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Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 25/06/2021

With the half way stage of the league phase behind us and the play-off phase on the horizon, jockeying for position on the Topklasse table is beginning to take a rather more urgent tone, especially for the teams hovering around the mid-table.

BdJ: Saturday’s match between VRA and HCC at the Bos would be an unexceptional mid-table fixture were it not for the introduction of play-offs this season. As it is both sides will be hard put to recover from a defeat if they’re to keep their top-four hopes alive. The hosts’ injury troubles continue to accumulate, with Quirijn Gunning still sidelined with a side strain and now Ben Cooper out with a thumb fracture. The VRA number three sat out Thursday’s Pro-Series fixture watching HCC’s Musa Nadeem construct a most impressive unbeaten match-winning century for the Hurricanes, and if the HCC opener can carry his form into the weekend VRA will have cause to worry.

RL: Matches such as this are indeed poster children for a play-off system, with both sides having plenty at stake in the knowledge that a place in the top four keeps their championship hopes alive. Whether HCC are really title contenders – their grievances over rained-off matches apart — depends on their winning matches like this, and doing so convincingly. Even without Damian Crowley they were much too strong for ACC last week, and VRA’s young attack and Borren-dependent batting line-up may struggle against the visitors’ strengths in both departments. That said, the Lions’ top order has shown signs of brittleness when put under pressure, and if Borren’s boys can step up to the mark this could be a lot closer than one might initially suppose.

BdJ: Meanwhile Voorburg will be looking to break back into the top four when they take on second-placed VOC at home at Westvliet, but will still be missing the new ball pairing of Logan van Beek and Vivian Kingma that had done so much to get them toward the top of the table early in the season. While the hosts still have plenty of bowling talent, it’s not unreasonable to ask where the wickets of VOC’s internationals are likely to come from, especially given the form of O’Dowd and skipper Pieter Seelaar, who hit 94 in the regional 50-over match on Thursday. Conversely the VCC batting has looked comparatively fragile in recent weeks, and over-reliant on Sybrandt Engelbrecht all season. VOC’s ranks will likely be thinned somewhat by injury however, with Seelaar himself in doubt owing to recurring back trouble, while Tim de Kok missed the pro-series games this week owing to concussion worries and Bobby Hanif is reportedly also ruled out due to knee trouble. Currently in fifth place, a loss need not end VCC’s ambitions, but the blow of three consecutive defeats to their confidence may be tough to bounce back from. Catching VOC understrength may just be the luck they need to get their season back on track.

RL: They certainly had luck going their way when the sides met back in early May, rain after a good Voorburg start leaving VOC a near-impossible DLS target. Over the piece though, and despite a couple of wobbles with the bat, VOC have looked a much more complete unit, and Edwards and O’Dowd remain a menacing presence at the top of the order. Should they go early the game would have a quite different complexion, especially if De Kok and Seelaar are missing, although Arnav Jain has been emerging as a key allrounder, valuable in the middle order as well as fulfilling an important role in VOC’s varied attack. The same applies to Voorburg’s Aryan Dutt, but even he and Engelbrecht cannot entirely cover their side’s stop-start batting form. With 126 runs at 18.00 and just three wickets so far Bas de Leede has perhaps been finding the burden of captaincy weighing too heavily upon his shoulders, and this would be the ideal moment for him to step up with the kind of performance of which he is undoubtedly capable.

BdJ: Title-holders Excelsior ‘20 have an opportunity to consolidate their claim on a berth in the play-offs when they welcome Sparta 1888 to Thurlede. Back on home turf and coming off a convincing win at VCC last week, the Schiedammers will be confident of adding four points to their tally against Sparta, who have struggled both with bat and ball all season. While overseas Garnett Tarr has been in fine form since his arrival he has received precious little support, the poor form of Sparta’s Belgian contingent a particular worry both for Sparta and for Belgium, who travel to Malta next week without the benefit of their planned Dutch warm-up tour. The cancellation also denied Latif, Raza and Butt the chance to play themselves into a bit of form ahead of Saturdays game, leaving the Sparta batting card looking thin indeed. Excelsior meanwhile have a solid line-up built around the middle order core of Ingram and Stubbs, and with Niels Etman in fine rhythm with the ball too they look to be hitting their stride.

RL: Excelsior will have not have forgotten the frustration of these sides’ encounter at the Bermweg back in My, when they reduced Sparta to 86 for six and were chasing a DLS target of 73, only to have the umpires declare the ground unfit and take the players off. Now fourth and just six points ahead of HCC in seventh spot, they will be doubly keen to pouch the points ahead of next week’s tough match against Punjab. Dropping Tim Etman, who has been struggling against the new ball, down the order and bringing in Luuk Kroesen to open worked like a charm last week, though admittedly the Schiedammers chasing a low total. As for Sparta, there’s a limit to how much Garnett Tarr and Mudassar Bukhari can be expected to do to dig them out of trouble, valiant as Tarr’s lone-hand century was against HBS last Saturday. Max Hoornweg remains a threat with the new ball, however, and he and Bukhari at their best could cause the Excelsior batting line-up some problems.

