Review – TKcricket

Rotterdam seal historic double

Rod Lyall 07/09/26

At the Zomercomplex on Sunday Rotterdam became the first team for fifteen years to complete the 50-over/T20 double, winning twice to finish three points clear of title-holders VRA.

The Amsterdammers had edged their way to the top of the table by Saturday evening, having won both their matches earlier in the day, but they knew that victory in either of their two games in hand would allow Rotterdam to leapfrog over them, while defeat for challengers Voorburg in the first of those games would assure Sikander Zulfiqar’s team of the title.

Voorburg, for their part, needed to beat Rotterdam, and then hope that Rotterdam would lose to HCC in the afternoon.

Their task was made all the more difficult by the fact that the ETPL had not only robbed them of four of their top six, but also deprived them of their Westvliet ground, so that their last two ‘home’ matches were played on the alien astroturf at De Diepput and the Zomercomplex.

There can be little doubt, however, that Rotterdam have been the dominant side all summer, and that this double victory was thoroughly deserved.

Aaditt Jain struck an early blow for Voorburg after Cedric de Lange had won the toss, removing Shoaib Minhas with the fourth delivery of the match, but a positive response from Musa Ahmad (34 from 29 balls) and Muhammad Gondal (28 from 16) saw Rotterdam to 60 for one by the end of the powerplay.

Michael Rippon came on immediately afterwards and had Gondal caught at deep square leg with his second delivery, and for a time the flow of boundaries was restricted.

But Abdul Rehman Niazi’s unbeaten, 31-ball 44, assisted by Sikander Zulfiqar with 27 and Burhan Niaz with 22 from 11 deliveries, enabled the home side to reach a very challenging 176 for six.

Any prospect of Voorburg matching that was effectively ended by Gondal, whose four-over spell conceded only 14 runs with the wicket of Waseem Mohsen; Gondal’s round-arm, slingy action has been causing batters problems all season, and here he ensured that the reply never really got going.

Mohsen’s 25 was in fact the top score, and although Don Glover, Tom de Leede and Rippon all contributed twenties, it was nowhere near enough, and with Tehzeeb Haider taking three for 32 and Ahmed Shafiq three for 31, Voorburg were eventually all out for 138.

The cup now safely in their hands, Rotterdam celebrated with an even more dominant effort against HCC, running up 209 for eight and then dismissing the Lions for 106.

Set up by Musa’s 36 and 31 from Gondal, the core of Rotterdam’s total was a 22-ball 49 from Sikander Zulfiqar, who hit five sixes; the damage might have been even worse without Clayton Floyd’s three for 36.

With a somewhat inverted batting order, HCC were never in the hunt, although Teun Kloppenburg hit an aggressive 45.

Tehzeeb Haider claimed the first three wickets at a cost of just 12, while Sulaiman Tariq finished things off with five for 35.

On Saturday, VRA had given themselves an outside chance of retaining their title with comfortable victories over already-relegated Sparta 1888 and then over long-time leaders Excelsior ‘20.

They began by dismissing Sparta for 107, Darsh Abhinay taking three for 27 and Shariz Ahmad two for 19, only Juandre Scheepers with 39 and Tim Ferguson with 28 showing any appreciable resistance.

Joost-Martijn Snoep removed both oeners when VRA replied, but Johan Smal held firm with a 26-ball 52 not out, and he and Teja Nidamanuru completed a seven-wicket victory with more than six overs to spare.

Batting first against Excelsior, VRA ran up 205 for eight, Smal hitting his second half-century of the day with 58, again needing only 26 deliveries, and sharing a third-wicket stand of 99 with Sam Casidy (56 from 28); Viraj Thakur chipped in with an unbeaten 43 to see his side past 200, while Jens Blankenstein and Gijs Kroesen picked up three wickets apiece.

To this Excelsior had no answer, Abhinay collecting another three-wicket haul and young seamer Shayan Moodley taking four for 24 as the Schiedammers were dismissed for 124, Joost Kroesen top-scoring with 33.

Hermes-DVS, meanwhile, were finishing off their campaign with a seven-wicket victory over Kampong Utrecht, dismissing them for 103 (Sahil Kothari three for 16) and knocking off the runs in 15.2 overs, largely thanks to a 78-run fourth-wicket partnership between Ash Ostling (44 not out) and Olivier Elenbaas (31 not out).

In the final match on Saturday, HCC dented Voorburg’s hopes of establishing an advantage over Rotterdam with a 33-run victory at De Diepput.

Victor Wiesmeier (35 from 18) and Clayton Floyd (32 from 23) set things up with a rapid third-wicket stand of 62 after Aaditt Jain had removed Kloppenburg and Boris Gorlee, and then Zac Worden (44 from 37) and Daniel Crowley (48 from 28) put on 98 for the fifith wcket to help their side reach 195 for seven.

Voorburg were 80 for one in the ninth over in reply, Cedric de Lange having made 35 and Waseem Mohsen 29, but thereafter scoreboard pressure weighed in, and although Rippon did his best with a 25-ball 39 not out, the innings closed on 162 for six.

It had been a disappointing second half of the campaign for Excelsior, but they finished on a comparative high at Thurlede on Sunday, beating Sparta by 84 runs.

An opening stand of 71 between Bibal Shah (39 from 23) and Tim Etman (30 from 21) was the foundation of their total of 161 for six, Umar Baker claiming three for 18 for Sparta, and then Karson Edward ripped through the visitors’ top order, taking three for 13 in three overs.

Only Deran Benta reached double figures, making 21 as Sparta limped to 77 for nine.

