Review – Page 10 – TKcricket

VRA and HCC post first victories, but rain the only winner at Drieburg

Rod Lyall 14/05/18

The top-of-the-table clash between Dosti United and Excelsior ’20 fell victim to the weather on Sunday, but not before Dosti’s Taruwar Kohli had posted his second century in succession at Sportpark Drieburg.

Kohli’s sixth-wicket stand of 128 with fellow-overseas player Anees Davids put the home side in a strong position when the light drizzle finally turned to serious rain and put an end to proceedings, with Dosti on 213 for eight.

Kohli made exactly 100, from 135 deliveries with nine fours and two sixes, before edging Gijs Kroesen through to keeper Roel Verhagen, while Davids, the more aggressive of the pair once he had settled, contributed a 48-ball 66 which included five fours and four sixes.

Kroesen and Rens van Troost claimed a brace of wickets apiece, but after a promising start the Excelsior attack was made to toil in the inclement conditions by two of the most accomplished batsmen in the competition.

The other match rescheduled to Sunday was unaffected by the weather, and reached a speedy conclusion: HCC’s Ali Ahmed Qasim was in supreme form with the ball, achieving career-best figures of eight for 36 as hosts HBS were shot out for 112, after reaching 30 without loss, at Craeyenhout. Wesley Barresi top-scored with 40.

HCC took just 21.3 overs to knock off the runs, with opener Bryce Street making an unbeaten 53 and sharing a second-wicket stand of 60 with Tonny Staal (33).

On Saturday, VOC Rotterdam began to fire in earnest as they hammered a disappointing Quick Haag side by 10 wickets at Hazelaarweg.

Pierce Fletcher quickly reduced the visitors to 8 for three after stand-in captain Thijs van Schelven elected to bat first, and they were eventually dismissed for 63, only Geert Maarten Mol showing any real resistance with a dogged 16.

Pieter Seelaar completed the rout, taking four for 8 in 9.5 overs of left-arm spin, and then Scott Edwards and Corey Rutgers were untroubled in reaching their target in just 8.2 overs, with Edwards striking five fours in his 33-ball 38 not out.

In the Amsterdamse Bos, VRA Amsterdam recorded their first win of the season by beating local rivals ACC in a hard-fought game.

The foundation of VRA’s total of 235 for eight was an unbeated 113 from opener Daan ter Braak, who batted throughout the innings and shared a second-wicket partnership of 76 with Ben Cooper (43). The middle order failed again, but a handy seventh-wicket stand of 64 between Ter Braak and Quirijn Gunning (20) enabled the home side to set a challenging total.

Anis Raza was the most successful of the ACC bowlers with four for 41, which Dewald Botha and Saqib Zulfiqar picked up two wickets each.

ACC’s wicketkeeper-batsman Richardt Frenz led the chase with 63, supported by Saqib Zulfiqar and Shirase Rasool, both of whom made 39, but VRA kept things tight, spinners Adeel Raja and Leon Turmaine in particular maintaining the pressure, and the asking rate steadily rose.

When Turmaine had Frenz caught by Vikram Singh as he attempted to force the pace the total was 181 for six and there were only four overs left with 51 still needed.

This was clearly an impossible ask, and the ACC innings closed on 210 for seven, Turmaine finishing with three for 44 and Raja two for 34.

After faltering against HBS on Thursday Sparta 1888 returned to winning ways at Het Zomercomplex, beating Punjab Rotterdam by 80 runs.

Sparta owed their total of 222 for eight to a fourth-wicket partnership of 118 between Tim de Kok (62) and Mudassar Bukhari (58), with Atse Buurman contributing a rapid 21 and Joost Martijn Snoep 29 not out in the closing stages.

Punjab’s new-ball bowlers, Suleiman Tariq and Assad Saleemi, took three for 35 and three for 29 respectively.

In dispute with the KNCB Board over the selection of foreign players – an issue which seems to have cost them the two points they earned by beating ACC on Thursday – Punjab could not mount a serious challenge to Sparta’s score, and were dismissed for 142.

Ahsan Masood made 32 and Barend Vorster 37, but with seamer Dost Muhammed taking four for 40 and Max Hoornweg, on his Topklasse debut, claiming four for 30, it was Sparta who came out on top, retaining their place in the top half of the table.

With VRA and HCC both winning for the first time at the weekend, the Topklasse competition looks remarkably open, although the double round of matches next week (thanks to the Pentecost holiday Monday) may resolve matters to some degree.

And of course, the final outcome of the simmering – but as yet unexplained – Punjab dispute seems likely to have a significant influence on the development of the competition.

Another split weekend, and a clear leader in prospect

Rod Lyall 11/5/18

The mildly sadistic master who was in charge of cross-country running at my secondary school used to claim that his task as a handicapper was to ensure that everyone crossed the line at the same moment.

He never achieved this, of course, but it’s beginning to look as if the self-regulating recruitment and transfer process which has operated in the Topklasse over the winter might just produce such a result, with all ten teams on 18 points at the end of August.

