I am not sure if it is a coming of age or a sad reflection of how cricket in Leinster is evolving but it is now possible to bet on RSA Leinster D1 matches. I have no doubt that this is a matter that will have to be considered further in the committee rooms of the LCU but for the moment the simple reality is that if you want to take a flutter on one of the four D1 matches this weekend you can.
Of course cricket has always been a game associated with betting. In the nineteenth century there was extensive betting at matches and the practice was referred to in the MCC Laws of Cricket. Law 42 [1870 Revision] simply states, ‘No Umpire shall be allowed to bet’. There was also an addendum to the Laws to cover betting:
‘Rule 1. No bet upon any match is payable unless it be played out or given up.
Rule 2. If the runs of one player be betted against those of another, the bet depends on the first innings, unless otherwise specified.
Rule 3. If a bet be made on both innings, and one party beat the other on one innings, the runs of the first innings shall determine it
Rule 4 If the other party go in a second time, then the bet must be determined by the number on the score.’
I am glad we cleared that up.
Today international cricket has become part of a multi-billion dollar betting industry with its share of scandals. All professional players [and this would include all players contracted to Cricket Ireland] are prohibited from betting on matches they are involved in. Umpires also are not permitted to bet on matches in accordance with their own rules. Now that we have organised betting on domestic club cricket this too may have to be covered in Regulations.
It was rumoured last week that some members of Leinster CC [not the players I hasten to add] may have made a few bob betting against their own team. Perhaps they will back their own team today now that the odds have lengthened somewhat. Indeed a quick look at the odds has Pembroke [v Leinster], Merrion [v The Hills], Railway Union [v Phoenix] and YMCA [v North County] as the bookie’s favourites. Shortest odds are on a Railway victory.
One thing organised odds does permit is to provide a very practical way of checking the accuracy of match predictions. So let us see how we get on with a notional €25 [€5 per match and an extra bet]. I am going for wins for Pembroke, Merrion, Phoenix and North County [with the extra bet on North County]. Of course being a notional bet there is no tax.