Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 23/08/2024
With one and a half rounds of league play remaining, the race for the knockouts reaches a climax this weekend even as the now-redundant relegation pool trudges on through an extended epilogue. The lower half of the table is effectively settled from a competitive standpoint, with ACC’s relegation confirmed despite them finally recording their first win of the season last week, but there remain five teams in contention for the four playoff spots, with only Hermes DVS out of contention in the championship pool.
BdJ: At the top of the table Punjab-Ghausia are already certain of a spot in the next phase and barring an utterly calamitous loss to Voorburg on Sunday (and bad luck with other results to boot)are essentially assured of a place in the top two and the double shot at the Grand Final that goes with it. The same cannot be said of their opponents, who are at risk of being pushed out of the top four by HBS, whom they currently lead only by virtue of a better net run rate. VCC’s youngsters have put up a creditable showing in the absence of their international contingent, but even with Oliver White reinforcing they look outmatched by a Punjab side that’s only accelerating into the home stretch. Punjab will be missing Saqib Zulfiqar owing to a call-up for the T20Is, but Ryan Klein has also been recalled to the national camp and VCC’s resources are already stretched thin. Facing off against a near full strength Punjab away at the Zomercomplex, the defending champions will likely need a favour from Hermes if they’re to keep their hopes of retaining the title alive.
RL: The roots of Voorburg’s situation actually go back to last winter, with the departure of Musa and Shariz Ahmad to Punjab and VRA respectively, followed by the loss of Karl Nieuwoudt and then Syband Engelbrecht. With the absence of the national squad, that means that just three of last season’s grand final side will likely be playing on Sunday, enough to stretch the resources of the healthiest clubs. It’s a huge ask, even without the distraction of the second team’s relegation-avoiding battle in the Hoofdklasse. Punjab, on the other hand, have a settled squad which has been strengthened by the arrival of Musa and of keeper Fawad Shinwari, and although they have shown occasional signs of vulnerability, their hard-hitting top order and balanced attack have made them deserving leaders for most of the competition. At this stage they are favourites, not only to go into the play-offs with guaranteed home advantage, but to claim their second national title.
BdJ: For Hermes DVS it’s mission accomplished, given that just staying up was their primary goal for the season. They’ve a chance to act as spoilers for HBS Craeyenhout at the Loopuyt on Sunday though, with the Crows likely needing a win to leapfrog VCC into the top four. Even without Daniel Doyle Calle (still on Spanish duty) the Hermes top order looked on their way to a decent score last week at de Diepput, Murid Ekrami filling the DDC role impressively, before falling away at the back of the innings. Against an HBS line-up missing both their overseas and internationals (though skipper Wes Barresi may return even if not fully fit) Hermes have every chance of signing off their return season with a win. For the Crows it’s a must-win rather than a would-be-nice match though, and expect them to fight hard for the points they need.
RL: We’ve all been impressed by the determination shown by Hermes when it’s really mattered, and while from their point of view there may not be a great deal rising on this final competitive match of the season, they have the opportunity to end their campaign on a high. But for the Crows this is a make-or-break conclusion to the league phase: they will have one eye on events at the Zomercomplex no doubt, but they will know that only a win will give them the ch ance to squeeze into the top four. The return of Barresi would be a huge bonus, but they have others, too, who are capable of crafting victory in what promises to be a very close game. But they probably miss Kyle Klein more than Hermes have been missing Aryan Dutt, and Hermes’ seam attack is a potent force.
