Although it doesn’t receive the same level of media coverage as the exploits of the England national cricket team in international test matches (at least outside of England), County cricket is a very big deal to fans of the sport. This is the cricket equivalent of Premier League football, and is what most fans of the sport watch – and put bets on – throughout the majority of the year. Things are gearing up for the new season now, with the fixture schedule having been released, and the bookies odds are also now available for those interested in betting on the winner.

Last season’s champions Durham are unsurprisingly listed amongst the favourites again for the 2014 title – but they are not the hot favourites ahead of the season. At the moment Warwickshire, at 5/1, have that status with bookmakers. They will have England batsman Jonathan Trott back in the fold, following his recent illness, and certainly have an impressive record in this competition. 2013 was a somewhat disappointing season for them, as they finished fourth in the Division One table, but with seven previous titles it is likely that they or Durham will attract a lot of the gambling – at least amongst those who don’t decide to play The Umpire Strikes Back instead.

The notion of cricket fans choosing to go to a site like GamingClub.com/au to play a slots game instead of the winners of the County Championship would have seemed ridiculous a few years ago, but games like this one are huge these days. This particular slot, complete with cartoon umpire and Star Wars pun, is a lot of fun for any cricket fan. It is also very cheap to game on, as you can bet with a deposit as small as $0.10 a time. This entitles you to play for a jackpot of $10,000, as well as the chance to play the various cricket themed game bonuses, all of which makes it at least as attractive as betting on county cricket – and less likely to be interrupted by rain!

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Ian Bell's superb 113 in the fourth Test at Durham was his stand-out moment so far of an increasingly impressive Ashes series for the batsman.

So, surely now it's time the Warwickshire star is heralded as one of England's most important players by Ashes betting pundits? Because if he doesn't get the praise now, he never will.

Bell has had to endure plenty of stick - some of it wholly unjustified - as he has risen up the ranks and he is now finally looked upon as a mainstay in Andy Flower's side as they aim to continue their push to win the Ashes outright once again.

His consistent performances this summer - Bell has now joined an elite list of men who have managed three centuries in the Ashes - means he has a very real chance of being named 'Man of the Series' and his knock in Chester-le-Street may well end up swinging the fourth Test England's way.

His crucial intervention was all the more impressive coming as it did when the usual go-to men, like Kevin Pietersen, skipper Alastair Cook or Jonathan Trott, were struggling with their own games and not looking like providing the much-needed inspiration.

Basically, England badly needed someone to step up to the plate and Bell was the man who came forward to enhance his somewhat unjustified reputation as a workmanlike batsman rather than one of the star turns.

Bell may not be quite like a Jimmy Anderson, Pietersen, or Stuart Broad and is unlikely to ever be a player who will generate the headlines regularly, but his quiet self-assuredness and consistent high scoring certainly means you cannot ignore him.

Just ask the Aussies that. But he also deserves more acclaim from cricket fans after proving he is, after all, the man for the big occasion and one England will look to rely on when the chips our down again in the future.

Ashley Giles has been chosen as the man to guide England in limited overs Cricket, after being appointed as their new One Day and T20 Head Coach. Those over at http://www.cricket-betting.org.uk note how he replaces Andy Flower, who will now focus mainly on the Test team although the Zimbabwean will remain in charge of team preparation and strategies.

It marks a return to the England set-up for former international spinner Giles, who had enjoyed success whilst coaching at County level with Warwickshire. The 39-year-old led The Bears to the County Championship title in September and has received praise for his innovative coaching methods.

Now, Giles has been given the chance to prove himself on the world stage and he admits that he can’t wait to get started:

I am delighted to have been appointed England ODI and T20 Head Coach and to be given an opportunity to coach at international level. I have worked closely with Andy (Flower) in recent years as a selector and am looking forward to continuing to work together and to build on the progress that has been made with the ODI and T20 sides in recent years.

England endured a disappointing defence of their World T20 crown in Sri Lanka earlier this year, going out in the Super 8’s stage, but they will hope to climb back up the rankings under Giles’ leadership.

The change should also give Flower more time to spend more time with his family with speculation suggesting that he was finding it hard to juggle leading England in all formats of the game, and ECB managing Director, Hugh Morris, believes that the change will be a positive move for English Cricket:

England cricket has enjoyed considerable success over the past five years. In order to build on that success we know that we need to look for ways to evolve and it has become clear that the Team Director role needs to change if we are to ensure we are utilising the role as effectively as possible. Bringing in a Head Coach for the ODI and T20 formats allows the Team Director more time to plan for forthcoming series and tournaments and also have a more realistic and sustainable work life balance.