BdJ: Table-toppers Punjab Rotterdam will be heading to Craeyenhout to take on third-placed HBS hoping to put some distance between themselves and the pack. The Crows have accumulated an impressive record of wins thus far without ever looking entirely convincing, their place in the top four owing much to the imperious form of lead scorer Tayo Walbrugh. But with Julian de Mey and Navjit Singh in decent touch with the bat, Toby Visée at the top and perhaps even Wesley Barresi tempted out of retirement if last week is any indication, they’ll be happy enough with their batting. The bowling is perhaps more of a concern, especially given the strength and depth of the Punjab batting line-up, which racked up 375 against Dosti last weekend even without a substantial score for Stephan Myburgh. The match has the look of a potential high-scoring hitting contest, though as I recall I said something similar last season and look how that turned out …

RL: The absence of Saqib Zulfiqar has made surprisingly little difference to Punjab, who thoroughly deserve their place at the head of the table. Their nagging attack, perhaps somewhat underestimated as a factor in their success – they did, after all, bowl a full-strength VOC out for 136 – will face another of their tougher assignments in HBS on Craeyenhout’s artificial outfield, and neither should the potential contribution of Ryan Klein in cutting through the visitors’ top order be left out of account. This first-vs-third clash is, indeed, a mouth-watering prospect, and if the Crows may be slightly surprised to find themselves so well placed their performances so far, with Walbrugh the batting phenomenon of the season, thoroughly justify that position. High scoring or not, this game is undoubtedly an eight-pointer.

BdJ: At the other end of the table Dosti-United are still looking for their first win since a more innocent age, though they’ll be waiting at least until Sunday when they take on ACC at Drieburg on their now traditional 24-hour delay. Fair to say that their 204-run loss to Punjab does not augur well, nor indeed do any of their other results thus far. While ACC are unlikely to subject the Dosti bowling to the same sort of sustained assault that Punjab did, and again much of the Dosti top order got starts last week, one suspects the demoralising effects of such a drubbing will be felt even by a side as irrepressibly optimistic as Dosti’s. If they are able to bounce back though this may be their best hope of finally getting points on the board against an ACC side that suffered an almost equally comprehensive defeat away at HCC last week. Knocked over for 104 and managing just a single wicket in the HCC reply, ACC continue to look fragile when Sahil Kothari fails at the top of the order. Though other bats have got a score or two Kothari remains the only one to have passed 200 for the season, while no ACC bowler has yet got to double figures in terms of wickets. Neither side look likely to challenge for a top-four place this season, but there will be plenty of pride on the line at least at the “other, other” Amsterdam derby.

RL: Sooner or later, one feels, the bits-and-pieces efforts of Vinoo Tewarie’s side will come together in an ice-breaking performance, and there are not going to be many opportunities this season which are better than this one. A rain-affected victory over HBS apart, ACC have not been able to replicate last year’s better-than-expected achievements, and while Kothari has been impressive on occasion and Ammar Zaidi has provided solidity in the middle order, overall the batting has struggled for runs, leaving the bowlers with too much to do. For Dosti, the return of Rahil Ahmed has undoubtedly strengthened the batting, and in Waheed Masood, Asief Hoseinbaks, Mahesh Hans and Sami Naseri they have an attack which, that 375 notwithstanding, is capable of causing problems for opposing batters. If they can overcome the trauma of the Zomercomplex (which does sound a bit like a psychiatric condition), Dosti could spring a surprise here.

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BdJ’s picks: HCC, VOC, Excelsior, Punjab, ACC
RL’s picks: HCC, VOC, Excelsior, Punjab, Dosti.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 17/06/21

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So we begin the long run-in to the finishing line this weekend with just three points separating third-placed Voorburg and VRA in sixth spot, and the battle for top four berths about to heat up. Nor should we forget that a top-two position gives teams a double chance of reaching the final, and the chasing pack will be looking out for any sign of a stumble from the current occupants, Punjab and VOC.

RL: Match of the Day looks like being at Westvliet, where Voorburg, currently third, will entertain Excelsior ’20 Schiedam. Both sides lost last Saturday, and really need to make up for that in this classic eight-pointer. Excelsior won their opening-day encounter at Thurlede, and with Tristan Stubbs now thoroughly established in the side and Lorenzo Ingram back in great form with the bat in last week’s defeat at VRA, they will be hoping to repeat that success against a Voorburg side which got itself into a winning position against HBS and then saw the game torn from their grasp. But the Schiedammers’ attack, so potent against HCC and VOC in recent weeks, was much less effective on the VRA turf, and will need to exploit the evident limitations in Voorburg’s batting if they are to take the points. The home side’s great strength, of course, has been their bowling, but in the continued absence of Logan van Beek their supporters will have their fingers crossed that Viv Kingma is fit to resume.
BdJ: VCC certainly missed their new-ball pair last week, and they’re likely to miss them again come Saturday. Van Beek of course remains in England for now, while if Kingma does play he’s unlikely to be bowling his full quota. Van Beek’s absence was also felt with the bat against HBS, when Engelbrecht was left looking in vain for support from the lower order. While Excelsior’s attack is generally less threatening away from home, it is no less capable than the HBS bowling line-up that ran through VCC last week, while the Schiedammer’s batting, especially with Ingram and Stubbs in such form, is arguably more intimidating, and certainly more resilient than that of HBS. The current champions sank to a narrow defeat against VRA in large part due to their own sloppiness in the field however, and while VCC may not be at full strength Excelsior will have to up their game if they are to stand a real chance of defending their title.

