Category: Preview

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong | 02-07-2026

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Never in the long history of the Dutch top flight has the championship been decided on the first weekend of July, and it really does feel like a premature climax. Perhaps it marks the eclipse of the 50-over format by T20, in which case it is part of a much larger trend in world cricket which many of us profoundly regret. Will there be a time when the list of national champions runs from the original time cricket to a period of limited overs formats (63 overs, 60 overs, 55 overs, 50 overs) to the T20 title?

Be that as it may, there’s no doubt that this eight-team competition has been intensely competitive, and we go into the final weekend with the championship still up for grabs, and the relegation spot not quite finalised either. In the absence of play-offs at least three teams are playing only for pride, but the outcome of seven of the eight games will help to determine both issues.

Saturday

RL: Leaders Voorburg face a tricky trip to the Boudewijn Hoek Oval to face Hermes-DVS, knowing that their hosts will guarantee themselves another year in the Topklasse if they manage to take the points. Having won their last two games to ease themselves clear of VOC, Hermes are entitled to go into this one with a certain amount of optimism, but they will need to be at their absolute best against opponents who have their noses in front as they head towards the line. The return of Gavin Kaplan has made a huge contribution to Voorburg’s recent performances with the bat, and while their bowling may still have some question marks, it looks a lot sharper when Jaynul Islam is in the side.

BdJ: Worth noting that Voorburg could potentially claim the title at Harga should second-placed RCC slip up against VOC; a combination of results the Hermes will be desperate to forestall, given it’s the only one that would see them enter the last round still at risk of relegation. The chief concern for the Sky Blues will indeed be the consistent strength of Voorburg’s batting, especially now back at full strength. Kaplan’s been averaging almost 100 since his late arrival, Peter Hatzoglou is rumoured to be reinforcing this weekend, and with Dutch internationals Cedric de Lange, Noah Croes and Bas de Leede all averaging north of fifty too, Voorburg’s batting card is arguably as strong as (and indisputably very similar to) that of the national team. The VCC bowling has looked relatively weak in comparison however, with both Michael Rippon and Mees van Vliet having somewhat subdued seasons, with Hermes own enviable top order finally finding some semblance of form the Sky Blues might just be able to capitalise. The teams are at opposite ends of the table for a reason though, and though Hermes did manage to hold Voorburg to a tie away earlier in the season they’ll still start as underdogs at home on Saturday.

RL: At home to wooden-spooners VOC, Rotterdam must at least keep pace with their rivals, whom they would overtake should Hermes pull off a surprise. For the Bloodhounds, this is last-chance saloon: they will be relegated unless they can produce the shock of the season and beat Rotterdam at the Zomercomplex. They have clicked just three times this campaign, always against more fancied opponents, but it’s hard to see them doing it against a side which has a powerful top order, bats in depth, and boasts a varied attack, especially when for the latter the title is on the line.

BdJ: Depending on events at Harga, this fixture could well prove critical at one end of the table or the other. Trailing Hermes by three points (and VRA/HBS by four) the Bloodhounds path to Topklasse survival grows ever more narrow. Given their net run rate, as it stands they will need to win both their remaining games and hope other results fall their way. Despite showing some creditable fight throughout the season, most notably from new skipper Jason van der Meulen and the bowling attack, I’d agree VOC besting Rotterdam in their own back yard would be the upset of the season. The Rotterdammers have looked nigh-unstoppable with bat in hand, and while VCC have twice outscored them only HCC have managed to contain them thus far.

RL: Currently fourth and third, Kampong and HCC meet at Maarschalkerweerd in an encounter which is more important for the visitors, whose hopes of a miracle depend on their going on winning and results going their way elsewhere. The hosts have definitely gone off the boil as their hopes of retaining their title have ebbed away, and the departure of Lachlan Bangs certainly hasn’t helped their cause. HCC, on the other hand, have if anything improved in the back half of the season, although they have been distinctly more impressive bowling first and chasing.

BdJ: The 2025 champions really haven’t looked anything like their best of late, sinking to defeats against Hermes last week and VRA the week before, but then it’s worth noting HCC lost to both those sides recently too. Kampong’s problems seem to run a tad deeper though, beset by mounting injuries and unavailabilities all season that not even Max O’Dowd’s return to domestic form could paper over, of which Bangs is only the most recent. An in-touch O’Dowd along with Edwards and Jacod still makes facing Kampong away a tough proposition, and all will likely get a tune-up in this week’s pro-series game. Alex Roy’s return has also shored up the bowling side somewhat, but HCC has there opponents outgunned in that department at this point, with Brown currently topping the League wicket-tallies and Crowley racking up a personal best last week, while Tim Pringle is also back in the country and available ahead of the international (and franchise) season. HCC still need a lot to go right for them to find themselves in with a chance at the title come the final round, but for now at least it’s partly in their hands.

