Category: Review

Hermes-DVS edge past neighbours Excelsior

Rod Lyall 22/07/24

The first phase of the competition ended as it had begun, with rain, a cancellation, and abbreviated games.

But there was one unresolved issue: if Hermes-DVS beat Sparta 1888, there was a strong possibility that they would squeeze past fellow-Schiedammers Excelsior ’20, who had to take on top-of-the-table Punjab-Ghausia on net run rate and into the top six.

Hermes began as if they meant business, Ralph Elenbaas capturing three wickets inside the first six overs as Sparta slumped to 16 for three.

But Sandeep Sardha and Juandre Scheepers led a fightback, and after Sam van Giezen had removed Sardha and Maninder Singh in quick succession, Cameron Fraser joined Scheepers, who went on to make an invaluable 53.

Fraser remained to hold the lower order together, compiling a solid 78 before becoming the last of four wickets for Olivier Elenbaas, and Sparta closed on 226 for nine, Olivier finishing with four for 42 and his brother three for 19.

By the time Hermes began their reply it was clear that Excelsior faced a demanding chase at Het Zomercomplex, and opener Daniel Doyle seemed determined to put Hermes’ NRR well beyond their reach, hammering a characteristically aggressive 29-ball 48 before he was bowled by off-spinner Umar Baker.

The frantic tempo slowed somewhat as Nick Statham joined Ash Ostling, who once again slipped into the sheetanchor role, but they saw the total into three figures, still well ahead of the required rate, and once Statham had departed CP Klijnhans contributed 25 at better than a run a ball.

When Ostling eventually fell to Khalid Ahmadi for 66 Hermes needed another 47, and Olivier Elenbaas and skipper Sebastiaan Braat knocked off the remaining runs, at a pace just quick enough to ensure that whatever happened at ‘t Zomercomplex, short of an Excelsior victory, they would have a better NRR.

By that time, however, it was clear that Excelsior were not only certain to lose, but that they would do so heavily enough to put the issue beyond doubt.

Having won the toss, Roel Verhagen had invited Punjab to bat, but Excelsior were frustrated by a fine innings from Jonathan Vandiar, who made 116, his eleventh Topklasse century and his fourth for Punjab, holding his side together and enabling them to reach an imposing 244 all out by the end of an innings reduced to 45 overs by the overnight rain.

Lorenzo Ingram again bowled very well, taking three for 38, but Vandiar, coming at at 24 for one after Jason Ralston had bowled Shoaib Minhas, did not depart until 210 had been added to the score, and the end of the innings was enlivened by a rapid 27 not out from Ahmad Shafiq.

Shafiq then excelled with the ball: he had Derek Mitchell caught behind by Fawad Shinwari, and when Excelsior had reached a promising 170 for four, thanks in large measure to 66 from Ingram, he returned to pick up five more wickets, breaking a useful partnership between Niels Etman and Stan van Troost and finishing with his best-ever Topklasse figures of six for 17.

Excelsior’s innings ended on 191, giving Punjab a 52-run victory and putting them in pole position going into the competition’s second phase.

At the other end of the table ACC came close to recording their first win for the second time in as many days, again unable to finish off their opponents’ innings and losing by two wickets to VOC Rotterdam.

Only 40 overs were possible at Het Loopveld, and ACC battled their way to 143 for nine, Izhaan Sayed once more their top-scorer with 54.

Asief Hoseinbaks was again VOC’s main wicket-taker with three for 25, while Jock McKenzie claimed two for 34.

Sayed, Sahil Kothari and Mahesh Hans then put VOC’s batters under real pressure, and at 95 for seven it seemed as if the home side might this time be about to take the points.

But Jason van der Meulen made a crucial 46, and once he had fallen to Sayed, Aaditt Jain proved equal to the occasion, making an unbeaten 23 to see his side home.

Sayed finished with three for 18 and Hans three for 25, and ACC will go into the second phase conscious that their campaign has finally begun to look a little less doomed.

If runs were hard to come by at ‘t Loopveld there was no shortage on the other side of Amstelveen, where VRA put on 230 for five in 43 overs, only to suffer a six-wicket defeat at the hands of HBS Craeyenhout.

The home side’s innings was dominated by opener Vikram Singh, who made 96 out of his side’s first 167 before falling to spinner Julian de Mey.

There were lesser contributions from Shirase Rasool (24), Demari Prince (28) and Johan Smal (30), all of whom got a start but were unable to turn it into a really big innings, and the lack of a decisive partnership was underlined when Lehan Botha and Tayo Walbrugh put on 164 for HBS’s second wicket.

Botha was eventually caught by Singh off Sharad Hake for an 86-ball 90, but Wesley Barresi then helped Walbrugh bring their side to the brink of victory, although it was not until the third ball of the final over that the winning runs came, Walbrugh ending on 89 not out.

Before the drama had begun, the match between Voorburg and HCC at Westvliet had been abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side taking a point, but their positions in the top six, like those of HBS and VRA, had already been confirmed.

VRA squeeze past ACC and into the top six

Rod Lyall 21/07/24

VRA Amsterdam took the two points they needed to make sure of a place in the top six when they secured a two-wicket victory at Het Loopveld on Saturday, but they had to battle to achieve it against an ACC side which was more competitive than it had been throughout the 50-over campaign so far.

Put in to bat, ACC had passed 150 for the first time this season, their innings given a promising start by an opening stand of 43 between Rahil Ahmad (32) and Chris Knoll (23), the latter making his first appearance of the year, and although the VRA attack worked their way steadily though the line-up Guy Sheena, Ben van der Merwe and Shreyas Potdar all chipped in, enabling them to reach 167.

