Look to Lancashire for one-day value

SPORTS BETTING

Lancashire look fair value at 8-1 with William Hill for the Benson & Hedges one-day cricket tournament, which gets under way today.

Lancashire have been the kings of one-day cricket ever since the Gillette Cup era and, having won this contest last year, deserve to be a shorter price.

They certainly make more appeal than their rivals this afternoon, Yorkshire, who got to the semi-finals of both the Benson & Hedges and the NatWest Trophies last year but look up against it with the Red Rose and Warwickshire in their group.

Last year's runners-up, Northamptonshire, also have prospects at 9-1 but Surrey, William Hill's 5-1 favourites, and Essex (6-1) look relatively poor value.

There are a host of World Cup football qualifiers on Wednesday and, although some bankers are such short prices that they can only be used as accumulator fodder, the fact that the bookmakers think international sides less likely to try and fix individual games than their Premiership and Football League counterparts, single bets can be placed on all of them.

England won 2-0 in Georgia, and with Shearer and Sheringham finally able to resume the partnership that established England as a genuine force at the highest level in Euro 96, they really ought to make scorched bread out of their rivals at Wembley.

They are a must at 1-7 with William Hill for all multiple bets along with Denmark (1-4 with William Hill), who should make short work of Slovenia at home.

But for those who detest trying to buy money, it might just be worth taking a chance on or two unlikely results occurring.

How about the 7-2 with William Hill about Ukraine - not a bad side - escaping with a draw in their away match against Germany?

And it is far from impossible that gritty Poland, who played well at Wembley, might gain a draw (7-2 with William Hill) away in Italy.