tkcricket

Topklasse Previews | HBS & VRA

Bertus de Jong 21/05/2024

VRA Amsterdam have looked in better shape on the field than off it of late, but even so the leadership vacuum left by Peter Borren continues to be felt to an extent. New captain Teja Nidamanuru has had some time to settle in, but both he and his immediate predecessor in the role, Netherlands opener Vikram Singh, will be on international duty for the next few weeks, while Nidamanuru’s current deputy, Johan Smal, has been out injured all season.

Whether the club’s new-look first team can hold together under the circumstances will be a key question, though they do have the personnel to cover on paper. Singh leaves a big hole both with bat and ball, but VRA have the depth to, if not replace him, at least recreate him in the aggregate. There’s discarded depth still in the seconds, with the experience of Jack Balbirnie, Leon Turmaine and Luke Scully to call on if required, while young prospects Adam Constant and Ibaad Zaidi may well see call-ups to the ones.

Nonetheless Shirase Rasool will need to shoulder more responsibility with the bat at the top, while the spin all-rounders in the middle order will also need to reliably contribute with the bat. Left arm spinners Clayton Floyd and Udit Nashier have both shown some promise in that regard, as has Shariz Ahmad, whose missing the cut for the World Cup only strengthens VRA’s squad for the early season.

Of the new arrivals Elijah Eales has had the most immediate impact in the short format, while left arm seamer Ben Fletcher has also looked a handy acquisition. But VRA will likely to be lmore relaint on both for the first part of the season at least. Nidamanuru was keen to stress ahead of the summer that this season’s success would be measured more by team cohesion and ethos than by silverware, but if VRA are in the top half of the table by the time the internationals return, they might start thinking “why not both?”

Similarly HBS Craeyenhout will also be missing their skipper for their first few games, with the veteran Wesley Barresi called up for national duty along with key all-rounder Kyle Klein, who heads across the Atlantic as travelling reserve for the national side. The pair have been the stand-outs for the Crows in thw shorter format, and for a side already in something of a transitional phase their absence will doubtless be keenly felt for the first few rounds.

Tayo Walbrugh will take over the captaincy, while new signings Matt de Villiers and Lehan Botha also look capable of taking up some of the slack both with bat and ball. Reece Mason has also looked capalbe of accumulating steady runs, while left-arm spinner Julian de Mey seems to have recaptured some of his old wicket-taking guile.

In the absence of old hands such as Toby Visee and Ferdi Vink, however, HBS’ youngsters will likely have to play a substantial role too, at least to bridge the gap until Barresi and Klein return. Lucas del Bianco has shown great promise both with bat and gloves, while Elmar Boendermaker and Azam Khan may also feature more regularly.

Echoing Nidamanuru’s sentiments, Barresi told Tkcricket at the start of the summer that he’d be looking for commitment and consistency of performance over silverware as a benchmark, and set comparatively modest goals. In the T20 format a return to finals day would count as a successful season, and that much the Crows have already achieved. In the 50-over format a top four finish is the notional target, though Barresi was reluctant to set one at all.

“I’m not the sort of captain who wants to look at things and say we have to win the league do this or that, but looking at the balance of the team we have I see we can do a lot better than last year – and just enjoy our cricket!”

Topklasse Previews | Hermes & Excelsior

Rod Lyall 20/05/24

One of the most significant aspects of this Topklasse season is that it brings a resumption of the Schiedam Derby, long one of the most notable features of the Dutch cricket season.

Promoted club Hermes-DVS started their T20 campaign at a gallop, thanks in large measure to their opening pair, Chris Klijnhans and Daniel Doyle, but apart from Doyle’s blazing second century of the season last weekend they have found life a bit more difficult since.

Skipper Sebastiaan Braat has been a tower of strength in the middle order as well as being a key member of the seam attack, but Aryan Dutt has had limited success with the bat.

Dutt’s bowling, though, is a key factor in the longer format, and his absence through national team commitments will have a big impact on Hermes’ chances of making it into the top six; realistically, staying well clear of the relegation zone and avoiding a quick return to the Hoofdklasse is likely to be the club’s main concern.

That said, Klijnhans, Doyle and Ashley Ostling may well find the 50-over format more to their liking, and if they can fire consistently the side will have a decent chance of reaching totals which are within the power of what is an honest but somewhat limited attack to defend.

Oliver Elenbaas has been their leading wicket-taker to date, and Hermes will need him, together with Braat, to put the generally powerful top order of opposing sides under early pressure if they are to succeed at this level, especially when the reliable Dutt is away.

Ravi Thapliyal has done enough to suggest that he could be a valuable addition to the attack, but generally speaking Hermes have given the impression of relying rather too heavily on a small core of players, and they may find the going tough as the Topklasse competition unfolds.

Neighbours Excelsior ’20 had a somewhat disappointing 2023, and they will be looking for significant improvement this year.

