Captain Ruck — Oval & Willow
From the Captain's journal
Now then. In the same year, a long time ago, I captained a county rugby side through the winter and a village cricket eleven through the summer. I have never been busier or happier, and I have never since had a clean pair of trousers.
Then I became a schoolmaster, and for thirty years I ran the First Fifteen from October to March and the First Eleven from April to July. I stood on a great many cold touchlines and sat on a great many warm benches. It teaches you a great deal. Rugby is won up front, by the pack that wants it more, and the weather usually tells you which pack that is. Cricket is very often decided before a ball is bowled — by the pitch, by the sky, and by who calls correctly when the coin goes up.
I am retired now. The old boys still ring on a Saturday morning to ask what I make of the day's fixtures, so I have taken to writing it down properly: a short note each morning, marked fairly, and every bet kept in the open like a school register. No rubbing out.
Here are my terms. I back match winners in rugby union and cricket, and nothing else. I will not back a game I cannot read. I am choosy with the short forms of cricket, which are closer to a coin toss than people like to admit. And when there is nothing worth your money, I shall say so plainly and send you out to enjoy the day.
A morning with the Captain
An early start, a pot of tea and the weather forecast — in that order. All times UK.
| No. | Time | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 06:30 | The sky firstI look out of the window, then at the forecast for every ground on the day's list. Rain changes both games. |
| 2 | 07:30 | Team sheets and pitch reportsWho is rested, who is back, and what the groundsman has left us. |
| 3 | 08:30 | Marking upPencil in hand. Most fixtures are crossed out here. That is rather the point. |
| 4 | 09:00 | Written up at the deskTwo or three sentences a pick, and the one thing that worries me. |
| 5 | 09:30 | The email lands with youBy half past nine, every morning. Picks, prices and stakes — or an honest "no bet today". |
| 6 | Later | Play beginsA day's cricket in England usually starts at 10.30 or 11. Rugby is mostly afternoons and Friday evenings. |
| Anything that has already started by the time the email goes, I leave alone. | ||
The method, explained
People think a sporting man reads every game the same way. He does not. A rugby match and a cricket match ask completely different questions, so I keep them in separate columns, as any decent scorer would.
The longer a cricket match, the more the better side tends to come through. The short forms are closer to a coin toss, so I need a very good reason.
How I pick
Who wins the game. No handicaps, no totals, no top batsman. A straight bat.
Roughly 2/5 to 4/1. Heavy favourites pay too little; long shots are usually long for a reason.
The pitch, the sky and the team sheet matter more than last season's table.
No bet is a perfectly respectable innings. You will be told, and you keep your money.
A short note with your morning tea, written by someone who has watched both games for fifty years.
Take guard — £9.99A worked example
Wind and rain forecast all afternoon, which suits Hollowmere's big pack down to the ground. Ashbridge Vale have rested three forwards ahead of next week's cup tie, and a light pack in the wet is a long afternoon. Home side, heavier side, right weather.
What worries me: Ashbridge Vale's kicker is very good in the wind. If the scoreboard is tight at the break, it could come down to one penalty.
— The Captain
Made-up clubs, made-up match. It shows the format of a note, nothing more.
| Stake: 1 point on the win at 4/5 | 1 point |
| If it wins: profit at 4/5 (4 for every 5 staked) | 0.8 points |
| Total back if it wins, stake included | 1.8 points |
| If it loses | −1 point |
If a point is £5 to you, a winner at 4/5 pays back £9 and a loser costs £5. That is arithmetic, not a result — no result is claimed here.
What you get
In your inbox by half past nine, before the day's play.
Rugby union and cricket match winners, with the price and the stake in points.
Two or three sentences a pick, and what worries me about it.
Nothing worth backing? The note comes anyway, and says so.
Questions
By 9.30am UK time, every morning. English cricket usually starts at 10.30 or 11, and rugby is mostly in the afternoon or on a Friday evening, so there is time to read it over breakfast.
A point is a sum you choose — £1, £5, £10. Choose one you can comfortably afford to lose and keep to it. Most picks are 1 point; when I am most confident, 2.
If it has lengthened, splendid. If it has shortened a long way, you are quite entitled to leave it. There is always another fixture.
You still get the note, telling you there is nothing I would back and why. Rain stops play in betting too, and that is no bad thing.
It is an introductory price for new members, once per person — a term's trial, if you like. After that it is £35 every 28 days, and you may cancel any time.
Any time, through your PayPal account. No forms, no telephone calls, no questions asked.
Yes. It starts on day one. Every bet is published and settled in the open, win or lose.
Your innings starts here
My record starts from day one. Every bet is published and settled in the open, win or lose. Nothing is hidden and nothing is added afterwards.