Shariz Ahmad was the most successful of VRA’s bowlers with three for 35, Clayton Floyd and Elijah Eales picking up a couple apiece.

It seemed unlikely to be enough, but when Izhaan Sayed, Sahil Kothari and Mahesh Hans combined to reduce VRA to 70 for four the home side sensed that they were in with a chance of a shock victory.

Eales steadied the ship with 40, but when he departed36 were still needed with only three wickets in hand, and it was left to Udit Nashier to steer his side home with an unbeaten 35, supported in the agonisingly slow closing stages by Ben Fletcher.

The VRA win was a disappointment for Hermes-DVS, who had done everything that might be asked of them as they chased the final top-six spot, beating defending champions Voorburg by 49 runs at Westvliet.

Defending a total of 193, in which Daniel Doyle had made 35 and CP Klijnhans 48, the five-man Hermes pace attack quickly had Voorburg in trouble, Olivier Elenbaas removing both openers, and Niels Woermeijer and Sam van Giezen claiming the prize wickets of Gavin Kaplan and Noah Croes respectively.

That made it 37 for four, and although Ryan Klein – who had earlier signalled his return to fitness by bowling a full 10-over stint for the first time this season – held things together with a fighting 35, Sebastiaan Braat eventually claimed his wicket along with two others to finish with three for 30, and Voorburg were all out for 144.

VOC Rotterdam’s last hopes of avoiding the relegation pool were meanwhile being extinguished by HCC at De Diepput, where the home side had a comfortable 80-run victory after setting the day’s highest total, 247 for seven.

HCC had themselves been in trouble at 110 for five, but they were rescued by two half-century partnerships, Daniel Crowley (27) and Hidde Overdijk adding 67 for the sixth wicket, and then Overdijk and Yash Patel putting on a further 55 for the seventh.

Overdijk was eventually bowled by Jock McKenzie for 58, but Patel remained not out on 44, made from 28 deliveries with three fours and two sixes.

HCC’s own seam attack soon bit back when VOC replied, Crowley, Adam Leonard, Overdijk and Teun Leijer reducing the visitors to 68 for four, and although Arnav Jain made 40 and Jason van der Meulen 32, the Rotterdammers were never really in the hunt, and the final wicket fell at 167.

The day’s results meant that the two pools for Phase Two were largely finalised, although Hermes-DVS still have a pathway into the top six should they beat Sparta at home on Sunday and Excelsior lose to Punjab-Ghausia.

With the NRR difference between the Schiedam sides currently just 0.058, there are many scenarios in which Hermes could squeeze ahead of their rivals.

And with only three points separating first and sixth, Sunday’s final round of first-phase matches will have also a great bearing on the coming battle for a spot in the semi-finals at the end of August.

Allrounder Kaplan keeps Voorburg in the hunt

Rod Lyall 15/07/24

A normal day’s cricket has become something of a luxury this summer, and the leading Topklasse sides took the opportunity on Sunday to show off their batting skills.

None more so than leaders Punjab-Ghausia, who cruised to an 8-wicket victory over Rotterdam rivals VOC at the Hazelaarweg.

To do so, however, the Punjab attack had to stage a recovery, after the home side had reached 148 for two and appeared to be heading for a very big total.

Ryan Schierhout had made 47, Taylor Bettelheim 56 and Jock McKenzie, returning after a hand injury, 50, but VOC’s excessive dependence upon their top three overseas players was in full evidence as the middle order failed to build on this platform, and the side was dismissed for 224.

Saqib Zulfiqar started the rot by removing Bettelheim, but it was his brother Sikander who did much of the damage, claiming three for 30 in five overs, while Sajjad Kamal ran through the tail with three for 40.

Musa Ahmad and Shoaib Minhas then led the chase with an opening stand of 161, and although Minhas was eventually dismissed for 89 and Musa narrowly missed out on a century, caught behind off Roman Harhangi for 96, Jonathan Vandiar and Saqib were able to finish the job with almost eight overs to spare.

On the batter-friendly surface at Craeyenhout HBS set the day’s biggest total, posting 288 for five against Hermes-DVS.

Matt de Villiers contributed a solid 80, but the most decisive element was an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 104, made from just 70 deliveries, between Kyle Klein and Lucas de Bianco; Klein’s 62 not out came from 40 balls and included seven fours and two sixes, while Del Bianco made 40 from 31.

Daniel Doyle replied in kind, despite being hit twice on the helmet and being forced to retire for a time, his 49-ball 65 including eight fours and three sixes, but once he had gone the HBS seam attack of Klein, Lehan Botha and Henrico Venter was too strong for the Hermes batting, and the side was all out for 182, giving HBS a 106-run victory.

The only match between teams in the current top six was at Thurlede, where Excelsior ’20 took extremely valuable points from VRA Amsterdam, who dropped to sixth on the table as a result of their five-wicket defeat.

Put in to bat, VRA’s innings never really got out of first gear, and although Vikram Singh made 46 and Shariz Ahmad, Udit Nashier and Clayton Floyd all got a start, Excelsior dismissed them for 175, Gijs Kroesen taking three for 35 and his brother Luuk, Jason Ralston and Lorenzo Ingram all picking up a couple apiece.

The home side’s batters struggled in their turn, the most assured Derek Mitchell with an 88-ball 64 before he was run out by a direct hit from Johan Smal, but Ingram and Stan van Troost added a crucial 48 for the fifth wicket, battling against VRA’s four-man spin attack to take their side to within 20 of their target.