RL: Many might call this a dead rubber, but for those of use who believe there’s no such thing, the visit of HBS to the Amsterdamse Bos to take on VRA is about which of these sides might squeeze into the top half of the table at the expense of Kampong, who are two points ahead of the home side at this point and who have an almost identical NRR. Their mid-table positions reflect the fact that both sides have blown hot and cold all summer, although the hosts can probably claim to have greater strength in depth, especially given the indifferent form of Tayo Walbrugh and the inconsistency of Lehan Botha.

BdJ: Admittedly a match that’s unlikely to matter much in the scheme of things, but it should be pointed out that neither side are arithmetically safe from relegation at this point. A victory on Saturday would certainly see the winner safe even in the case of unlikely results elsewhere, while the loser could still theoretically start the final round in danger. VRA have weathered some misfortunes well this season, and a mid-table finish without most all their best bowlers from last season and this one would be an achievement in itself. Their threadbare attack was rather exposed by VCC last week, but even with Tayo Walbrugh finally finding some runs it’s questionable whether HBS have the firepower to take the same advantage. That said the Crows were able to restrict a full strength VRA side to 261 early in the season and chase comfortably at Craeyenhout. While this may prove the least consequential of the day’s fixtures, it may well also be the most closely contested.

Sunday

RL: What will be at stake at De Diepput on Sunday is anybody’s guess: should HCC win on Saturday and Rotterdam lose, then the Lions would go into this game just one point in arrears, and if Voorburg had lost as well, a last-minute grab at the title would be on the cards. A lot of ifs, yes, but however they are resolved this looks certain to be The Game of the Final Round. Arguably, HCC’s home ground suits Rotterdam’s big hitters even better than their own, but we shouldn’t forget that in their previous meeting, at the Zomercomplex, HCC dismissed their previously-rampant opponents for just 120. A trick they will certainly be keen to repeat on Sunday.

BdJ: Should results fall HCC’s way on Saturday this could indeed have the makings of a thriller, HCC’s net run rate advantage over VCC meaning should they end up level on points Voorburg’s run of narrow wins punctuated by a couple of very heavy defeats will tell against them. That said of course it could equally be a dead rubber. Most likely only Rotterdam that will will have something at stake and will consequently be the side under the greatest pressure, and who better than the Lions to play for pride?

RL: On one scenario, Voorburg are already champions and Sunday’s game at Westvliet becomes a victory lap; in another, everything is on the line as they take on Kampong with hopes of succeeding them. Both these sides have been at the top of the table at some point this season, but more recently they have headed in different directions: Voorburg have settled into a much more consistent pattern – not least because of Kaplan’s presence – while Kampong have never really recovered from the national selectors’ raid on their squad, losing their last four games. Or possibly five.

BdJ: In all but one scenario there will at least be something to celebrate at Maarschalkerweerd on Sunday, and in any event no doubt a cracking mid-season end-of-season party – tempered only by looming pro-series commitments for a fair portion of participants. There’s every chance though that the game itself will be a live one only for Voorburg, and while some sides have improved with the pressure off Kampong look like they’ve been going through the motions since their chances of retaining the championship receded. Voorburg made fairly light work of a full strength and fully motivated Kampong earlier in the season, and it’s difficult to imagine a different result in their final game.

RL: Once again, the significance of the game at Craeyenhout between HBS and Hermes-DVS will depend on what happens on Saturday: if VOC lost then Hermes will be safe, but if the Bloodhounds pulled off a miracle and Hermes lost, then this will be a must-win for the Schiedammers. Both sides have potential match-winners, but they also have palpable weaknesses, and if this match turns out to be really meaningful, it may hinge on who steps up when it really matters. The Crows have a crop of youngsters, a resource Hermes seemingly lack, and it’s possible that we will see more of them on Sunday as they start to look towards the T20 competition.

BdJ: Arithmetically there’s still a chance that if things go very badly wrong for HBS that they may have have a live NRR spreadsheet running for this game, though with a margin of about 300 runs on NRR over VOC chances are they’ll be safe enough by the time Sunday rolls around. The reverse fixture went down to the wire at Harga earlier in the summer, but on home astro one would be tempted to back the Crows.

RL: It would be a pretty extraordinary piece of Houdini-ism were VOC to finish their campaign with victories over Rotterdam and VRA and contrive to avoid playing Hoofdklasse cricket next season. But having survived a play-off last year to stay up, the Bloodhounds have had another disappointing season, and it seems most likely that whatever’s at stake, it will be the visitors who return to Amstelveen with the points.

BdJ: I’d actually say that if by some combination of derring-do and good luck VOC found themselves in a position where a win in their final game might see them survive, I’d probably back them to do it. It would imply that they were coming off the back of a much more improbable win over Rotterdam the day before and that fortune is in their favour, while VRA will (barring some absolutely absurd scorelines against them) have nothing but position to play for. Both paper strength and form points to a VRA victory though, both on run of results this season and past precedent for season finale dogfights between the two sides.

