Category: Preview

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 04/05/25

It’s another of those weeks where the luck of the draw pits the top five against the bottom five, so the priorities will be respectively consolidation and springing a life-supporting surprise. It will also see the disappearance of those national squad members who were allowed to play last Saturday, with varying implications for the sides involved. Last time the two halves of the table met there were some significant surprises, so maybe that will happen again.

RL: It would certainly be a sensation if Sparta 1888, now firmly rooted at the foot of the table, were to get the better of Kampong, who have created a very comfortable cushion for themselves at the top. The leaders will, of course, be without Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, but neither was influential in last week’s demolition of Hermes, and Alex Roy’s side has proved that it is perfectly capable of taking on all comers without them. The Spartans, it is true, are a tougher proposition at the Bermweg, where they posted both their wins so far, but they would need both to cut through Kampong’s top and middle order and to withstand their very effective spin attack to have a real chance of springing the upset of the season. In Ahsan Malik and Juandre Scheepers, the latter having developed the knack of removing big-name opponents, they perhaps have a chance of achieving the first, but the fragility of their batting, its cyclonic destruction of HBS apart, is a major reason for the side’s current plight.

BdJ: Just five games to go, five points clear with a healthy NRR advantage to boot, Kampong Utrecht’s coronation is not quite inevitable yet, but they’d have to work hard to mess it up from here. Contriving to lose to Sparta would certainly be a good start in that respect, and Bermweg a fine venue to do it, both of the Spartan wins this season having come at home. Such a result would certainly inject a bit more tension at both ends of the table, but the sides find themselves at opposite ends of the table for good reason. Sparta have shown some fight and occassional adventure in recent weeks, most notably against HBS in round 12, they’ve generally looked outmatched even by lesser opposition. And while Kampong will again be without Edwards and O’Dowd, Sparta have not beeen spared the selectors’ scythe – Kyle Klesse off to Malawi after getting his maiden call up for Germany. With Sam Ferguson also sidelined with a broken hand it would take quite something for the understrength underdogs to turn over the frontrunners.

RL: The battle for eighth spot looks like being the last major issue to be settled in this campaign, with Excelsior ‘20 and VOC duking it out all the way to the final round. Their schedules from here on in are remarkably similar, each meeting four opponents a week apart, and the sole difference is that while VOC will take on VRA in their final game, Excelsior face a daunting assignment this week when they travel to the Zomercomplex to take on Punjab-Ghausia. Both Punjab and Excelsior posted totals of 300-plus last week, although the way they did it differed: the defending champions never looked in trouble as their top order relentlessly hammered a wilting VOC attack, while Excelsior needed a brutal onslaught from Brett Hampton to set up victory of an admittedly much stronger Voorburg. While the Schiedammers undoubtedly have the batting to tackle Punjab’s bowlers, it’s less evident that their own attack is effective enough to tame the likes of Shoaib Minhas, Musa Ahmad, Mohsin Riaz and Sikander Zulfiqar, all of whom looked in very good nick last Saturday.

BdJ: One of the less remarked-upon stories of the season so far has been Punjab’s newfound vulnerability at home; while the Zomercomplex was a true fortress last year, the defending champions look rather less at home at their new-look ground. Indeed most of Punjab’s intimidating top-order have been performing better away from home that at the Zomercomplex this season. They’ve also generally been performing rather better than Excelsior of course, hence their disparate positions on the table, though the Schiedammers will take comfort both from Hampton’s exploits and Raynard van Tonder’s return to fitness and form. Punjab’s bowling has been litlle more penetrative than that of their opponents this season, and with Saqib Zulfiqar in camera with the national team one might wonder where their wickets are coming from too…

RL: De Diepput has never been a very happy hunting-ground for VRA Amsterdam, where they have won only six of their last twenty encounters, although to be fair they came away with the points after their last two encounters there. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, they will still have the services this time of both Vikram Singh and Shariz Ahmad, only Teja Nidamanuru having been included in the Dutch squad for the T20 Qualifier, and the skipper’s absence will be balanced by that of HCC’s leading wicket-taker, Hidde Overdijk, whose selection has surprised some but is justified by the way he has led HCC’s attack this season. But the Lions still have plenty of talent with both bat and ball, and while VRA have won three out of their last four games they have had to scramble a bit to get there. They will have been encouraged, though, by the efforts of Ibaad Zaidi and Viraj Thakur with the bat last week, and they have a bowling unit capable of causing their hosts plenty of problems. This could be one of the tightest encounters of the round, but home advantage may just give HCC the edge.

BdJ: While VRA have been spared the cull they suffered when last the national team came calling, it should be noted the scales for this fixture aren’t quite in balance in that regard, as of course they’ve also lost Patrick Gouge to Jersey again (and from an admittedly small one-innings sample size, Gouge had been one of VRA’s better bats on mats). Neither Gouge nor Nidamanuru have delivered for VRA this season as Overdijk has for HCC of course, but even without their pace spearhead the Lions remain favourites in thier own den. Indeed Joshua Brown has quietly overtaken Overdijk in the wicket-taking tally, while the latter’s contributions down the order with the bat are less likely to be needed at home, given the top order’s form. The spurned Singh, Shariz and perhaps even Fletcher may all feel they have a point to prove, even if sending a message to the Dutch team hotel remains a secondary priority so long as VRA remain in sight of the relegation zone.

RL: Six points behind the leaders, their gallant initial challenge for the title effectively over, Hermes-DVS will take on VOC Rotterdam at the Loopuyt Oval, their visitors in acute need of points to get away from ninth spot. In a normal season the Sky-blues would be locked in a fascinating battle for a place in the semi-finals, but this year they are in a mid-table no man’s land. A strong closing run could still see them finish runners-up, however, and to do that they will need at the very least to beat VOC and Excelsior in their next two games. The Bloodhounds’ attack was hammered into submission by Punjab last week, Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi’s inexperience all too evident in the latter stages, but Aaditt’s brother Arnav stood up to the pressure well. They will need to contain Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle early on, of course, and their batters will have to find a way of countering Hermes’ spinners as well as the renewed threat of Olivier Elenbaas, a bowling unit which suffered a hammering of their own against a rampant Kampong.

BdJ: The momentum has indeed been leached out of Hermes’ early title challenge, and even with three games to come against the bottom three sides on the table it’s fair to say that 50-over silverware is beyond their grasp now. Thus with their opponents seemingly destined for a comfortable mid-table finish, one would imagine the Bloodhounds will be the hungrier of the two sides on Saturday. Yet while they managed to role Hermes for just 140 in their first encounter, even if they repeat that trick they’ll have to put up a sunstantially better showing with the bat this time round if they’re to avoid sinking deeper into the relegation zone. Hermes have tended to struggle to post substantial scores when their openers don’t deliver, but VOC’s own batting has looked brittle all through the order, and while Hermes’ attack took a drubbing last week they remain more than capable of taking advantage.