Sparta will be replaced in next season’s Topklasse T20 Cup by the winners of next Saturday’s Hoofdklasse play-off, which will be between neighbours and long-standing rivals Quick Haag and HBS Crayenhout.

Weather the winner on a frustrating weekend

Rod Lyall 31/08/26

The Dutch monsoon season decimated the penultimate weekend of the T20 Cup campaign, with only two of the scheduled seven matches reaching a conclusion, and three of the remaining five being abandoned without a ball bowled.

The resulting scatter of shared points leaves matters unresolved at both ends of the table, although it would require an extraordinary combination of events to see Sparta 1888 escape relegation, while the battle for the title has effectively been reduced to a head-to-head showdown between leaders Rotterdam and pursuers Voorburg, who will in fact meet in a virtual final on Sunday morning (weather permitting).

Long-time leaders Excelsior ‘20 still have a theoretical chance of stealing the Cup, but again it would require some almost-unimaginable reversals of form, especially since the Schiedammers have not won since the departure of overseas stars Riley Ayre and Jack Wood.

Their most recent defeat was at Thurlede on Saturday, when Voorburg restricted them to 127 for seven and went on to a six-wicket victory with four deliveries to spare.

Tim Etman’s 41 gave his side a solid start in difficult conditions, and then Joost Kroesen held the latter part of the Excelsior innings together with a 45-ball 50.

Waseem Mohsen responded with 52 from 43 deliveries for the visitors, and after Tom de Leede had chipped in with a useful 21, Michael Rippon and Nirav Kulkarni knocked off the remaining runs, timing their chase to near-perfection.

Facing Kampong in their second match of the day, Excelsior had reached 64 for four in nine overs, with Tim Etman unbeaten on 27, before the rain arrived and the match was abandoned.

Runs were much easier to come by at the Zomercomplex, where Hermes-DVS ran up 183 for four against Rotterdam, thanks in large measure to a record-breaking third-wicket stand of 130 between Ash Ostling (54) and Daniel Doyle-Calle, whose 95 not out came from 52 deliveries and included four fours and seven sixes.

Shoaib Minhas, however, replies with a 41-ball 85 for Rotterdam, and with Muhammad Gondal contributing 34 and the veteran Sherry Butt 32, the six-wicket victory came with two overs to spare.

No play was possible in the later game between Rotterdam and VRA, and at Sportpark Bermweg Sparta 1888 were on 41 for three after 9.5 overs when the players were driven from the field.

Rotterdam go top as Sparta face the drop

Rod Lyall 24/08/26

The T20 Cup was hit by a double whammy this weekend: a drought-breaking week of rain had left grounds somewhere between damp and sodden, and the impending start of the ETPL had differentially deprived sides of their leading players.

Climate change and franchise cricket, two scourges of the modern world.

The toll of the first was mainly felt at Maarschalkerweerd on Saturday, when both Kampong’s matches, against VRA and HCC were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

In the circumstances, Kampong might perhaps have been forgiven for taking two points from the day as something of a reprieve, but for their opponents, with championship and relegation-avoiding ambitions respectively, a point each would have been a disappointing return from the visit to Utrecht.

The two top sides, however, were able to get only the field at the Zomercomplex, and in a low-scoring match Rotterdam secured a six-wicket victory over Excelsior ‘20, displacing them at the top of the table and greatly improving their chances of pulling off a double title win.

Put in to bat, Excelsior struggled initially against Muhammad Gondal and Tehzeeb Haider, reaching just 28 for two by the end of the powerplay, and although Roel Verhagen batted throughout the innings for an unbeaten 41, it took him 56 balls to do it, and his only real support came from twenties from Stan van Troost and Joost Kroesen.

110 for six never seemed likely to be enough, and with Gondal contributing a 37-ball 42 and Abdul Rehman Niazi 34 not out, Rotterdam reached their target with 11 balls to spare.

Apart from Sikander Zulfiqar’s side, the main beneficiaries of the weekend were Hermes-DVS, whose victories over Voorburg and Sparta 1888 at the Boudewijn Hoek Oval on Saturday carried them away from the relegation zone and into a comparatively secure postion mid-table.

Against a Voorburg side deprived of most of its top order and with national women’s captain Babette de Leede behind the stumps, Hermes ran up the highest total of the weekend, their 171 for five owing much to Daniel Doyle Calle’s 54 and a 21-ball 48 not out from skipper Sebastiaan Braat.

Olivier Elenbaas then removed standin captain Cedric de Lange in the second over of Voorburg’s reply, and by the halfway mark the visitors were effectively out of the game at 55 for three.

Tom de Leede, younger brother of the absent Bas, made a fighting 46, but the innings closed on 137 for eight, still 34 runs in arrears.

Runs were harder to come by in the second match, but Ash Ostling’s 54 and Nick Statham’s 26 saw Hermes to 131 for eight, but although Khalid Ahmadi produced his characteristic fireworks, smacking five sixes in his 40-ball 54, Sparta could only manage 111 for nine in reply, Hermes not only taking four much-needed points from the day but also considerably improving their net run rate.

Sparta’s woes continued at the Bermweg on Sunday, as after restricting Voorburg to 130 for eight, they were dismissed for 111 to remain anchored at the foot of the table.

Tom de Leede continued his good form with the bat, contributing 29, but it was Michael Rippon who top-scored with 41, and after Umar Baker had kicked off Sparta’s reply with a solid 30, Rippon grabbed the vital wicket of the dangerous Ahmadi, setting up Voorburg’s 19-run victory.

