tadley

The odds look a bit off in this one. Davidovich Fokina is a solid player but unreliable, and I wouldn't trust him at 1.3. The pair met on a hardcourt in February, with Bellucci winning in straight sets. Admittedly, Bellucci doesn't play a lot of grass tennis, but he has the skills to go well on it. At last year's Wimbledon he upset Lehe?ka in straight sets with some fine serving, holding 83% of his first serves. I think he will be competitive and looks the value.

Denis Shapovalov is not a player ever to trust, and this looks a tough match for him. He played Cilic at the Australian Open earlier this year, with Cilic winning 3-0. Cilic has a strong grass game, so I think he wins again.

Tommy Paul had a fine run at Wimbledon in 2024, making it to the quarterfinals. He's done precious little since, though, losing 2 of his three grass matches. Losing to Evans and Ofner are worrying results. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has a game ideal for grass with his blistering serve but hasn't really done as well as he should. He is tough to break, though, so it wouldn't surprise me if he won 7-6, 7-6; that would still win this bet.

With his powerful service game, you would expect Hurkacz to have an impressive grass record, but he hasn't really played much tennis on it. Fucsovics is a capable grass player and leads the head-to-head against Hurkacz 3-0, including on the grass at Stuttgart. He looks a lively outsider at 3.00

Moutet can't be happy with his current form, losing his last five matches. He has a tricky first-round draw against Kyrgios, who, although has had more than his fair share of injuries, is a top-notch grass player. Kyrgios has admitted he's more happy playing exhibition matches for big bucks, but I'm sure he'd love another crack at Wimbledon, and this is a warm-up for it. I think he starts well, and out-of-form Moutet won't be able to cope with the serves.

England clearly have the best players, with the two Lukes occupying the top two places in the rankings. It didn't do them any good last year when they were dumped out by Germany 9-4. Netherlands have the world number three and four in the form of Van Veen and Van Gerwen. They make a formidable team and look far better value at 8.00

Clare won in 2024, but last year it didn't go well. Severe injury problems probably took their toll. They look in better shape this time and can certainly mix it with the best.

Lancashire underperformed, finishing 5th despite having a strong squad. They've really impressed with signings over the winter, enrolling quality players at this level, so I see them doing a lot better than 5th.

Warwickshire finished down in 5th last season but were hampered by drawing nine games, the most in the league. They've strengthened their squad and look capable of a better performance this season.

Verstappen kept himself in the title race last season despite clearly not having the best car. That speaks volumes about his skill, which should see him once again go well this season. Despite him slamming the new regulation, it should be to his benefit as he has the skills to master the new designs. The Red Bull has looked very promising in practice, so I rate him as the most likely winner.