RL: As the second half gets under way VRA Amsterdam are showing signs that their traditional slow start is now altogether behind them, the resilience they revealed in squeezing the win against Excelsior last week perhaps a turning point. They will need those qualities again on Saturday, when they take on second-placed VOC Rotterdam in the Amsterdamse Bos. They owed much of their victory over Excelsior to the Amsterdamse Boss himself, former national captain Peter Borren, who missed out on back-to-back centuries by the narrowest of margins and then took the new ball in the absence of Quirijn Gunning, but Eric Szwarczynski’s half-century was also an encouraging feature of the batting. VOC, of course, have shown themselves to be serious championship contenders, with plenty of support for their international Big Three, but they were taken all the way by HCC last week, and it took another major innings from Max O’Dowd to seem them home. This clash between two sides with a long-standing rivalry should be one for the connoisseur.
BdJ: Though VRA do indeed look to have gotten past their traditional early season malaise, the injury and availability problems that have hampered their campaign thus far persist. Szwarczynski’s impressive return looks likely to be more of a mid-season cameo given the niggle he picked up during the same game, while Gunning remains sidelined and Shirase Rasool also looks likely to miss Saturday’s encounter, as is young offie Luke Hartsink. Gunning’s absence especially is likely to be telling given that failure to remove VOC’s top order early usually spells disaster, while the loss of Szwarczynski further weakens a top order bereft of form. VRA do have an enviable bench strength to call on however, with a handful of youth players already having a fair bit of senior experience, while the arrival of Jack Balbirnie has done a fair bit to shore up the batting while also providing ten overs of at generally adequate leg spin. While VOC’s top order, and O’Dowd in particular, are in imposing form, the middle order has been less reliable and the tail longer than the Rotterdammers would like. The question is likely to be whether the hosts have the bowling to expose these vulnerabilities.

RL: Three successive defeats, following a run of misfortune with the weather, have left HCC in mid-table, just ahead of this week’s opponents ACC, but the Lions are only five points adrift of VRA in sixth place, and a really strong series of performances could see them back in contention for a top four spot. To achieve this they will need their top order to return to the sort of form they showed at the start of the season: Damian Crowley and Hidde Overdijk did a great job in digging them out of trouble against VOC last week, but the disturbing bit is that they had to do so from a position of 11 for four. But ACC’s attack, Mees van Vliet apart, lacks that sort of cutting edge, and the Hagenaars will be odds-on favourites to repeat their opening-day victory at De Diepput on Saturday. Their bowling is varied, and looks all the better for the return of Overdijk, and unless Sahil Kothari can produce another of his specials, the ACC batting seems unlikely to make enough runs quickly enough to upset the home side.
BdJ: ACC’s young side has performed creditable thus far without ever threatening the top of the table. Their lack of reliable match-winners, Kothari apart, has generally seen them repeatedly sliding to honorable defeat. The loss of Charles McInerney has only compounded the issue, though the Amsterdammers may feel they’ve a solid base of a team to build on they look set to remain also-rans for 2021. They’ve every chance of picking up a win over an HCC side that’s looked much less assured as the season has worn on, though the strength of the HCC middle order does mean that the lately patchy form of Staal, Ahmed and Gorlee is something of a second-order concern. More of a worry is a seam attack that has looked serviceable for the most part but vulnerable on batting-friendly wickets, and generally looked a bowler light in the absence of the only occasionally-available Overdijk.

RL: Dosti United Amsterdam’s batting continues to improve, but the bottom side will need to improve markedly in all departments if they are to have a serious chance against leaders Punjab Rotterdam at the Zomercomplex. It will be a big plus if Rahil Ahmed and Mahesh Hans are able to establish themselves as a reliable opening partnership, and Arief Hoseinbaks will have gained great confidence from his maiden Topklasse half-century last week. But Punjab are currently top of the heap for good reason, and the way they dismissed the challenge of ACC last Saturday does not bode well for Vinoo Tewarie’s men. Featuring four quality seamers with the emergence of Mubashar Hussain, and with Irfan ul Haq filling in for Saqib Zulfiqar, the Rotterdammers have a very solid attack, and although Dosti caused some panic among the Punjab top order when the sides met back at the start of the season, a lot of water has flowed through the sluis since then, and with Stephan Myburgh a merciless destroyer of average bowling, the Upset of All Upsets does not appear to be on the cards.
BdJ: Punjab’s stumbling chase in their opening match against Dosti has, in retrospect, increasingly looked like nothing more than a first-game wobble. It’s also worth remembering that despite the inroads Dosti made into the Rotterdammers’ top order their was plenty of batting still to come when the winning runs were struck. While several Dosti players have produced decent spells or scores this season none have done so reliably, and going up against the table toppers they will need the sort of team performance they’ve not produced in years now if they’re to find their first win since 2019.