Sparta’s plight was made worse by events at De Diepput, where HCC gave themselves a three-point margin over the Capelle side by beating VRA by a thumping 55 runs.

A win would have given the Amsterdammers a share of the lead with Rotterdam and Excelsior, but they were set back by Josh Brown’s 72 not out, made from 48 deliveries, which saw his side to 163 for six, Hidde Overdijk icing the cake with back-to-back sixes after coming to the crease in the final over.

VRA began their reply brightly enough, reaching 52 for three by the end of the powerplay, but immediately afterwards Casper Snoeck removed Shariz Ahmad (23) and Johan Smal (21) in the space of three deliveries, and thereafter the challenge fell away, Teun Leijer eventually claiming three for 6 in 10 deliveries to clean up the innings on 108.

Next weekend’s potentially-decisive schedule, which sees Rotterdam taking on Hermes-DVS and VRA while Excelsior face Voorburg and Kampong, with Sparta at home to HCC in a last-ditch attempt to avoid relegation, will be competing with two double-headers in the ETPL, as the stiff winds of cricket’s climate change finally reach the Netherlands.

No doubt we should all be grateful.

Table tightens as Sparta shock Kampong

Rod Lyall 17/08/26

Wins at the lower end of the table and defeats among the leaders compressed the table as the second half of the T20 Cup got under way, with at least three teams now locked in a relegation battle and three points separating four sides at the top.

With overseas Jack Wood and Riley Ayre having departed and their replacement, Connor Blaxall-Hill, barely off the plane from Australia, Excelsior ’20 had a tough weekend, dismissed for 109 by HCC at De Diepput before the game was rained off, and then losing to Hermes-DVS in Sunday’s Schiedam derby.

Hidde Overdijk was the destroyer for HCC, taking four for 21, and only Roel Verhagen’s 35 enabled Excelsior to make it into three figures.

Karson Edward grabbed an early wicket when the Lions began their chase, but then a series of interruptions, which saw the target cut to 90 from 15 overs and later to 54 from eight, ended with the home side on 20 for one from 17 deliveries, the sides taking a point apiece.

It was Excelsior’s only point from the weekend, as Hermes-DVS ran up 170 for six against them at the Boudewijn Hoek Oval on Sunday after powering to 75 for two within the first six overs; Aryan Dutt then top-scored with a 35-ball 43, Edward claiming three for 36 for the visitors.

Verhagen again anchored the Excelsior innings with a 58-ball 66, but Hermes were able to keep the scoring rate below what was required, and they were already sure of the points before a flurry of wickets in the last two overs left Verhagen’s team on 138 for seven.

It was Hermes’ second victory of the weekend, since an unbeaten 75 (from 44 deliveries) by David Rushmere and 48 from Ash Ostling had seen them to a five-wicket win against HCC at De Diepput on Saturday.

Put in to bat, HCC had managed 143 for nine in somewhat unusual circumstances, Mark Wolfe having retired at the end of the fifteenth over of their innings, after making 6 from 16 deliveries.

Since he was able to keep wicket in the Hermes reply, taking two catches, this appeared to have been a tactical retirement, and if so, it was only partially successful since his replacement, Yash Patel, managed only a single six before departing.

Earlier, Boris Gorlee had given his side a good start with 45 from just 19 deliveries, hitting three fours and four sixes, but once he had gone the Lions’ innings faded, Olivier Elenbaas collecting four for 35.

Their single point from the weekend leaves HCC among the endangered, level on points with Hermes and Sparta, although with a greatly superior net run rate.

Sparta 1888, in fact, pulled off the most spectacular result of the weekend, Ruve Louw’s unbeaten, 70-ball 114, which included 14 fours and four sixes, dominating his side’s total of 177 for six against Kampong at the Bermweg, the next highest scores being 14 apiece from Umar Baker and Khalid Ahmadi.

Ahmadi then joined forces with Johne Jacob to reduce Kampong to 39 for six within the powerplay, Max O’Dowd, Pierre Jacod, Lorenzo ingram and Alex Roy all falling to Ahmadi, who claimed four for 9 in his first three overs.

With Jacob removing Damien van den Berg and Scott Edwards at the other end, Kampong’s theoretically strong top order was reduced to ruins, and although Vikram Chaturvedi (37) and Ajinkya More (27) were able to restore some respectability to proceedings, the side was all out for 128 with ten deliveries remaining.

It was a remarkable turnaround for Kampong, who on Saturday had caused an upset of their own, winning a rain-affected match against Rotterdam at the Zomercomplex, O’Dowd’s 41-ball 101, with six fours and nine sixes, as dominant in their innings as Louw’s would be the next day.

That 101 represented nearly 70% of Kampong’s total of 146 for five, only Edwards of the other batters, with 21, contributing at all significantly.

Ingram and Amit Das then cut through the Rotterdam top order as the weather threatened, Ingram claiming three for 20 and Das two for 25 as the batters’ attempt to get ahead of the DLS run rate badly misfired.

Rain stopped play at 45 for five after 3.4 overs, and although there was a brief resumption, the match was finally abandoned after the minimum five overs with the home side on 56 for six, giving Kampong a 25-run DLS victory.

But Rotterdam kept their title hopes alive in the afternoon game at the Zomercomplex, securing a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Sparta, who were dismissed for 102 in 19.3 overs.

Shoaib Minhas (55 not out from 25 deliveries) and Muhammad Gondal (36 not out from 31) then needed just 9.3 overs to knock off the runs after the early loss of Musa Ahmad, adding 102 in an unbroken second-wicket stand.