Ingram stayed to the end with Joost Kroesen, his unbeaten 38, made from 107 deliveries, the ultimate professional innings which made sure of the points for his side.

At the Bermweg, Gavin Kaplan’s phenomenal season for Voorburg continued with a vengeance, his 107 and four for 36 the difference between the sides as Sparta 1888 pushed the defending champions all the way and lost by just 27 runs.

Kaplan was ably assisted in the early stages by opener Cedric de Lange, who hit a maiden Topklasse half-century, and at 131 for one Voorburg also seemed to be on the way to an imposing total.

But Sparta’s pace attack fought back, and with Cameron Fraser claiming five for 45 and Martijn Snoep four for 38 the last six wickets fell for the addition of just 23 runs, and Voorburg were all out for 217.

Another top-order collapse, engineered mainly by Kaplan and young Alejo Nota, left the home side on 66 for five, but they were rescued by a fine knock from Juandre Scheepers, whose 84 came from 85 deliveries and included nine fours and two sixes.

His effort needed more support from the other end, however, and Sparta were eventually dismissed for 190.

Wooden-spooners ACC suffered another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of HCC at De Diepput.

A redeeming feature for the Amsterdammers, though, was the performance of Mark Wolfe, brought into the side to take over wicketkeeping duties from Ben van der Merwe: he took four catches in the HCC innings and then made 22, enabling ACC to recover from 46 for six to a slightly less parlous 101 all out.

For the rest, HCC were simply too strong in all departments, a patient 48 from Shirsak Banerjee, a more aggressive 40 from Boris Gorlee and 42 from Jed Wiggins creating the platform for a punishing 93-run sixth-wicket stand between Yash Patel (55 from 31 deliveries) and Daniel Crowley (37 not out).

Crowley then took three for 25 when ACC replied, with Wiggins claiming three for 24 and Adam Leonard two for 19.

Punjab, HBS consolidate despite the rain

Rod Lyall 08/07/24

With three of the weekend’s eight fixtures abandoned due to the rain which had fallen during the week and which persisted into Sunday, leading sides Punjab-Ghausia and HBS Craeyenhout were able to consolidate their position at the top of the table with comfortable victories on Saturday.

In a match at the Zomercomplex reduced to 38 overs because of a wet outfield, Punjab dismissed HCC for just 148 and cruised to a 6-wicket victory with nearly fifteen overs to spare.

The Lions’ innings never really got going, nobody scoring more than Jed Wiggins’ 22, and after Ahmad Shafiq removed both openers it was the brothers Zulfiqar who again did most of the damage, seamer Sikander taking two for 29 and leg-spinner Saqib claiming four for 39.

Shoaib Minhas (42) and Musa Ahmad (25) gave their side a great start with an opening stand of 71, but the win was sealed by Jonathan Vandiar’s 37-ball, unbeaten 56, a knock which included four fours and six sixes.

It was a bit more of a stretch for second-placed HBS, after Sparta 1888 had posted their best batting performance of the competition so far to reach 197 in a rain-interrupted innings.

Despite useful contributions from Sam Ferguson (40), Shaquille Martina (38) and Juandre Scheepers (33), the Crows attack had reduced their visitors to 163 for seven when rain drove the players from the field, and although they were able to add another 34 after the resumption, DLS set the HBS target at 191 from 43 overs.

Julian de Mey took three for 31 for HBS, and there were two wickets apiece for Lehan Both and Benno Boddendijk.

Botha set the tone of the reply with 52 from 28 deliveries, and then stand-in skipper Tayo Walbrugh guided his side home with an assured 68 not out, adding 60 with Matt de Villiers(29) and a further 43 with Kyle Klein, whose 37 not out came at exactly a run a ball.

Voorburg made the most of their visit to Amstelveen with a 63-run victory over ACC, Gavin Kaplan taking his aggregate for the competition to 433 with a knock of 64 which helped his side to 191 for nine in an innings reduced to 40 overs after a long break for rain with Voorburg on 155 for six.

Here the DLS calculation worked against the chasing side, ACC being faced with a target of 203, and when Mees van Vliet and Michael Molenaar combined to reduce them to 66 for six it seemed that the Amsterdammers would again be dismissed for a paltry total.

Izhaan Sayed, however, who had taken three for 23 when Voorburg batted, put up some spirited resistance, making 44 and adding 60 for the seventh wicket with Sahil Kothari, and the home side managed to reach 148 before they were all out, Van Vliet finishing with three for 26.

Much of the interest on Saturday centred on the return of the Schiedam derby, and the match at Loopuyt Oval turned out to be an absorbing if low-scoring battle between old rivals Hermes-DVS and Excelsior ’20.

In a game initially cut to 40 overs a side, Excelsior’s batters found the going tough against a persistent Hermes attack, opener Derek Mitchell needing 82 balls for his 38, and although former overseas allrounder Brett Hampton contributed a run-a-ball 40 not out they had only reached 137 for five when more rain ended the innings two overs from its scheduled conclusion.

DLS set a target of 146 for Hermes, and they found the conditions no more conducive to rapid scoring, with Ash Ostling’s 47 coming from 92 deliveries as Excelsior once again battled to defend a low total.

Jason Ralston picked up three more wickets, but CP Klijnhans’ 45 not out saw Hermes home with seven balls to spare, helped by skipper Sebastiaan Braat’s cameo 10-ball 13 which swung the momentum his side’s way.

The most frustrated team of the weekend must have been VRA Amsterdam, who twice got a start but who managed a total of only 14.2 overs: VOC Rotterdam had reached 24 for one in the Bos on Saturday before proceedings came to an end, and at the Loopuyt Oval on Sunday VRA had raced to 42 without loss in seven overs against Hermes-DVS before that game, too, was washed out.