RL: Despite last week’s victory over HCC, HBS Craeyenhout know that they are just one win clear of the relegation threat, and they will face a visit to Westvliet to face even a depleted Voorburg with a degree of trepidation. The national selectors have denied us a meeting of the brothers Klein, both of whom are in squad for the Qualifier, but while Kyle’s absence is perhaps the greater loss for his side on current form, he has not in any case been available since returning from Scotland. Tayo Walbrugh’s second century of the summer again reinforced how vital he is to the Crows’ batting, and with 657 runs with five games to go he has an outside chance of reaching the magic 1000 for the season (he missed out by two runs in 2023). With Michael Levitt and Noah Croes as well as Ryan Klein again serving their country, Voorburg will once more need to draw on their copious reserves, and notwithstanding last week’s defeat by Excelsior they remain a considerable force. That said, if one of the lower five (for older readers, what used to be the right-hand column on Teletekst) is going to spring that surprise, then it might just come here. Or, perhaps, at De Diepput.

BdJ: An odd quirk of scheduling sees Voorburg playing at home while hosting the T20 Qualifier, meaning this match will be played on the second field while international affairs are addressed on the main square. HBS are unlikely to be complaining, as the artificial surface on the second ground may feel rather mor like home. Walbrugh’s run-tally on artificial surfaces this season is matched only by HCC’s Boris Gorlee, and while a fair few of those coming off the bench for Voorburg will be perfectly familiar with conditions on the second ground, it’s questionable whether the hosts will enjoy much in the way of home advantage. With VCC’s hopes of a title challenge receding and the home crowd’s attention likely elsewhere, the Crows may just sense a chance to steal a march on the chasing pack of relegation candidates.

RJ’s picks: Kampong, Punjab, HCC, Hermes, Voorburg.

BdJ’s picks: Kampong, Punjab, HCC, Hermes, HBS.

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 26/06/2025

The summer solstice is just barely behind us but we’re already two thirds of the way through the Topklasse season, and with six games each to go some long-established top flight sides find themselves in a bare-knuckle relegation brawl, while newcomers Kampong are threatening to pull away at the top of the table. There’s a few more shuffles left in the pack yet though, and every match this week will have an effect at one end of the table or another.

BdJ: Starting at the top, table-toppers Kampong face off against early front-runners Hermes DVS, who have since slipped to third in the pecking order. The Schiedammers took the honours when the two met earlier in the season at the Loopuyt, the fourth in a five-match opening winning streak. The return leg a Maarschalkerweerd may prove a tougher challenge if internationals O’Dowd and Edwards return, though given their respective knee and hamstring niggles and the threadbare resources available to the Dutch for next week’s T20 Qualifier, it would be understandable if they don’t risk it. Nonetheless Kampong have been managing alright without them, thanks in large part to the form of Lane Berry and lately Damien van den Berg at the top of the order, together with Lorenzo Ingram and Pierre Jacod’s occasional rearguards. Hermes, for their part, continue to look somewhat over-dependent on Ashley Ostling and Daniel Doyle-Calle at the top, the opening pair respectively averaging twice and four-times the next best bat. The sky-blues’ bowling has generally been enough to cover for any deficiencies down the order against most opposition, but against Kampong at Utrecht it may not be.

RL: All things are relative, but I do think it’s a little harsh of m’colleague to describe Ingram’s 364 runs at 45, with four fifties in ten innings, as ‘occasional rearguards’. With 16 wickets into the bargain he remains one of the most effective allrounders in the competition, and given the rather hit-or-miss recent record of the top of the Kampong order his presence at five is a key steadying factor, especially in the absence of O’Dowd and Edwards, in the Utrecht club’s quest to become the first side since Princes Wilhelmina Enschede (there’s a blast from the past) to take the national title in their first season back in the top flight – and that was back in 1939. With Hikmatullah Jabarkhail and Sahil Kothari in the top five wicket-takers Hermes do indeed owe their position in large part to their bowling, but Kampong have Jacod, Ingram and Alex Roy in the top dozen, and with Kirtan Nana and Shashank Kumar backing Roy in the seam unit they have the resources to test a Hermes batting line-up which has until very recently found it hard to get much paast 200.

BdJ: Having pushed past Hermes into second place, HCC face a short but tricky trip over to Craeyenhout to face local rivals HBS in a fixture that has the potential to make both ends of the table a lot more interesting, or indeed considerably less so. HBS will be hoping for the latter, having drifted dangerously close to the relegation zone following their loss to Sparta last week. Ducks for senior bats Walbrugh and Barresi certainly didn’t help in that game, though the Crows may be more worried about the lack of penetration and control offered by their bowling attack in the absence of Kyle Klein, whose availability on Saturday is not guaranteed. They’ll have their work cut out too against an HCC batting card most all of whom made runs last Saturday at VCC, with Clayton Floyd adding his name to the growing list of in-form all rounders on the books with the Haagse. For HCC, a win would mean they remain best-placed to capitalise on any slip-up from Kampong, while defeat would see their chances of reclaiming the title diminish appreciably. For HBS, with only net run rate keeping them out of the relegation zone, every win is a step toward safety.

RL: No two ways about it: at least a half-century from Walbrugh or Barresi, or both, has been a necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, requirement for an HBS victory this season. All four wins have involved significant innings by one or other or both, although in fairness the contribution of Lehan Botha with bat or ball should not be underestimated. Young Elmar Boendermaker’s patient knock against Sparta, too, is evidence of his development. Whether that will be enough to repeat the Crows’ victory over HCC is extremely doubtful, since not only has the Lions’ batting proved to have greater depth than most, but the bowling unit combines pace and spin very effectively indeed, making them probably the principal threat to Kampong’s title hopes. The Crows, by contrast, look a lot less menacing without Kyle Klein leading the attack, and at batter-friendly Craeyenhout they will need to fire on all cylinders if they are to take the points.

BdJ: Snapping at their heels are 8th-placed VOC, who take on title-holders Punjab Rotterdam at Hazelaarweg. Defeat at the hands of the Bloodhounds earlier in the season marked, if not the end, then perhaps the end of the beginning of the end of Punjab’s hopes of defending their title. A repeat of that result would put them pretty definitively out of contention. With the departure of Jonathan Vandiar and Musa Ahmad’s return to form stuttering, Mohsin Riaz is the sole member of Punjab’s imposing top order to be regularly in the runs, while Ahmad is the only consistent member of the attack to be delivering more than one wicket a match on average. VOC meanwhile, despite a brief return to type against VCC, have now won three of their last four matches including a crucial victory over relegation rivals Excelsior. While they remain outmatched on paper, this is the sort of match VOC will have to win if they’re to secure another season in the top flight.