Michael Levitt’s return to form for Voorburg continued against VRA in the Amsterdamse Bos on Saturday, as he and Cedric de Lange shared an opening partnership of 87 in 11.5 overs before De Lange was bowled by Johan Smal for 38.

Levitt and Bas de Leede then added a further 68, and although Vikram Singh claimed three wickets in the 19th over, Levitt remained not out on 76, made from 57 deliveries, and the innings closed on 170 for five.

Singh gave his side a promising start with a 24-ball 34, but with Tom de Leede claiming three for 29 and Ryan Klein, operating off his long run, removing Singh, the required rate began to climb, and although Sam Cassidy made 40 before falling to Tom de Leede, the innings closed on 141 for seven.

Next weekend’s schedule features a top-of-the-table clash between Excelsior and Rotterdam at Thurlede, and a vital meeting betwen relegation-threatened Hermes and Sparta at the Boudewijn Hoek Oval, both on Saturday afternoon.

VRA upset Excelsior as HCC and Rotterdam tie

Rod Lyall 10/08/26

Thanks to the genius of the KNCB fixtures programme, the four leaders in the Topklasse T20 Cup found themselves duking it out on Sunday to settle the rankings as the teams rounded the turn (apologies for the mixed metaphor) and headed into the home straight, with seven furlongs matches still to go.

Excelsior ‘20 surrendered their unbeaten record, losing decisively to VRA at Thurlede and allowing the Amsterdammers to move to within two points of them.

Vikram Singh (28) and Shreyas Potdar (27) gave the visitors a great start, enabling them to reach 57 for one inside the powerplay, but it was Johan Smal’s 43-ball 71, assisted by 32 from Teja Nidamanuru, which saw his side to a challenging 194 for five.

Jack Wood smacked 39 when Excelsior replied and Riley Ayre made a slightly more sedate 22, but once they had gone the innings fell away, Shariz Ahmad claiming three for 18 and Smal and Nidamanuru picking up two apiece, and only Rens van Troost’s 32 not out got them to 130 for nine.

It was a disappointing end to the weekend for the leaders, who had beaten Sparta 1888 by 25 runs at the Bermweg on Saturday, Karson Edward taking four for 22 and Jens Blankestijn three for 15 as the Spartans were dismissed for 121 in pursuit of Excelsior’s 146 for three.

Only Ruve Louw, with a 44-ball 54, was able to cope with Excelsior’s pacemen, while the core of the Schiedammers’ innings was a second-wicket stand of 77 between Roel Verhagen (55 from 57) and Ayre (37 from 38).

On Saturday afternoon, Sparta were again bowled out, this time by VRA, in a game which could prove influential at both ends of the table: VRA’s 11-run victory extended their winning run to four matches and set up their challenge to Excelsior, while Sparta are now back in relegation territory, just two points ahead of Hermes-DVS and with an inferior net run rate.

But it took an aggressive knock of 43 from Viraj Thakur, batting at eight, to enable VRA to recover from a perilous 51 for five and reach 159 for nine, while Sparta’s reply was enlivened by a remarkable innings from Khalid Ahmadi, who smashed six sixes in a 13-ball knock of 38, five of them in one Shayan Moodley over.

In Sunday’s other crucial top-of-the-table clash, Rotterdam recovered from a scare early in their reply to Voorburg’s 166 for seven and won by five wickets, thanks to a fourth-wicket stand of 114 between Abdul Rehman Niazi (38 from 33) and Saqib Zulfiqar (77 from 38).

Don Glover and Aaditt Jain had reduced the 50-over champions to 48 for three by the end of the powerplay, but Niazi and Saqib then turned the innings around, and Rotterdam won with 19 deliveries to spare.

Voorburg’s innings was the complete opposite of their opponents’: Michael Levitt’s 22-ball 51 had steered his side to 77 without loss by the end of their powerplay, and although his opening partner Cedric de Lange contributed 57 from 35 deliveries, the rest of the batting was unable to capitalise against Sulaiman Tariq (three for 23) and Rotterdam’s four-man spin attack.

The win took Rotterdam into third place on the table, since on Saturday they had shared the points in a low-scoring tie with HCC at De Diepput.

Batting first, HCC had battled their way to 122 for eight, Boris Gorlee top-scoring with 38 and Yash Patel contributing 29 as the Rotterdam spinners kept the batters under tight control.

But the Lions’ pace attack responded in kind, and although Muhammad Gondal made 46 before he was eighth out, the rest of the batting struggled in their turn.

At Gondal’s departure eight were still required with nine deliveries remaining, and when Teun Leijer began the final over the equation was seven from six.

Tehzeeb Haider clobbered a single from the first; another for Ahmed Shafiq brought Haider back on strike, and he struck the third ball to the wide long on boundary to level the scores.

As the batters attempted the winning run off the next, Leijer gathered the ball and threw down the stumps with Shafiq millimetres short of his crease.

Tariq was then caught at point by Gorlee, and the match ended with the scores still level.

HCC did rather better with the bat against Voorburg in their second game on Saturday, but it was Patel’s 23-ball 40 not out which enabled them to recover from 95 for six to reach 160 for eight.

But then Michael Levitt, returning to his most destructive form, set up Voorburg’s seven-wicket victory with an outstanding knock of 84 from just 35 deliveries, with five fours and nine sixes, and Bas de Leede completed the win with an unbeaten 35 and more than four overs to spare.

Voorburg’s mixed weekend leaves them in fourth place, four points behind the leaders, while HCC, in sixth, seem likely to have to settle for a mid-table position when the campaign ends at the beginning of September.

