Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 04/05/25
It’s another of those weeks where the luck of the draw pits the top five against the bottom five, so the priorities will be respectively consolidation and springing a life-supporting surprise. It will also see the disappearance of those national squad members who were allowed to play last Saturday, with varying implications for the sides involved. Last time the two halves of the table met there were some significant surprises, so maybe that will happen again.
RL: It would certainly be a sensation if Sparta 1888, now firmly rooted at the foot of the table, were to get the better of Kampong, who have created a very comfortable cushion for themselves at the top. The leaders will, of course, be without Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, but neither was influential in last week’s demolition of Hermes, and Alex Roy’s side has proved that it is perfectly capable of taking on all comers without them. The Spartans, it is true, are a tougher proposition at the Bermweg, where they posted both their wins so far, but they would need both to cut through Kampong’s top and middle order and to withstand their very effective spin attack to have a real chance of springing the upset of the season. In Ahsan Malik and Juandre Scheepers, the latter having developed the knack of removing big-name opponents, they perhaps have a chance of achieving the first, but the fragility of their batting, its cyclonic destruction of HBS apart, is a major reason for the side’s current plight.
BdJ: Just five games to go, five points clear with a healthy NRR advantage to boot, Kampong Utrecht’s coronation is not quite inevitable yet, but they’d have to work hard to mess it up from here. Contriving to lose to Sparta would certainly be a good start in that respect, and Bermweg a fine venue to do it, both of the Spartan wins this season having come at home. Such a result would certainly inject a bit more tension at both ends of the table, but the sides find themselves at opposite ends of the table for good reason. Sparta have shown some fight and occassional adventure in recent weeks, most notably against HBS in round 12, they’ve generally looked outmatched even by lesser opposition. And while Kampong will again be without Edwards and O’Dowd, Sparta have not beeen spared the selectors’ scythe – Kyle Klesse off to Malawi after getting his maiden call up for Germany. With Sam Ferguson also sidelined with a broken hand it would take quite something for the understrength underdogs to turn over the frontrunners.
RL: The battle for eighth spot looks like being the last major issue to be settled in this campaign, with Excelsior ‘20 and VOC duking it out all the way to the final round. Their schedules from here on in are remarkably similar, each meeting four opponents a week apart, and the sole difference is that while VOC will take on VRA in their final game, Excelsior face a daunting assignment this week when they travel to the Zomercomplex to take on Punjab-Ghausia. Both Punjab and Excelsior posted totals of 300-plus last week, although the way they did it differed: the defending champions never looked in trouble as their top order relentlessly hammered a wilting VOC attack, while Excelsior needed a brutal onslaught from Brett Hampton to set up victory of an admittedly much stronger Voorburg. While the Schiedammers undoubtedly have the batting to tackle Punjab’s bowlers, it’s less evident that their own attack is effective enough to tame the likes of Shoaib Minhas, Musa Ahmad, Mohsin Riaz and Sikander Zulfiqar, all of whom looked in very good nick last Saturday.
BdJ: One of the less remarked-upon stories of the season so far has been Punjab’s newfound vulnerability at home; while the Zomercomplex was a true fortress last year, the defending champions look rather less at home at their new-look ground. Indeed most of Punjab’s intimidating top-order have been performing better away from home that at the Zomercomplex this season. They’ve also generally been performing rather better than Excelsior of course, hence their disparate positions on the table, though the Schiedammers will take comfort both from Hampton’s exploits and Raynard van Tonder’s return to fitness and form. Punjab’s bowling has been litlle more penetrative than that of their opponents this season, and with Saqib Zulfiqar in camera with the national team one might wonder where their wickets are coming from too…
RL: De Diepput has never been a very happy hunting-ground for VRA Amsterdam, where they have won only six of their last twenty encounters, although to be fair they came away with the points after their last two encounters there. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, they will still have the services this time of both Vikram Singh and Shariz Ahmad, only Teja Nidamanuru having been included in the Dutch squad for the T20 Qualifier, and the skipper’s absence will be balanced by that of HCC’s leading wicket-taker, Hidde Overdijk, whose selection has surprised some but is justified by the way he has led HCC’s attack this season. But the Lions still have plenty of talent with both bat and ball, and while VRA have won three out of their last four games they have had to scramble a bit to get there. They will have been encouraged, though, by the efforts of Ibaad Zaidi and Viraj Thakur with the bat last week, and they have a bowling unit capable of causing their hosts plenty of problems. This could be one of the tightest encounters of the round, but home advantage may just give HCC the edge.