RL’s tips:
Saturday: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, VRA
Sunday: HCC, Voorburg, Hermes, VRA.

BdJ’s tips:
Saturday: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, HBS
Sunday: HCC, Voorburg, HBS, VRA

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Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong | 24-06-2026

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27 June may well prove to be the Day of the Banana-Skins, as the current top four all face bottom-four opponents in a round where any surprises could have a big effect on the final standings. It’s a pity that there are no play-offs this season, since with only two points separating third from sixth, all four games would have been crucial had the mid-table sides been battling for a place in the semi-finals. That’s a missed opportunity, but with three of the bottom four winning last week there’s still plenty to look forward to.

RL: This week’s leaders, Voorburg, are at home to fifth-placed VRA, who effectively ended Kampong’s remaining hopes of defending their title last Saturday. Their meeting back in May had a sensational conclusion when VRA lost four wickets for two runs and threw away a match they seemed to have in their pockets, but they have been much more consistent since then and will be aiming to topple their hosts at Westvliet. Even the loss of Vikram Singh hasn’t thrown them off their stride, with Sharad Hake providing a cutting edge with the new ball and Ibaad Zaidi and now Jack Cassidy giving greater strength to the middle order. No doubt delighted to have their internationals back, Voorburg recovered from a shaky start to chase down Rotterdam’s 320 last Saturday, and if there are questions about the efficacy of their bowling, their ability to bat deep and productively may stand them in good stead.

BdJ: Last week’s result at the Bos will have been a relief for the hosts, but it does make things a little less interesting at both ends of the table. VRA are effectively out of the woods and free to play spoiler in their next three games, which could all prove crucial to their opponents’ hopes of survival or, as is the case this week, claiming the title. Voorburg will likely prove a sterner test than an understrength and rather ragged-looking Kampong were last Saturday though, even if they haven’t quite worked out where to source their optimal fifty overs from. It’s worth pointing out that even on the bowling side of things VCC still have the likes of Aaditt Jain on the bench, who was a first team regular at VRA and would likely make the current team too. While the hosts are arguably spoilt for choice VRA have been getting the most out of dwindling resources, but both sides have looked better with the bat of late, and with scorching temperatures expected this (and indeed every match this weekend) may well come down to who can better endure a long day chasing leather in the baking sun.

RL: Relegated to second spot but hoping to take advantage of any slip-up by their rivals, Rotterdam travel to Craeyenhout to take on HBS. There is no doubt whatsoever about the power of the Rotterdammers’ batting line-up, but there may be some concern about the effectiveness of the attack as a wicket-taking unit after that defeat by Voorburg, especially when Sikander Zulfiqar is unable to supplement the pace of Carl Mumba and the economical seam bowling of Sulaiman Tariq. When they’re batting, however, the primary task of opposing bowlers is to keep them under 300, and that will be no easy assignment for Kyle Klein and his colleagues, the progress made by Joris van Oosterom notwithstanding. Of the regular bowlers only he and Benno Boddendijk have gone at under five an over this season, and while allowance must be made for the fact that they play their home games at Craeyenhout, they may have trouble containing their visitors to a total within the scope of a batting line-up which has largely been held together by Kent Goedeke and Lucas del Bianco.

BdJ: Given that they’re reliably making 300+ every time they get a chance, Rotterdam have rarely needed to bowl particularly well to rack up wins so far this season. Voorburg have been the only side to match them boundary for boundary so far, though it’s worth noting HBS did rack up a big 300-plusser of their own at home VOC early in the season, and have on occasion chased down substantial 250+ scores even without any substantial contribution from their run-starved skipper. Walbrugh staging a sudden escape from slumpsville could potentially shift the odds given an RCC bowling attack that has been somewhat off the boil, but fair to say the Crows start as outsiders.

RL: HCC’s defeat by Hermes last week pretty much put an end to any putative title challenge, but they will be keen to consolidate their position in the top half of the table when they take on VOC at De Diepput. The Bloodhounds have come frustratingly close in the last two games after beating a below-strength Kampong on 6 June, but they will need to be at their best against a HCC side no doubt smarting after throwing away what seemed like certain victory against Hermes. The experiment of switching Caleb Montague from keeper to bowler didn’t come off against HBS, and generally speaking VOC have had considerable difficulty in settling upon an optimal disposal of their admittedly limited resources. HCC, by contrast, have a very steady outfit, no fewer than ten of their squad having played in at least ten of their games. If the batting has something of a bits-and-pieces quality, the bowling remains the key to the side’s performances, Josh Brown now the leading wicket-taker in the competition and Justin Trijzelaar and Daniel Crowley giving him great support.