RL: The first sign of Sparta 1888’s troubles this season came at Craeyenhout on the opening day, when they crumbled to 102 all out and lost by nine wickets to HBS. Having managed – just – to post their first win against Dosti last Saturday, they will be hoping to reverse that result when HBS come to Sportpark Bermweg this week, but the truth is that between two sides who largely rely on a handful of key players, the visitors appear to hold the stronger hand. Overseas players Ryan Klein and Tayo Walbrugh are both potential match-winners for HBS, with Navjit Singh in a support role with both bat and ball, and while Tobias Visée has been quiet lately, he is like the volcano which becomes more likely to erupt the longer it goes without doing so. Against this, Sparta have the evergreen Mudassar Bukhari and the batting talent, yet to be fully realised, of overseas Garnett Tarr. But what applies to Visée goes also, if in smaller measure, for Ali Raza, and Max Hoornweg showed against Dosti that he can rip through sides when the mood is upon him. This is likely to be a good bit closer than the sides’ first meeting in May, but I would expect the outcome ultimately to be the same.
BdJ: The lack of runs from Sparta’s Belgian contingent has arguably been the Cappelle side’s most serious issue this season, and indeed may be a source of concern for their coach ahead of their first international fixtures of the summer against Malta next month. With Raza, Latif and Butt all averaging single figures thus far Sparta have been almost entirely reliant on Bukhari and Tarr for top-order runs, while Bukhari’s uncharacteristic lack of penetration with the ball this season has left their attack looking somewhat pedestrian. Though Klein and Walbrugh have been equally crucial to the Crows’ handful of wins this season the rest of the side has generally done a better job of supporting them. Coming off victory over the much-fancied (if under-stregth) VCC last week, it’s fair to say that HBS have the bigger win under their belt and momentum very much on their side.

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RL’s picks: Voorburg, VRA, HCC, Punjab, HBS.
BdJ’s picks: Excelsior, VOC, HCC, Punjab, HBS.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong  04/06/21

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There are two rounds to go to the halfway mark, and there are still six teams in with a shout of claiming the Topklasse title, especially now that it has been decided to replay the ten matches which were initially abandoned because of the ferocious May weather. VOC are, of course, very definite front-runners, their only defeat so far in part the result of a tough DLS target, but if any one of the chasing pack is able to put together a sustained winning run it could become extremely interesting, not least because there are four play-off spots on offer. We should brace ourselves for a lot of eight-pointers! Meanwhile, this weekend’s games will be without players from the national squad, hopefully secure in their Super League bubble, which will impact four of the five matches to a greater or lesser extent.

RL: One eight-pointer where the effects of the Super League are likely to be felt most acutely is the clash between Excelsior ‘20, currently fourth on the table, and VOC Rotterdam at Thurlede. The Schiedammers will be hoping for a repeat of last week’s effort, when their bowlers ran through HCC’s much-praised batting line-up, and it will do their prospect no harm that VOC will be without Max O’Dowd, Scott Edwards, and captain Pieter Seelaar. Others will therefore need to step up, since the leaders will basically be back to where they were last season when the first two were trapped in the Southern Hemisphere and Seelaar was out through injury. Corey Rutgers played a key role then, but the intervening year has seen the further development of Arnav Jain and Siebe van Wingerden, not to mention the return of Pierce Fletcher. Even at full strength, though, VOC would be hard pressed by an Excelsior side in which Tristan Stubbs is in fine form with the bat and the attack combines nagging seam with effective spin.
BdJ: Excelsior fans occasionally express some exasperation that none of their title-winning side ever seem to warrant consideration for a national call-up, but such complaints are likely to be rather muted on Saturday when they have a chance to derail a weakened VOC’s own title campaign. Ryan Campbell might rather have Tristan Stubbs in the bubble that on the field at the weekend, but the Thurlede faithful will be happy to see him in yellow, even if only on their screens rather than from the sidelines. With the Stubbs-Ingram middle-order engine ticking along and both Gijs Kroesen and Umar Baker proving wicket-taking threats in an Excelsior attack more celebrated for discipline that penetration a trip to Thurlede looks more daunting than ever. Van Wingerden’s place at the top of the wicket-taking table is a testament to his development and ability, but he is limited to ten overs and in the absence of VOC’s international contingent Excelsior can afford to see just him off. Thoug the Rotterdammers’ younger and fringe players have done well thus far it’s difficult to see them besting Excelsior away with the senior’s absent.

RL: The absences will be a little more evenly distributed at De Diepput, where HCC will be without their new international Musa Nadeem Ahmad when they entertain a Punjab Rotterdam side which will be without Stef Myburgh and Saqib Zulfiqar. HCC obviously need to bounce back after last week’s defeat, and will be helped by the fact that skipper Tonny Staal was omitted from the Super League squad. It will be especially interesting to see how their attack deals with a Punjab top order which still features three Zulfiqars and Teja Nidamanuru, while Punjab’s disciplined attack will need to be at its best against Staal and Co. De Diepput’s short square boundaries are an encouragement to the big hitters and a potential nightmare for the spinners, and this, too, is a match which could have a big influence on the eventual look of the table.
BdJ: Though both of last season’s top two sides have been affected by the Ireland series, it’s probably fair to say that HCC would have benched Nadeem in exchange for Punjab losing Myburgh and Saqib Zulfiqar for Saturday’s game if given the option. The expected return of Hidde Overdijk will further bolster the hosts confidence ahead of what could indeed prove a crucial enocounter.

