Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 10/07/25
The stakes on Sunday will, of course, depend to a great degree on what happens on Saturday, so there’s a certain amount of the blindfold/black cat/darkened room about previewing Round 16 from this distance. We will, however, do what we can . . .
RL: If we assume that both Kampong and Punjab win on Saturday, then Alex Roy’s side will take on HBS at Craeyenhout knowing that another victory will guarantee them the title. It’s not unknown for teams to falter as they approach the winning tape, and the Crows certainly have the wherewithall to cause them some serious problems, from the reliability of Tayo Walbrugh and the explosive brilliance of Lehan Botha to the cutting edge provided by Kyle Klein and a spin attack which have proved a match-winner several times this season. Defeat at the hands of VRA Saturday, moreover, would leave HBS sweating on a possible relegation play-off, so regardless of Kampong’s position they would then have every incentive to make life as difficult as possible for the putative champions.
BdJ: Without wanting to cast aspersions on the professionalism of the frontrunners, it’s probably fair to say that should Kampong claim the title on home turf on Saturday, coinciding with pre-planned multi-sport festivities at Maarschalkerweerd, that celebrations and silverware may take a toll on their concentration the following morning. Their opponents meanwhile will indeed have plenty to play for regardless of the previous day’s results, and remain a formidable force on home (astro)turf. Depending on events at Westvliet on Friday, there’s of course a chance that performances on artificial wickets may start weighing more heavily in the considerations of the selectors too. Whatever the outcome of the previous two days, Sunday will find the champions-presumptive will either on something of a comedown or in a state of nervous frustration, and the Crows, one suspects, well poised to take advatage.
RL: By the same token, whether Punjab-Ghausia are still notionally in the fight will depend on whether they have managed to overcome Voorburg. If they have, then the points against Hermes-DVS will be equally vital; if not, then the battle could conceivably be over before the skippers toss at the Loopuyt Oval. As always, Hermes will be hoping for a good start when they bat, but the side batting first here has only passed 200 twice this season, and Punjab’s bowling unit, should they take the field first, has the capacity to prevent a third occurrence. Their batting, on the other hand, is another matter entirely, and an admittedly potent Hermes attack will need to be at its best to contain the defending champions, whether they are setting or chasing.
BdJ: Again one does suspect the mental state of the title-holders in this game will be heavily dependent on the previous day’s events, and if they wake up Sunday morning still in the hunt for the top spot then you’d expect them to come hard at a Hermes outfit likely resigned to a creditable mid-table finish. Hermes’ performances seem to have slipped inexorably since they were knocked off the top spot by Kampong, most markedly on the bowling side of things. While the top-heavy batting has been a consistent theme, the quality they do have at the top has generally kept them competitive so long as the bowling has delivered. In recent games it hasn’t though – in fact the sky blue attack that dominated the early season has only taken three wickets across their last two games. With games against wooden-spooners Sparta and likely mid-tablers HCC to come, Punjab’s late season schedule leaves the door open to a come-back run should their hopes survive the weekend.
RL: Another relegation four-pointer, this time between the two bottom sides, will be at the Bermweg, where Excelsior ‘20 will be hoping to keep Sparta 1888 firmly in the basement while keeping alive their own chances of squeezing out of automatic relegation territory. Their mood, obviously, will depend to a large degree on what has happened at Thurlede on Saturday, but if they have managed to overcome their old Schiedam rivals they will be all the more determined to keep up the momentum with a win against likely wooden-spooners Sparta. Even with their overseas contingent reduced from five to three there remains a huge discrepancy between Excelsior on paper and what they deliver on the park, a matter which has doubtless caused some head-scratching at Thurlede, but they seem likely to be too strong for a Capelle side which has long seemed certain to be playing in the Hoofdklasse next year.
BdJ: While Sparta have been reconciled to the possibility of a return to the Hoofklasse since before the first ball of the season was bowled, Excelsior’s current predicament has sent sackcloth sales in Schiedam skyrocketing. Sparta’s relatively sanguine attitude has admittedly not delivered them a lot of wins, but it has allowed them to play some commendably care-free cricket on occasion, as HBS found to their cost. However the Schiedam derby turns out on Saturday, one suspects the mood in the Excelsior camp will be altogether more desperate. An unworried yet understrength Sparta should not be a serious obstacle for a side of Excelsior’s strength on paper, but the match may well prove a stern test of their mental fortitude.
RL: Much of the interest at the foot of the table has been generated by VOC Rotterdam, who were on the bottom for much of the first half of the campaign and who will travel to De Diepput on Sunday to take on HCC knowing that they might just pull off one of the greatest escape acts since Houdini retired for the last time. That assumes, of course, that they have avoided the Sparta banana skin on Saturday, but a win against the unpredictable Lions here could leave them with plenty to play for as they take on HBS and VRA in their final two matches. They look a much better side when Monty Singh (Bharaj) is behind the stumps and in the middle order, and although HCC bat all the way down and, as m’colleague likes to point out, are a much bigger challenge at home, the Bloodhounds on a winning trail could prove a handful.
BdJ: Fair to say that Monty Singh has indeed proved more than worth the airfare for VOC, and with their investements in Scott Jannet and Chris Oberholzer also beginning to pay dividends the Bloodhounds’ portfolio looks a good deal healthier than it did last quarter. They still have their work cut out for them however, and while from here on out their opponents will likely all be comfortably ensconsed in the mid table with little left on the line, the weaknesses that have left them fighting for top-flight survival remain. The local batting contingent has contributed little to the oft-insufficient totals, while the bowling unit, Arnav Jain aside, has generally paid a hefty price in runs for every wicket they’ve bought. A late season lapse in concentration from any or all of their remaining opponents may well see the Bloodhounds scrape to safety, and should they wind up in the play-off they’d be favourites over any Hoofdklasse challenger, but fair to say there will be a lot of work to be done at Hazelaarweg if they’re to compete again in a trimmed-down Topklasse next season.
RL: I don’t want to go on about it unduly, but the match between Voorburg and VRA Amsterdam at Westvliet has been robbed of much of its tension by the absence of play-offs this season. Saturday’s results could have changed this, but in a normal season this would have been a key tussle in a five-, or even six-way struggle for three places in the top four, whereas now it might be what too many people in the Netherlands like to call a ‘dead rubber’. Except that if HBS have beaten VRA on Saturday and Voorburg have lost to Punjab, then Noah Croes’s team might just find themselves with a toe in relegation hot water. Last time the top flight was cut to eight it was Voorburg who lost out at the last moment, and they will be very keen indeed to ensure that that doesn’t happen again. Their visitors on Sunday should now be safe, and Singh, Smal, Nidamanuru and Co. play to their capacity they could at least reinforce their position in the top reaches of the table. If motivation counts for anything, however, it is likely to be with the hosts.
BdJ: There’s always pride to play for of course, and with all four of VRA’s sometime Dutch internationals seemingly on the outs now, one imagines Nidamanuru, Singh, Ahmad and Fletcher would like to prove a point when they come up against Voorburg’s more favoured Oranje section, especially if the Dutch have secured a World Cup berth by then. If not, one imagines that failure will be the subject of livelty discussion on Sunday, especially if Jersey have sprung a surprise. Voorburg will at least be at something approaching full strength again, though Viv Kingma remains sidelined and the visiting Bas de Leede is unlikely to play. The Voorburg attack has looked rather toothless without them in recent weeks it must be said, and VRA certainly have the batting to take advantage on paper, even if lacking somewhat for form.
RL’s picks: Kampong, Punjab, Excelsior, HCC, Voorburg
BdJ’s picks: HBS, Punjab, Sparta, HCC, VRA
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