County Championship Cricket Betting 2011

County Championship cricket betting 2011 is one of the most active cricket betting fields because there are more days of play in the County Championship than in any other English domestic competition.

County Championship cricket betting 2011 could be difficult to predict this season because there are many strong teams currently battling in division one and a lot of under rated sides trying to get out of division two.

Cricket betting is huge on an international scale because more countries now have Test and One Day International status than ever before. County Championship Cricket Betting 2011 will only increase in popularity if the amount of international cricket is scaled down.

County Championship Division One Betting

County Championship division one betting is traditionally more difficult because the nine best counties in England form this division. Division one is home to a lot of counties that have Test match status players as well as individuals trying to break onto the international platform.

The prizes on offer for winning the division one title also make County Championship division one betting more difficult. The players of the winning county in division one receive around £350,000 to be split among the squad which is a staggering amount to most cricket professionals.

The nine counties currently in division one are; Durham, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire (current champions), Somerset, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.

County Championship Division Two Betting

County Championship division two Cricket Betting is where most sports betting professionals will make their money. Division two traditionally has one or two stronger teams that have just been relegated from division one. This can mean some big wins over the weaker counties.

The second division is supposedly lower in quality because of the nine supposedly weaker counties playing against each other. However, there are still a large number of international players playing for second division counties; Alastair Cook of Essex.

County Championship division two betting often shapes up very quickly because the stronger counties get to the top of the table and stay there. The best odds in County Championship division two betting come when the stronger teams play each other.

The nine counties in division two for 2011 are; Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire and Surrey.

Format of the County Championship

The format of the County Championship is very simple and exactly the same for division one and two. The nine counties in each division play each other twice; one at home and once away. All matches are over four days.

The points format of the County Championship works on the basis that 18 points are awarded for a win, eight points for a tie and three points for a draw. Counties can still earn bonus points even if they lose a game.

One bonus point is awarded for every 50 runs a county makes once past a score of 200 runs and 3 points are awarded for every 9-10 wickets taken.

Future of the County Championship

The future of the County Championship has been questioned because of the current financial crisis in cricket. There is also the growing popularity of Twenty20 and international cricket which has seen counties raise prices for County Championship games which has driven down domestic attendances.

The future of the County Championship could be formed where the 18 counties currently playing are split into three regional divisions of six. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board has ruled the current format will exist for at least the next two years.