Rod Lyall 17/05/26
The Topklasse competition took an unexpected – and unwelcome – turn on Saturday with the abandonment of the match between leaders Rotterdam and HBS at the Zomercomplex.
Play was stopped one over into Rotterdam’s reply as they set out in pursuit of the Crows’ total of 226 for eight.
Opener Musa Ahmad, who had taken two fours off the opening four deliveries from Kent Goedeke, survived an insistent appeal for caught behind off the fifth, and it appears that the discord in the middle overflowed to the boundary, resulting in an altercation between a spectator and one of the fielders.
The players left the field, and it eventually became clear that it was impossible for play to resume, the umpires having no alternative but to abandon a match which was nicely poised.
Earlier, the HBS innings had seen a return to form by skipper Tayo Walbrugh, who dropped back down to three and made a fine 67 before he became one of three victims for leg-spinner Saqib Zulfiqar.
That made it 134 for four with 18 overs left, and with Goedeke making 41 and Lucas del Bianco 42 HBS were able to set Rotterdam a moderate target.
The Rotterdammers’ power with the bat, however, has been well established, and they would probably have been the more confident side as their innings began.
The matter will now have to be resolved by the KNCB, whose Discipline Committee will presumably become involved in considering all the facts of the case.
This unsatisfactory situation allowed both Kampong Utrecht and Voorburg to leapfrog Rotterdam, at least temporarily.
Kampong’s victory over Hermes-DVS at the Loopuyt Oval was the more comfortable to the two wins, although this is to a degree belied by a 25-run margin which makes the game seem closer than it actually was.
The basis of Kampong’s total of 282 for nine was a second-wicket stand of 164 between internationals Max O’Dowd, whose 90 was his first significant knock of the campaign, and Scott Edwards.
Once O’Dowd had been bowled by Sahil Kothari Edwards continued in company with the middle and lower order and completed his sixth Topklasse century, eventually falling to Hikmatullah Jabarkhail for 131, made from 117 deliveries with 11 boundaries.
The momentum of the innings was impeded somewhat by an injury to Lorenzo Ingram, who was forced to retire hurt but who eventually returned with nine down to see out the closing overs.
Jabarkhail was the most successful of the Hermes bowlers with three for 53.
Hermes were soon in trouble when they replied, and at 75 for five after 19 overs they appeaared to be heading for a heavy defeat.
They were partially rescued, though, by a 95-run stand for the sixth wicket by Olivier Elenbaas (50) and captain Sebastiaan Braat (52), and then Aryan Dutt, coming in at eight, hit a 40-ball 53 which included three fours and three sixes, bringing his side unexpectedly close to their target.
They might have been even closer had it not been for the remarkable dismissal of Braat, bowler Pierre Jacod diving on a powerful straight drive from Dutt and instantaneously throwing the non-striker’s wicket down before Braat could react.
Having lost to Kampong by one wicket on Thursday, VRA Amsterdam were involved in another tight finish against Voorburg in the Amsterdamse Bos, falling just 12 runs short as they chased the visitors’ 253 for nine.
Vikram Singh had another great day with the ball, taking six for 52 and bringing his tally for the season to 18 wickets at 9.67, but VRA were held up by a stand of 127 for the fourth wicket by Noah Croes (65) and Bas de Leede (85), Ryan Klein chipping in with a useful 21-ball 23.
The Amsterdammers were well placed at 109 for one, with opener Lovepreet Padda and Sam Cassidy well set, but 22 overs had now been bowled and they had begun to fall behind the required scoring rate.
The first of a series of three run-outs further held up their progress, and when Shariz Ahmad was caught behind off Jaynul Islam moments before rain caused a brief interruption, it was 147 for four with 18 overs left.
Padda had reached a maiden Topklasse half-century, but at 196 he was bowled by Farhaad Khawaja for 74 and the game began to turn Voorburg’s way.
Ibaad Zaidi contributed a valuable 37, but the asking rate was continuing to rise, and in their keenness to pick up every possible run both he and Darsh Abhinay were run out looking for a second; Abhinay’s dismissal came in the middle of three wickets in consecutive deliveries by Jaynul Islam, and Udit Nashier was left to try to manufacture a victory in company with last man Sharad Hake.
23 were required from the final two overs, but Islam and Mees van Vliet were able to restrict the damage to ten, Nashier finishing on 21 not out and Islam claiming four for 48.
At the Hazelaarweg, HCC battled their was to 198 for seven against VOC, Zac Worden top-scoring with a patient 55, but it was skipper Boris Gorlee’s 23-ball 35 not out, including three sixes, which gave his attack something to bowl at.
Star of the show for VOC was Ramdas Upadhyaya, whose unbroken ten-over spell at the start of the HCC innings yielded three for 17.
Conditions proved no easier for the home side, though, nobody making more than 21 as they laboured their way to 143 all out in 42.2 overs, seamers Daniel Crowley and Justin Trijzelaar and spinner Teun Kloppenburg picking up two wickets apiece and Clayton Floyd collecting three for 21.
TKcricket 