RL: The reversal in VOC’s fortunes has indeed been one of the features of the middle part of the campaign, and the efforts of Scott Janett, Christiaan Oberholzer and Monty Singh with the bat have been instrumental in bringing it about, masking the continuing limitations of the rest of the line-up. Restricting their contribution will therefore be a priority for Punjab’s attack, which even with the advent of Tehzeeb Haider has relied on spin to keep the side in the game. Now five points behind the leaders, Punjab are probably going to have to settle for a mid-table position; the absence of play-offs this year has robbed the latter stages of the competition of what would otherwise have been a fascinating six-way battle for a top four spot. Pride, however, is a perfectly legitimate thing to play for, while for VOC the stakes are way higher than that. Their young attack will have its work cut out to contain even an out-of-form Punjab line-up and make it four wins out of five for the Bloodhounds.

BdJ: Meanwhile Excelsior ‘20 likewise find themselves struggling for even a chance at survival, and will be desperate to pick up points against Voorburg, who they host at Thurlede on Saturday. VCC have been appreciably weakened by the wear and tear brought about by a punishing international calendar, with Viv Kingma ruled out, Ryan Klein in doubt and Michael Levitt also potentially resting up to be sure of fitness for the coming Qualifier. Yet Excelsior, despite some fine contributions from their regulars and three of the biggest name overseas in the competition, have struggled to put it together all season. Raynard van Tonder is now back from a hamstring injury but far from at his best, while Antum Naqvi and Brett Hampton put in solid performances in a losing cause last week, the Schiedam faithful will be acutely aware that they won’t be able to count on them to save them at the back end of the season. Hints of fraying nerves are already evident at Thurlede, and another home defeat could well send them into a spiral.

RL: The end of a 44-year spell in the top flight which brought the club a dozen national championships is beginning to loom large for Excelsior, whose three wins have all come at the expense of their rivals in the bottom four. Seldom has there been a greater gap between strength on paper and performances in the field, and although injuries, particularly to Raynard van Tonder, have played a part in their perilous situation, the previous two seasons already gave a hint of what was in store. Antum Naqvi, Sam Rahaley, Van Tonder, and Brett Hampton have all fired with the bat on occasion, but none has managed it regularly enough to compensate for the side’s weaknesses. For Voorburg, on the other hand, it’s the presence in the squad of a quartet of internationals which has put them effectively out of contention for the title, although young Cedric de Lange has almost kept pace with overseas Gavin Kaplan and is fifth in the batting rankings with 437 runs at an average of 43.70. It’s the bowling which has let Voorburg down somewhat, with Usman Malik and Patient Charumbira their leading wicket-takers despite having played only five and seven matches respectively. If Excelsior are to mount a serious campaign to avoid the drop, it really has to start here.

BdJ: Finally VRA, back playing Saturdays, welcome wooden spoon incumbents Sparta 1888 to the Bos on Saturday and will be hoping to take some tension out of their late season. Having pulled clear of the danger zone with a win over Hermes last week, the Amsterdammers will be looking to consolidate their place in the mid table. They do have a habit of dropping points to the Spartans, it should be said, but they rarely do so at home. That said, Sparta have rarely looked as spirited as they did last week against HBS, and while VRA are back at full strength the return of their internationals hasn’t done them a great deal of good, at least in terms of batting. While early returnee Shariz Ahmad has settled back into domestic competition nicely, both Teja Nidamanuru and Vikram Singh have yet to find form with the bat either in Orange or in VRA’s blue this season, and pressure will be building on both to deliver. Conversely Sparta’s carefree batting last week brought them a step closer to an unlikely escape, and has perhaps given them a sense of what can be, unburdened by what has been.

RL: Everything would need to go right for Sparta if they are to overcome VRA and give themselves a fighting chance of getting away from the foot of the table, and that would include the Woodlanders again failing to play up to their potential. Vikram Singh gave one hint last week of his undoubted ability before he departed, but the disruption to the side’s top order which has come from international commitments has had a profoundly negative effect on their performances, and they will be delighted that once the T20 Qualifier is over they should be able to field a more settled team in the campaign’s finishing straight. It was Juandre Scheepers who ripped through HBS last week and the aggressive batting of Sam Ferguson, Lukas Boorer and Khalid Ahmadi which finished the job, but whether either will be readily repeatable against VRA, and in the Amsterdamse Bos, is a very big question indeed.

BdJ’s picks: Kampong, HCC, Punjab, Voorburg, Sparta
RL’s picks: Kampong, HCC, Punjab, Voorburg, VRA.

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 12/06/2025

Two double weekends back-to-back have seen us hare past the half-way point of the season, and while there’s plenty still to play for, by this time next week most sides will likely know whether they’re headed for a championship challenge or a relegation battle. This Saturday’s round pits the top half of the table against the bottom, and if the outcome goes on first-half form there will be five sides aspiring for the top spot and five left concentrating their attention down towards a looming relegation risk.

BdJ: Among the sides already battling to avoid a stint in the Hoofdklasse are VOC Rotterdam, who will have taken heart (along with four points) from last week’s efforts, tripling their points for the season with wins over VRA and frontrunners Kampong. They face almost as stern a challenge when they welcome third-placed Voorburg CC to Hazelaarweg on Saturday, though once again the Bloodhounds are fortunate in the scheduling. Whether they like it or not (and one suspects not) the Dutch national team are still stuck in Scotland for the time being, meaning VCC will be without Levitt, Kingma and skipper Croes on Saturday – bringing the total opposing players avoided by VOC in the week to nine (or ten if one includes VRA’s Patrick Gouge, who was away with Jersey last Saturday). Voorburg have a deeper bench than Kampong or VRA at the minute though, and though they went down to Kampong in a shortened match last Saturday, the weather forecast is likely to play to their advantage this weekend. Dropping Gavin Kaplan down the order and promoting Carl Mumba to open proved a smart gambit on Monday, taking some of the sting out of the threat of Aaditt Jain and the new ball and shoring up the middle order in the absence of Croes. While VCC are unlikely to pile up the sort of score they put on VOC at full strength earlier in the season, it’s hard to imagine they’d need to. While VOC have at times impressed with the ball, they’ve yet to chase a score north of 200 and indeed have only passed the milestone once thus far.

RL: If you take out Scott Janett, Christiaan Oberholzer and Monty Singh, the rest of the VOC top six are collectively averaging under 11 with the bat, and that includes one knock of 71 by Jason van der Meulen against HCC. In other words, it’s the consistent failure of the batting, already a problem last season, which has left VOC battling to stay up, and it’s a problem to which there’s no immediately obvious solution. The club’s Seconds are in the lower half of the Eerste Klasse, none of the batters making an insistent case for promotion. That leaves the attack, spearheaded by the youngsters Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi, to carry an almost impossible load, although last weekend’s results suggest that their efforts could yet bring redemption. A strong youth policy and some smart horse-trading have yielded Voorburg untold riches by comparison, Cedric de Lange’s 378 runs at 47.25 the clearest illustration of the former factor. Boosted by the return to fitness of Ryan Klein, Voorburg are poised to mount a challenge for the title they last won in 2023, and for that to happen this is a must-win for them.