Excelsior still unbeaten as VRA make a move

Rod Lyall 03/08/26

The Topklasse T20 Cup campaign resumed at the weekend, Excelsior ‘20 maintaining their unbeaten record and extending their lead to four points with victories over Voorburg on Saturday and Kampong on Sunday.

Their win against Voorburg at Westvliet was another thriller, the seven-wicket margin belying the tension of the final over, which began with the Schiedammers needing still needing ten to overhaul their hosts’ 189 for four.

Karson Edward had rocked Voorburg by removing openers Michael Levitt and Waseem Mohsen inside the first four overs, but a third-wicket stand of 86 between Don Glover (who made 48 from 41 deliveries) and Ryan Klein put the innings back on track.

When Glover departed Klein took over, hammering a 49-ball 98, including nine fours and four sixes, before Edward was able to deny him a century.

Roel Verhagen responded with a 15-ball 35 when Excelsior replied, and then Jack Wood and Riley Ayre put on 121 together, accelerating as the overs began to run out.

So ten were required from Patient Charumbira’s final over, and when he bowled Wood for 80, made from 58 deliveries with five fours and as many sixes, and Charl Prinsloo was run out next ball by a direct hit by Michael Rippon, the game was still in the balance,

They took a leg-bye off the penultimate ball, bringing Joost Kroesen on strike, and his straight drive enabled the pair to take the two required before the ball crossed the boundary; Ayre remained on 62 not out.

Sunday’s victory over Kampong was less gripping, as the Utrecht side battled their way to 113 for nine, internationals Max O’Dowd, Zac Lion-Cachet and Scott Edwards contributing just 14 runs between them, and twenties from Pierre Jacod and Lorenzo Ingram the most significant contributions.

It took Excelsior into the nineteenth over to complete their five-wicket win against a largely second-string Kampong attack, Ayre top-scoring with 43.

It was Kampong’s second defeat of the weekend, the first having come at the hands of Voorburg, who bounced back from their defeat by Excelsior by posting 191 for six in the afternoon, Mohsen top-scoring with 57 and Klein and Tom de Leede contributing thirties.

Kampong could only manage 161 for six in reply, the highlight Jacod’s 47-ball 66.

The win meant that Voorburg would still be in second place on the table at the weekend’s close, but
Rotterdam, meanwhile, hung on to third with a relatively victory over Hermes-DVS on Saturday.

Hermes’ total of 135 for five was largely due to David Rushmere’s unbeaten 67, his only significant support coming from Daniel Doyle-Calle (26), and although Sahil Kothari claimed three for 20 and Sam van Giezen two for 20, Musa Ahmad (30) and Shoaib Minhas (25) gave the 50-over champions a good enough start to see them over the line in 17.1 overs with four wickets in hand.

Rotterdam, however, lost ground to Excelsior on Sunday, when they suffered a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of VRA, who were the only other team to win both their matches.

Rotterdam were given another great start with a 28-ball 53, inclding four fours and three sixes, but although Andul Rehman Niazi made an unbeaten 39 the rest of the batting struggled, and the innings closed on 149 for nine.

Tehzeeb Haider removed Vikram Singh in the third over when VRA replied, but then Shirase Rasool and Johan Smal shared a fine unbroken stand of 136, Rasool finishing on 61 and Smal on 78 as the Amsterdammers reached their target with 16 deliveries remaining.

It was a great couple of days for Rasool, whose 34-ball 52 on Saturday had played a large part in VRA’s 7-run win against Hermes-DVS.

With Shariz Ahmad contributing 34 and Udit Nashier an unbeaten 23, VRA reached 163 for seven.

Rushmere (32), Ralph Elenbaas (20) and Doyle (43) gave Hermes’s rejoinder a promising start, but thereafter the innings fell away and with two overs left 19 were still required with only three wickets in hand.

Two more fell in those final overs, and the innings closed on 156 for nine.

At De Diepput on Saturday, Sparta 1888 continued their run of good form with the ball, dismissing HCC for just 92.

Only Damian Crowley, Clayton Floyd and Hidde Overdijk reached double figures after Juandre Scheepers had removed both openers and further wickets by Nasrat Ibrahimkhil and Johne Jacob ad reduced the hosts to 25 for four.

Hidde Overdijk led the fightback when Sparta replied, claiming three wickets inside the first five overs and completing his spell with figures of three for 7, but Khalid Ahmadi hit four sixes in his 20-ball 30, and although Teun Leijer and Floyd picked up two wickets each, Scheepers held firm, seeing his side home by just two wickets with 15 balls to spare.

The competition will reach the halfway point next weekend, with VRA’s visit to Thurlede on Sunday to take on Excelsior among the most significant fixtures; also likely to have a big effect on the standings is the three-way clash between Rotterdam, Voorburg and HCC, all of whom face each other across the two days.

Excelsior stay top as the pack jostles

Rod Lyall 20/07/26

The teacher in charge of cross-country running when I was at school, many decades ago, used to say that his objective in handicapping was to have us all crossing the line simultaneously.

It never happened, of course, but there are early indications that something along these lines may occur with this year’s Topklasse T20 Cup.

With six of the eight teams playing twice this weekend, no-one managed to win both games, and the upshot at this early stage is that nine sides are bunched together with either one or two victories.

The exception is unbeaten Excelsior ‘20, who may have been a trifle fortunate in taking the points in a rain-affected match against Rotterdam at the Zomercomplex on Saturday.

Chasing their hosts’ 167 for eight, of which Muhammad Gondal had contributed 50, Sikander Zulfiqar 39 and his brother Saqib 30, Excelsior needed still needed 53 off the last five overs, with Roel Verhagen having been dismissed for a 29-ball 44.

