Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 01/08/2024
While it may seem as though the summer has barely begun, and indeed weather-wise it only just has, Phase 2 of the 2024 Topklasse is already upon us and we’re suddenly a mere month away from the knock-outs. Straight out of the break and head-first into a double-weekend, by this time next week we’ll likely have a good idea of which of the top six are likely to feature in that final phase, and which of the bottom four will be staring down the barrel of relegation.
BdJ: Starting from the bottom then, the weekend’s most significant fixture will be playing out at Bermweg where the still-winless ACC Amsterdam will be looking to kick off a comeback against Sparta 1888. While not quite at risk of arithmetical elimination on the first weekend of Phase 2, it’s hard to see the Amsterdammers surviving the season if they can’t take points off their nearest relegation rivals on Saturday. There’s been some signs of ACC belatedly finding some form of late, coming within two wickets of besting both VOC and local rivals VRA in their last two matches. ACC showed some genuine fighting spirit in both games, albeit let down by sloppy fielding and a shortage of runs on the board. Overseas left arm quick Izhaan Sayed and spin duo Sahil Kothari and Mahesh Hans can provide the wickets if ACC start holding their catches, and the top order provide something to bowl at. Sparta for their part have struggled to overcome Riley Mudford’s lack of form in the fifty-over format, reliant on their other overseas Scheepers, Clark and Fraser for runs, while Martijn Snoep has again led from the front with the ball. It’s been more than a month since their last win, against the same opposition at the same venue. A repeat of that result would all but settle the relegation fight with a month to go, or at least procure a welcome buffer for a Spartan side that’s mostly looked as fit for relegation as their opponents.
RL: Izhaan Sayed has not only spearheaded the ACC attack very effectively; he has also provided much-needed stability in the middle of the order, top-scoring in three of their last four outings. But he will need a great deal more support, especially from the rest of the top six, if ACC are to find a way out of the dungeon they’re currently in. Sayed’s opposite number in the Sparta line-up, Cameron Fraser, has not always been rewarded with the wickets he’s deserved, but he has 12 of them, boosted by his five for 45 against Voorburg. But the batting does remain vulnerable, and if ACC are to pull off what would be one of the great escape acts in the top flight, it really needs to start here.
BdJ: Saturday’s second relegation-pool match sees VOC Rotterdam face off against Excelsior ‘20 at Hazelaarweg, with both sides looking to take a step toward security. Excelsior are only a win or two off securing their certain survival, VOC one win behind, and indeed neither side is in serious danger as it stands. That’s just as well for VOC, who looked like they might lose to whipping-boys ACC last week and indeed have only had one convincing win all season. They may take some comfort from the form of habitual lower-order blush-saver Aaditt Jain, who racked up a century in the under 19’s victorious Division 2 Qualifier this week, especially given the fragility of the top and middle order this season. They come up against the competition’s leading wicket-taker in Italian prospect Jason Ralston, who may well give the senior Dutch team reason to worry if he does indeed turn out for the Azzurri next year. Excelsior for their part will be looking to put this whole season behind them as soon as possible after coming off the worse in their climactic first phase net run rate show-down with Hermes, leaving them to face this unfortunate epilogue in the lower pool.
RL: The fact that VOC find themselves in the relegation pool is evidence that their recruitment of four overseas players has been insufficient to compensate for the loss of Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd to Kampong Utrecht. The foursome head the side’s batting averages, it is true, but they have not really dominated – the absence of the injured Jock McKenzie for a couple of matches didn’t help – and while local talents like Asief Hoseinbaks, Arnav Jain and Jelte Schoonheim have played their part in the attack, the middle order has let the side down even when the overseas players have given them a decent start. Excelsior’s batting concerns have arguably been greater: with Derek Mitchell and Lorenzo Ingram averaging in the high twenties with the bat, it was Ralston’s pace and Ingram’s guile which kept them in the hunt for a top six spot. With their places in next year’s Topklasse virtually safe – VOC are six points clear of ACC, and Excelsior two more – this might be the time for both clubs to start thinking about next year, and giving greater responsibility to local players whose efforts they may want to rely on more in the 2025 campaign. As for this game, the teams are evenly matched, and much may turn on the VOC batting’s ability to withstand the onslaught from Ralston.
