Rod Lyall 09/06/24
Although we are only three rounds into the competition – and less when one remembers the four matches which have so far been postponed until July – there are already strong indications of who are most likely to be contenders for title, and who face a probable battle to avoid relegation.
Saturday’s games, for example, saw Hermes-DVS register an easy victory over ACC at the Loopuyt Oval, suggesting that the Amsterdam side, after defeats by HBS and Hermes, will need to lift themselves considerably if they are to come anywhere the top six by the end of July.
After being put in to bat by Sebastiaan Braat the Amsterdammers were rapidly reduced to 53 for six by Ralph Elenbaas, given a share of the new ball with his brother Olivier, his five for 29 in nine overs one of the most destructive spells of the season so far.
Murid Ekram and Braat himself then finished the job, as ACC were dismissed for 82 in just 26 overs, Guy Sheena and Mahesh Hans top-scoring with 16 apiece.
Although Joseph Reddy picked up two early wickets when Hermes replied, Izhaan Sayed adding another, opener Ashley Ostling’s unbeaten 48 from 50 deliveries saw the Schiedammers home inside 14 overs, ensuring that they received a healthy NRR boost in addition to collecting their first points.
There was a similarly comfortable victory for VOC Rotterdam at the Hazelaarweg, where Sparta 1888 could only manage 122, with Asief Hoseinbaks claiming four for 35 and Jelte Schoonheim two for 12.
Prithvi Balwantsingh and Gagandeep Singh had given them a decent start, Balwantsingh’s promotion to opener working well as he top-scored with 35, but once they had both gone three wickets fell for the addition of just one run, and although Cameron Fraser contributed a dogged 28 no-one else was able to get into double figures.
VOC lost both their openers by the time 14 runs were on the board, but then a stand of 91 between Taylor Bettelheim and Jock McKenzie doused Sparta’s hopes, and although Bettelheim fell finally to Manminder Singh for 56, Tim de Kok supported McKenzie as he knocked off the remaining runs and ended on 47 not out.
HCC, at last making it onto the park, were restricted to 185 for eight by Excelsior ’20 at Thurlede, but this proved to be more than enough as Teun Leijer’s brisk medium pace and Jed Wiggins’s off-spin dismissed the home side for just 125.
Excelsior’s attack worked their way steadily through the Lions’ batting, despite Boris Gorlee’s 31, and it took some spirited resistance from Daniel Crowley (36) and Patient Charumbira (27) to give their bowlers a reasonable total to defend.
Derek Mitchell and Tim Etman began the reply confidently enough, but once Crowley had removed Mitchell and Roel Verhagen, Leijer took over, claiming four quick wickets at a cost of 23 runs to run through the middle order and reduce the hosts to 82 for six.
Wiggins then finished the job with three for 16, a very disappointing outcome for the Schiedammers after they had put up a much more convincing fight against champions Voorburg the week before.
Voorburg themselves suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of HBS at Craeyenhout, but their still-depleted side made a very good fist of chasing their hosts’ imposing 287 for six, the highlight of which was a third-wicket stand of 125 between Tayo Walbrugh (97) and Matt de Villiers (82).
Mees van Vliet ensured that the damage was not even greater, depriving Walbrugh of yet another century and then collecting two more scalps to finish with four for 37.
Nehaan Gigani got Voorburg’s reply off to a rollicking start with a 79-ball 71 which included six fours and three sixes, and then last Saturday’s centurion Gavin Kaplan contributed a valuable 57 before he fell to Benno Boddendijk.
That left the bulk of the task to Noah Croes, and as long as he and Michael Molenaar were together at the crease it seemed that the champions were in with a chance.
48 were needed off the last five and 25 off the final three, but when Croes holed out to Ferdi Vink as he tried to hit De Villiers over the top, departing for a run-a-ball 76, the challenge receded, and Voorburg finished 11 runs short of their target.
De Villiers finished with three for 55 and Boddendijk three for 57.
The weather took a hand in the Amsterdamse Bos, where VRA took on Punjab-Ghausia: a wet outfield meant a late start and a match reduced to 47 overs a side, and thanks to Shirase Rasool’s 74 and a hard-hitting 36 from Clayton Floyd the Amsterdammers were able to set Sikander Zulfiqar’s side a target of 239.
Musa Ahmad was the most successful of Punjab’s bowlers with four for 37, including the wicket of his brother and fellow-Dutch international Shariz.
Although Musa and Mohsin Riaz were both out by the time Punjab had 50, Shoaib Minhas and Jonathan Vandiar took the score to 133 for two in 29 overs before a heavy shower drove the players from the field, 17 ahead of the DLS par score at that stage.
A prolonged delay dictated that when they returned the game had been further cut to 36 overs and the target reduced to 176, leaving Punjab to make 43 runs in seven overs.
VRA skipper Johan Smal relied on his spinners, Floyd and Shariz, to restrict the Rotterdammers’ scoring, and so well did they respond that five wickets fell for 36 runs, Shariz removing Vandiar for 50 and Floyd dismissing Minhas for 63 as the batters tried in vain to hit over the top.
So Punjab, like Voorburg, had suffered their first loss of the season, and it was VRA who, having escaped looming defeat, moved to the top of the table on net run rate.
TKcricket 