BdJ: Meanwhile at the Amsterdamse Bos VRA vs HCC looks like a de-facto quarter final, with the winner overwhelmingly likely to claim the runner-up spot in the league phase (or just possibly top the table). VRA currently trail the Lions by 2 points, but with a superior net run rate are set to leapfrog them into the top two should they win. HCC are at least safe from the risk of slipping out of the top four altogether, while VRA aren’t quite assured of their final four spot yet. They’ll have the services of Clayton Floyd again at the weekend, released from national duty as the T20Is roll around, even if the southpaw was rather outshone by the stalwart Leon Turmaine at Westvliet last week. Vikram Singh and Shariz Ahmad remain with the Oranje, but the Amsterdammers’ bench strength has stood them in good stead thus far. Daniel Doram’s brief cameo for HCC comes to an end however, and the Lions will again look to their rather mercurial core of Staal, Gorlee and Overdijk, perennially overlooked by the national selectors to the benefit of the Diepput faithful. How well that rather mercurial trio go at the Bos will likely go a long way to deciding who takes the points and the podium finish on Sunday.
RL: Game of the day, no question, not only because of its significance for the semi-finals, but also because it pits against each other two sides with something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde character. HCC have been rather more consistent than VRA, particularly in the latter part of the season, but both are capable of producing very strong performances. And HCC have a much more settled side, nine of their players having appeared in 11 or more matches compared with VRA’s three. That is, of course, partly the result of national team commitments (and the Nidamanuru injury), but it also reflects both the depth of the Amsterdammers’ pool and a degree of uncertainty about the best combination. Winners in 2022 and runners-up last season, HCC also have a lot more experience of such high-pressure culminations to the competition, and strong as the home side’s team may be on paper, that may well count for a good deal on Sunday.
BdJ: Down in the now recreational relegation pool, Excelsior ‘20 will play their final home fixture when they welcome VOC Rotterdam to Thurlede, the Bloodhounds coming off the back of a surprise defeat to the already-relegated ACC while Excelsior are looking to bounce back from defeat to Sparta on the gaffer-taped Bermweg pitch last week. The Schiedammers will doubtless hope to give their home fans something to cheer for after a disappointing season, though like their opponents they’ll probably be relying on their overseas to deliver it if the past summer’s anything to go by.
RL: There was a lack of conviction about VOC last week which no doubt reflects the fact that the only accolade left to play for is Best of the Rest, a title which Excelsior could still take from them with strong performances in their last two games. Net run rate as well as a two-point gap still favour the Rotterdammers, but it’s Excelsior who play ACC in the last round, and in this battle between two teams which have often amounted to less than the sum of their parts, it may be Roel Verhagen’s outfit which is more motivated. VOC, on the other hand, still have four overseas players to rely on rather than Excelsior’s two, and that might be enough to get them over the line.
BdJ: Finally ACC have the first of their two valedictory home games as they take leave of the top flight, with Sparta 1888 taking a trip to ‘t Loopveld for the last time in some time. Ben van der Merwe’s near-faultless match-winning century against VOC last week after an utterly wretched season serves as something of a pars pro toto for the team’s efforts so this summer, and one fears that some significant changes are needed at the club if they’re to avoid following their neighbours-across-the-water Dosti-United into competitive oblivion (AKA the Eerste Klasse). Sparta meanwhile are in comparatively good spirits having survived another season in the top flight and finished their home schedule on a high, and while they’ve only managed one win away from home thus far they’re favourites to double that tally on Sunday.
RL: There will be time enough over the winter to reflect on the longer-term malaise which affects not only ACC and Dosti but much of Dutch domestic cricket, and the measures which need to be taken to counter it. In the meantime, credit should be given to Anis Raza’s side for having found the steel which earned them their first win last week, not only through Van der Merwe’s fine innings and the support he received from the admirable Izhaan Sayed, but for the way in which they resisted the temptation once again to falter in the home straight. They will hope to do the same against Sparta on Sunday, but that will require them to neutralise the threat posed by Cameron Fraser, Martijn Snoep and Khalid Ahmadi. Sparta will start as favourites, but having won once, ACC will be out to prove that that wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
BdJ’s picks: Punjab, HBS, VRA, VOC, Sparta.
RL’s picks: Punjab, Hermes, HCC, VOC, Sparta.
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