BdJ: After a triumphant Schiedam derby-by-proxy Hermes DVS find themselves, perhaps unexpectedly, in contention for the knockouts, albeit with a fair hill to climb to make the top four. A fine first step would be an away win over VRA on Saturday, and with both skipper Teja Nidamanuru and deputy Johan Smal sidelined by injury the Bos-dwellers do look vulnerable. While stand-in skipper Vikram Singh has looked in phenomenal form for the hosts he’s had little support the rest of the remaining line-up has been inconsistent, though young spin all-rounder Udit Nashier has done fine work with the bat in the lower middle order. Hermes own batting card still looks rather top-heavy however. While Ashley Ostling has had an excellent season, Daniel Doyle-Calle has been more destructive than dependable in the fifty-over format and his absence this weekend on international duty will likely not be the last. All too often skipper Sebastiaan Braat has been left to salvage things with the middle and lower order, though he has performed that role well. In short it’s a tricky match-up to call, with the two teams’ first phase fixture and the rescheduled clash washed out we’ve yet to see a result between the pair.
RL: With two of the top six to fall by the wayside over the next four weeks, this is not only one of the weekend’s more significant matches; it could be one of the most important of the second phase. Both sides need to make up ground on the four teams above them, and points here and on Sunday would represent an excellent start. The obvious difference between them is VRA’s array of spinners: Shariz Ahmad is again among the leading wicket-takers, with Clayton Floyd and Nashier chipping in and Leon Turmaine more recently making a welcome return to the colours. Against that, the pace attack has been less effective than might have been expected, and that is where Hermes come into their own, with the brothers Elenbaas, Braat and Niels Woermeijer consistently among the wickets, joined now by young Sam van Giezen, another who will have enjoyed his run out with the U19s in Denmark. International Aryan Dutt, on the other hand, has had surprisingly little impact since his return from the T20 World Cup, and he may not be available to them for much of the rest of the campaign.
BdJ: Over at Westvliet defending champions Voorburg will take on HBS Craeyenhout, with both sides looking to shore up their position while still at something like full strength. Both clubs are set to lose several players either to the South African pre-season or the Dutch national side later in the summer, and for Voorburg especially this fixture looks must-win if they’re to hold on to a top four spot. Their young understudies at least have had plenty of match-practice, with Cedric de Lange, Tom de Leede and Alejo Nota all returning from under-19s duty, as are HBS’ Elmar Boendermaker and Joris van Oosterom. How those youngsters step up for the remainder of the season will likely determine both teams’ fortunes for 2024, as well as giving a decent idea of how they’ll shape up further down the line.
RL: HBS have a slightly more comfortable cushion than Voorburg as they seek to defend their place in the top four, but there’s only one win in it, and five matches to play. In between the overseas players and Dutch internationals on the one hand and the crop of youngsters on the other, both sides have key players with rather more experience: for HBS that means spinner Julian de Mey, seamers Henrico Venter and Benno Boddendijk, and – should they again be called up – Ferdi and Stephan Vink. Voorburg, by the same token, have potential match-winners in Mees van Vliet and Michael Molenaar as well as Nehaan Gigani and Nirav Kulkarni. The national squad for the upcoming Canada-USA series will obviously have a huge impact for both sides: will brothers Ryan and Kyle Klein, with the former now seemingly approaching full fitness, both be included? Will Noah Croes replace Sybrand Engelbrecht in the top order? And will there be a place for Wesley Barresi? These are all questions will inevitably influence the course of the Topklasse campaign, and in this four-pointer both sides will want to make full use of their stars while they have them.