RL: HBS Craeyenhout and VRA Amsterdam will each be without a big hitter when they meet at Craeyenhout: Tobias Visée for the home side, and Ben Cooper for the visitors. The latter are, on paper at least, better equipped to cope with the loss, and their batting showed signs of running into form as they posted 300 against Dosti last week; the innings of Vikram Singh and Shirase Rasool will have been especially gratifying to skipper Peter Borren. For HBS, Tayo Walbrugh with the bat and Ryan Klein with the ball will be even more important than usual, although Navjit Singh has been in good form in recent weeks, and Julian de Mey is a real threat to opposing batters. A win for VRA would confirm their standing as play-off contenders, while HBS need the points to bridge the gap from the lower reaches of the table to the chasing pack.
BdJ: While VRA will doubtless be glad of Visée’s absence when they arrive at Craeyenhout, it is new overseas Tayo Walbrugh that currently leads the runscoring for the Crows, and indeed the entire league. While Cooper would have been a potentially game-changing presence on HBS’ samll ground one suspects that the player VRA will miss most come saturday will be turning out for the opposition. The Amsterdammers may yet have cause to regret the failure of pre-season talks with Ryan Klein on the day, while there is sufficient depth in batting that Cooper’s absence does not unduly upset the balance of the VRA side, they look like they’ve been missing an extra quality seamer all season and with Quirijn Gunning still sidelined it’s hard to see where wickets are coming from for VRA.

RL: Anchored at the foot of the table, Sparta 1888 travel to Het Loopveld to take on an ACC side which has bursts of success let down by longer periods of its opposite. The Amsterdam bowlers did well to put Voorburg under early pressure last Saturday, but then saw a fine partnership undo their good work, and the batting again failed, admittedly against the best attack in the competition. Sparta’s batting has been even worse, only passing 150 once – and that against Voorburg. Garnett Tarr may be finding that too much responsibility rests on his shoulders, but if he can produce a substantial innings against ACC, Sparta could have a chance of posting their first win of the season. ACC’s own batting is heavily dependent on the unheralded Sahil Kothari, but their bowling unit has plenty of variety, and if they can make early inroads into the Sparta line-up they should have enough to claim the points.
BdJ: Well I must take issue with m’colleague’s description of Kothari as “unheralded” given that I’ve been carrying his colours all season in these pages, but I’m inclined to agree he may be the difference again on Saturday. Though most of the ACC top order have put up a score or two this season Kothari is the only ACCer in the top ten of the aggregates. That’s one more than Starta boats though, and while Tarr and Bukhari have done themselves some credit thus far the rest of the Sparta line-up has yet to contibute significantly. Bukhari too could be a game-changer with the ball in a matchwhere one feels a solo performance could be the difference, but for so long as Sparta’s Belgian contingent are off the boil the Amsterdammers are favourites heading in.

RL: Even more depleted than VOC, Voorburg will head north to Drieburg on Sunday without captain Bas de Leede, Viv Kingma, Logan van Beek and Philippe Boissevain. That shortens the odds on a Dosti United victory considerably, but Voorburg’s win against ACC last Saturday owed more to Sybrandt Engelbecht and Aryan Dutt than it did to the international stars, and the home side will need to continue their improvement of the past couple of weeks if they are to capitalise on their visitors’ absences. The return of Rahil Ahmed has strengthened their batting, and with Waheed Masood and Asief Hoseinbaks performing well with the ball, Vinoo Tewarie’s wickets with his leg-breaks are a significant bonus.
BdJ: If Dosti are to spring an upset this season, then surely this is the time. With Voorburg missing their internationals and both Vinoo Tewarie and Rahil Ahmed both in form Dosti would have been eying up this game already, but with Anees Davids reportedly back this week they should be gunning for their first win since 2019. Voorburg nonetheless have decent bench stregth, and oveseas Sybrand Engelbrecht looks to be hitting his stride, though away at Drieburg they look vulnerable to a Dosti outfir that has looked by turns hapless and hopeless but not yet looked like rolling over.

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RL’s picks: Excelsior, Punjab, VRA, ACC, Voorburg.
BdJ’s picks: Excelsior, Punjab, HBS, ACC, Dosti.

Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 28/05/2021

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After a rain-sodden first month, the weather seems set to finally clear this week in time for the seventh round of Topklasse matches, along with one straggler from round four. With every side having seen at least one wash-out (but some more than others) the Topklasse’s new points system awarding just one point apeice for a no result has proved controversial at best, and doubtless some overdue sunnshine would be welcomed by all.