BdJ: Another side that may take some encouragement from the surprise result at Hazelaarweg last week are Excelsior ‘20, with the sheen of invulnerability rather rubbed off of Kampong, who they will take on at Utrecht on Saturday. Yet that result hardly improved Excelsior’s position on the table, and while the frontrunners will still be without Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd, and doubtless perturbed by the precedent of their loss to VOC, the lion’s share of the pressure on Saturday will be on the Schiedammers, whose loss to VRA on Monday has left them staring down the barrel. Nor have Excelsior been at full strength through the middle phase, with a hamstring issue keeping their star bat Raynard van Tonder carrying drinks for the last couple of games. Skipper Roel Verhagen stepped up admirably against VRA in his absence, but without more support from the rest of the batting card the outcome on Saturday is likely to be the same. As VOC demonstrated, early wickets are key to containing Kampong’s top order, and Excelsior spearhead Jason Ralston has yet to rediscover the form that made him last season’s lead wicket-taker. Conversely Joost Kroesen’s legspin has become a reliable source of wickets for his side, and Antum Naqvi has made a decent fist of shouldering the responsibility of two overseas, but to take a win home on Saturday will likely require more of Excelsior’s line up to fire at once than they have managed so far this season.

RL: Having been reduced to 10 for three, 49 for four and 38 for three in their last three outings, Kampong will be well aware that they need to build stronger foundations if they are to avoid putting undue pressure on Lorenzo Ingram and the lower middle order, although Pierre Jacod’s efforts with both ball and bat have been among the most encouraging features of their season so far. Excelsior do have the bowling resources to test the leaders’ aggressive strategy in the initial powerplay, even if Ralston has not been the force he was last season. Conversely, the Schiedammers’ form with the bat has also been somewhat hit-and-miss, Verhagen’s solo effort on Monday a clear illustration of the problem. The yawning gap between the performances of the Topklasse’s 35-plus overseas players and most of the locals continues to widen, and apart from some notable exceptions like De Lange and Jacod it’s an issue that must be addressed. That said, Kampong have more Dutch-produced players capable of holding their own in the Topklasse than most of their rivals, and that may prove to be the difference here.

BdJ: Still three points adrift of incumbents Kampong, erstwhile frontrunners Hermes DVS will be in the odd position of cheering on local rivals Excelsior, even as they busy themselves with the more immediate task of taking two points home from their trip to HBS Craeyenhout. It’s been Hermes’ enviable bowling line-up that saw them make the early running, and even without Aryan Dutt facing the Sky-blue attack will be a worrying prospect for HBS, especially without Wesley Barresi and Kyle Klein. Without question the overriding concern for the Crows, however, will be how to remove the prolific Daniel Doyle-Calle at the top of the Hermes batting order. When Doyle’s been absent or out the Sky-blues have struggled to compile any sort of score, even if they’ve shown themselves capable of defending sub-200 totals more often than not. Getting the Spanish captain early, one would think, is thus a necessary but not sufficient condition for an HBS victory come Saturday.

RL: Now just two points ahead of Excelsior and VOC, HBS are in some danger of slipping into the danger zone, and really need to win games like this in order to stay out of trouble. But again, in the absence of the dependable Barresi the batting is too dependent on Tayo Walbrugh and Lehan Botha, as the collapse against Punjab on Monday clearly demonstrated. Hermes’ combination of the seam of the brothers Elenbaas (who have seemingly slipped into Box-and-Cox mode), Sebastiaan Braat and the easy-to-underestimate Roy Numair, with the spin of Hikmatullah Jabarkhail and Sahil Kothari will likely test their opponents’ line-up to the full, and will need to do so if too great a burden is not to be imposed on their own fragile batting. But a win here is no less crucial for the Sky-blues, who have lost three of their last four games and will be painfully aware of the pursuers breathing down their necks.

BdJ: For fourth-placed HCC it would likely take a catastrophic return to first-game form for them to drop points the beleaguered Sparta 1888, who they take on at de Diepput on Saturday. While the HCC batting has looked vulnerable whenever Boris Gorlee fails at three, the HCC skipper will be back on his home astro again this week and, as has been repeatedly noted in these pages, there’s no better bat on a mat. Meanwhile the early season fight that saw the Sparta struggle to semi-competitive scores at the start of the season seems to have been beaten out of them, the Spartans not having passed 200 since round four. Coming up against season lead wicket-taker Hidde Overdijk, it would take a remarkable reversal for Martijn Snoep’s side to take anything but hard lessons back to Bermweg.

RL: Now two games adrift of their nearest rivals at the foot of the table, Sparta are not yet at the Point of No Return, but it has definitely become visible on the horizon. Apart from their three principal overseas, only Ahsan Malik, pressed into service at first-wicket down, averages better than 15 with the bat, and even his cutting edge with the new ball can’t disguise the limitations of an honest but far-from-menacing attack. HCC, for all their occasional fitfulness, look much stronger in all departments, and like Voorburg and Punjab, they have created a launching-pad from which they could potentially take advantage of any further lapses by the top two. It’s true that after dominating with the ball they struggled a bit to beat Hermes on Monday, but even that eventual victory illustrated the depth of their batting and their resilience when things get tough. Five of the current side were in the team which came from behind to take the title in 2022, and there’s no question that that experience stands them in good stead on such occasions as that.

BdJ: And finally, after a long absence, and a day behind the rest of the round, Topklasse cricket returns to the Bos on Sunday, though it finds hosts VRA in a rather less comfortable position than when last they played a home game. Still short fully four Dutch internationals, VRA face the prospect of taking on a full strength and finally (if fitfully) firing Punjab Rotterdam, who’ve strung a series of wins together as their title defence belatedly got into gear over the past couple of weeks. A crucial win over relegation rivals Excelsior on Monday meant stand-in VRA skipper Johan Smal will have at least two points to present the returning internationals when they get back from Scotland, but he’d likely like a couple more to cheer up his clubmates when they get back from what’s shaping up to be a less-than-triumphant tour. While Smal has done his best to marshal the diminished and diminishing resources available to him, one suspects he may be regarding the team-sheet handed in by opposite number Sikander Zulfiqar with a degree of envy on Sunday.