BdJ: Yep fair to say that, broadly speaking, the games where HCC collected points this season have been won with the ball rather than the bat. Tonny Staal has quietly had an excellent season in the opening slot, but the rest of the senior bats’ contributions have been more modest. Gorlee’s own role has arguably been limited by his dropping down the order, and a case might be made for the skipper coming in earlier, though there’s also plenty to be said for keeping young Kloppenberg and Banerjee where they are at this point in the season. For VOC meanwhile getting their combinations right is imperative, with the prospect of relegation looming and assignments only getting tougher from here.

RL: Similarly Kampong, top of the table four weeks ago, are now firmly in the middle, and will welcome to Maarschalkerweerd a Hermes-DVS side desperate to stay ahead of VOC and out of the relegation spot. The defending champions clearly missed skipper Alex Roy against VRA last week, but in truth the problems go deeper than that. Lorenzo Ingram’s contributions have been limited, especially since his return from injury, and with 226 of Max O’Dowd’s 313 runs having come in just two innings and Damien van den Berg yet to pass 50, the batting has tended to rely too much on Scott Edwards and the admirable Pierre Jacod. Hermes, one feels, are potentially a better side than their lowly position suggests, even if the batting is rather top-heavy and the bowling at times expensive. This game may well prove closer than the current table suggests, and if Kampong are at anything below their best it may be the most likely to provide an upset.

BdJ: The defending champions have admittedly been hampered by mounting injury and availability issues, but even accounting for at times enforced changes they’ve looked to be on something of a slide as the season wears on. They’ll be further hampered now by the loss of Lachlan Bangs, their stand-out bowler last week, who’s returned to Australia. Hermes will indeed have an opportunity on Saturday if they can take advantage, though the Sky Blues have also looked less than the sum of their parts this season. They will however be back to full strength again and, one imagines, the more motivated of the two sides in what is likely to be a grueling encounter in the heat.

RL’s picks: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, Hermes

BdJ’s picks: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, Kampong

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong | 02-06-2026

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And so we’ve reached that point in the season where the depth of several squads is to be tested in earnest, since for the next two rounds the members of the men’s national team will be otherwise engaged in King City, Canada. Voorburg, Kampong and Hermes-DVS are the clubs most severely affected, while HBS and VRA suffer to a lesser extent. HCC, Rotterdam and VOC get off scot-free, none of their players having made the selection. Apart from the implications for the competition, there is something to celebrate heartily in the fact that the three new call-ups, Cedric de Lange, Olivier Elenbaas and Alex Roy, are all Dutch-produced – hearty congratulations to all three from Tkcricket!

RL: The national selectors have deprived Voorburg of four of their top five batters for their visit to Craeyenhout on Saturday to face HBS, while the home side will be without new-ball bowler Kyle Klein and (on paper at least, since he’s only played one game so far), Roelof van der Merwe. It’s probably not entirely coincidental, therefore, that Voorburg have fielded 19 different players in eight games so far, although it may be a 20th, Nirav Kulkarni, who needs to step up from the Seconds, where he has been the club’s leading run-scorer, to reinforce the top order. With three wins to date, the Crows have moved clear of an immediate relegation threat, and there can be no doubt that they have the bowling strength to trouble a second-string Voorburg batting line-up. Their own batting has been a bit more hit-and-miss, but in Tayo Walbrough, Lehan Botha, Kent Goedeke and Lucas Del Bianco they have the potential to trouble a Voorburg attack whose form has been distinctly variable. Goedeke, though, has settled in well, and is their leading wicket-taker with 15 at 24.27; Botha, on the other hand, has been relatively quite with only four wickets in eight outings, three of them in one match against Kampong in the season’s opening round.

BdJ: It is indeed rather uneven swathe cut by the selectors’ scythe, and once again it’s the tall poppies at VCC that suffer. While the second-team stalwarts that have occasionally turned out in the Topklasse this season have generally done themselves credit, though more often with ball than bat, and Voorburg replace the whole top four. Tom de Leede’s been going well as a pure bat for the twos, Waseem Mohsen’s made runs at the top for the seconds too, and the overlooked Michael Rippon could be perhaps be pushed up the order. It will be a makeshift top order though, and the crucial question will be whether the Crows have the bowling to take advantage.