BdJ: For Dosti-United, among the worst affected by the weather with three washouts already, their early ground-availability issues may prove a blessing for either themselves or HBS Craeyenhout as it resulted in their round 4 match being pushed back to this weekend. It will take some bouncing-back for Dosti to claim their first earned points however, coming off a 140-run drubbing at the hands of VOC last week. Though the Dosti attack has looked in reasonable shape this season when not bowling to Max O’Dowd, the Crows boast similarly destructive bats in the form of Toby Visée and Tayo Walburgh, and the Dosti batting has been little short of dire thus far this season. Anything but four points from their trip to Drieburg will be another disappointing return for HBS.

RL: Another Dosti win, the last one now a distant memory, seems increasingly unlikely, although it has to be said that Waheed Masood, Asief Hoseinbaks and Sami Naseri stuck to their task gamely for nearly half the overs last Monday before Cyclone Max started demolishing everything in its path. The long-term effects of such a drubbing can be severe, and the worry is that they can be cumulative. It’s not in anybody’s interests for one team to be so outclassed on a regular basis, and we must hope, for the sake of the Topklasse as a whole, that Vinoo Tewarie can find a way of hauling his side back into fighting knick. Whether they can raise their game against HBS on Sunday may depend a lot on what happens in the Amsterdamse Bos the day before, a point we shall consider in a moment.

BdJ: Before they deal with unfinished Round 4 business, however, HBS will have to face current leaders VOC Rotterdam at Hazelaarweg. VOC’s recent matches have all been washouts or routes, and though HBS are likely to prove a sterner test it’s fair to say the hosts have momentum on their side. O’Dowd has been in imperious form after a slow start to the season, though the lower order has looked a little shaky on the occasions they’ve been called upon. The same is less true of HBS, though Visée and Walbrugh remain the greatest threat, and the emergence of young Siebe van Wingerden as a wicket-taking spinner may give the HBS middle order cause for concren if VOC can manage to take the top off the order early.

RL: HBS have frequently looked a bowler short this season, and they will clearly need all guns firing if they are to get the better of a rampant VOC. A key factor for them in the field will be Ryan Klein, who has had something of a stop-and-start campaign so far (but then, who hasn’t?) but who certainly has the capacity to rip through batting sides. The challenge of VOC’s top order should be enough to bring out his best form, and if the Hazelaarweg pitch turns out to be anything like the one used for the Scotland matches conditions may work in his favour. The Rotterdammers relied entirely on spin in their demolition of Dosti on Monday, but Pierce Fletcher and Bobby Hanif will no doubt have more work to do this week, even if Van Wingerden, currently the competition’s leading wicket-taker, may ultimately prove to be the trump card.

BdJ: Dosti’s prior engagement will be with VRA Amsterdam at the Amsterdamse Bos for what will be VRA’s first home game of the season. That’s assuming of course that VRA, which some may still remember as a turf wicket club, manage to get a pitch ready this week. VRA picked up their second win of the season in rather scratchy fashion last week, surviving another middle order collapse to see off ACC at het Loopveld after Ben Cooper had put them in a commanding position, but it’s fair to say that the batting still looks unreliable at best. That’s a deal better than Dosti’s batting has been of course, but if Dosti are able to get their act together before VRA do they may just have a shot at an upset.

RL: Whether Dosti’s attack could withstand an O’Dowd-like onslaught from Cooper, Peter Borren – or for that matter, Marcus Andrew – is as legitimate a question as how a dispirited batting line-up could cope with the seam of Quirijn Gunning, Ashir Abid, Vikram Singh and Borren and the spin of Leon Turmaine and Luke Hartsink. VRA’s early-season poor form, while not unprecedented, has been something of a puzzle, given that even considering the rebuilding process they are in the middle of and the youth policy which underpins it, they should be much higher in the table than their current sixth spot. Should Dosti bowl first they could have a decent chance of keeping VRA’s total within bounds; batting first, they would need to find the resources to build a couple of substantial partnerships, something which has eluded them so far.

BdJ: Meanwhile third placed HCC head to Thurlede looking to preserve their unbeaten record when they take on Excelsior ‘20, last year’s table-toppers facing off against the official defending champions. The HCC top order made extremely short work of a retrospective DLS target of 88 against Sparta last week, though they can expect the going to be tougher in Schiedam. Excelsior were twice frustrated by the weather last week and their last match was a heavy defeat at the hands of Punjab, but with the return of skipper Tom Heggelman they are back to full strength, and back on home turf for the first time since their opening win against VCC. With Musa Nadeem in selector’s eye-catching form at the top of the order, Boris Gorlee also in the runs and a solid middle order combined with a disciplined bowling unit HCC have the ingredients for success at Thurlede, but nonetheless Excelsior are never truly underdogs at home.

RL: This unquestionably has the makings of the Match of the Round, even if HCC carry more momentum into it than Excelsior. Both sides have been among the most affected by the dreadful May weather, and the Schiedammers have also been affected by Heggelman’s absence. The poor initial form of opener Tim Etman hasn’t helped, but they do have the enormous value of their two overseas players, Lorenzo Ingram and Tristan Stubbs, in their middle order and as their ‘spin twins’. Neither was especially effective against HBS on Monday, but they could be a different proposition at Thurlede, and HCC revealed against Voorburg a couple of weeks back that their usually-dominant batting line-up can be put under pressure by quality bowling. They bat in depth, though, as that Voorburg game also illustrated, and the Excelsior attack will need to be at its best to tame them.