The two points from the two abandonments kept VRA in third spot on net run rate, but they will feel that they missed two opportunities to keep pace with their principal rivals.

With the game between Excelsior ’20 and ACC abandoned without a ball being bowled, the only completed match on Sunday was that between HCC and Sparta 1888 at De Diepput, where the sides – and the umpires – prevailed over the weather and HCC came back from Saturday’s disappointment with an 8-wicket victory.

Sparta’s innings was badly disrupted by the rain, but HCC had seized the initiative, reducing them to 42 for three when a long break saw a 38-over innings further cut to 22 overs, and despite a fighting 39 from Riley Mudford they could only get to 115 for six, extended to 121 on DLS.

Martijn Snoep’s side badly needed early wickets when HCC replied, but Conor McInerney and Tonny Staal put on 58 inside six overs before the Sparta skipper removed first McInerney and then Staal.

That brought Boris Gorlee and Jed Wiggins together, and they ensured that there was no further loss, the winning runs coming in the 14th over to improve HCC’s NRR and leave Sparta firmly in the relegation zone, though still three points ahead of ACC.

With three, or in some cases two, matches left to play in the first phase, the top six is beginning to acquire a more settled look, although Hermes and VOC are only two points behind Excelsior and HCC and could, with a strong finish and the right results elsewhere, still squeeze into the championship pool.

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Another Kaplan hundred as Voorburg chase down 307

Rod Lyall 30/06/24

The last unbeaten record in this season’s Topklasse was expunged on Saturday, when title-holders Voorburg took full advantage of the batting paradise which sometimes appears in the Amsterdamse Bos, chasing down VRA’s 306 for seven and winning by three wickets with 20 deliveries to spare.

The home side owed their imposing total to half-centuries from internationals Vikram Singh (63) and Teja Nidamanuru (51), but above all to a remarkable seventh-wicket stand of 106 between Udit Nashier and Luke Scully, 77 of them coming from the final five overs.

Scully was eventually run out for a 61-ball 64, but Nashier remained on a career-best 59 not out.

Gavin Kaplan was the pick of the bowlers with two for 32 from his ten overs, while Michael Molenaar was again effective, taking two for 40 from seven.

Voorburg’s reply was anchored by Michael Levitt’s 72-ball 90, but it was Kaplan who saw his side home, adding with 136 for the third wicket with Noah Croes before the latter was bowled for 60 by seamer Sharad Hake, one of two wickets for the debutant.

Kaplan finished on 106 not out, his second century of the season, and he has now made two hundreds and two half-centuries in five innings, for an aggregate of 370 at an average of 92.50.

The defeat meant that VRA were displaced at the top of the table by Punjab-Ghausia, who were untroubled in beating ACC at the Zomercomplex.

The Amsterdammers were all at sea against Punjab’s experienced attack, and collapsed to 72 all out in 27.3 overs, Guy Sheena top-scoring with a run-a-ball 26 amidst chaos at the other end.

Saqib Zulfiqar took four for 10 with his leg-breaks, and there were two wickets apiece for Suleiman Tariq and Ahmad Shafiq.

With an outstanding opportunity to boost his side’s net run rate Musa Ahmad proceeded to take the ACC bowling by the scruff of the neck, hitting three fours and as many sixes in his 21-ball 34, and although Izhaan Sayed did his best with three for 30, Saqib finished the job with an unbeaten 22 as Punjab won by seven wickets in just 10.4 overs.

Excelsior ’20 further enhanced their reputation for defending low totals when, having made a modest 141 all out they dismissed Sparta 1888 for 109, a victory which catapulted them into third place on the table, at least for 24 hours.

Struggling at 29 for four, Excelsior were partially rescued by their lower-middle order, particularly Niels Etman, whose 35 was instrumental in their reaching a halfway-respectable score, despite Martijn Snoep’s three for 29 and Khalid Ahmadi’s demolition of the tail, which yielded him figures of four for 25.

But Sparta were quickly in trouble themselves, Jason Ralston again bowling fast and attacking the stumps, backed up this time by Jens Blankestijn, and within seven overs they had reduced their visitors to 15 for four.

Will Clark and Cameron Fraser redeemed the situation with a stand of 56 for the fifth wicket, but then Lorenzo Ingram took over, claiming a career-best six for 17, twice taking wickets with successive deliveries and spinning Sparta from 71 for four to 92 for nine.

Manminder Singh showed some fight towards the end with a hard-hitting 34 not out, but he couldn’t prevent Excelsior winning by 32 runs.

Down the road at the Loopuyt Oval, Hermes-DVS put up a gallant fight against HCC, but eventually lost by 34 runs.

The Lions set them a fairly demanding target, posting 244 for eight thanks to 78 from opener Conor McInerney, 58 from Teun Kloppenburg, and a brisk 42 from Tim Pringle; Sebastiaan Braat was the most successful of the Hermes bowlers with three for 65.

McInerney’s knock was matched by 76 from Hermes opener Ashley Ostling, but he needed 138 balls against a persistent and varied HCC attack, and by the time he was fifth out with the total on 163 another 82 runs were required from just eight overs.

Braat and Ralph Elenbaas did their best to meet the challenge, but with Pringle and Andrew Leonard bowling well in tandem the demand was ultimately too great, and with four wickets falling in the space of eight deliveries Hermes were all out for 210, Pringle finishing with four for 40 and Leonard three for 35.

The scheduled match between HBS and VOC at Craeyenhout was postponed until Sunday.