Having taken over the captaincy from Tom Heggelman, Roel Verhagen has been in good form with the bat, and he and established opening partner Tim Etman lead a top order in which Lorenzo Ingram remains a stalwart factor, reinforced by the arrival of the experienced Derek Mitchell, the return of Joost Kroesen from Sparta, and the continuing emergence of Stan van Troost.

The limitations of the T20 format mean that Kroesen has had few chances so far, especially because the top four have been in outstanding form, and the same applies to allrounder Victor Lubbers, whose contribution since his arrival from Salland has mainly been with the ball.

Australian overseas Jason Ralston is the new spearhead of the Excelsior attack, and he and Niels Etman, supported by Jens Blankestijn, will provide the cutting edge.

But under Heggelman’s captaincy Excelsior frequently proved themselves able to defend comparatively low totals, with Ingram’s control an important factor, and with Lubbers chipping in and wrist spinner Luuk Kroesen playing an increased role, they have the resources to maintain that tradition.

As things stand they are free from losses to the national team, and they will doubtless be delighted that their match against defending champions Voorburg is scheduled for 1 June.

Excelsior vs Hermes at Thurlede | T20 Round 6 | 17.05.24

Topklasse T20 | Round 6 Preview

Bertus de Jong 16/05/24

As the final round of T20 League matches approaches, the unseasonably wet weather has left us with a substantial backlog of catch-up games to get through at the back end too, with almost as many rain-repeats scheduled over the next few days as actual Round 6 games. Further complicating the schedule is of course the arrival of the international season, with Scotland and Ireland in town for a tri-series that will pull a number of players out of domestic cricket as the scramble for playoff spots comes to a head.

A total of ten matches remain, to be played over the course of the weekend and Easter Monday. One side has already booked their place for finals day, hosts Voorburg, two points clear at the top of the table, can no longer drop out of the top four. That’s perhaps fortunate for them as they may lose a number of players to international duty – Vivian Kingma, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Michael Levitt unlikely to be available for their catch-up against HBS on the eve of the international tri-series, and even less likely to feature against HCC the next day.

For HBS Craeyenhout, currently in second place but unbeaten and with three games in hand, only a catastrophic final stretch could see them miss out. While they likely lose Kyle Klein and skipper Wesley Barresi to national duty, they only need one win from their three matches against Voorburg, Punjab, or Excelsior to be sure of progressing, and perhaps not even that considering their robust net run rate advantage. While Barresi and Klien have been key to the Crows success thus far, it’s hard to see them missing out from here.

Similarly HCC, though they lose the services of Tim Pringle, have two games in hand to make sure of their spot in the top four, one against a likely weakened Voorburg and another against wooden-spooners Salland, who have not looked like winning a game all season. Though the Lions’ core trio of Staal, Gorlee and Overdijk looked a bit rusty early in the season, all three have started to fire, while young Teun Leijer continues to impress. Though their poor net run rate does mean they will almost certainly need some points to make the playoffs, they’re pretty well-placed to collect them.

All of which makes for a nervous few days on the sidelines for VRA, who have completed all their fixures with five wins from nine and a solid but not insurmountable NRR of +0.85. Hermes DVS could yet leapfrog them, though it would take an emphatic win in their final match – the Schiedam Derby against Excelsior– to the tune of about 60-65 runs or with about 8 overs to spare if chasing. That looks a tall order given that they’ll likely be without Aryan Dutt and just possibly Olivier Elenbaas if the latter’s called up as cover for absentees. Any win could still be enough for the Sky Blues, but it would take a lot of improbable results going their way, having frittered away an excellent start to the season. If Daniel Doyle Calle or CP Klijnhand recover some of their early form one could still envisage a last ditch recovery, but finals day looks a long shot for Hermes as it stands.

Excelsior ‘20 themselves could still sneak in too if they got on a run this weekend, with three games in hand and three wins probably enough. In addition to the derby, Excelsior face HBS and Salland in their final matches. Unlike HBS, Excelsior won’t lose any players to the national team, and if they can take the hnours against rivals Hermes they will feel they’re in with a real chance of a surge up the table.

Meanwhile defending champions VOC Rotterdam are slightly better-placed to storm into the top four, level with Excelsior on two wins and a no result for 5 points in the bank with three games to go. The Bloodhounds will be away for all three fixtures however, first heading to Bermweg to take on Sparta, then the Zomercomplex to face Punjab, and finally Craeyenhout against HBS for their final match. With both Sparta 1888 and Punjab-Ghausia already out of contention (as are Salland of course), a full-strength VOC probably pose the greatest threat to HCC and VRA’s position in the top four. By the time Monday roles around HBS may already be safe as well, meaning VOC would exclusively be playing opponents with nothing to gain or lose.

All told there’s plenty of possibilities and permutations still in play, and the final four may well not be decided before the final match on Monday.