anderson could return after missing out on an England berth for the first Test. Sajid Mahmood has his moments of genius and youngsters Oliver Newby, Tom Smith and Kyle Hogg all have the talent to take wickets when they get the chance. Gary Keedy would also be a potent option if Lancashire went with two spinners, having already taken 19 wickets this season.

The game of the day in the South Conference involves two of the early outright FPT market leaders, Hampshire and Sussex, who clash at the Rose Bowl with the latter in desperate need of victory if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Although they have games in hand on most teams ahead of them, defeat by the Hawks would probably leave Chris Adams' men needing to win just about all of their remaining six games to make it to the last four.

Sussex have been surprise strugglers in the early part of the season, with Mushtaq Ahmed and Murray Goodwin yet to hit form, while the absence of new England wicket-keeper, Matt Prior, leaves them with a gaping hole in the middle of their line-up.

Hampshire have not been at their best either, but at least they are showing signs of form, and Stuart Clark took seven wickets in their last match to prove he is on the way back after missing out for long spells in the World Cup. He and Shane Warne should continue to take plenty of wickets and they will expect to make it three wins from four completed games.

The other game to take note of sees Leicestershire travel to Edgbaston for a clash with Warwickshire and their former all-rounder Darren Maddy, the man who almost single-handedly guided them to Twenty20 glory last summer.

Maddy has to go down as one of the most under-appreciated one-day players in domestic cricket - surely a World Cup place should have been his - and along with the recent arrival of Kumar Sangakkara, the Bears now have a line-up that should be feared in every one-day game. The pair should also win punters a fair share in the top scorer markets.

The remainder of the South Conference programme has Essex hosting an improving Middlesex side now boosted by the arrival of Chaminda Vaas, while Somerset visit Gloucestershire with Justin Langer already closing on 1,000 domestic runs for the season and Kent host a struggling Glamorgan side as they look to keep their hold on top spot.

In the North Conference, Northants host a Durham side lacking the bowling options of Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett and all-rounder Paul Collingwood, while Nottinghamshire travel to Scotland, who are still seeking their first FPT win of the season, and Worcestershire play host to Derbyshire in a battle of sides needing a win to keep their own final four hopes alive.

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