But Riley Ayre and Charl Prinsloo were now together, and with rain approaching they took 24 off the next eleven deliveries as the weather closed in, each hitting a six to edge Excelsior ahead on DLS.

And when the game was brought to a premature close, the Schiedammers’ total of 139 for three was sufficient to give them a seven-run victory and put them clear at the top of the table, their unbeaten record intact.

Leading the chasing pack are HCC, who recovered from a one-run defeat at the hands of VRA on Saturday by overwhelming Kampong on Sunday, their 88-run margin enough to give them a clear advantage on net run rate.

VRA had posted 154 for eight in the Amsterdamse Bos, thanks to Shirase Rasool’s 39 and a 38-ball 55 from Sam Cassidy, while for HCC Josh Brown claimed six for 30, becoming the first bowler to take six wickets in an innings twice in the T20 Cup.

Teun Kloppenburg gave his side a good start with 41 from 24 deliveries, but although Zac Worden made 40 and Hidde Overdijk, back from injury, 30, 16 were still required off the final over.

Daniel Crowley managed to take seven off Vikram Singh’s first three deliveries and Worden hit a six off the next, leaving three needed, but Worden holed out off to long on, and although Mark Wolfe drove the final ball straight, a direct hit from Teja Nidamanuru secured the win as the batters came back for a second which would have levelled the score.

At De Diepput on Sunday Yash Patel’s 18-ball 47 not out propelled HCC past 200 for the second time in successive innings, in reply to which Kampong could only manage 116 all out, their last six wickets falling for 27 runs.

This was in stark contrast to the Utrecht side’s batting performance on Saturday, when they chased down VRA’s 166 for eight for the loss of only two wickets, Zach Lion-Cachet (55 not out from 38) and Scott Edwards (39 not out from 28) sharing an unbroken 87-run stand after Max O’Dowd had kicked things off with a 30-ball 54.

Earlier, Johan Smal, Sam Cassidy and Shariz Ahmad had all contributed thirties, while Alex Roy claimed four for 31 for Kampong.

Sparta 1888, having nearly upset Rotterdam the previous week, secured their first victory of the campaign at the Bermweg on Saturday, defending their total of 171 all out against the batting might of Voorburg.

Ruve Louw’s 55 had seen them to this fairly challenging total despite Aaditt Jain’s four for 35, but at 86 for three with Bas de Leede and Michael Rippon together, Voorburg seemed to be heading for victory; even after De Leede’s dismissal for 34, Rippon and Don Glover added another 67 for the fifth wicket.

But once Rippon went for a 33-ball 44 the innings fell apart, just eight more runs being added as Nasrat Ibrahimkhil took four for 29 and Khalid Ahmadi three for 25, and Sparta won by 10 runs.

They were then brought sharply back to earth in the day’s second match, Hermes-DVS dismissing them for just 103 and going on to win by nine wickets in 9.4 overs.

Hermes owed a good deal to a fine all-round effort from Ralph Elenbaas, who took three for 14 in Sparta’s innings and then top-scored with an unbeaten, 26-ball 44, while Hikmatullah Jabarkhail was even more successful with the ball, claiming four for 13 in his four overs.

But Hermes, too, experienced a reversal of fortune, dismissed for 117 by Voorburg at Westvliet on Sunday and losing by 50 runs.

Michael Levitt’s 52 and thirties from Cedric de Lange and Don Glover saw Voorburg to 167 for six, and after Aaditt Jain had removed both openers and Olivier Elenbaas had fallen to a stunning run-out by Levitt before he had faced a ball, it took a fighting 51 from Sebastiaan Braat to keep Hermes in the hunt.

At 77 for three the Schiedammers appeared to have a chance, but the last seven wickets fell for 40 runs as they were dismissed for 117.

The competition will be paused next week as the World League 2 series against Namibia and Nepal coincides with the traditional cricket-free weekend at the end of July, hostilities being resumed with a seven-match programme on 1 and 2 August.

Excelsior double up, but so do Rotterdam

Rod Lyall 13/07/26

It’s not so long ago that a Schiedam derby between Excelsior ’20 and Hermes-DVS attracted a partisan crowd of hundreds, fully justifying the town’s claim to be the Cricket Capital of the Netherlands.

Those days may be gone, but those who turned up to Thurlede for the first Schiedam derby of the season as the T20 Cup got under way on Saturday – Excelsior having been playing in the 50-over Hoofdklasse until now – were rewarded with a low-scoring thriller which went into the final over.

Thanks to Ash Ostling’s unbeaten 54, Hermes had managed to reach 138 for eight, and at 115 for two with Roel Verhagen and Riley Ayre well set and five overs left, Excelsior seemed to be cruising to their second victory of the day.

But when Verhagen, on 38, was run out by Olivier Elenbaas, it triggered a collapse, and the home side went into the final over still needing eight for victory and only three wickets in hand.

Karson Edward hit a six to level the scores, but when Sebastiaaan Braat bowled him with his next delivery a tie remained on the cards (the KNCB having wisely refrained from introducing a Super Over in a league competition).

Gijs Kroesen was equal to the occasion, however, pushing the single which gave Excelsior the points with one ball to spare.

Earlier, Excelsior had celebrated their first Topklasse match of the season with a seven-wicket victory over HCC, Jack Wood’s 63-ball 111 not out guiding them past the Lions’ 171 for eight; Wood was again in form in the second game, his 20-ball 43 having started the chase in a hurry.

