The opening weekend of the 2019 Topklasse campaign turned out to be as incident-filled as some seasons might not manage in the first month, as freezing cold, intermittent rain and occasional bursts of sunshine provided the context for some thoroughly entertaining cricket.
It also revealed the true extent of the New Order created by the collapse of the KNCB’s attempts to limit the number of foreign players per team, which is less than some may have feared but still more than many will have hoped.
With three matches played on Saturday and the remaining two on Sunday, only one game proved free of the influence of Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Stern, with ACC dismissing Amstelveen rivals VRA for 139 at Het Loopveld on Sunday and knocking off the runs in 36.4 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Here it was two local youngsters who made all the difference: seamer Aryan Kumar took four for 28 as VRA collapsed to 38 for six at one stage, and then Shirase Rasool hit a maiden Topklasse half-century, making 56 on the way to ACC’s comprehensive victory.
Top-scorer for VRA was former national captain Peter Borren, whose 81 constituted an almost single-handed attempt to rescue his side; keeper Mitch Lees, who shared in a 59-run seventh-wicket stand, was the only other player to reach double figures.
The other Sunday game was a fluctuating affair which featured contrasting unbeaten centuries by opener Adam Wiffin for HCC and Wesley Barresi for HBS.
Batting throughout his side’s innings, Wiffin made 135 not out from 128 deliveries, hitting 11 fours and three sixes. Farshad Khan claimed three wickets for HBS and Julian de Mey two, and at 135 for five it seemed as if HCC might struggle to get far past 200.
But then Matt Hay chipped in with 30 in a sixth-wicket stand of 64, and as Wiffin cut loose in the closing stages he was well supported by Ali Ahmad Qasim, and HCC finished with 246 for seven.
Qasim and Hidde Overdijk grabbed three early wickets when HBS replied, but with the target reduced to 236 from 45 overs after two brief interruptions for rain, Navjit Singh (55) shared a partnership of 138 with Barresi, who dominated the bowling from the time he arrived at the crease, hitting a match-winning 93-ball 126 not out, which included 11 fours and five sixes, and HBS took the points with eight deliveries remaining.
The closest match of the weekend was at Hazelaarweg on Saturday, where overnight rain caused the match between VOC and Dosti to be reduced to 31 overs before the start. An interruption during the VOC innings caused a further reduction to 28 overs, from which the home side made 143 for seven.
Max O’Dowd gave them a solid start with 45, and Pieter Seelaar contributed a not-out 38 from just 23 balls, while Kuldeep Diwan, one of Dosti’s four overseas players, took four for 16.
The Dosti target was adjusted to 150, and VOC appeared to have the upper hand when Rahil Ahmed and Taruwar Kohli were both dismissed by the time 20 was on the board.
But skipper Vinoo Tewarie anchored the innings with 47 not out, and with smaller contributions from Amitoze Singh and Diwan, they had reached 129 for five in 25.1 overs when further rain brought an end to proceedings.
That was just one run ahead of the DLS par score at that stage, and thus Dosti were the winners by the narrowest of margins.
That’s hundred for Matt Smit!
Fielding a side with no fewer than six overseas players, three of them the bearers of Dutch passports, Voorburg demonstrated the power of their batting line-up by compiling 229 for three in their 47 overs, with opener Matt Smit making 110 before he fell to the final ball of the innings.The rain also brought a premature end at Westvliet, but in this case promoted side Voorburg had established an unambiguous advantage over Sparta 1888.
He shared in stands of 124 with Noah Croes (59) and 77 with Steve Nottle (39 not out), while the only successful Sparta bowlers were Joost-Martijn Snoep with two wickets and Usman Saleem with one.
Pace man Brandon Glover then removed Andrew Fletcher in the first over of Sparta’s reply, and although Ali Raza hit a brisk 32 and Tim de Kok a patient 33, and the target was eventually reduced to 225 off 44 overs after another shower, it was only former international Mudassar Bukhari who showed any real sign of keeping his side in the game.
When he was bowled by Smit for 47 to make it 176 for seven the game was effectively over, and at 190 for nine after 42 overs when the rain descended again, Sparta lost by 25 runs. The wickets were shared, with two apiece for Glover, Yasir Hamid, Stef Mulder and Clayton Floyd.
The rain had also left its mark on Thurlede, where the match between Excelsior ’20 and Quick Haag was reduced to 37 overs before the start.
Put in to bat, Quick struggled against the Excelsior attack, with West Indian international Brenton Parchment taking three for 35 on his Topklasse debut and only Geert Maarten Mol (22) among the top order showing any real resistance.