Ralston grabs seven for Excelsior, but VRA go top

Rod Lyall 23/06/24

For the first time in this season’s 50-over Topklasse competition the weather relented sufficiently for a full round of fixtures to be played, complete and uninterrupted, added interest coming from the return of the Dutch international side from the Caribbean.

VRA Amsterdam took full advantage of the fact, retaining their unbeaten record by bowling HCC out for 72 at De Diepput to win by 134 runs and move back to the top of the table.

The home side, also previously unbeaten, had done well to restrict the Amsterdammers to 206 all out, 92 from Johan Smal, who shared a third-wicket stand of 107 with skipper Teja Nidamanuru (39), instrumental in VRA’s achieving that total.

Conor McInerney removed both batters, going on to take four for 24, while Andrew Leonard returned to clean up the tail and finish with three for 29.

But when HCC replied Ben Fletcher (three for 12 in seven overs) and Elijah Eales combined to rip the top off the batting, and at 43 for six the Lions were effectively out of the game.

Shariz Ahmad now took over, taking four for 24 as the slide continued, and no-one was able to make more than Teun Kloppenburg’s 13 in HCC’s disappointing total.

If VRA’s demolition of HCC was a team effort, at Thurlede it was Excelsior’s Australian paceman Jason Ralston who was almost single-handedly responsible for his side’s even more dramatic destruction of the HBS battiing.

His figures of seven for 11 were the best ever in the club’s limited-overs top-flight history, beating Jorg Henneke’s seven for 25 against Kampong Utrecht in 1997, and they saw the Crows slump to 66 all out as they chased Excelsior’s fairly modest 163.

Kyle Klein had done much of the damage after Wesley Barresi put Excelsior in, taking four for 36, but Lorenzo Ingram stood firm, holding the tail together and making 62 before he was the last man dismissed.

Excelsior could also thank Niels Etman, who made 32 in an eighth-wicket partnership of 46 with Ingram before he was run out by Klein.

Lehan Botha and Reece Mason got the HBS total to 21 before Ralston struck, but then six wickets fell in 35 deliveries for the addition of just six runs, and although Barresi and Julian de Mey delayed the procession for a time until Jens Blankestijn removed De Mey, Ralston then returned to have Barresi caught behind for 21, the last four wickets falling for one additional run.

There was drama of a different sort elsewhere, not least at Westvliet, where defending champions Voorburg staged a strong fightback before losing to Punjab-Ghausia by six runs.

The Rotterdam side had set a fairly stiff target, their 248 for seven dominated by an unbeaten 97 from returning international Saqib Zulfiqar, and they appeared to have occupied the box seat when they had their hosts on 43 for four, with Michael Levitt, Gavin Kaplan and Noah Croes all back in the team tent.

Ahmad Shafiq had done much of that early damage, claiming three of the wickets at a cost of 10 runs, but then Ryan Klein, unable to bowl but undoubtedly fit enough to bat, and Michael Molenaar turned the game around with a fifth-wicket stand of 154.

This was another club record for the top flight, following Kaplan and Croes’s 202 for the third wicket three weeks ago, and it took Voorburg to within 52 runs of their target before Sajjad Kamal induced a false shot by Molenaar, who was well caught by Saqib at straightish deep mid-on.

Molenaar had made a 76-ball 72, but Klein was still there, and it was clear that much now depended on how effectively he was able to manage the lower order.

Together with Laurens Boissevain, Stijn de Leede and Floris de Lange he added another 32, but with 20 needed he pulled Kamal to Mohsin Riaz at backward square and departed for 92, made from 75 deliveries with six fours and three sixes.

De Lange and Viv Kingma reduced the deficit to single figures, but then Sikander Zulfiqar returned, producing a captain’s spell to have both De Lange and last man Mees de Vliet caught behind by Fawad Shinwari, and Punjab had squeezed home.

The drama was equally tense at the Hazelaarweg, where VOC Rotterdam, having conceded the largest total of the day when Hermes-DVS posted 261 for seven, won by one wicket with two deliveries to spare.

The VOC attack was depleted by the loss of Jock McKenzie who, in his third over of the day, deflected a powerful straight drive from Daniel Doyle into the stumps to run out Ashley Ostling, but in the process injured his right hand so severely that he was forced to leave the field.

Doyle went on to make 40, and with 50 from Aryan Dutt and 77 from Sebastiaan Braat Hermes had good reason to be happy with their batting effort.

Ralph Elenbaas then had Francois Fourie caught behind before he had scored, but Ryan Schierhout (74) and Taylor Bettelheim (69) added 125 for the second wicket, putting their side in a strong position until Braat returned to remove Bettelheim and run out Schierhout.

Tim de Kok and Jelte Schoonheim steadied the VOC ship, but Niels Woermeijer and Braat claimed their wickets, and effective resistance from the lower order again kept the Bloodhounds in touch with the required rate.

So effectively did they do so, indeed, that Roman Harhangi and Asief Hoseinbaks needed only ten off Woermeijer’s final over.

Harhangi was trapped in front by the first ball, and there was uncertainty on the field as to whether the injured McKenzie would come out to bat as last man.

He duly appeared, and proceeded to hit a four and a huge straight six to give his side the victory which had eluded them against Excelsior a week ago.

In the crucial relegation battle at the Bermweg Sparta 1888 reduced ACC to 24 for five before Guy Sheena’s 61, supported by lesser contributions from Anis Raza and Izhaan Sayed, enabled the visitors to muster 148, Sparta skipper Martijn Snoep taking three for 15 from ten overs with no fewer than six maidens.