RL: The schedule could scarcely have been kinder to VOC Rotterdam, who face Kampong Utrecht this week and Voorburg next, while they are without their internationals. The absence of Scott Edwards, Max O’Dowd and skipper Alex Roy will make a big dent in the eleven of the defending champions and current leaders, but they gave a hint of their thinking by including Ajinkya More in last week’s side, and with Vikram Chaturvedi also making runs and taking wickets in the Seconds they should still be able to put out a competitive team. (It would also be an ideal moment for Lorenzo Ingram to return from injury.) Whether that will be enough to overcome VOC at the Hazelaarweg remains to be seen: it’s telling that the Bloodhounds have conceded 300-plus three times this season and only passed 200 three times themselves, and even without their stars Kampong are likely to prove a handful for a Rotterdam side in which Jason van der Meulen has too often received too little support. Roman Harhangi and Asief Hoseinbaks are their most consistent performers with the ball, but an unsettled top order simply hasn’t been producing enough runs, and if Shashank Kumar can get amongst them they may find things little easier on Saturday.

BdJ: Kampong have happily muddled through without Edwards and O’Dowd in the past, though the absence of Lane Berry coupled with Ingram’s sidelining already means the blow will fall a little heavier, and the loss of skipper Alex Roy to Oranje is an entirely new obstacle. The bowling stocks are less of a concern though, especially as Pierre Jacod didn’t make the cut for the Dutch side yet. There will be pressure on the Bloodhounds too, knowing they have a rare chance to knock over the table-toppers while they’re below strength. VOC’s bats have managed only six half-centuries between them so far this season, and one suspects they’ll need to better that average if they’re to take points off the title-holders.

RL: Untroubled by the call of the national selectors, Rotterdam will be at home to a Hermes-DVS side minus skipper Sebastiaan Braat, recalled to the orange colours, as well as fellow-allrounders Aryan Dutt and Olivier Elenbaas. What would already have been a big ask has therefore become considerably tougher, with the best part of thirty overs eviscerated from the Sky Blues’ attack. Playing in the Tweede Klasse, which is where the Hermes Seconds currently reside, can scarcely be viewed as adequate preparation for a call-up to the Topklasse (I simply do not understand the clubs’ resistance to a return of the Reserve Topklasse), and it may be that the Schiedammers will need to make a further call on their Belgian contingent. Rotterdam, on the other hand, have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to make even full-strength attacks suffer, and they were further strengthened last week by the appearance of left-hander Abdul Rehman Niazi, a youngster with inter-provincial experience at youth level in Pakistan. Barring a quite remarkable turnaround, this looks like one of the easier results to pick this week.

BdJ: The question of whether playing for Karachi Zone II under-19s constitutes “provincial level” (or indeed “representative under 19s”) is perhaps best left to the philosophers – or whoever has the unenviable task of filling out the player points sheet – but with Carl Mumba and the surprisingly-not-in-Canada Saqib Zulfiqar expected to return next week, Rotterdam will have the luxury of a full roster to choose from. Conversely, for Hermes the loss of Braat and Elenbaas will be at least as much a problem on the batting side of things. The pair are currently leading the batting averages for the Sky Blues, with the Hermes top three thus far failing to live up to past performance or early promise. It will likely take at least one (ideally all three) of Ostling, Doyle-Calle or Rushmere to have an old-fashioned day out for Hermes to keep pace with a Rotterdam batting card that has (bar the very occasional misfire) been firing on more than enough cylinders this season.

RL: Cricket, they say, is a team game played by individuals, and in that respect there is a stark contrast between VRA Amsterdam and their opponents in the Bos on Saturday, HCC. The Lions may not currently have any internationals in their ranks, but they have cohered admirably as a team, with the reconstructed four-man seam attack of Josh Brown, Daniel Crowley, Justin Trijzelaar and Thijs Vrolijk, backed up by the spin of Clayton Floyd and Teun Kloppenburg, arguably the most effective bowling unit in the competition. Their hosts, by contrast, will be missing their newly-emerged pace spearhead, Vikramjit Singh, who in addition to his 23 wickets at 12.48 has also moved into third place in the batting aggregates with 368 runs at 46.00. They will sorely miss his all-round input, although their spin department of Teja Nidamanuru, Darsh Abhinay, Udit Nashier and Shariz Ahmad – and as of last Saturday, Sam Cassidy – is a distinct asset, especially given the relatively generous dimensions of VRA’s home ground. The batting has been reinforced with the return of Johan Smal, but Singh’s spot at the top of the order is tough to fill. As against that, the introduction of Lovepreet Padda has added solidity to the top order, but he and the rest of the VRA top six will face a stern test against Brown & Co.

BdJ: VRA may only be providing one player to the Dutch national team this time round, but they’re effectively losing two in Singh, who is both their lead scorer and the league’s lead wicket-taker this season. The runs may be replaceable, Shereyas Potdar has made a case in the twos for the opening slot in Singh’s absence, Jack Cassidy has filled that role in the past, and the existing top order is solid enough on paper. But a ready replacement as seam spearhead is less apparent. Sharad Hake has been more steady than incisive with the new ball, while Ashir Abid has likewise looked a bit off the boil in the seconds – at least when not bowling at Hercules. Singh’s fiver-fer and fifty when the two sides last met pretty much delivered VRA the win single-handed, and it will take a substantial turnaround in form for the Amsterdammers to take the points on Saturday without him.