The double victory put Verhagen’s team on top of the table on Saturday night, but after Sunday’s matches they had been displaced on net run rate by Rotterdam, who followed up Saturday’s 36-run victory over Kampong with a last-ball defeat of Sparta 1888 by a single run.

Against Kampong, the 50-over champions had been rescued from a perilous 41 for five by an unbroken stand of 149 between Saqib Zulfiqar and Abdul Rehman Niazi, seeing them to 190 for five; Saqib’s 92 not out came from 57 deliveries with seven fours and six sixes, while Niazi contributed a 30-ball 53, including five sixes.

Kampong were never really in the hunt, skipper Alex Roy top-scoring with 33 as they battled their way to 154 for six against Rotterdam’s four-man spin attack.

Rotterdam won their 50-over title with dominant batting performances, and it therefore came as a shock when Sparta, who like Excelsior have been playing in the Hoofdklasse so far this season, dismissed them for just 120 on Sunday, slow left-armer Jochem Steenbergen claiming four for 41 and Shoaib Minhas top-scoring with 50.

Sparta looked promisingly placed at 52 for one, but then Rotterdam’s spinners against deployed their wiles, and by the time Sulaiman Tariq began the final over seven wickets were down and 11 were still required.

Three dots virtually sealed the issue, and although Nasrat Ibrahimkhil kept Sparta’s hopes alive to the final delivery, with four needed the batters were only able to manage a two and Rotterdam had survived.

It was, however, a much more encouraging effort from Sparta, who had started their campaign the day before with a 77-run defeat at the hands of Kampong at Maarschalkerweerd.

Putting the loss to Rotterdam behind them, openers Pierre Jacod (74 from 47 deliveries) and Max O’Dowd (71 from 51) had plundered 138 from Sparta’s attack in 15 overs before O’Dowd was dismissed, and the innings closed on 187 for three.

This was always likely to be too much for Sparta, and although keeper Deran Benta made a 28-ball 34 they were restricted to 110 for nine, Salman Yousufzai taking three for 24 from his four overs; a mark of Kampong’s control was that their opponents were unable to hit a single six.

At Westvliet on Saturday, Voorburg put their failure to take the 50-over title behind them with an authoritative eight-wicket victory over VRA.

They dismissed the Amsterdammers for 131, Aaditt Jain claiming three for 23, and then Bas de Leede (22 from 19), Michael Levitt (57 not out from 55) and Cedric de Lange (34 from 29) executed a well-paced chase to see their side home with 19 deliveries to spare.

And on Sunday HCC returned to Schiedam to post 202 for six against Hermes-DVS, Tonny Staal setting up that imposing total with a 35-ball 66.

David Rushmore’s 76 from 46 deliveries ensured that Hermes were up with the pace at the halfway mark, but then HCC’s bowlers asserted themselves, and as wickets began to fall the scoring lagged, so that an improbable 38 were required off the last.

They could only manage 14, and HCC won by 23 runs.

The luck of the draw means that Rotterdam and Excelsior will face off at the Zomercomplex next Saturday, but in the meantime the latter have ensured that they will be playing in the 50-over competition next season, having comprehensively beaten Salland by 124 runs in the Hoofdklasse play-off on Sunday.

Rotterdam storm to the title

Rod Lyall 06/07/26

Newly-renamed Rotterdam won the club’s third championship in six years on Sunday, and they did so in style, running up a near-record total of 448 for five and beating HCC at De Diepput by a whopping 269 runs.

Rotterdam dominated the match from the moment Musa Ahmad and Shoaib Minhas took 15 runs off Daniel Crowley’s opening over, and by the end of the powerplay they had plundered 94.

With the total on 157 Minhas was eventually trapped in front by Justin Trijzelaar for 94, made from just 53 deliveries, but then Musa added a further 139 in company with Muhammad Gondal, whose 82 came from 70 deliveries.

Musa himself was finally run out for 150, made from 137 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, but still there was no relief for HCC’s weary attack, as Saqib Zulfiqar needed only 26 deliveries to smash an unbeaten 72, 58 of them in boundaries; in all, Rotterdam’s batters struck 35 fours and 24 sixes.

The total of 448 was the second-highest of the limited-overs era, surpassed only by VRA’s 455 for eight against HBS at Craeyenhout in 2023.

Gondal and Tehzeeb Haider then combined to reduce HCC to 29 for four in six and a half overs, and it seemed as if the record winning margin in Dutch limited-overs cricket might be shattered.

The middle oder, however, was able to restore some credibility to the Lions’ innings, Tim Pringle, Clayton Floyd and Josh Brown all compiling thirties, and the side reached 179, Sulaiman Tariq taking three for 63 and Ahmad Shafiq three for 31.

Less spectacularly, runners-up Voorburg completed a six-wicket victory over Kampong at Maarschalkerweerd to remain just a point behind the champions.

That Kampong managed to reach 182 was due almost entirely to Scott Edwards, who played a lone hand in making exactly 100, his second century of the season, to share the top spot in the batting aggregates with Musa Ahmad, on 638.

Edwards received little support from the rest of his side, the next highest score being Pierre Jacod’s 19, while for Voorburg it was Jaynul Islam who stood out with figures of five for 28, becoming the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 28.

Despite losing Michael Levitt in the first over and Cedric de Lange with 25 on the board, Voorburg were untroubled in reaching their target, Gavin Kaplan making 58 and sharing a thrid-wicket stand of 80 with Bas de Leede, who was unbeaten at the end with 66.

