Rod Lyall 27/05/24
For a while on Saturday morning it looked as if the 2024 50-over Topklasse season would begin with a washout, as the cancellation of Excelsior ‘20’s match against ACC at Thurlede was quickly followed by returning Hermes-DVS’s game against VRA Amsterdam at the Loopuyt Oval and the encounter between HCC and Sparta 1888 at the De Diepput.
In the end, however, enthusiasts for the longer format were rewarded with two remarkable finishes, both the games which survived the weather producing the tightest of final-ball results.
At Craeyenhout, where the delayed start was caused as much by the tail-end of the football season as by the rain, Punjab-Ghausia skipper Sikander Zulfiqar won the toss and elected to bat, and by the time the players were forced from the field by a passing band of rain HBS had claimed four wickets for 104 runs.
After Lehaan Botha took a return catch to remove Musa Ahmad, young Elmar Boendermaker chimed in with the scalps of Punjab’s danger-men Shoiab Minhas and Jonathan Vandiar, and then, as the weather closed in, Matthew de Villiers snaffled another return catch to dismiss Mohsin Riaz.
The interruption caused the deduction of seven overs, and after the resumption Asad and Sikander Zulfiqar set about rebuilding the innings.
Sikander made 34, as did Fawad Shinwari, but with Botha taking three more wickets to finish with four for 39, Punjab had to battle their way to 224 for eight, assisted by two sixes from Samir Butt off the final over.
That was reduced to 221 on the DLS adjustment, and HBS were soon in trouble in reply, Sajjad Kamal turning in a fine spell which effected the departure of both Botha and Reece Mason inside three overs.
De Villiers contributed a brisk 34 before falling to Suleiman Tariq, but at the other end Tayo Walbrugh was steadily batting his way back into form, supported first by Lucas del Bianco and then by Martijn Scholte.
The Crows were well in the hunt as Walbrugh eased past fifty, and despite a sustained spell by Sikander only 61 were required from the final ten overs, with six wickets still in hand.
But two further wickets opened up the tail, and it soon became clear that everything depended on Walbrugh as Kamal and Zulfiqar turned the screw.
18 were needed off Sikander’s final over, and although Walbrugh managed to take twelve off the first four deliveries a single from the fifth left HBS short, and despite Walbrugh’s unbeaten 126 from 124 deliveries, Punjab won by four runs.
Meanwhile at the Hazelaarweg a very similar conclusion was taking shape.
The game had been cut to 33 overs a side before the start, and Voorburg, put in to bat by VOC, were able to reach 218 for eight, thanks in large measure to a third-wicket stand of 105 between Gavin Kaplan and skipper Noah Croes.
Croes eventually fell to Jelte Schoonheim for 43, but Kaplan went on to make 84, from 65 deliveries with ten fours and a six, and to see the total past 200 before he was dismissed by Asief Hoseinbaks.
Chasing over six and a half an over, Ryan Schierhout and Francois Fourie gave their side a solid start with an opening stand of 66, but Voorburg’s depleted attack chipped away at their opponents’ top order, and with eleven overs left 102 were still needed.
Jock McKenzie was still there, however, and he and Jason van der Meulen kept their side in the game with a sixth-wicket stand of 81 in just under ten overs, leaving 22 to get off the last two.
Then Michael Molenaar bowled Van der Meulen, but another six from McKenzie left 12 required from the last with Mees van Vliet bowling to McKenzie.
Two came from the first ball, and off the second Tim de Kok was run out, bringing Schoonheim to the crease.
A bye gave McKenzie the strike, but he could only manage a single, and now eight were needed from the final two deliveries.
Schoonheim hit another two, and at this point sensation broke out: Van Vliet bowled a wide, the batters attempted a run which would have reduced the deficit to four, but umpire Ashraf Din ruled that Schoonheim had deviated from his line when running and gave him out Obstructing the field.
So not only did the run not count, but Aaditt Jain was left to face the final delivery.
He contrived to take two, but when attempting another off an overthrow he was run out, and Voorburg had sensationally won by two runs.
Despite the confusion and controversy it had been a sensational finish, and the defending champions, without their national team players, must have been very relieved to take the points home to Westvliet.
TKcricket 