RL’s picks: HBS, Kampong, Rotterdam, HCC
BdJ’s picks: Voorburg, Kampong, Rotterdam, HCC

Bertus de Jong &Rod Lyall | 28-05-2026
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May it may still be (though one wouldn’t have guessed it given the sweltering temperatures) but the front-loading of the fifty over competition this season means we’re somehow already at the mid-point of the 2026 Topklasse, and fair to say the competition, too, is heating up. Four rounds in a fortnight has seen early frontrunners RCC stumble and sometime stragglers surge up the table, with both title and relegation races wide open at the half-way stage.

BdJ: After a slow start to the season Voorburg currently have their noses in front, but will face a stern test when they take on HCC at De Diepput. With seven points from their last four matches VCC look the form team in the competition at the minute, with league lead-scorer Cedric de Lange and skipper Noah Croes reliably churning out runs, and the totemic Bas de Leede also in good nick with the bat. Voorburg were pushed hard in most of those games however, and the bowling side of things still looks unsettled. Michael Rippon’s comparatively quiet season so far remains something of a concern, and the new frontrunners still don’t look clear on their best attack. Their opponents meanwhile will be coming off the back of a confidence-boosting win at the Zomercomplex, well in touch with the top of the table. That’s thanks in no small part to the understated return to form of Tonny Staal at the top of the order, reliably chipping in 30s and 40s despite the lack of a settled opening partner. Teun Kloppenburg’s promotion to the role last week was a success in that regard, and on that may be worth persisting with. Their middle order wobble against Rotterdam still betrays a certain vulnerability, and all told an HCC win on Saturday would still be an upset, but perhaps not a shock.

RL: Extraordinarily, Voorburg have fielded twenty players in seven matches, and this might suggesr some uncertainty about the best combination. The core is stable enough, although Mees van Vliet’s nightmare against Kampong (especially in combination with the absence of Jaynul Islam) will be a cause of concern, And with the departure of the national team for Canada looming, Voorburg will suffer a good deal more than most: much of that core will be unavailable for a couple of vital rounds. All the more important, then, that they make sure of the points against HCC, who are clearly emerging as challengers to the top three. The Lions, on the other hand, will be extremely keen to further close the gap on the leaders, and even without the injured Hidde Overdijk and the ill Teun Leijer they have assembled an impressive attack, into which Justin Trijzelaar and Thijs Vrolijk have slotted well. They are certainly capable of unsettling Voorburg’s top order, and they will need to do so if HCC are to take the points.

BdJ: Defending champions Kampong will be poised to take advantage should VCC slip up, but their own fixture against HBS Craeyenhout at Maarschalkerweerd hardly looks the foregone conclusion one might have imagined at the start of the season. While Kampong have stayed within shouting distance of the top spot thanks in large part to a steady bowling unit and the form of Pierre Jacod and Dutch skipper Scott Edwards, they don’t look quite the force they were last season. Meanwhile the Crows have won three from three in their last four games (eliding the incomplete and unresolved unpleasantness at the Zomercomplex) buoyed last week by the return of Heino Kuhn and Roelof van der Merwe to Topklasse competition. While Kuhn didn’t have quite the impact he might have hoped with the bat, van der Merwe certainly did, and if the pair can be called upon more regularly HBS’ prospects look a good deal better, especially given Lehan Botha’s form and the hints that Tayo Walbrugh’s horror early season may be behind him.

RL: With one notable exception neither Damien van den Berg nor Max O’Dowd has been able to give the Kampong innings a decent start, and without last year’s Lane Berry or, at present, the injured Lorenzo Ingram, the top and middle order has looked vulnerable, despite useful contributions from Karel Vieler at three and the dependability of Jacod and Edwards. The bowlers have, as m’colleague says, saved their blushes somewhat, but they will need to get rid of Walbrugh and Botha early if they are to contain an HBS line-up which successfully chased down 282 on Monday. The Crows’ middle-order, with Kent Goedeke and Lucas del Bianco, has been firing well, though, and although their bowling unit was able to make no impression on Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle in that game, they have the potential to trouble Kampong,

BdJ: Meanwhile at the bottom of the table, where Hermes DVS unexpectedly find themselves, the Sky Blues welcome VOC Rotterdam to the Loopuyt Oval. Hermes’ 136-run opening win over the Bloodhounds remains their only victory of the season, though their three-point tally probably isn’t a fair reflection of the quality of the cricket they’ve played. The return to form of the prolific opening pairing of Ostling and Doyle last week just happened to coincide with a sub-par outing for the rest of the order, and that’s arguably been pretty typical of their season so far. VOC meanwhile have been battling commendably throughout and finally found some reward last week with a win over VRA, with young Roman Harhangi and the veteran Ahsan Malik again the stand-outs. Hermes remain much the stronger side on paper, but VOC have been playing closer to potential of late, despite an unsteady early season.