Sam Ferguson led the way for Sparta with 59, but it was Shaquille Martina, in his first substantial innings for his new club, who saw the home side through to victory with an unbeaten 54, adding 55 with Cameron Fraser in an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with gave Sparta their seven-wicket win.

Sparta and Excelsior break their Topklasse duck

Rod Lyall 16/06/24

Another day of delays, interruptions and abandonments nevertheless ended with two surprise victories, one of them another of the close finishes which have enlivened an otherwise frustrating season.

The match between HCC and HBS Craeyenhout was the first to be called off, and because HCC already have two matches waiting to be replayed – the maximum allowed under the Playing Conditions – the sides had to be content with a point apiece.

A couple of hours later, the condition of the run-ups at Het Loopveld was responsible for the game between ACC and VRA going the same way; clubs have, apparently, yet to learn that covering the approaches to the wicket is just as important as covering the pitch itself.

By the time that decision was made play had already started at the Bermweg, where Punjab-Ghausia had won the toss and elected to put hosts Sparta 1888 in.

Sparta soon found themselves in difficulties at 24 for three, with Shaquille Martina, Riley Mudford and Sam Ferguson all gone, but although Faizan Bashir’s 25 was the top score some dogged resistance from Manminder Singh, Umar Baker and Martijn Snoep in the lower order enabled them to reach 161 for nine; Burhan Niaz was the most successful of Punjab’s bowlers with three for 18 from seven overs.

The visitors quickly discovered that that was a better total than it may have seemed at the innings break, and Snoep and Khalid Ahmadi maintained the pressure effectively as Punjab, losing wickets at intervals, increasingly fell behind the DLS par score.

An interruption for rain after 17 overs, with Punjab on 58 for four, led to the match being cut to 45 overs with a revised target of 157, but when the players were driven from the field for what proved to be the last time Punjab were on 88 for five, 11 runs behind the par score, and Sparta had earned their first points of this season’s 50-over competition.

After long delays a start was finally possible at Westvliet, Voorburg winning the toss and electing to field against Hermes-DVS Schiedam in a match reduced to 23 overs a side.

Michael Molenaar and Philippe Boissevain collected two wickets apiece, but Daniel Doyle was again in great touch, smacking an unbeaten 86 from 53 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes.

With Hermes on 150 for four, however, and Doyle seemingly on the way to another century, the rain returned and no further play possible.

That left the game between VOC and Excelsior ’20 at the Hazelaarweg, where a delayed start meant that there was a reduction to 40 overs a side.

With Jock McKenzie taking four for 15 and Jelte Schoonheim three for 28 Excelsior were dismissed for 156, despite Roel Verhagen’s 53 which had seen them reach 113 for three; the middle and lower order was again unable to capitalise on that solid start, the last six wickets adding just 43 runs.

As at the Bermweg, though, VOC soon found chasing even a modest target tricky in the conditions, especially with Jason Ralston attacking the stumps at pace and bowling Francois Fourie, Taylor Bettelheim and McKenzie in the space of five deliveries to reduce them to 9 for three.

Ryan Schiehout watched the chaos from the other end, contributing a determined 46, but when he tried to hit Niels Etman over the top and was caught by Ralston at long off, the score was 82 for six the home side’s chances seemed to have dissipated.

They were rescued by a stand between brothers Arnav and Aaditt Jain, who added a precious 34 for the eighth wicket, and after Arnav had been caught behind by Verhagen of Etman’s bowling for 29, Aaditt and Roman Harhangi continued to push towards their target, so successfully that when Etman began the final over only eight more runs were needed.

Four leg-byes halved the deficit, but then Harhangi tried to hit over the top and was caught by Lorenzo Ingram; four were now required off four deliveries as last man Asief Hoseinbaks joined Aaditt Jain.

He pushed the next ball to cover and took off, the batters keen to get Jain back on strike, but Ingram gathered the ball and ran towards the stumps, his short-range throw quick enough to beat Hoseinbaks’ desperate lunge.

Ralston finished with four for 22 and Etman with four for 30.

It was the second time this season that VOC had been deprived of victory in the final over, and Excelsior, like Sparta, claimed their first points of the competition. The hunt for a top-six place is now definitely on.

VRA squeeze out a win to go top

Rod Lyall 09/06/24

Although we are only three rounds into the competition – and less when one remembers the four matches which have so far been postponed until July – there are already strong indications of who are most likely to be contenders for title, and who face a probable battle to avoid relegation.

Saturday’s games, for example, saw Hermes-DVS register an easy victory over ACC at the Loopuyt Oval, suggesting that the Amsterdam side, after defeats by HBS and Hermes, will need to lift themselves considerably if they are to come anywhere the top six by the end of July.

After being put in to bat by Sebastiaan Braat the Amsterdammers were rapidly reduced to 53 for six by Ralph Elenbaas, given a share of the new ball with his brother Olivier, his five for 29 in nine overs one of the most destructive spells of the season so far.

Murid Ekram and Braat himself then finished the job, as ACC were dismissed for 82 in just 26 overs, Guy Sheena and Mahesh Hans top-scoring with 16 apiece.

Although Joseph Reddy picked up two early wickets when Hermes replied, Izhaan Sayed adding another, opener Ashley Ostling’s unbeaten 48 from 50 deliveries saw the Schiedammers home inside 14 overs, ensuring that they received a healthy NRR boost in addition to collecting their first points.

There was a similarly comfortable victory for VOC Rotterdam at the Hazelaarweg, where Sparta 1888 could only manage 122, with Asief Hoseinbaks claiming four for 35 and Jelte Schoonheim two for 12.