Two sides emerged from the second round of matches on Thursday with a brace of wins, but after an excellent start Excelsior ‘20 had to work hard to overcome the resistance of VRA Amsterdam, and it’s only Dosti United who have twice been really convincing winners. Intriguingly, these two sides will meet at Dosti’s Drieburg ground on Saturday.

Dosti, who could thank a fine double from Mohammad Hafeez – including five for 13, his best-ever figures in the top division – for their convincing victory over Quick Haag, will have every reason to relish this encounter, while Excelsior, after reducing VRA to 79 for eight on Thursday, saw their visitors recover to 176, George Dunlop contributing a career-best 57 and sharing a ninth-wicket stand of 82 with veteran former international Adeel Raja.

It was, moreover, only due to a fighting knock of 62 not out by James Hilditch that the Thurlede side squeezed home with a three-wicket margin and 11 balls to spare, and Tom Heggelman will be conscious that his side has yet to hit top gear in its attempt to win a third successive title.

45-Hilditch-playsfrom-the-b — James Hilditch

Quick, bowled out for 71 by Dosti as they chased 209, only openers Jay Bista and Lesley Stokkers reaching double figures, came down to earth with a bump after their first-day victory over VRA, and they will visit VOC Rotterdam on Saturday determined to regain some momentum.

But it is the opposite story for the Rotterdammers: having suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Dosti last weekend, they bounced back with a vengeance against HCC on Thursday, dismissing the Hagenaars for 127 with an excellent all-round bowling performance.

Their own total of 206 for nine owed a huge amount to Dutch international keeper Scott Edwards, who batted throughout the innings for his 153-ball 90, including just three fours and a six, and a good deal to his partnership with Pieter Seelaar, who made a rather brisker 53 in a fourth-wicket stand of 91.

HCC now find themselves at the foot of the table, and will face difficult opponents this Sunday in the form of HBS Den Haag, whose demolition of Sparta 1888 secured them a position in the top half of a very crowded table.

Disappointing as their total of 160 may have been, Wesley Barresi and Tobias Visée again falling in single figures and Jaron Morgan top-scoring with 36, HBS made it seem like a decent score when they shot the Capelle side out for 61, seamer Berend Westdijk claiming four for 30.

This defeat put Sparta’s win over HCC into a different perspective, and they will be very keen to add Riaan Jeggels and Warren Bell to their strength at the earliest opportunity. They are clearly a workmanlike side, but it looks as if they may need every point they can muster as the season unfolds.

They, too, will face a tricky third game on Saturday, when they play Punjab Rotterdam at Het Zomercomplex. Punjab were in rampant form against ACC on Thursday, with Stef Myburgh (101 not out) and Ali Raza (73) ripping the Amsterdammers’ attack apart with an opening stand of 163 in just 22 overs.

The advent of legspinner Bernard Vorster gives the Punjab attack another dimension too, and while it may not be the most dangerous in the competition, the bowlers did well to restrict ACC to 204 for six, a total which the batsmen then passed with more than 17 overs to spare.

For ACC, who were admittedly weakened by the absence through illness of Richardt Frenz, this will have been something of a wake-up call, the innings of Rehmat (30), Saqib (45) and Sikander Zulfiqar (67 not out) again confirming just how vital the fortunes of the brothers are, not forgetting the contribution of father Ahmed (29), standing in for Frenz.

Saturday will see ACC make the short journey across Amstelveen to take on the enigmatic VRA, who share with HCC the indignity of being winless after two matches.

Their blushes rescued to a degree by the resistance of Dunlop and Raja, and by another fighting effort with the ball, the VRA top order again failed to live up to their reputation and their potential, and Emile van den Burg’s men will need to regroup quickly if they are to avoid losing contact with the leaders, one of whom will be on six points by Sunday evening.

One the first week, two on Thursday – can I make it three this weekend with the following picks?
Dosti, VOC, HBS, Punjab, VRA.

Surprises galore as the Topklasse gets under way

Rod Lyall 07/05/18

The glorious unpredictability of cricket was fully in evidence on a sun-drenched opening weekend of the Topklasse season, as sides which had often been remoulded over the winter battled for early advantage.

The one constant was a first-day win for defending champions Excelsior ’20, who cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Punjab Rotterdam at Het Zomercomplex. The home side did well to reach 231, recovering from 147 for seven after Stef Myburgh had got them off to a quickfire start with a 30-ball 35 which included four fours and two sixes.

Thereafter Excelsior’s bowlers worked their way through Punjab’s batting, until Assad Saleemi and Mohammad Latif turned things round with an eighth-wicket stand of 80, 58 of them coming from Latif, who hit four sixes in an aggressive 54-ball innings.

But the champions were untroubled in chasing down this target, Tim Etman and Roel Verhagen getting them off to a strong start with an opening stand of 82, and Etman going on to make 62 before he was the second to depart with the score on 115.