RL: This match-up of fifth and sixth on the current table is crucial for both sides, and that makes it pretty clearly the Match of the Day. From one angle it looks like an ordinary mid-table clash, but so crowded is that central space and so narrow the margins between safety and a battle to stay up that these points take on much greater significance than that. For Punjab, too, there is the knowledge that a really successful sprint to the finishing-line, combined with the right results elsewhere, could yet see them in the mix for the title. Three of their batters are among the dozen who have posted centuries this season, Musa Ahmad the latest to join that company, and the return of Saqib Zulfiqar reinforces the strength of a spin department which has taken over from the seamers as the side’s principal weapon in the field. For the home side, the addition of Sharad Hake and Viraj Thakur to the seam unit and Ashir Abid’s stepping up with the new ball proved vital in the victory over Excelsior, and if the batting remains an uncertain force in the absence of the internationals there’s enough quality there to set or chase a decent total. Another tough one to pick, this.

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

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 08/06/2025

And so we gallop into the back straight, the Pentecost holiday providing us with another brace of rounds one clear day apart. Things have moved on, of course, since these sides met on the opening day, and in several cases the return games distinctly pit one of the leaders against one of the relegation-threatened. The weather promises to be a good deal more co-operative than it was on Saturday, and we must hope that this time there will be no delays or interruptions .

RL: Having kicked off their season with a rapid nine-wicket victory over VOC back in April, Kampong go into the rematch at the Hazelaaarweg without their two internationals, although it was local boy Pierre Jacod and overseas Lane Berry who were instrumental in that opening-day victory. Jacod has gone on to lead his side’s wicket-takers with 16 at 17.75, and with Lorenzo Ingram chipping in with 14 at 14.86, Kampong’s spin department has been a significant factor in their position at the top of the table. The Bloodhounds’ campaign, on the other hand, has devolved into a fairly desperate battle to avoid relegation, and their victory over VRA on Saturday notwithstanding, even a depleted Kampong will start as favourites against them. There have been occasional glimmers of hope for VOC, but with just two wins in the first half they will need significant, consistent improvement in all departments if they are to avoid slipping down to the Hoofdklasse.

BdJ: VOC’s two wins so far have both come defending low totals, where their opponents in both cases took an arguably over-cautious approach to the chase, eventually collapsing under partly self-applied pressure. It’s difficult to see the same scenario playing out against Kampong, certainly not with Ingram marshalling the middle order. Even Kampong’s depleted batting unit has continued to play positively, and it will take wickets to contain them. The brothers Jain, along with young Roman Harhangi, have been taking their share, but the Bloodhounds will need their own batting card to deliver something more substantial if they are to have a hope of upsetting the frontrunners.

RL: There’s another top vs. bottom meeting at Westvliet, where third-placed Voorburg will be at home to current wooden-spooners Sparta 1888. The Spartans put up a decent effort with the bat on the opening day, but were comfortably beaten in the end by overseas Gavin Kaplan and the returning Bas de Leede. This time, of course, the home side will be without their three internationals as well as De Leede (comparatively) senior, but they still have plenty of local talent to fill the gaps, not to mention Kaplan, Henry Melville and former Zimbabwean Carl Mumba. Joost-Martijn Snoep’s squad, undisturbed by international commitments, have proved themselves doughty fighters on occasion, and this is the sort of match they will have to win, albeit against the odds, if they are to remove the relegation Sword of Damocles which is hanging over their heads.

BdJ: Even at their best Sparta have generally looked outmatched by any side even remotely on their game this season – a banana peel that so far only VRA have slipped on. While Voorburg have looked vulnerable when Kaplan fails at the top – especially in the absence of their internationals – they bat deep enough that even without big runs from their overseas they should be reasonably confident of getting to a score beyond anything Sparta have managed this season. With just five fifties between them in the first half of the season, it’s the Spartan batting that’s chiefly to blame for their current predicament, and without a remarkable turnaround in the top order’s form it’s difficult to see them picking up many more points at all this summer, let alone on Monday.

RL: While some of the air has escaped from the Hermes-DVS balloon, they were back in command against Sparta and will go into their match against HCC at the Loopuyt Oval with plenty of confidence, having demolished their opponents for 99 first time out. They will be without Aryan Dutt this time, his 79 having anchored what proved to be a winning total at De Diepput, but that is compensated for by the presence of Saturday’s centurion Daniel Doyle-Calle and the return to the attack of Olivier Elenbaas. The Lions have had an up-and-down season so far, most of the ups having been provided by Boris Gorlee’s form with the bat and a varied attack led by a resurgent Hidde Overdijk. Overall, though, they’ve been a little less than the sum of their parts, while until a week or so ago, Hermes were distinctly more than the sum of theirs. To be serious title contenders, though, they will need to maintain their momentum, and their spin attack, with or without Dutt, is likely to be crucial in that. Hard to call, this one, but it would be quite something if the Sky Blues managed to roll HCC twice.

BdJ: It’s probably fair to say that Hermes caught HCC somewhat off-guard in their opening game, almost as though the arrival of the season had taken Gorlee’s side entirely by surprise. They’ll be better prepared for the trip to Harga, one imagines, and better rested that their opponents too having had a rain-enforced afternoon off yesterday. Gorlee’s own prolific form is indeed one of the principle reasons for their spot in the top five, though the question of whether the HCC skipper can carry that form from mats onto turf wickets is one he’ll doubtless be keen to answer. More pressing questions might be asked of the rest of the batting of course, though the same could be said of the Hermes line-up besides Doyle-Calle. The Hermes bowling attack has no obvious weak links though, Elenbaas looking sharp on return and Braat himself in excellent form with the ball, meaning the hermes skipper has plenty of options even beyond the slow-bowling section. Gorlee conversely has had to rely mostly on his seamers for wickets, though Ollie White generally delivers ten servicable overs of left arm spin, fellow slow southpaw Clayton Floyd has struggled for form since return from injury. All told Hermes look a team largely playing their best cricket, while HCC have been comparatively inconsistent. The flip side of that though, is that the latter have more room for improvement.

RL: Both Punjab-Ghausia and HBS Craeyenhout seem destined to finish mid-table, although it would be rash to write off a late dash towards the top by one or other of them, or even, for that matter, a plunge into the Nether Deeps. If the former’s going to happen, this would be a very good place to start, and both the home record of the defending champions and the Crows’ away from Craeyenhout suggest that it’s Punjab who are more likely to come out on top here, especially since HBS will be missing Wesley Barresi and Kyle Klein. One shouldn’t write off their remaining resources with either bat or ball, but there’s no doubt Punjab’s top order, led by Jonathan Vandiar and Shoaib Minhas, with Mohsin Riaz currently the man in form, boasts greater potential firepower than that of their visitors. It was Riaz’ century, supported by 71 not out from Sikander Zulfiqar, which was decisive on 27 April after a fluctuating battle, and it would probably take something similar from the Crows’ Tayo Walbrugh to see the rematch go the other way.

