Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 12/05/26
Three rounds done and the first big pseudo-double weekend is upon us, with a full slate of games set for both Thursday and Saturday having the potential to reinforce the emerging narrative of the season or throw the whole table into confusion. Thursday’s schedule especially is replete with proverbial four-pointers, pitting pre-season favourites and likely relegation racers against one another in matches that could well prove retrospectively critical when the dust settles.
BdJ: First up is the top-table clash between the much-fancied Voorburg and early pace-setters Rotterdam CC. Two points clear at the top, Rotterdam have looked imperious since their off-season name change, racking up big 300-plus totals in each of their first three games. Three of the top six run-getters in the season so far turn out for the frontrunners, with Shoaib Minhas and the two Zulfiqars all striking at well north of a run-a-ball. The bowling attack hasn’t look quite so unstoppable, and though Carl Mumba has been thriving since making the switch the seam attack especially has struggled for control, but then the big totals on the board have meant they could afford to buy their wickets at almost any price. Voorburg meanwhile suffered a shock defeat at the hands of VOC last weekend, and despite looking the more balanced outfit on paper looked far less than the sum of their parts. The return of Bas de Leede (as a bat at least) is a positive, however, as are the signs of a return to form for Michael Levitt both in Topklasse and the preceding pro-series. VCC were a popular pre-season pick for title contenders for good reason, and certainly have the roster to derail Rotterdam, but the form book is against them.
RL: There are two imponderables for Thursday: the prospect of rain, and what happens if Rotterdam are chasing rather than setting? The former seems more than likely, and as to the second, much will depend, of course, on the luck of the toss. Teja Nidamanuru and Sebastiaan Braat are doubtless regretting their decisions to let Rotterdam have a bat, but Noah Croes’s calculations will equally be affected by his side’s somewhat feckless batting against a hard-working but scarcely overwhelming VOC attack. He, and Voorburg supporters with him, will be hoping that that performance was just one of those days, and that his top six or seven do better against a bowling unit which, at least on paper, is a good deal more menacing. There is, however, such a thing as having too many resources to choose from, and for all the array of talent at their disposal Voorburg could do with a settled line-up if they are to mount a serious challenge for the title.
BdJ: At the other end of the table HBS Craeyenhout welcome VOC Rotterdam to the Bosjes van Pex, the Crows still winless after three rounds while the Bloodhounds will be on something of a high after toppling VCC on Saturday. There were some positive signs with the bat for HBS against HCC, not least Lucas del Bianco’s continued form, but their most serious concern on that front remains Tayo Walbrugh’s early vulnerability. The HBS skipper’s fallen inside the powerplay in three out of four matches so far (counting the pre-season NCT20 Cup) and may at this point be mulling a drop down the order. There’s little positive on the bowling side either, with the Crows attack all struggling for penetration or control or both. VOC’s season was looking little better this time last week, onto their third captain in as many rounds having lost their two first games by big margins. In the circumstances one might write off the result against VCC as a fluke, though Roman Harhangi’s continued improvement has been noted in these pages before and Asief Hoseinbaks is a proven performer. New captain van der Meulen likewise performed admirably, while newcomers Price and Montague seem to be finding their feet. One suspects if HBS are to draw VOC into a prolonged relegation battle this season, this fixture will be must-win.
RL: But if Walbrugh reverts to his most productive position at three, who takes his opening slot? Reece Mason has been tried there in the past without a huge amount of success, but it’s also important for the Crows not to weaken a middle order which has been comparatively successful amidst their run of defeats. Two of those reverses were relatively hard-fought, and the attack in particular, although hindered by the continued unavailability of Kyle Klein, has battled manfully but with only limited success. Their opponents, on the other hand, will have been buoyed by their shock victory over Voorburg, and will go into this vital clash with renewed hope of climbing away from the relegation zone. They faltered slightly in chasing a modest target, but the new opening pair of Bart Kooistra and Samir Butt did enough to suggest that there may be better times ahead for the Bloodhounds. Neither side can afford to lose this one, so we can anticipate a mighty battle.