BdJ: While the much-fancied Voorburg CC went down to their second defeat of the season against Punjab on Monday, the lifting of bowling-load restrictions on their international attack makes them strong favourites at home against ACC come Saturday. With Viv Kingma, Logan van Beek and likely Bas de Leede all back bowling up to ten overs the Amsterdammer’s batting line-up faces it’s toughest day of the season. Though all of the ACC top-order have a score or two under their belt, they will need Sanil Kothari at his best and the rest in good shape if they are to withstand the VCC pace battery. Though the ACC attack showed itself capable of causing all sorts of trouble for highly-rated but struggling VRA middle-order last week and VCC’s batting is not their greatest strength, it would be brave to bet against the hosts at Westviet this round.

RL: Not just Voorburg’s formidable pace attack but the spin section of Philippe Boissevain, Aryan Dutt and Sybrand Engelbrecht lie in wait for ACC at Westvliet, and that’s enough to worry any visiting side. ACC continue to perform above expectations, with captain Anis Raza proving a valuable opening partner for Kothari, but their batting otherwise lacks consistency and has a tendency to squander a good start. Their bowling, on the other hand, can prove troublesome and Voorburg, who have found it difficult to find their optimal batting order, have sometimes laboured to score quickly enough to set their opponents a really challenging target. They look better chasing, and given the strength of that attack must be odds-on favourites if ACC bat first. If ACC are initially in the field, on the other hand, it might be a more interesting battle.

BdJ: Finally second-placed Punjab Rotterdam will be heading across town to Cappelle to take on the still-winless Sparta 1888 at Bermweg. For the hosts, it’s a tough ask to start turning their season around against a Punjab side that has proved occasionally dominant as many expected, and reslient in a manner most had not. Teja Nidamanuru’s penchant for lower-order counter-attacks means even early inroads rarely spell victory against the Rotterdammers, nor have Sparta yet shown themselves capable of capitalising on early success with the ball when they find it. Suffice it to say a Sparta win on Saturday would be a a veritable bolt from the blue, and though the season has already seen more lightning strikes than one might expect for May, none has come from as clear a sky as that.

RL: If the Four Zulfiqars haven’t been as all-commanding with the bat this time round as they were in 2020’s foreshortened season, one senses that it may only be a matter of time before they fire on all cylinders, and with Stef Myburgh and Nidamanuru also components of Punjab’s engine they remain a potent threat, and potential challengers for the title. On the other hand, the Bermweg is not generally a high-scoring ground, least of all for a home side which has consistently struggled to get into three figures this year. Mudassar Bukhari has too often found himself on his own in that struggle, although Garnett Tarr has shown signs of giving greater solidity to the top order and Manminder Singh (and Prithvi Balwantsingh on Monday) has done sterling service lower down. But Punjab’s attack is disciplined and varied, and it would indeed be a major surprise if Suleiman Tariq’s men returned to the Zomercomplex without the points.

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BdJ’s picks: HBS, VOC, VRA, Excelsior, Voorburg, Punjab.

RL’s picks: HBS, VOC, VRA, HCC, Voorburg, Punjab.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 23/05/21

Not only busy, but also badly affected by the weather: of the 24 matches scheduled so far only seven have been rain-free, while five have been abandoned without a ball being bowled, four more yielded no result, and eight had the overs reduced. This is extreme even by the standards of a Dutch summer, and the forecast for Pentecost Monday indicates more of the same. Nevertheless, we all soldier on, and pretend that everything’s more or less normal.

RL: Struggling Sparta 1888 will spend the Monday Pentecost holiday at De Diepput, looking to take on HCC. There were encouraging signs in their match at Voorburg on Saturday, where the advent of Garnett Tarr gave greater solidity to the top order, and skipper Mudassar Bukhari was again impressive with both bat and ball. But the rest of the batting remains fragile, with Belgian internationals Ali Raza and Sherry Butt yet to make a significant contribution. HCC remain unbeaten, albeit in part due to their terrible luck with the weather. They may regard themselves as unfortunate not to have returned from Craeyenhout with four points on Saturday, but they will be a little concerned about the inability of their bowlers to make a greater impression on the HBS top order, but their batting remains a force to reckon with, and you’d expect them to match any total Sparta are able to post.

BdJ: One advantage that Sparta do at least have over HCC is match practice. Their showing against VCC showed some signs of improvement too, albeit from a very low base. Their lack of batting depth remains a concern, though it is one that may be papered over if tomorrow sees another rain-abbreviated game. The evident hittablitiy of the Sparta bowling is harder to get around however. A lot would have to go right for Sparta to sping an upset on even a frustrated and undercooked HCC, not least earl wickets one suspects. Mudassar Bukhari may well find a few of those of course, but he will need the rest of his side to give him more support than they have thus far.