Already relegated, VOC gained some compensation by finishing their campaign with a win, beating VRA by just nine runs at the Hazelaarweg.

Their total of 220 was built around a hard-hitting 104 from Francois Fourie, but again the rest of the batting provided too little support, the next highest being Ramdas Upadhyaya’s 29 as Shariz Ahmad collected four for 50, his best return of the season.

VRA’s reply began well, Sam Cassidy (43) and Lovepreet Padda (47) putting on 71 for the first wicket, but the middle order was unable to build on their efforts, four wickets falling for 24 runs as the side slumped from 98 for two to 122 for six, Ethan Price collecting three of those wickets.

The Amsterdammers were partially rescued by Ibaad Zaidi, and then by Udit Nashier and Darsh Abhinay, who added 65 for the eighth wicket.

Then Ahsan Malik came into the attack, though, and he removed Abhinay for 30, Tharun Moorthy and Nashier (41) in quick succession to leave VRA just short.

Price finished with three for 36 and Malik three for 10.

A maiden Topklasse century by HBS opener Julien de Mey was the key to his side’s three-wicket victory over Hermes-DVS at Craeyenhout as they chased down their opponents’ 276 all out.

The Sky Blues had recovered from 45 for four to set a reasonably demanding target, Aryan Dutt top-scoring with 96, assisted by 49 from Ash Ostling and 43 from Sebastiaan Braat, while new-ball pairing Lucas del Bianco and Joris van Oosterom collected three wickets apiece for the Crows.

HBS kept pace with the asking-rate from the outset, De Mey and Reece Mason putting on 76 for the first wicket and the opener adding a further 98 with Tayo Walbrugh (38) for the second.

Then Lehan Botha smacked a 16-ball 42, and although Hermes fought back by claiming several key wickets, including De Mey’s for 101, Navjit Singh was able to ease the Crows over the line with almost seven overs to spare.

Rotterdam gain a crucial edge

Rod Lyall 05/07/26

With impeccable timing, Rotterdam slipped past championship rivals Voorburg on Saturday, and into the box seat for Sunday’s final round of matches.

To do so, they had to chase down the target of 261 set for them by VOC, and this they did with some ease, winning by seven wickets with more than twelve overs to spare.

Facing the imminent threat of relegation, their opponents had begun promisingly after winning the toss, the opening stand of 116 between Samir Butt (55) and Francois Fourie (55) the side’s first century partnership of the season for any wicket, but once they had gone the innings had subsided, the only substantial contributions Caleb Montague’s 52 and 27 from Ahsan Malik as VOC were all out for 260.

Ahmad Shafiq did the early damage, picking up three for 34, including the dangerous Jason van der Meulen, but thereafter it was Saqib Zulfiqar who cleaned up the innings, his five for 50 the third five-wicket haul of his career and leaving him needing just one more for 200 top-flight wickets.

Rotterdam’s powerful batting line-up never seemed in any serious danger of falling short of their target, but the issue was sealed by a third-wicket stand of 165 between Musa Ahmad (84) and Mohsin Riaz, whose 76-ball 117 not out included 11 fours and six sixes.

At the Boudewijn Hoek Oval in Schiedam, meanwhile, Voorburg surrendered their leading position by losing to Hermes-DVS by 29 runs.

For Voorburg, too, the day had begun well, as Aaditt Jain and Jaynul Islam reduced Hermes to 21 for three inside nine overs, but Ash Ostling and Nick Statham began a fightback which culminated in Mussayab Jamil’s unbeaten 46, and the home side scrabbled their way to 181 for eight.

Given Voorburg’s batting depth this seemed unlikely to be enough, but – not for the first time this season – the engine failed to fire, Aryan Dutt grabbing three quick wickets to leave the leaders on 38 for three, and although Bas de Leede contributed a fighting 50, when he was last out his side were still well short of their target.

Jamil capped a fine all-round performance with four for 25 and Hikmatullah Jabarkhail claimed two for 37 as Hermes moved well clear of the relegation zone.

HCC had started travelled to Maarschalkerweerd with some faint hope that victory over Kampong combined with results elsewhere going their way could take them into Sunday’s clash with Rotterdam with a sniff of the title, but any such thoughts were quickly blown away by their hosts, who bowled them out for 106 in exactly 29 overs.

Kampong skipper Alex Roy began the collapse, but all the bowlers contributed, and only an aggressive 35 from Josh Brown, batting at eight, enabled his side to achieve three figures.

Max O’Dowd fell to the first ball he faced when Kampong replied, but Damien van den Berg and Scott Edwards then knocked off the runs in double-quick time, Van den Berg finishing with 54 not out from 44 deliveries and Edwards 48 not out from 38.

The highest-scoring, and hardest-fought, match was in the Amsterdamse Bos, where VRA chased down a HBS total of 275 for three, winning by two wickets with just one ball to spare.

HBS were on a shaky 46 for three after twelve and a half overs, Sharad Hake having collected all three wickets, but they were rescued by a record-breaking stand of 229 between Lehan Botha and Kent Goedeke, the highest ever recorded for any wicket by their side and the second-best for the fourth wicket in the history of the competition.

Botha’s 142 not out was his fourth Topklasse century and his highest, coming from 130 deliveries with 16 fours and one six, while Goedeke finished on an unbeaten 94.

When VRA replied, it was Johan Smal who matched Botha’s effort with a match-winning 129; despite being severely hampered by cramp towards the end of his innings, he guided his team to within 14 runs of their target, hitting 13 fours and three sixes, and useful contributions from Adam Madgwick (32) and Udit Nashier (35 not out) enabled VRA to squeeze home.