Bertus de Jong | 10-07-2026
The main business of the 2026 Topklasse may be settled, but there’s still an issue regarding the 2027 edition to be answered; namely who will be replacing the relegated VOC Rotterdam in the top flight. That last question will be decided on the field on Sunday, when the two table toppers from the twin 2026 Hoofdklasse groups, Excelsior ‘20 and Salland CC will meet in the Hoofdklasse final at Thurlede.
The final was originally slated to be played at de Diepput, but the two grass wicket clubs agreed between them that they’d prefer to settle the matter on a natural turf surface, so Schiedam will play host and Excelsior enjoy the privilege of playing at home. They’ll also have the notional advantage in that, by virtue of accumulating more points in the league phase, they will claim the title and promotion in the event of a washout. The forecast suggests that eventuality is vanishingly unlikely however, with clear skies and temperatures touching 30 expected at the weekend.
Having lost only twice over the course of the season, Excelsior finished fully 8 points clear of Group B runners-up Rood & Wit Haarlem and sealed a spot in the final with weeks to spare. A positive net run rate of 2.66 over the season illustrates a comparatively dominant run through the league phase, and the Schiedammers will carry a fair bit of momentum into the final as they look to bounce directly back from last year’s relegation.
The lion’s share of those runs have been provided by overseas all-rounders Jack Wood and Riley Ayre, as well as returning Excelsior legend Alex Ross early in the season and newcomer Charl Prinsloo at the back end. That said skipper Roel Verhagen has also had a fine season with the bat, as has Matthijs Schewe across his admittedly limited appearances.
Ayre’s left arm spin has also been instrumental to Excelsior’s success, delivering 38 wickets at a single-figure average, more than filling the sizeable boots of the departed Lorenzo Ingram. Young seamers Jens Blankestijn and Karson Edward have also reliably delivered top-order wickets, Gijs Kroesen has looked increasingly solid at first change, while Verhagen (having relinquished the gloves a few seasons back to Stan van Troost) has done solid work as second spinner along with Joost Kroesen. All told Excelsior have put together a well-balanced squad, and have looked a cut above in their first season back down in the second tier – especially on home turf. Of the two games they have lost only one was at home, and that was played on the artificial.
Salland, for their part, have a similarly unblemished record on turf. Their perfect record at home has been crucial to their topping the Group A table depsite arguably the tougher draw, having had to face down recent relegatees Sparta, Quick and ACC. They dropped points to all three of the former Topklasse sides, notably losing their season opener against Sparta, skittled by sometime Excelsior spinner Umar Baker. At home they’ve looked a class apart however, and the lure of playing on grass might go some way toward explaining their willingness to generously (some might say courageously) gift Excelsior hosting rights for the final.
Their success has been built on a combination of judicious acquisitions, substantial contributions from stalwarts, and a solid season from the now traditional German delegation. Of the latter, the advent of of 19 year-old spinner Ahmad Ullah has made the biggest impact, the leggie’s 36 wickets at 9 taking him to second in the season’s tallies behind Ayre. Another recent German debutant in Shahir Malikzai, a more established presence at Deventer, also had a fine season with the ball, and with skipper Reinder Lubbers in decent form the Salland seam section looks solid.
Kiwi Tim Seeto has proved an excellent addition, the former Canterbury under-19s keeper-bat topping the Hoofdklasse run aggregates with 592 at 45.5. Established German pair Talha Khan and Sahir Naqash have also looked in decent nick, while their countryman Jamshed Mutahihi has at times provided explosive acceleration down the order, as has former skipper Victor Lubbers on occasion. Lubbers limited availability arguably made Salland’s season tougher than it had to be, but doubtless they’ll be at full strength come Sunday.
It’s been some three years since the two sides last met in 50-over competition, at the same ground in 2023 in Salland’s most recent match in the top flight. Excelsior won that game fairly comfortably, and Salland’s record in the Hoofdklasse since has decent but not dominant. This will be there first opportunity since relegation three years ago to win their way back into the now-downsized Topklasse, and having won their way through the stronger side of the draw only to face Excelsior on their home turf, fair to say if they make it they will have certainly earned it.
TKcricket 
A more concerning issue might be the depth of the resources of these two clubs. Both second XI’s play Derde Klasse. If any player gets injured in the first XI, a replacement will be hard to find. Either club might be required to attract significant outside players if they want to play in the TK. It is not as if there is a wealth of either youth talent or ready available backing within the club itself.
Excelsior ’20 does on the one side have the potential of talented youth players, but on the other side suffer from a slightly aging core of the current team. This latter issue seems to be the same at Quick.
All in all, the 8-team format for the TK seems both a good practical choice and a realistic one when one looks at the HK and the make up of the top teams in the HK.