Prithvi Balwantsingh and Gagandeep Singh had given them a decent start, Balwantsingh’s promotion to opener working well as he top-scored with 35, but once they had both gone three wickets fell for the addition of just one run, and although Cameron Fraser contributed a dogged 28 no-one else was able to get into double figures.

VOC lost both their openers by the time 14 runs were on the board, but then a stand of 91 between Taylor Bettelheim and Jock McKenzie doused Sparta’s hopes, and although Bettelheim fell finally to Manminder Singh for 56, Tim de Kok supported McKenzie as he knocked off the remaining runs and ended on 47 not out.

HCC, at last making it onto the park, were restricted to 185 for eight by Excelsior ’20 at Thurlede, but this proved to be more than enough as Teun Leijer’s brisk medium pace and Jed Wiggins’s off-spin dismissed the home side for just 125.

Excelsior’s attack worked their way steadily through the Lions’ batting, despite Boris Gorlee’s 31, and it took some spirited resistance from Daniel Crowley (36) and Patient Charumbira (27) to give their bowlers a reasonable total to defend.

Derek Mitchell and Tim Etman began the reply confidently enough, but once Crowley had removed Mitchell and Roel Verhagen, Leijer took over, claiming four quick wickets at a cost of 23 runs to run through the middle order and reduce the hosts to 82 for six.

Wiggins then finished the job with three for 16, a very disappointing outcome for the Schiedammers after they had put up a much more convincing fight against champions Voorburg the week before.

Voorburg themselves suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of HBS at Craeyenhout, but their still-depleted side made a very good fist of chasing their hosts’ imposing 287 for six, the highlight of which was a third-wicket stand of 125 between Tayo Walbrugh (97) and Matt de Villiers (82).

Mees van Vliet ensured that the damage was not even greater, depriving Walbrugh of yet another century and then collecting two more scalps to finish with four for 37.

Nehaan Gigani got Voorburg’s reply off to a rollicking start with a 79-ball 71 which included six fours and three sixes, and then last Saturday’s centurion Gavin Kaplan contributed a valuable 57 before he fell to Benno Boddendijk.

That left the bulk of the task to Noah Croes, and as long as he and Michael Molenaar were together at the crease it seemed that the champions were in with a chance.

48 were needed off the last five and 25 off the final three, but when Croes holed out to Ferdi Vink as he tried to hit De Villiers over the top, departing for a run-a-ball 76, the challenge receded, and Voorburg finished 11 runs short of their target.

De Villiers finished with three for 55 and Boddendijk three for 57.

The weather took a hand in the Amsterdamse Bos, where VRA took on Punjab-Ghausia: a wet outfield meant a late start and a match reduced to 47 overs a side, and thanks to Shirase Rasool’s 74 and a hard-hitting 36 from Clayton Floyd the Amsterdammers were able to set Sikander Zulfiqar’s side a target of 239.

Musa Ahmad was the most successful of Punjab’s bowlers with four for 37, including the wicket of his brother and fellow-Dutch international Shariz.

Although Musa and Mohsin Riaz were both out by the time Punjab had 50, Shoaib Minhas and Jonathan Vandiar took the score to 133 for two in 29 overs before a heavy shower drove the players from the field, 17 ahead of the DLS par score at that stage.

A prolonged delay dictated that when they returned the game had been further cut to 36 overs and the target reduced to 176, leaving Punjab to make 43 runs in seven overs.

VRA skipper Johan Smal relied on his spinners, Floyd and Shariz, to restrict the Rotterdammers’ scoring, and so well did they respond that five wickets fell for 36 runs, Shariz removing Vandiar for 50 and Floyd dismissing Minhas for 63 as the batters tried in vain to hit over the top.

So Punjab, like Voorburg, had suffered their first loss of the season, and it was VRA who, having escaped looming defeat, moved to the top of the table on net run rate.

Punjab, Voorburg make it two out of two

Rod Lyall 02/06/24

On a dank, cold May Saturday on which one match – that between HCC and VOC Rotterdam — fell victim to the heavy rain which had fallen during the week, the eight remaining teams managed to complete their games.

Defending champions Voorburg, having won off the final ball of their match against VOC last week, squeezed out another victory, this time with two balls to spare, against Excelsior ‘20 at Westvliet.

Put in to bat by Noah Croes in a match reduced to 48 overs before the toss, Excelsior got off to a great start with an opening stand of 132 between Derek Mitchell (70) and Tim Etman (80), but thereafter the innings faltered somewhat, until a late push by the middle order of Stan van Troost, Joost Kroesen and Victor Lubbers got them up to a daunting 254 for six.

Voorburg were soon in a spot of bother, both openers gone with only 29 on the board, but Gavin Kaplan and Croes now proceeded to add 202, a club top-flight record for the third wicket, putting their side into a winning position.

Both men batted with great restraint, happy to pick up ones and twos with some outstanding running between the wickets, and in the damp conditions they only struck ten boundaries between them in the course of their 38-over stand.

Kaplan eventually fell for 104, caught by Tim Etman off his brother Niels’s bowling as he tried to hit him over midwicket, and when Croes was bowled by Jason Ralston at the start of the penultimate over with ten still needed, it seemed for a moment that Excelsior might pull off the win.

But Philippe Boissevain and Michael Molenaar had been left with relatively little to do, and they did it calmly to make sure of the points.

Voorburg are level on points with Punjab-Ghausia Rotterdam, but behind them on NRR at this early stage after the combined side, also last-ball winners on the opening day, had a rather more comfortable victory over promoted side Hermes-DVS Schiedam.