RL: To be fair, the Hermes middle order sacrificed itself on Monday in the search for quick runs, but it’s not the first time the Sky Blues have collapsed after an outstanding start, and with David Rushmere struggling to reproduce his brilliant debut the batting has generally been less than overwhelming. The attack, too, has lacked bite in a season where the batters have generally been in charge, its best effort probably dismissing Voorburg for 228 in a match that was eventually tied. Sahil Kothari and Sebastiaan Braat have been their most successful bowlers, and skipper Braat has made valuable runs as well, but the side will haave to lift itself in the back-half of the season, starting with this must-win game against fellow relegation-candidates VOC. The Bloodhounds pulled off a remarkable last-minute win against VRA, and they will know that a win here would greatly ease those pressures.

BdJ: Finally VRA Amsterdam welcome Rotterdam CC to the Bos, with both sides coming off the back of a tough run of results. Rotterdam’s scarcely believable collective early form with the bat was not enough against Voorburg, and then seemingly deserted them entirely when they were skittled for 120 by HCC on Monday. That said, the fact that their average score batting 50 remains north of 300 will be playing on the minds of a VRA side that gave up 338 against them in the season opener and who themselves have gone winless for four rounds. The Amsterdammers have suffered a series of close defeats despite getting into winning positions, and despite flashes of form from all of the top order it’s been rare for all or even most to fire at once. The bowling also remains a concern, as while league lead wicket-taker Vikram Singh is having a revelatory season with the ball the rest of the attack has looked rather innocuous, leaving a tricky forty overs to fill.

RL: It would be stretching credibility to the limit to suggest that Rotterdam might collapse in a heap two matches in a row, especially since their opposition this week lacks the incisiveness of HCC’s bowling unit. For Musa Ahmad, Shoaib Minhas and Mohsin Riaz to assemble ten runs between them is close to unheard of, and it’s a lot to ask of VRA’s new-found spearhead Vikram Singh to repeat that blitz. But VRA are something of an enigma: with the introduction of Lovepreet Padda and the return of Johan Smal the batting looks a lot more solid, but the side has displayed a notable ability to conjure defeats from winning situations, and they will really need to cast off that tendency if they are to get their campaign back on track. With only two partnerships of 75+ in seven matches, their batting has been as vulnerable as their bowling; Rotterdam, at the other end of the scale, have had seven, in six completed innings.

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BdJ’s picks: Voorburg, Kampong, Hermes, Rotterdam
RL’s picks: Voorburg, HBS, Hermes, Rotterdam.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong | 20-05-2026

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Slowly but surely, this eight-team competition seems to be resolving itself into a top-three and a bottom-three, with HCC and VRA caught somewhere in the middle, but perhaps more likely to be clinging to the coat tails of the leaders than to be sinking into relegation territory. Their fortunes have contrasted sharply in recent games, with HCC posting relatively comfortable victories while VRA have twice fallen just short. Hard to believe there are only two rounds left before we reach the halfway mark!

RL: One game which will play a part in deciding HCC’s direction is their meeting with Kampong at De Diepput on Saturday. The Lions have slipped quietly into the top four (not that that means anything these days – remember when being on the lefthand-side of the Teletekst page was a thing?) by virtue of their three straight victories and VRA’s two recent defeats. Kampong aren’t quite the side they were last year, but Scott Edwards’ imperious form, coupled with Max O’Dowd’s first big innings of the season last week and a varied, hard-working attack, have kept them in the hunt. The injury Lorenzo Ingram sustained against Hermes will be a concern, as will the way in which they allowed the Sky Blues to get themselves off the hook. HCC, on the other hand, will be boosted by the successful return after a 16-year gap of Bob Entrop, who certainly strengthened a sometimes-indifferent middle order against VOC. But the Lions’ real trump card is their bowling unit, even without its leader Hidde Overdijk. Hard to pick this one, but the momentum seems to be with the home side.

BdJ: While the defending champions have not quite recaptured their form from the back end of last season, they’ve done enough to keep mostly winning, in no small part thanks to the unfaltering form of the Dutch captain. If Edwards can renew his productive partnership Max O’Dowd at club level the defending champions will begin looking something like the sum of their enviable parts. Yet while the celebrated HCC seam attack has looked a little light without Overdijk, the spin section have been impressive and the success of the likes of Entrop and Trijzelaar stepping up to the ones demonstrates an enviable depth at de Diepput. Kampong will take some containing though, especially with Damien van den Berg now also finding some form in the pro-series. While HCC should never be counted out at home, I’d still make the title-holder marginal favourites in this one.

