Rod Lyall 24/08/26
The T20 Cup was hit by a double whammy this weekend: a drought-breaking week of rain had left grounds somewhere between damp and sodden, and the impending start of the ETPL had differentially deprived sides of their leading players.
Climate change and franchise cricket, two scourges of the modern world.
The toll of the first was mainly felt at Maarschalkerweerd on Saturday, when both Kampong’s matches, against VRA and HCC were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
In the circumstances, Kampong might perhaps have been forgiven for taking two points from the day as something of a reprieve, but for their opponents, with championship and relegation-avoiding ambitions respectively, a point each would have been a disappointing return from the visit to Utrecht.
The two top sides, however, were able to get only the field at the Zomercomplex, and in a low-scoring match Rotterdam secured a six-wicket victory over Excelsior ‘20, displacing them at the top of the table and greatly improving their chances of pulling off a double title win.
Put in to bat, Excelsior struggled initially against Muhammad Gondal and Tehzeeb Haider, reaching just 28 for two by the end of the powerplay, and although Roel Verhagen batted throughout the innings for an unbeaten 41, it took him 56 balls to do it, and his only real support came from twenties from Stan van Troost and Joost Kroesen.
110 for six never seemed likely to be enough, and with Gondal contributing a 37-ball 42 and Abdul Rehman Niazi 34 not out, Rotterdam reached their target with 11 balls to spare.
Apart from Sikander Zulfiqar’s side, the main beneficiaries of the weekend were Hermes-DVS, whose victories over Voorburg and Sparta 1888 at the Boudewijn Hoek Oval on Saturday carried them away from the relegation zone and into a comparatively secure postion mid-table.
Against a Voorburg side deprived of most of its top order and with national women’s captain Babette de Leede behind the stumps, Hermes ran up the highest total of the weekend, their 171 for five owing much to Daniel Doyle Calle’s 54 and a 21-ball 48 not out from skipper Sebastiaan Braat.
Olivier Elenbaas then removed standin captain Cedric de Lange in the second over of Voorburg’s reply, and by the halfway mark the visitors were effectively out of the game at 55 for three.
Tom de Leede, younger brother of the absent Bas, made a fighting 46, but the innings closed on 137 for eight, still 34 runs in arrears.
Runs were harder to come by in the second match, but Ash Ostling’s 54 and Nick Statham’s 26 saw Hermes to 131 for eight, but although Khalid Ahmadi produced his characteristic fireworks, smacking five sixes in his 40-ball 54, Sparta could only manage 111 for nine in reply, Hermes not only taking four much-needed points from the day but also considerably improving their net run rate.
Sparta’s woes continued at the Bermweg on Sunday, as after restricting Voorburg to 130 for eight, they were dismissed for 111 to remain anchored at the foot of the table.
Tom de Leede continued his good form with the bat, contributing 29, but it was Michael Rippon who top-scored with 41, and after Umar Baker had kicked off Sparta’s reply with a solid 30, Rippon grabbed the vital wicket of the dangerous Ahmadi, setting up Voorburg’s 19-run victory.
Sparta’s plight was made worse by events at De Diepput, where HCC gave themselves a three-point margin over the Capelle side by beating VRA by a thumping 55 runs.
A win would have given the Amsterdammers a share of the lead with Rotterdam and Excelsior, but they were set back by Josh Brown’s 72 not out, made from 48 deliveries, which saw his side to 163 for six, Hidde Overdijk icing the cake with back-to-back sixes after coming to the crease in the final over.
VRA began their reply brightly enough, reaching 52 for three by the end of the powerplay, but immediately afterwards Casper Snoeck removed Shariz Ahmad (23) and Johan Smal (21) in the space of three deliveries, and thereafter the challenge fell away, Teun Leijer eventually claiming three for 6 in 10 deliveries to clean up the innings on 108.
Next weekend’s potentially-decisive schedule, which sees Rotterdam taking on Hermes-DVS and VRA while Excelsior face Voorburg and Kampong, with Sparta at home to HCC in a last-ditch attempt to avoid relegation, will be competing with two double-headers in the ETPL, as the stiff winds of cricket’s climate change finally reach the Netherlands.
No doubt we should all be grateful.
