Nishant Joshi trades the Hampshire v Sussex Cricket match starting at 16:30 on 13/08/08. Nishant will be trading with a starting bank of 100pts.

10:19pm

Hampshire win comfortably by 66 runs in the end. I hope you enjoyed our coverage, we've managed about 100pts profit from an original investment of 80pts.

Here is our final book:

Hants: +101.92

Sussex: +92.4

Please feel free to post any feedback or comments in our forum.

Imran Tahir bowled exceptionally well to clean up the tail with a medley of googlies, claiming 5/27. My man of the match is Dimitri Mascarenhas for a great all-round performance, with 48 off 30 balls, and a super spell of 5-1-8-1, after which point Sussex were always well behind the RRR.

Credit to Liam Dawson and Mike Carberry who did fantastically in the top order for Hampshire under tough conditions. Dawson has just been awarded the official man of the match award for a good all-round performance, and he looks a promising cricketer.

Goodnight all, thanks for your company and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

.

=====================

10:04pm

RHB is out for 26 off 17, stumped by Pothas off the bowling of Dawson. Remarkably, with a few streaky shots, misfields and gentle bowling (not to mention a dropped catch), he has managed to top-score for Sussex!

I always told you he was quality :)

=====================

9:59pm

Double-barrel alert x 2!

Rory Hamilton-Brown is now joined at the crease by Robin Martin-Jenkins...who is promptly bowled by a beautiful googly from Tahir, top quality stuff!

=====================

9:54pm

Camera just panned to the famous/infamous (depending on your viewpoint) chubby little boy who rose to prominence during Twenty20 Finals Day. I reckon he's just ruined his life - he'll be bullied all the way through secondary school and college!

Here is the rather entertaining video if you haven't seen it already. It's well worth a watch, if only to see usual curmudgeon Nasser Hussain get vaguely excited for a brief moment.

As I'm writing, our old mate RHB top-edges another shot, and gets away with it, again. And now a misfield gifts him four!

They say that some people are born lucky. With a name like Rory Hamilton-Brown, you'd be disappointed if you didn't end up playing cricket for England.

=====================

9:45pm

This leg-spinner Imran Tahir looks decent, having taken two quick wickets. Now our old mate RHB is in - I'm reliably informed that's what he goes by in the 'double-barrel' community. I wonder if he will go for a silver spoon red-inker to boost his dwindling average...as I'm writing, he's dropped on one, at cover.

=====================

9:38pm

Well, Sussex are four wickets down and need 123 off 79 balls. Hants are 1.04 and though I think they'll win easily enough, I wouldn't recommend piling in.

On air, Michael Holding just recalled the time that fearsome West Indies bowler Wayne Daniels hit Brian Close in the box...and the box dislodged and did all sorts of nasty work on his nether regions.

This reminded me of David Lloyd's brilliant recollection about the time that he was hit on the box by Jeff Thompson...if you haven't seen this YouTube clip, check it out!

=====================

9:08pm

26/2 after 11 overs. Lay Hants for 5pts liability at 1.2.

This will now leave our book as:

Hants: +101.92

Sussex: +92.4

I'm quite content to leave our book as it is right now, we're in a very decent position, I don't think that Sussex have much chance with the required run rate at 7+ under lights, so I'm happy to have a small discrepancy in potential profits between the two sides at the moment.

Only remaining play will be to back Hants at evens for 10pts if it comes during the rest of the innings.

8:59pm

18/2 after 8.3. Lay Hants for 5pts liability at 1.22.

This will now leave our book as:

Hants: +106.92

Sussex: +67.4

8:49pm

Another wicket, and Hants are now 1.24. Lay Hants for 10pts liability at 1.24.

This will now leave our book as:

Hants: +111.92

Sussex: +44.7

=====================

8:45pm

Lay Hampshire at 1.42 for 10pts liability.

This will now leave our book as:

Hants: +121.92

Sussex: +3.0

=====================

8:37pm

Very decent price on Hampshire even after the first wicket, I mentioned yesterday that it's important to let your winning trades run. I don't like giving away money cheaply, so we'll slowly drip-feed the lay of Hanmpshire to cover our liability.

Lay Hampshire at 1.48 for 10pts liability.

=====================

8:28pm

Wicket straight away, Sussex 1/1 in the first over. Lay Hants for 10pts liability at 1.63.

=====================

8:20pm

Hampshire have posted 189/8 which is a great score I reckon. Mascarenhas always seems to perform under these situations and he did well to finish off the innings with 48 off 30. Seriously don't understand why he isn't playing for England!

On another note, Graham Thorpe is sadly starting to sound awfully like Nick Knight.

Our current book is:

Hampshire: +151.92

Sussex: -57.5

The market still heavily favours Sussex, even though they are missing Yardy, Wright and Prior, and they are chasing over 6 an over, under lights.