Hermes also made a good start, and were 125 for one in the 24th over with Ashley Ostling having made 26 and Daniel Doyle a 59-ball 81 which included five fours and five sixes, Olivier Elenbaas going on to post 45.

But once Doyle had gone Belgian international Burhan Niaz ran through the middle order, taking four for 33, and with Suleiman Tariq picking up three for 31 and Sikander Zulfiqar, for once the only member of his family on the field, two for 16, the Schiedammers were all out for 196.

Shoaib Minhas made a brisk 24 and Musa Ahmad a patient 32 when Punjab replied, but it was Mohsin Riaz’s unbeaten 106 which ensured that Punjab eased to a five-wicket win, Riaz hitting back-to-back sixes, the first to reach his century and the second to finish the game.

Niels Woermeijer and Olivier Elenbaas both worked hard throughout, finishing with figures of two for 34 and two for 42, while Abdul Jabarkhail bowled economically, taking one for 24 from his ten overs.

At the Bermweg, VRA Amsterdam opened their Topklasse campaign with an even more comfortable win over Sparta 1888, who were on the back foot from the moment VRA’s opening attack of Elijah Eales and Ben Fletcher had removed both openers before there was a run on the board.

Riley Mudford’s 49 and a rearguard 30 from Faizan Bashir enabled them to reach 151, Eales, Fletcher, Clayton Floyd, Shariz Ahmad and Thomas Iles all picking up a brace of wicket apiece, and when Cameron Fraser, bowling fast and straight, had reduced the Amsterdammers to 37 for three, with Shirase Rasool and Johan Smal clean bowled and Adam Constant trapped in front, it seemed that Sparta might be in with a chance.

Demari Prince, however, promoted to open the innings, stood firm, and with support from Shariz Ahmad, took the total to within 11 runs of the target before he holed out to Shaquille Martina at long off off the bowling of Tom Hoornweg for 79.

That left Floyd to knock off the remaining runs with Shariz, who ended on 36 not out, while Fraser had three for 47 for Sparta as VRA won by six wickets with almost 20 overs to spare.

Izhaan Sayed had a dream start to his Topklasse career for ACC, taking a return catch off the first ball of the game to remove HBS Craeyenhout allrounder Lehaan Botha, and the Crows’ batters had to work hard against a disciplined ACC attack, only Matt de Villiers looking really comfortable with a splendid 82-ball 92.

He dominated a stand of 64 for the third wicket with Reece Mason, but once they had gone Sahil Kothari ran through the middle order, claiming three for 29, and it took an enterprising last-wicket stand between Benno Boddendijk and debutant Amrit Singh to get HBS up to 191.

It seemed clear when Singh and Botha removed first Kothari and then Shreyas Potdar with just seven on the board that ACC would face an uphill battle, and although Rahil Ahmed (32) and Ben van der Merwe (26) added 43 for the third wicket, HBS remained in control.

Guy Sheena contributed 28 and Ammar Zaidi a rearguard 32, but Boddendijk cleaned up at the end, taking three for 29, and the home side were eventually dismissed for 138.

Bad weather reigns, but Voorburg take the Cup

Rod Lyall 27/05/24

There were two winners at Westvliet on Sunday: Voorburg took the Topklasse T20 Cup, but mostly it was the dreadful weather which emerged victorious on a thoroughly disappointing day.

Voorburg had, in the final analysis, earned their title by finishing top of the table after the round-robin phase, but with only 46.4 overs of the scheduled 120 able to be bowled in the course of the day what should have been a showcase of Dutch cricket became a rain-soaked anticlimax.

Matters were not helped by a tired pitch, already used for two of the international T20 tri-series matches, and in the first semi-final VRA Amsterdam’s quartet of spinners took full advantage of the conditions, bowling 14 overs between them and restricting Voorburg to 127 for seven.

It might, indeed, have been even less had there not been a late flurry from Noah Croes, whose 55 came from 49 deliveries and included just two fours, and Philippe Boissevain, who hit the only six of the innings.

The whole affair bore little resemblance to T20 cricket as we have come to know it, but before we could decide whether Voorburg had achieved a relatively commanding total in the circumstances, more rain ended proceedings just one over into the VRA reply, and the hosts went into the final.

That rain meant that the second semi-final was cut to 13 overs a side, and HCC also struggled with the bat, Conor McInerney’s 26-ball 35 and Jed Wiggins’s unbeaten 21 from 12 deliveries nevertheless enabling them to reach 95 for five.

Any thought that that might have been enough was quickly dispelled by HBS allrounder Lehaan Botha, who seemed to be inhabiting a different universe as he smashed 62 not out from 26 balls, including three fours and six sixes, to take the Crows to a seven-wicket victory in just 8.4 overs.

The game was also notable for the return of HBS icon Tobias Visée, who faced only seven deliveries but contributed 16 runs, his six over long-on perhaps the cleanest and longest blow by any batter at Westvliet over the ten days, Ireland and Scotland’s big hitters not excepted.

But the most torrential rain of the day was now imminent, and only four overs the final, in which Voorburg reached 17 for the loss of Nehaan Gigani’s wicket, were possible before the covers went on for the last time and Voorburg got their hands on the trophy.

A result was possible at Maarschalkerweerd, where Rood en Wit won a rain-affected Hoofdlasse T20 final and made sure of a spot in next year’s Topklasse T20 Cup, while at Het Loopveld in Amstelveen Groen en Wit Amsterdam made 120 for nine but nevertheless saw their rivals, VRA’s second team, promoted to the Hoofdklasse T20 because they had finished higher on the table after the round-robin phase.