BdJ: While HBS will be hopeful that their fortunes will improve once Klein and Barresi return, they may well need to pick up some points without them if they’re to avoid sliding toward danger, with Excelsior – currently occupying the relegation play-off spot – just one win behind them. Punjab’s point from yesterday indeed looks increasingly valuable in that regard, and if the Rotterdammers look up rather than down the washout was almost as good as a win, given Kampong’s huge net run rate advantage over the field. Catching the front-runners looks a tall order at this point for any of the sides on ten points though, likely needing Kampong to lose at least three of their remaining matches to even leave an opening. Punjab have the squad to do it on paper, and it’s worth noting that they’re currently joint third on the table despite practically the entire squad, Riaz and Saqib Zulfiqar excepted, performing well below potential with bat or ball. If a reversion to mean does come a successful title defense is still possible, but they can ill afford to lose games like this if they’re to pull it off.

RL: If Excelsior ‘20 are to escape eighth place and a relegation-deciding play-off against the Hoofdklasse champions – or indeed worse – then their first task is to leapfrog VRA Amsterdam, now just a point ahead of them after the latter’s defeat by VOC and Excelsior’s victory over HBS. That makes the meeting of the two sides at Thurlede on Monday pretty much the Four-Pointer of the Day. The Amsterdammers are, of course, one of the principal losers from the national side’s Scottish foray, with four of their first-choice eleven on the other side of the North Sea, and their reserves have had mixed fortunes so far. The efforts of Sachin Peiris and Viraj Thakur against VOC will have given them some encouragement. ‘Full strength’ on paper, it is true, is not the same as on the park, and Roel Verhagen’s side are in the relegation zone because they have so far been unable to put together a string of all-round performances which measure up to that potential. But this is one they really have to win if they are to prevent their situation from deteriorating further.

BdJ:It’s frankly doubtful that VRA will have spent much time “taking the positives” from events at Hazelaarweg yesterday, though perhaps the second team may have enjoyed their own Peiris and Zaidi being the only two bats that didn’t entirely disgrace themselves. Given VRA’s precarious situation the schedule really hasn’t done them any favours this weekend, pitting them against two relegation rivals in a row while they’re missing fully five players owing to international duty – Patrick Gouge of course also away at the Channel Islands Inter-Insular series yesterday, though he’s expected back for tomorrow. While Excelsior have had to do without Raynard van Tonder, the return of Brett Hampton coupled with Antum Naqvi finding some form with the bat means they look a stronger side than at any point in the season. With VRA looking in a horrid slump – winless now since round five – there’s every chance that the international absentees will return to find their side deep in the relegation hole.

RL’s picks: Kampong, Voorburg, HCC, Punjab, Excelsior

BdJ’s picks: Kampong, Voorburg, HCC, Punjab, Excelsior

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 30/05/2025

Barely time to catch our breath, and we’re thinking about the penultimate round of the first half of the competition. The last two rounds featured (or would have bar the rain) the bottom three slugging it out; Saturday sees the top four matched up in games which could have a big influence on the race to the title. A dry Friday gives us hope that normal service will now be restored.

RL: The first question is whether the VRA ground will have recovered from the week’s rain to allow play to start. The club’s new Australian groundsman Dan Baker has probably learned more in the past few days about the hydrology of the Amstel fenlands than he ever wanted to know, and it can be a nightmare preparing a pitch on one of the world’s lowest-lying first-class grounds. But both hosts VRA and (league- rather than water-) table-topping Kampong will be extremely keen to get a crack at the points here, the visitors to maintain their narrow advantage over Hermes, the hosts to get closer to the leaders. The gap is not yet big enough to get the peloton panicking, but they need to stop it growing any further. And what’s not to relish about Max O’Dowd, Lane Berry and Scott Edwards matched up against Vikram Singh, Johan Smal and Teja Nidamanuru, or indeed the spinners’ battle involving Shariz Ahmad and Leon Turmaine on the one hand, and Lorenzo Ingram and Pierre Jacod on the other?

BdJ: Well I can happily report that Amsterdam is currently experiencing near-perfect pitch-drying conditions, warm sun and above all a very stiff breeze hopefully doing the needful down at the Bos. VRA will hope there’s still something in the wicket for the bowlers tomorrow though, as they’ll be relying on their enviable pace attack – including the national team’s most recent recruit in Ben Fletcher as well as the season’s most successful seamer in Peter Ruffel – to check a belligerent Kampong batting card. Indeed the Kampong top order have been buccaneering in the extreme so far this season, regularly rollicking along at 8s and 9s regardless of the match situation. Their willingness to spend wickets in pursuit of net run rate advantage has paid remarkable dividends so far, indeed it’s the reason they’re currently top of the log, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll moderate their approach in deference to anyone. Whether VRA will be able to take advantage, one suspects, will come down to which side takes their chances when they come.

RL: Having surrendered their unbeaten record on Thursday, Hermes-DVS have a new challenge in the form of a visit to Westvliet to take on fourth-placed Voorburg. The Sky Blues will again be without Daniel Doyle-Calle, currently skippering Spain on their tour to Denmark. Yet while his aggression at the top of the order has been a significant factor in their success so far, it’s been the attack which has been their trump card. They cut through Punjab’s top order in defence of a modest total on Thursday, but couldn’t quite finish the job. They are likely to face similar problems facing Voorburg’s Michael Levitt, Cedric de Lange, Gavin Kaplan, Noah Croes and Henry Melville, and they will need to be at their best if they are to avoid a second successive defeat. Voorburg would move to within a point of their opponents if they beat them here, and all things considered, the Villagers will start as favourites.

BdJ: It’s fair to say that the international schedule hasn’t done Hermes any favours in regards this particular fixture, with Voorburg expected to field a full complement of Dutch internationals while Hermes will be without both their lead scorer and the competition’s joint-lead wicket-taker, with Doyle-Calle away with Spain and now Hikmatullah Jabarkhail called back to Belgium for the Mdina Cup. They do still have the other joint lead wicket taker to call on of course, Sahil Kothari in fine form since coming back over from ACC again. VCC, for their part, will likely be without sometime Zimbabwe international Carl Mumba, who’s understood to be nursing a niggle, but Vivian Kingma is back from injury and indeed looked raring to go ahead of the aborted match at the Bos yesterday, as was Flip Boissevain – the aspiring Kiwi legspinner still about for another week or two at least. All told what already looked a tough double-round for the former table-toppers doesn’t look like getting any easier.

RL: Fifth on the table by virtue of a positive net run rate, HBS will welcome VOC to Craeyenhout, keen to ensure that they don’t slip any further. It’s not yet five to twelve for the Bloodhounds, but the relegation clock is ticking, and every new defeat is a step closer to the sealing of their fate. They put up a dogged fight against HCC on Thursday, and they will need to be at least that determined if they are to get the better of the Crows on their own astroturf. HBS clearly have to make the most of the presence of Wesley Barresi and Kyle Klein before they head across the North Sea, Barresi’s form with the ball as well as the bat one of the encouraging features of their season so far. On the theme of bowling evergreens, Jelte Schoonheim kept his side in the game against HCC, but the future lies with youngsters like Roman Harhangi and Aaditt Jain, while VOC would like to see larger contributions with the bat from Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer, Jason van der Meulen having been forced to largely do it on his own on Thursday.