RL: Just ahead of Kampong on net run rate, Voorburg entertain a Hermes-DVS side which put up a spirited fight against Alex Roy’s outfit before eventually succumbing. One of the problems at Westvliet seems to be sorting out the best eleven from their wide range of choices: they’ve used 17 players already in five games, more than any other team, but on the positive side that’s partly due to the return from injury of Bas de Leede, who proved his value to the side with his 85 against VRA. Young seamer Farhaad Khawaja made a promising debut in that game, but this week much will doubtless depend on Voorburg’s ability to claim early wickets, Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle-Calle having been somewhat less consistent this year than they have been in the past. David Rushmere remains an enigma: having hit a record 169 in the opening match, he has managed just 17 runs in four innings since, and Hermes will be hoping he can find something of that initial form a.s.a.p., and help them escape the lower reaches of the table they currently inhabit.

BdJ: Fair to say that “spoilt for choice” or “an embarrassment of riches” are among the more surmountable problems a Topklasse side may face, but so long as Bas de Leede isn’t bowling the ideal make-up of the attack does seem to be vexing the villagers. Khawaja is, somewhat absurdly, the 12th bowler used by VCC in five games, and his return of 1-69 in 10 thus far is unlikely to cement his place. The batting side looks a bit more settled, and young Cedric de Lange’s form at the top of the Voorburg card has surely been the story of the comp to date, if only as the most prominent example of a general trend of home-grown talent coming into their own this season. Hermes’ own top order, expected to be a strength ahead of the season, has (eliding what looks increasingly like a flash-in-the-pan innings from Rushmere) been outscored by seam all-rounders Elenbaas and Braat. While we’ve probably not seen the best of either side this season, Voorburg’s conundrums look the more solvable.

RL: Part of the reason for the elevated position of the two leaders, of course, is the unfortunate ludus interruptus at the Zomercomplex last Saturday, which means that pending a decision by the KNCB Rotterdam have played a game fewer as they head to Hazelaarweg to take on VOC in the first Rotterdam derby of the season. This looks on paper to be the easiest result to pick: the Bloodhounds are at the foot of the table on NRR, while Rotterdam’s only defeat so far has been in that rain-reduced, run-soaked encounter with Voorburg on Ascension Day. But runs were hard to come by when HCC visited Schiebroek last week, and that could conceivably put a brake on the run-scoring capacity of the Rotterdam top order. The VOC attack, worthy as it is, will need to take full advantage, though, if they are to keep their visitors down to a chaseable total, or defend whatever their own less-than-rampant batting line-up is able to assemble.

BdJ: It’s often hard to gauge the extent to which off-field issues are likely to affect a side, but while VOC’s seemingly quiet disposal of two skippers this season doesn’t seem to have unduly hampered their performance, the apparent – and recurrent – crowd (self)control problems at the Zomercomplex do look likely to cost Rotterdam points. Yet while conditions at Hazelaarweg are unlikely to play to Rotterdam’s strengths, the top-order are hardly strangers to the place and have looked cpapable of running up big scores anywhere, anytime. A VOC victory, even at home, woulkd be the upset of the round for sure, though loyal readers will of course rememeber what happened the last time I said that…

RL:HBS will need to be at their very best to overcome VRA Amsterdam when they take them on at Craeyenhout. Although Tayo Walbrugh’s return to form against Rotterdam and the continued success of Lucas del Bianco are welcome signs, their 226 last Saturday was probably short of what they needed against Sikander Zulfiqar’s side at the Zomercomplex, and this week they face in-form new new-ball bowler, the season’s leading wicket-taker, Vikram Singh. Nor will they have forgotten what he can do with the bat: three years ago he smashed a 71-ball 155 as VRA posted 455 for eight on this ground before collecting four for 81 as HBS replied with 398. We shouldn’t anticipate such record-breaking excesses this time, but Craeyenhout is a good place to bat, and whoever bats first will need to set a substantial total. Neither side has yet found much consistency with the bat – VRA admittedly hampered by the absence of Johan Smal – but in different ways both badly need to take the points here.

BdJ: Twenty-three years old does seem a little young for a career renaissance, but then Vikram Singh is nothing if not precocious. Bouncing back after being dropped from the national side last year, Singh is currently in pole position for League MVP, and in the face of stiff competition at that. Yet VRA, too, have looked unsure of their best 11 though, unsure as to where the raft of newcomers ought to be playing. Singh’s form with the ball has partially covered what remains the glaring gap in the seam section left by Fletcher and Ruffel, while the top order would look unsettled even without the loss of Smal to injury. HBS have had their own issues this season of course, though it’s remarkable how many of them would look at least half-solved if Kyle Klein can stay fit and Tayo Walbrugh’s form returns for good.

RL’s tips: HCC, Voorburg, Rotterdam, VRA
BdJ’s tips: Kampong, Voorburg, Rotterdam, VRA

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.