BdJ: Frontrunners Punjab-Ghausia kick off their phase 2 campaign with a trip to de Diepput to take on HCC, with a win all but guaranteeing a spot in the knock-outs. The Lions have had something of a stop-start season so far, and not only because of the weather, with the traditional HCC three-stroke engine of Staal, Gorlee and Overdijk stuttering all summer. Contributions form the likes of Yash Patel, Daniel Crowley and especially Teun Leijer have taken up the slack at times, but even on home turf they’ll start as underdogs against a Punjab side on a five-match winning streak that included a comprehensive drubbing of HCC in their first phase encounter.
RL: After their traditional slow start, not helped by the weather and conditions at De Diepput, HCC are beginning to hit their straps, and if I were a betting man I might make a small investment on their reaching their third grand final in a row. It’s taken a while for their overseas contingent to slot into the side, but with that now beginning to happen the pace of Adam Leonard and the spin of Jed Wiggins, backed up by Crowley and the rapidly-emerging Leijer, is looking like one of the better-balanced attacks in the competition. It hasn’t helped the cause that Overdijk has only played five games so far, since he is a crucial factor with both bat and ball. They will need to be at their absolute best against a Punjab outfit who, if not invulnerable (see below), have looked consistently strong in all departments. And once again, the return of Jonathan Vandiar to his former stamping-ground may prove ominous for the Lions.
BdJ: Come Sunday Punjab facing VRA, the only top-six side to get the better of them in phase one. That match was a close-fought and rain-abbreviated encounter at the Bos, and conditions are likely to be wildly different at the smaller and hopefully sunnier Zomercomplex. Where Punjab have yet to lose a match all season. While VRA have a couple of bats at the top that are more than capable of taking advantage of the ground’s diminutive dimensions, containing a deep and dangerous Punjab batting line-up may prove beyond them.
RL: Their rather bizarre panic attack in the Bos apart, Punjab’s batters have looked composed and utterly confident all season, and it will take a massive effort by the Amsterdammers’ bowling unit to contain them. Vikram Singh’s side will perhaps be hoping that Shariz and Floyd have established a psychological advantage after that trauma, but the Zomercomplex is a very different proposition from the Bos, and Musa Ahmad, Shoaib Minhas, Vandiar and the remaining brothers Zulfiqar are all capable of taking full advantage. That applies equally, however, to Singh himself and to other members of his rather-less-dependable batting line-up; the question is how effectively they will be able to deal with the spin of Ahmad Shafiq and Saqib Zulfiqar, as well as the seam bowling of Sajjad Kamal, Sikander Zulfiqar and the nagging, always-frustrating accuracy of Suleiman Tariq. A win for VRA would massively increase their chances of reaching the semi-finals, but it would also come as something of a surprise.
BdJ: Meanwhile Hermes will head back to Westvliet to take on Voorburg, where the Sky Blues scored a surprise away victory in their Round 4 replay three weeks ago, with VCC bowled out for under 150 for the first time in three years. While that scorecard is unlikely to see a repeat, it does speak to the defending champions’ top order troubles. With Gavin Kaplan returning to South Africa and Michael Levitt in a rut of form VCC have too often had to look to skipper Noah Croes and newly-minted batting all-rounder Ryan Klein to dig them out of trouble. Given that they may well be without all four for much of the rest of the season a title-defence looks an increasingly remote prospect, and Hermes may well smell blood in the water.
RL: Maintaining the steely determination with which Hermes forced their way into the top six may prove to be something of a challenge, and beating the defending champions on their own turf twice in a row would indeed be no mean achievement. But a double victory this weekend would create a momentum which could carry the newly-promoted Sky Blues all the way, and they have, at the very least, the core of a very good side. Voorburg, of course, remain much the stronger outfit on paper, and there’s no doubt that Levitt with the bat and Viv Kingma with the ball are both due. Ryan Klein’s long-delayed return as a frontline bowler will make a difference, but this has the makings of a fascinating encounter.