BdJ: Barresi’s form with bat and ball may turn out to be something of a mixed blessing for HBS given that it’s brought him a national recall, and if the Crows are to be regularly without both Barresi and Klein their prospects suddenly look a bit dicey. At full strength though, they will certainly back themselves at home to a struggling VOC side, albeit one that’s shown a measure of both fight and promise through the season, at least in phases. With Monty Singh away on Danish duty they will likely need at least two of their three overseas to fire in the same game if they’re to bag a desperately-needed second win, and even then just getting off the bottom of the table won’t be enough this season. While the younger generation have done well with the ball for the Bloodhounds this season, for the time being it seems the runs will have to come from either the imports or the old guard, and returns from both have been patchy at best.

RL: How long Excelsior will continue to enjoy the services of their fifth overseas player, Brett Hampton, is uncertain, but they need to build some momentum if they are to escape the dreaded eighth spot, and that path lies through HCC, their hosts at De Diepput on Saturday. Deepwell is traditionally one of the first venues to succumb to bad weather, but a couple of days without rain will hopefully have had their effect. A fine century apart, Antum Naqvi has yet to hit his stride with the bat, and the Schiedammers have not been able to fully capitalise on the good starts they have been given by Sam Rahaley and skipper Roel Verhagen. With Jason Ralston and Jens Blankestijn having collected just 14 wickets between them in the first six matches, the Michelle claimed by young Karson Edward against Sparta will have been especially welcome. Their hosts relied heavily on Oliver White and Josh Brown in their hard-fought victory over VOC on Thursday, and will be looking for a more collective effort on Saturday.

BdJ: Fair to say that both sides have looked rather less than the sum of their parts so far this season, with HCC’s blowing hot and cold with bat and ball so far, while most of the Excelsior side have put in at least one excellent individual performance at this point, they’ve tended to come in isolation, and consequently in a losing cause more often than not. HCC, for their part, will be encouraged to have picked up two more points yesterday even without runs from the mercurial Boris Gorlee, and a return to home matting may well augur a resumption in the flow of runs from his bat if the pattern holds. While there is of course a limit to how much confidence one can draw from a nervy victory against last-placed VOC, I’d be minded to go with home advantage here too.

RL: It was the discipline of Punjab-Ghausia’s bowling unit which was the foundation for their defeat of Hermes, economical spells from Suleiman Tariq and Khurram Shahzad paving the way for Burhan Niaz’s sharp assault, with Tehzeeb Haider proving himself a useful addition. But the batting remains more fitful than it was last year, with Mohsin Riaz distinctly its most consistent member. That will give Sparta 1888 some hope as they welcome the defending champions to the Bermweg, but form suggests that the outcome will be another in their sequence of gallant defeats. For Punjab, victory would reinforce their position in the mid-table, while another loss would leave their hosts dangerously isolated, along with VOC, at the foot of the table. Khalid Ahmadi’s hat-trick on Thursday came too late to make a real difference, but Juandre Scheepers’ rearguard action with the bat argues that if he, Kyle Klesse and Lukas Boorer make runs together, the Spartans could post a total which would test Punjab’s slightly fragile top order.

BdJ: It’s worth noting, of course, that both sides will be without the bowlers that bagged 4-fers yesterday, with Ahmadi and Niaz both on international duty with Belgium. Yet while neither side have really impressed with the ball thus far it’s probably fair to say the Punjab have deeper reserves to draw on, especially with Saqib Zulfiqar making a tentative return to bowling yesterday. As unconvincing as their title defence has been so far, the underlying quality in the under-performing Punjab top order is not to be underestimated, with each of the top six having multiple Topklasse hundreds to their name. The current Sparta top order, conversely, have not a one between them. One expects the Punjab batting to at least revert to something closer to their prolific mean at some point in the season, and though it may not necessarily be tomorrow, it’s difficult to see Sparta posting anything that would be beyond the title holders.

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

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 22/05/2025

Well the first burst of the international summer is behind us, and so we’re all free to concentrate on the serious business of club cricket as the Topklasse approaches the end of the first third. The table remains in a somewhat amorphous state at this early stage, with Hermes making the early running but every club having put points on the board. All to play for still then as we head into round six.

BdJ: The match of the round is without a doubt the Schiedam Derby, where a real reversal of recent years sees Hermes DVS flying high unbeaten at the top of the table as they welcome old rivals Excelsior ‘20 to the Loopuyt Oval. Encouragingly for the frontrunners, they fought their way to a win against VOC last week despite a rare failure from Daniel Doyle-Calle, discipline with the ball and especially the spinning triple threat of Dutt, Kothari and Jabarkhail underpinning their success so far. Excelsior’s failure in the face of Punjab’s slow-bowling last week bodes ill for them in that respect, Raynard van Tonder’s efforts in vain at Thurlede on Saturday as they slumped to a 32-run defeat. That said, they still boast a stronger line-up than VOC, and one suspects Hermes will need more runs than they have managed thus far to extend their remarkable winning streak.

RL: The old adage that the best teams have the knack of winning even when they’re not playing at their best certainly applies to Hermes, who demonstrated against VOC that they have acquired Excelsior’s old ability to defend low totals. Even without the incisiveness of Olivier Elenbaas, the Sky Blues’ attack has had an outstanding start to the season – insiders tell us that if they win again on Saturday it will be the second time in their history that they’ve won their first six games of a campaign – and in a competition rich in imported batting they will present a real challenge to Excelsior’s distinguished but so far inconsistent top order. The visitors’ bowling, by contrast, has lacked the sharpness it had last year, although Joost Kroesen’s re-emergence as a wicket-taking leg-spinner has been a feature of the last two rounds. A fine century against Voorburg apart, we have yet to see the best of Antum Naqvi with either bat or ball, but he, too, could prove a trump card on the Loopuyt Oval wicket. Form clearly points to a home win, but if Excelsior get their act together they could yet spring a surprise.

BdJ: Hermes’ nearest rivals Kampong CC face a tricky trip to De Diepput to face the mercurial HCC on Saturday. Kampong have looked imperious at home so far, but will be playing on artificial for the first time this season against a side that’s already knocked over the much-fancied Voorburg when the latter visited in round three. HCC’s home record has otherwise been spotty, but with Gorlee averaging over 100 in his last three outings on artificial wickets it’s hard to judge what a safe score may be at HCC. Kampong have yet to defend a sub-300 total this season, though it’s worth noting they’ve only had to try once, either passing 300 or looking like they could have done comfortably in their other four outings so far.