The current price of 1.95 on Hants is very juicy indeed if you're just getting involved. Usually we'd look to go equal green at some point, but for starters I feel this is quite an unlikely chase. As we have layed Sussex at short odds on the whole, we are in a decent position and can always cut our trade if they get off to a flyer.

At the same time, I'm quite happy to wait for now, with just the one plan: lay Hampshire at 1.2 for 25pts liability if it comes in the first 5 overs.

=====================

7:59pm

Slight change of plan, instead of 50pts, back Sussex 25pts @ 1.9 if it comes during the rest of the innings. Hampshire are in a good position and we don't want to throw away a good position. At the same time, we want to reduce liability slowly.

=====================

7:53pm

I wonder if a public schoolboy such as Hamilton-Brown - although he looks so baby-faced that you probably couldn't tell that he's a smidge over 16 - enjoys the shorter version of the game more than the four-day version?

After all, I'm sure he doesn't enjoy getting his chinos dirty in the field. I think it's fair to assume that he wears chinos instead of standard whites. In fact, I'm pretty sure he does.

=====================

7:36pm

Look to back Sussex 50pts @ 1.9 if it comes during the rest of this innings.

=====================

7:29pm

Please do pop over to our forum and feel free to ask any questions or make any comments, give feedback etc.

=====================

7:15pm

Rory Hamilton-Brown is bowling his off-breaks as Hampshire look to keep wickets in hand for the last few overs. I'd like to see Chris Benham accelerating and the side batting around Michael Carberry.

I think it's fair to say that Hamilton-Brown is a fairly well-off young man, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him on the beach with Nick Knight, as they sip on Pimms in their chinos. All in due course.

=====================

7:07pm

Just to update, our current book is:

-80 on Sussex

+176.92 Hants

=====================

6:56pm

Hants are 53/2 after 11.4 overs and have recovered well after a slow start. Lay Sussex for 30pts liability at 1.39.

Other plan is to lay Sussex at 1.2 for 20pts liability at any time during this innings.

=====================

6:41pm

The market clearly rate Sussex's chances; I couldn't disagree more. 160+ would be a winning total on this pitch under lights in my opinion, although the market will no doubt still have Sussex as favourites.

Mascarenhas is the key for me here, I've said previously that he should be an automatic selection for England's 20/20 and ODI sides, and if Hampshire leave him a few overs at the end, he could take the game away. However, Hampshire need to take it slowly and build a platform for Mascarenhas and Nic Pothas.

Currently, Sporting Index have the runs spread at 164, with Hants on 31/1. The runs spread and Betfair odds really don't correlate in my opinion, so there's a complex arb for anybody shrewd enough to take it on!

=====================

6:21pm

Plenty of early swing and seam movement for the pacers. The market is really favouring Sussex due to the possibility of more rain and some more D/L adjustments.

Michael Lumb has just been out caught at fine leg, a blow as he has been their in-form batsman. Nevertheless, it will be very tough to bat under lights with all of this movement, and so we're quite happy to be laying Sussex. Our 1.4 lay has been matched.

6:09pm

Match resuming now, 31 overs a side. Sussex are still 1.6 which is rather surprising; let the last lay at 1.6 ride. Lay Sussex at 1.42 for 20pts liability if it comes in the first 10 overs, and lay more at 1.2 for 20pts liability if it comes in the first 10 overs.

=====================

5:50pm

Rain already! Cancel our last trade (odds were not met anyway), and lay Sussex at 1.6 right now for 30pts liability, possibility of a 20/20 shoot-out here. Sussex's 20/20 record this season was 2-8.

=====================

5:41pm

Sussex have won the toss and elected to bowl in a 34 over a side match.

Hampshire team:

BV Taylor, DJ Balcombe, GA Lamb, N Pothas, MJ Lumb, MA Carberry, Imran Tahir, JHK Adams, CC Benham, LA Dawson, AD Mascarenhas

Sussex team:

BC Brown, DR Smith, CJ Liddle, RJ Hamilton-Brown, RSC Martin-Jenkins, RJ Kirtley, MW Goodwin, CD Hopkinson, OP Rayner, CD Nash, CJ Adams

Frankly I'm surprised with the faith that the market have in Sussex. They have won both their matches so far but are without Matt Prior, Mike Yardy and Luke Wright.

To start with, lay Sussex at 1.45 in the first 10 overs, for 20pts liability.

=====================

4:41pm

Latest news is that there will be an inspection with a view to start play at 5:45pm at the earliest.

=====================

4:35pm

Rain will delay the start of play, first thoughts are that Sussex seem a tad short. Stay posted.

=====================

3:40pm

Good afternoon all! Please join us at 4:30pm for team news and toss. I reckon we'll have a decent trading match today, although there are some weather concerns surrounding this match.

After last night's debacle with the floodlights, it wouldn't surprise me if we had a plague of locusts stop play!