James Hilditch now joined Lorenzo Ingram at the crease, and the two overseas players added 117 in an unbroken third-wicket partnership, Ingram just missing out on his century with an undefeated, 108-ball 95, including seven fours and five sixes, while Hilditch contributed a steady 39.

Early speculation about who Excelsior’s main rivals might be was thrown into confusion elsewhere, not least in the Amsterdamse Bos, where VRA were bundled out for 124 by Quick Haag in just 39.2 overs.

Only Ben Cooper (51) was able to make a significant contribution, with skipper Emile van den Burg and last man Viv Kingma the only others to reach double figures. Newly-arrived overseas player Jay Bista and left-arm spinner Thijs van Schelven picked up three wickets apiece, for 23 and 12 runs respectively.

Quick made heavy weather of their reply, as VRA’s international new-ball pairing of Quirijn Gunning (two for 30) and Viv Kingma (three for 28) claimed five wickets between them, Sean Davey leading the way for the Hanen with 39. When Davey departed the total was 86 for five, and VRA fought hard all the way. But Stefan Ekelmans and Mart Spruit were able to see their side home to a tense two-wicket win.

Sportpark Bermweg — Topklasse cricket comes to Bermweg

Sparta 1888, on their return to the top flight, may have been without two key players in Riaan Jeggels and Warren Bell, but they nevertheless proved too strong for HCC at Sportpark Bermweg, fighting back convincingly after the visitors, after electing to bat, had reached 111 for one at 30 overs.

The base for this platform was built in an opening stand of 75 between Bryce Street and Tonny Staal, and after the latter departed, bowled by Joost Martijn Snoep for 39, Street and Boris Gorlee continued to bat with concentration and discipline. Two moments of poor judgement undid the good work, however: first Street, on 45, ran himself our looking for an impossible single, and then Gorlee, who had made 35, tried to hit Usman Saleem over the top and was caught at mid-on.

That swung the game Sparta’s way, and HCC could only reach 176 for nine in their remaining overs. Seamers Mudassar Bukhari, Dost Muhammed and Usman Saleem all bowled well at the back end, ensuring that the target was a more modest one than had seemed likely earlier in the day.

HCC fought hard when Sparta replied, and with Ali Ahmed Qasim the pick of the bowlers they did their best to contain the home side’s batsmen. But it was wickets they needed, and an uncharacteristically quiet innings of 23 from Bukhari and a solid 45 from Tim de Kok ensured that Sparta stayed in touch with their target.

It was New Zealander Michael Pollard, however, who took the game away from the Hagenaars, unleashing some splendid cover drives in an undefeated knock of 55 and sharing in a valuable fourth-wicket partnership of 52 with Faisal Iqbal, and Sparta secured their six-wicket victory with almost four overs to spare.

At Craeyenhout, ACC were once again greatly indebted to the Zulfiqar family for their 18-run win against HBS. Skipper Saqib and triplet brother Sikander each made 51 and elder brother Rehmet contributed 37, Ali Raza chipping in with 31 not out as the Amsterdammers reached 233 for eight.

It might have been more but for three run-outs, while of the HBS bowlers Wesley Barresi was the most successful with two for 34.

233 is not a massive total on the artificial outfield at Craeyenhout, but ACC’s defence of it was led by young Aryan Kumar, who removed both the dangerous HBS openers, Barresi and skipper Tobias Visée by the time 32 runs were on the board.

Sharn Gomes again proved his value to his side by making 64 at almost a run a ball, but with Sikander Zulfiqar taking three for 20 and Kumar claiming another to finish with three for 47, it was ACC who ultimately prevailed. Rehmet Zulfiqar’s dismissal of Gomes with 38 still needed, only three wickets remaining at that point, was the decisive moment, and HBS finished 19 short of their target.

A remodelled VOC Rotterdam are another of the fancied sides in this season’s Topklasse, but they encountered Dosti United’s Taruwar Kohli in supreme form when they made the trip to Sportpark Drieburg on Sunday.

The Indian batsman made a chanceless unbeaten 115 in his side’s total of 246 for three, coming from 133 balls with ten fours and a six, and he was ably assisted by Rahil Ahmed, whose 70 contributed to a second-wicket stand of 142 after VOC skipper Pieter Seelaar had won the toss and put the home side in.

It was always going to be a formidable task, and although Corey Rutgers got his new side off to a decent start with 41, VOC were never really on top. Seelaar (36) and Ahsan Malik Jamil (27) kept them in the hunt with a dogged fifth-wicket stand of 70 against a disciplined Dosti, but the asking rate continued to grow, and when Seelaar holed out on the midwicket boundary trying to create some much-needed momentum it started an avalanche of wickets.

Five wickets fell in the space of ten deliveries without the addition of a run, and despite some late resistance from Bobby Hanif and Pierce Fletcher, the innings closed on 165, giving Dosti aa 81-run victory. Mohammad Hafeez finished with four for 29, while Kohli capped a memorable day with three for 11.

The campaign will resume on Thursday, with a full round of matches on the Ascension Day holiday.