BdJ: While VRA have been spared the cull they suffered when last the national team came calling, it should be noted the scales for this fixture aren’t quite in balance in that regard, as of course they’ve also lost Patrick Gouge to Jersey again (and from an admittedly small one-innings sample size, Gouge had been one of VRA’s better bats on mats). Neither Gouge nor Nidamanuru have delivered for VRA this season as Overdijk has for HCC of course, but even without their pace spearhead the Lions remain favourites in thier own den. Indeed Joshua Brown has quietly overtaken Overdijk in the wicket-taking tally, while the latter’s contributions down the order with the bat are less likely to be needed at home, given the top order’s form. The spurned Singh, Shariz and perhaps even Fletcher may all feel they have a point to prove, even if sending a message to the Dutch team hotel remains a secondary priority so long as VRA remain in sight of the relegation zone.
RL: Six points behind the leaders, their gallant initial challenge for the title effectively over, Hermes-DVS will take on VOC Rotterdam at the Loopuyt Oval, their visitors in acute need of points to get away from ninth spot. In a normal season the Sky-blues would be locked in a fascinating battle for a place in the semi-finals, but this year they are in a mid-table no man’s land. A strong closing run could still see them finish runners-up, however, and to do that they will need at the very least to beat VOC and Excelsior in their next two games. The Bloodhounds’ attack was hammered into submission by Punjab last week, Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi’s inexperience all too evident in the latter stages, but Aaditt’s brother Arnav stood up to the pressure well. They will need to contain Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle early on, of course, and their batters will have to find a way of countering Hermes’ spinners as well as the renewed threat of Olivier Elenbaas, a bowling unit which suffered a hammering of their own against a rampant Kampong.
BdJ: The momentum has indeed been leached out of Hermes’ early title challenge, and even with three games to come against the bottom three sides on the table it’s fair to say that 50-over silverware is beyond their grasp now. Thus with their opponents seemingly destined for a comfortable mid-table finish, one would imagine the Bloodhounds will be the hungrier of the two sides on Saturday. Yet while they managed to role Hermes for just 140 in their first encounter, even if they repeat that trick they’ll have to put up a sunstantially better showing with the bat this time round if they’re to avoid sinking deeper into the relegation zone. Hermes have tended to struggle to post substantial scores when their openers don’t deliver, but VOC’s own batting has looked brittle all through the order, and while Hermes’ attack took a drubbing last week they remain more than capable of taking advantage.
RL: Despite last week’s victory over HCC, HBS Craeyenhout know that they are just one win clear of the relegation threat, and they will face a visit to Westvliet to face even a depleted Voorburg with a degree of trepidation. The national selectors have denied us a meeting of the brothers Klein, both of whom are in squad for the Qualifier, but while Kyle’s absence is perhaps the greater loss for his side on current form, he has not in any case been available since returning from Scotland. Tayo Walbrugh’s second century of the summer again reinforced how vital he is to the Crows’ batting, and with 657 runs with five games to go he has an outside chance of reaching the magic 1000 for the season (he missed out by two runs in 2023). With Michael Levitt and Noah Croes as well as Ryan Klein again serving their country, Voorburg will once more need to draw on their copious reserves, and notwithstanding last week’s defeat by Excelsior they remain a considerable force. That said, if one of the lower five (for older readers, what used to be the right-hand column on Teletekst) is going to spring that surprise, then it might just come here. Or, perhaps, at De Diepput.
BdJ: An odd quirk of scheduling sees Voorburg playing at home while hosting the T20 Qualifier, meaning this match will be played on the second field while international affairs are addressed on the main square. HBS are unlikely to be complaining, as the artificial surface on the second ground may feel rather mor like home. Walbrugh’s run-tally on artificial surfaces this season is matched only by HCC’s Boris Gorlee, and while a fair few of those coming off the bench for Voorburg will be perfectly familiar with conditions on the second ground, it’s questionable whether the hosts will enjoy much in the way of home advantage. With VCC’s hopes of a title challenge receding and the home crowd’s attention likely elsewhere, the Crows may just sense a chance to steal a march on the chasing pack of relegation candidates.
RJ’s picks: Kampong, Punjab, HCC, Hermes, Voorburg.
BdJ’s picks: Kampong, Punjab, HCC, Hermes, HBS.
TKcricket 