RL: On top of the table on run rate, Voorburg travel to the Zomercomplex to meet Punjab Rotterdam in what looks like the match of the round. Even with the restrictions on their attack reportedly imposed by the national team management ahead of the Ireland Super League series – Kingma and De Leede unable to bowl at all, Van Beek restricted to six overs – Voorburg were strong enough to see off Sparta, but Punjab are obviously a very different proposition. The contest between the Rotterdammers’ top order and a full-strength Voorburg attack would be something to savour, but in present circumstances you have to expect the former to have the edge. Punjab’s own bowling, on the other hand, is less overwhelming that the batting, even if they did a great job containing Excelsior last week, and Voorburg’s top six will really test their mettle. Should be a great game (weather permitting) which could go either way, but I reckon Punjab may shade it.

BdJ: VCC may have reason to regret their all-international bowling attack in the circumstances, though the request from the Dutch camp is not altogether unreasonable given the workload the bowlers have had, and it’s a testament to their confidence that they were prepared to play VRA on Ascension Day without any of their internationals if necessary. Nonetheless Punjab away is a rather different proposition, with a motivated Myburgh at the top of a batting card that hits a long way down VCC can hardly afford to be sending down anything too part-time. It may indeed come down to VCC having to match their hosts hit for hit, surely a prospect to relish if the rain relents

RL: Seldom has the Amsterdam derby been such a low-focus event, but VRA’s visit to Het Loopveld to face ACC finds both sides in the wrong half of the table and level on points, VRA’s run rate advantage owing almost entirely to their massive victory over Sparta. Neither got a game in on Saturday, and each has managed just one win so far. But ACC have a marginally better record, having beaten HBS and had a great start against Excelsior, even if much of that success is due to in-form opener Sahil Kothari. A side without stars, or even big names, they take on a VRA line-up which includes the likes of Peter Borren, Ben Cooper, Vikram Singh and Eric Szwarczynski, although their one win came through the efforts of Marcus Andrew and Jack Balbirnie. Both sides have a mix of experience and youth, but it may the performances of VRA’s big names which decide who gets the bragging rights come Monday evening.

BdJ: One might not have imagined, looking at the two Amsterdam line-ups at the start of the season, that this match would be tricky to call. Even now one would have to back the VRA batting to come good eventually and though the top-order is horribly out of form Peter Borren was finding the middle of the bat last week and his record at het Loopveld is intimidating. Nonetheless ACC may just smell blood in the water, with VRA coming off the back of a heavy defeat and having had a rainy day to dwell on it, one cannot imagine that confidence levels are high.

RL: There’s a similar imbalance of reputations in the other match scheduled for the capital on Monday, in which co-leaders VOC Rotterdam will meet Dosti United at Sportpark Drieburg. We keep going on about VOC’s international trio of O’Dowd, Seelaar and Edwards, but that’s because they’re enough to give their side the edge over most opponents. Dosti, of course, are going through hard times, and Vinoo Tewarie’s men will need to be at their absolute best if they are to discomfit VOC to the degree they discomfited their previous visitors from Rotterdam, Punjab. The prospective return of Rahil Ahmed should give them a boost, but Tewarie, Mahesh Hans, Waheed Masood, Asief Hoseinbaks and the rest face an all-round VOC outfit which is a serious championship contender.

BdJ: Having had no better luck than HCC with the weather this season, one imagines Dosti will be glad just to get on the park on Monday, but putting up a competitive total will require more application with the bat than Vinoo Tewarie’s men (Tewarie himself excepted) have shown thus far in their admittedly limited season. The scare they gave Punjab however suggests that if they bowl to their ability they may not need an overwhelming number of runs to sneak a win, indeed one rarely does at Drieburg. A little luck with the toss and the weather and Dosti will count themselves in with a chance, though they will have to get used to the label of underdogs.

RL: Harder to pick is the clash between HBS and Excelsior ’20 Schiedam at Craeyenhout. The Crows did well to pull two points out of the fire on Saturday, especially since they were at least one front-line bowler short. In Lorenzo Ingram and Tristan Stubbs Excelsior have the batters to take full advantage of that and of the artificial Craeyenhout outfield, but the HBS overseas pairing of Tayo Walbrugh and Ryan Klein are capable of turning a game as well, and Klein’s encounter with the Excelsior top order could be one of the features of the round. Both Stubbs and Walbrugh have made a big impression with a couple of half-centuries in their first Topklasse innings, but the game may turn on how the local members of the two teams respond to the challenge of the occasion as much as on the efforts of the Big Four. And there it may be the visitors who hold a slight advantage.

BdJ: Excelsior’s preferred tactic of containment through discipline is not always reliable at Craeyenhout, especially so long as Tobias Visée is at the crease. Dismissing Visée cheaply is a nigh-indispensible part of any plan against HBS of course, and Excelsior have managed it more often than not in the past. With both Ingram and Stubbs in form the defending champions can also afford to leak a few more runs than has been the case in the past, but one feels that Craeyenhout remains the ground where the Schiedammers feel least in their element.

RL’s picks: HCC, Punjab, VRA, VOC, Excelsior.

BdJ’s picks: HCC, Punjab, VRA, VOC, HBS.