BdJ: The final top-six fixture sees HBS welcome HCC to Craeyenhout for the Hague derby, a match that may prove decisive for which team makes the top two, crucial to which even stays in the top four or – equally possibly – entirely irrelevant in retrospect. Both clubs take bragging rights very seriously however, so expect a fiercely-fought contest either way. The phase one fixture between the two was washed out and HCC had already maxed-out their replays by then of course (because at De Diepput summer is something that happens to other people), so this will be the first fifty-over match between the two this season, though HBS will doubtless be quick to remind their rivals of the two T20 thrashings they handed them back in May.
RL: Yet another game where the efforts of the respective overseas contingents may be decisive on the day, and this certainly has the hallmarks of a four-pointer. One has sometimes had the feeling this season that there were two games taking place simultaneously: one between the six or seven overseas players on both sides, and another between the locally-based team members. In this case, with former internationals Gorlee, Staal and Overdijk, HCC probably have the marginally better credentials in the latter category, and with Daniel Crowley in good form with the ball they have the potential to upset HBS here. On the other hand, one should never underestimate a team which includes Wesley Barresi, whose 8672 top-flight runs at 35.98 put him in the absolute elite of Dutch batters, and he may play a significant role before this season is over.
BdJ: Back to the bottom pool, the stakes in Sunday’s games with inevitably be contingent on Saturday’s results of course, but either way ACC will still need all the points they can get when they take on Excelsior at Thurlede. Conversely, Excelsior could be in a position to secure their survival by Sunday, giving their long-suffering home fans something to cheer for at least. A low-pressure de-facto post-season might be just the ticket for the Schiedammers, who again have looked reliant on their overseas to deliver them points and must be starting to worry about their prospects in an eventual post-Ingram era. It’s not inconceivable that this match could be a second step in an ACC comeback effort of course, Excelsior’s batting has been inconsistent and only Ralston and Ingram have had a solid season with the ball, but the hosts will likely feel two phase one wash-outs against ACC are a big part of why they’ve ended up in the bottom four at all and will be looking to make a point now that they finally get to play them.
RL: As m’colleague suggests, by the end of Sunday we will have a much clearer idea of whether the hints of ACC’s improved form in their final two first-phase games were the faint light of a candle flickering in the wind, or a beginnings of a flame which could lead them out of the relegation spot. But Jason Ralston is without doubt a serious threat to the Amsterdammers’ fragile top order, and it remains a moot point whether they have the resources to post a total which could be beyond the reach of Excelsior’s batting. We would, of course, like the relegation issue to remain open for a while longer, but dispassionate reflection indicates that it will be all over by Sunday evening.
BdJ: By process of elimination that leaves VOC vs Sparta as the weekend’s final relegation pool match, the context of which will be very much set by Saturday’s results. If they take no points from either game, Sparta could find themselves at risk of slipping behind ACC, while back-to-back wins could see them climb ahead of VOC. For the Bloodhounds certain safety may be in reach this weekend, but worst-case they could find themselves just a couple of points from the danger zone themselves. Whether the prospect of becoming embroiled in that process of elimination is enough to concentrate minds at Hazelaarweg remains to be seen of course.
RL: What we said earlier about looking forward applies equally here, although Sparta’s willingness to experiment may depend upon whether they have managed to widen further their advantage over ACC, and may be limited, too, by their comparative lack of up-and-coming home-grown talent. Their second and third teams languish in the lower reaches of the Tweede Klasse (i.e. fifth division), and there’s a big, big gap to their U15 side. So for the present, they seem likely to remain dependent on old routiniers like Martijn Snoep, spinners Umar Baker and Manminder Singh, and the always-dangerous Khalid Ahmadi, plus the current batch of overseas players, not forgetting the promising (but still work-in-progress) Prithvi Balwantsingh. That combination is certainly capable of stretching VOC to the limit, but that would involve their workmanlike attack getting the better of the Rotterdammers’ formidable top order.
BdJ’s picks: Saturday: Sparta, Excelsior, VRA, HBS, Punjab;
Sunday: Punjab, Hermes, HCC, Excelsior, Sparta.
RL’s picks: Saturday: Sparta, Excelsior, VRA, Voorburg, Punjab;
Sunday: Punjab, Voorburg, HBS, Excelsior, VOC.
TKcricket 