BdJ: Meanwhile title-holders Kampong CC face down second-placed VRA Amsterdam at Maarschalkerweerd, where one or other of the two sides will be pushed down into the mid-table while the other will be keeping pace with the frontrunners. VRA have certainly missed the new ball pair of Peter Ruffel and Ben Fletcher, with opposing openers collectively averaging almost fifty against them this season, but a resurgent Vikramjit Singh has stepped admirably into the breach. The svelte seam all-rounder leads the wicket tallies with ten at an average of 9.2 so far, and averages 57 with the bat to boot. He’s had plenty of support on the batting side of things, with Johan Smal averaging 123, Shariz Ahmad thriving in the middle and newcomer Sam Cassidy rediscovering his pre-season form, but on the bowling side the Bos-dwellers have looked less convincing. Kampong have hardly looked like dominant defending champions either, however, as after comfortable wins over likely relegation candidates HBS and VOC they had no more success in containing Rotterdam last week than anyone else has had. That said Shashank Kumar somehow managed to impress again with the new ball even as his side gave up 358, while Pierre Jacod continues to burnish his all-round credentials. The batting card also remains intimidating on paper, especially with Lorenzo Ingram regaining some touch, though Max O’Dowd might consider wearing his orange Dutch kit under Kampong’s blue – so stark is the contrast between his form for the national team and his slump in club cricket.
RL: One of the more notable features of last week’s programme was that VRA didn’t call on the batting skills of Johan Smal as they chased down Hermes’ total, despite losing four wickets, and their balance of youth and experience should stand them in good stead as the campaign progresses. Kampong, on the other hand, are not quite firing on all cylinders, the fact that O’Dowd and Lachlan Bangs have so far contributed 58 runs in six innings between them a symptom of a less than stellar start to the season. Ingram, too, although he played a gallant innings in a losing cause last week, has not yet added to his tally of 245 Topklasse wickets, and the momentum definitely looks to be with the Amsterdammers going into this game.
BdJ: Finally HCC will take on Hermes DVS at De Diepput, with both sides looking to get their seasons back on track, or at least put some distance between themselves and the wooden spoon spot. HCC racked up their first points of the season with a nervy win over HBS l;ast week, though letting the Crows get almost 100 runs more than they managed in their opening games will not inspire much confidence, while a potential injury to Hidde Overdijk will only add to their worries. Zach Worden’s unbeaten century was the difference in that game, and his return to form is a big positive, while Justin Trijzelaar picking up 2-38 in 10 again is likewise encouraging, especially if Overdijk is indeed ruled out. Hermes meanwhile will take comfort from the return to form last week of their prolific opening pairing of Ashley Ostling and Daniel Doyle-Calle, even as their middle-order worries returned with a vengeance. Number three David Rushmere currently looks more like a wildcard than an ace in the hole in that regard, after his record smashing debut the newcomer has added just 8 more runs to his tally, and might have gone for a second golden duck on Saturday had he not been shelled at slip. He remains a lurking menace however, and skipper Braat’s lower-order counterpunching suggests Hermes have the makings of a big total batting side if they can get all cylinders firing.
RL: Again, any momentum would seem to be with HCC, while Hermes looked short of form with both bat and ball in losing to VRA last week. Justin Trijzelaar and Thijs Vrolijk slotted into the seam attack in the absence of Teun Leijer and Daniel Crowley, and if the attack lacks some of the cutting edge of years gone by, it retains a useful balance between seam and spin. The batting, on the other hand, still has an air of fragility, and without Worden’s unbeaten hundred they would have been in some trouble against HBS. On the other hand, the Hermes collapse in the Amsterdamse Bos will be a matter of real concern to the Sky Blues, the subsidence from 139 for one to 180 for eight evidence of a lack of substance in the middle order which has sometimes haunted them in the past. Especially troubling is Aryan Dutt’s two runs from three innings, and Sebastiaan Braat may need to consider changing his role in the line-up.
BdJ’s picks: Rotterdam, VOC, Kampong, Hermes.
RL’s picks: Rotterdam, HBS, VRA, HCC.
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