RL: Boris Gorlee’s form with the bat has been one of the feature’s of HCC’s start to the season, but another has been a rejuvenated Hidde Overdijk, who has looked a much hungrier pace bowler this year. With a dozen wickets in five games he’s up near the top of the bowling averages, although he and the rest of the Lions’ bowling unit will need to be at their best against Kampong’s explosive top order. The presence of Lane Berry at three gives openers Damien van den Berg and Max O’Dowd licence to go for their shots in the powerplay, and Lachlan Bangs has shown that he can build powerfully on a good start – not to mention the lurking menace of Scott Edwards. De Diepput’s short square boundaries are an open invitation for aggressive batting, and if the rain holds off and Deepwell doesn’t live up to its ominous name, the home side’s fielders could spend a lot of time and energy retrieving the ball. But equally, HCC are not without batters capable of exploiting the peculiarities of their home ground, not least opener Tonny Staal, who has hinted in previous games that he may not be far away from one of those match-turning innings. If the Lions lack Kampong’s fire-power overall, they are formidable opponents in a scrap, and they will be keen to put last week’s collapse, their second of the campaign, firmly behind them.

BdJ: Third-placed VRA meanwhile enjoy a second consecutive home game after a long long absence from the Bos, welcoming HBS Craeyenhout to Amselveen on Saturday. The Fluffers will do well to be wary of the Crows, who also knocked over Voorburg last week. The return of Navjit Singh, as well as the (still mostly just lurking) menace of Toby Visée at the top of the order, and especially Kyle Klein back from national duty has added some substance to a side that had previously looked all-too dependent on Tayo Walbrugh and Wes Barresi for runs. Conversely a four-wicket haul for Leon Turmaine on return from the Twos last week is illustrative of the depth of the bench at the Bos. And while VRA looked a bit wobbly with the bat on an admittedly tricky track against HCC, they’ve not really looked like dropping a game at home yet. For HBS this will be only their second game on grass this season, and they didn’t look at all convincing against Hermes. Kyle Klein at least has had had plenty of success on turf wickets this season though, and one suspects he’ll be key if the Crows are to throw off their reputation as mat specialists and stake a claim to a place in a league where artificial surfaces are becoming the exception rather than the rule.

RL: If this year’s competition isn’t going to turn rapidly into a two-horse race, it’s teams like VRA and HBS who hold the key: both are currently four points behind the leaders, and even with only a third of the season gone a six-point deficit would be a lot to make up. So this is another four-pointer, with the winners still in a position to take advantage of any slip by the top two and the losers slipping back into the mid-table churn. Both sides have plenty of class in both batting and bowling: with Vikram Singh, Johan Smal, Teja Nidamanuru and Shariz Ahmad in their top six, VRA are equipped to post big totals, and they need to do so when they have the services of their internationals. If Visée’s brief cameo last week was more than a one-off, HBS are scarcely less well off, while the pace units of Ben Fletcher, Peter Ruffell and Ashir Abid on the one hand and Klein, Lehan Botha and Benno Boddendijk on the other will fully test top orders which yet to produce a really dominating performance. A lot may depend on how the pitch plays: if it’s similar to last week’s, it may be the bowlers who hold most of the cards.

BdJ: Few would have predicted that the first meeting between the 2024 and 2023 Champions this season would be a mid-table clash, but so it will be when Punjab-Ghausia head to Westvliet to take on Voorburg on Saturday. Punjab’s woes this season can be attributed at least in part to the fitness struggles of their remaining Zulfiqar twins, the bowling especially having lacked for penetration so far. The slow bowling was enough to choke out Excelsior last week, with Musa Ahmad and Shoaib Minhas functioning almost as bowling all rounders this season, but even against a Voorburg batting card that’s looked less than the sum of its parts at times it’s difficult to see them taking ten wickets on Saturday. Voorburg’s own bowling is not what it was either of course, with Viv Kingma likely sidelined for a fortnight at least while leggie Peter Hatzalogou got a call from the Multan Sultans last week. While Patient Charumbira has proved a smart acquisition for the Villagers, the rest of the front-line attack (bar the prodigal Flip Boissevain) are all averaging over 30 with the ball this season. On paper then, expect a run-fest. Which of the two sides will be able to turn their season around from here though is tougher to call.

RL: Already two points further back, Voorburg and Punjab’s immediate concern will be to get themselves firmly established in the mid-table’s upper reaches, well away from this season’s expanded relegation zone. That both have the resources to do so comfortably is beyond question – Voorburg are, after all, By Appointment Suppliers of Players to the National Squad as well as having one of the competition’s most prolific and reliable batters in Gavin Kaplan. And in Jonathan Vandiar, Shoaib Minhas and Mohsin Riaz Punjab have three players who last year were instrumental in propelling them to the club’s first national title. As m’colleague observes, however, neither side’s bowling, in conditions which have largely favoured the batters, has been equally effective; injuries and national team demands have played their part in this, no doubt, but both will be looking for more cutting edge from here on in. The same factors have deprived both captains of a settled eleven, but these are clubs with proud recent records, and too much quality to be struggling for long.

BdJ: At the bottom end of the table, Sparta 1888 versus VOC Rotterdam looks pretty do-or-die, with the loser surely favourites for relegation even at this early stage. Both clubs are coming off heavy losses again, admittedly against the two leading sides in the competition, though of the two defeats VOC’s failure to capitalise on bowling out Hermes for just 140 must have stung rather more. Sparta’s attack got taken to pieces by the Kampong top order last week, but the same is true of most of the teams that have come up against the newly-promoted title contenders. While nobody’s beaten Hermes yet this season, VOC were arguably in a better position to do so than anyone has been, before collapsing in a heap in the face of the sky blue spinners. While it’s fair to say that Sparta have been repeatedly bested and at times clearly outclassed this season, they have rarely rolled over in the way the Bloodhounds have.

RL: VOC have shown signs in their last two games of more spirit than they mustered at the start of the season, albeit in flashes rather than across a whole game. Roman Harhangi has bowled some fine spells, and has deserved greater reward than the six wickets he’s picked up so far. Brothers Arnav and Aaditt Jain and Siebe van Wingerden, the latter getting a prolonged run in the first team, also form part of a promising bowling unit, but they need more support from a batting unit which has too often tended to be more a procession than a line-up. In Kyle Klesse Sparta have a batter who has proved to be encouragingly difficult to dislodge, but he’s spent too much time standing alone against a surge of wickets at the other end. With only three half-century partnerships in five matches Sparta could do with a lot more stickability at the crease, but then, VOC have managed no more, and they owe much to transient Danish international Monty Singh. In current form, both clubs can anticipate Hoofdklasse cricket next season, but a few victories could change all that, and barring a tie or lots of rain one of them will leave the Bermweg having doubled their haul of points.

BdJ’s picks: Excelsior, Kampong, VRA, Punjab, Sparta
RL’s picks: Hermes, Kampong, VRA, Voorburg, Sparta.