New skipper Daan Vierling (24) and Thijs van Schelven (29 not out) managed to get their side up to 146 for seven, but this never seemed likely to be enough, even in difficult conditions for batting.
At 56 for four, with key batsman Lorenzo Ingram among those back in the dug-out, Excelsior were making heavy weather of the chase, but Parchment’s 77-ball 49 was the decisive factor, and in a low-scoring game his 55-run stand with David Woutersen (31) laid the foundation for the win.
By the time Parchment fell to Van Schelven only five runs were needed, and Rens van Troost and Gijs Kroesen saw their side home by four wickets with 14 deliveries to spare.
As the dust settles on another Topklasse campaign, Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall discuss their Team of the Year.
Overseas players
Jay Bista
RL: In my view four players stand out: Taruwar Kohli (Dosti United), Jay Bista (Quick Haag), Lorenzo Ingram (Excelsior), and Sharn Gomes (HBS Craeyenhout). Kohli’s form early in the season shot Dosti up the table, and in addition to his three centuries and two fifties in his first seven innings he took valuable wickets as well. He was less dominant as the campaign progressed, but even so, only his early departure prevented him from topping the batting aggregates. That honour went instead to Bista, whose contribution to a struggling Quick side was enormous, and he was more responsible than anyone for his team staying in the top flight.
Gomes, too, was at his most consistent in the first half, with six half-centuries and a hundred in his first ten innings, but thereafter he fell away, while Ingram, after hitting back-to-back centuries at the end of May, was less influential as Excelsior’s title defence foundered. Kohli and Bista are therefore my pick for the two overseas player spots.
BdJ: Yep, Kohli and Bista are probably the easiest picks in this little exercise. Without them it would be hard to see Dosti or Quick surviving the season. Kohli’s efforts saw Dosti top the table early and ensured they were never in any real danger of relegation, with four centuries and leading the run aggregates when he departed with 722 runs at an average of 60+ he faces no real competition for his spot. Bista meanwhile would be my pick for season MVP, holding Quick above water all-but single-handedly, making 800+ runs largely from the opening spot and stepping up to take the captaincy in Jeroen Brand’s absence.
Were we permitted a third overseas player my pick would be Bryce Street ahead of Gomes or Ingram though. In trying to fill the shoes of Jonathan Vandiar, Street probably had the toughest assignment of any of the league’s overseas coaches, and he delivered admirably for HCC. With 650 runs at a shade over 40, as well as chipping in a valuable 23 wickets over the season the young Queenslander has had an excellent debut season and is pretty unlucky to miss out on a team of the year spot in my book.
Opening batsmen
BdJ: With Bista having scored heavily from the top of the order I’d say that one of the slots here has already been filled, and indeed it’s not easy to say anyone’s made a convincing case to take the second. ACC’s Richardt Frenz is ruled out as the overseas slots are full, though his contribution to the Amsterdammers’ fortunes after being promoted to open should not be underrated, with 657 runs at 40 he is statistically the most successful opener behind Bista. A case might also be made for his opening partner Rehmat Zulfiqar, who has rather outshone his siblings in domestic cricket this season and memorably smashing the season’s top-score of 188 against Quick from the top of the order.
Tobias Visée
A more conservative option might be VRA’s Dan ter Braak, who has accumulated an unshowy 620 runs at 38 over the season, but my preference would be for aggression at the top. With 523 runs at a strike rate over 150, I’d be tempted to have HBS skipper Toby Visée as a specialist batsman even were he not also top of the dismissals table with the gloves. In a season where “decent but unspectacular” could be applied to most of the league’s openers, I’m picking the one who can win a game in the first few overs.
RL: No disagreement from this quarter about opening with Visée: his ability to knock new-ball bowlers off their stride makes him an obvious choice. But given his methods you have to allow for the possibility that he won’t come off, and for that reason I’d be inclined to have Jay Bista at three rather than as an opener. That creates room for Rehmat Zulfiqar who, as m’ colleague notes, has been the most consistently successful of the four brothers this time round. A top four of Rehmat, Visée, Bista and Kohli should be enough to daunt any opening attack.
Top and middle order
RL: My proposal would then leave us with two, or at most three, specialist batting places to fill – three if, as is often the case, one or more of the batsmen is also a useful bowler. (Bista and Kohli, indeed, would also be likely to feature in the attack, as perhaps would Rehmat, so maybe we could go all the way down to No. 8 with the batsmen . . . )
The leading contenders on my list would be Ben Cooper and Peter Borren (both VRA), VOC captain Pieter Seelaar, Mohammad Hafeez (Dosti), and Wesley Barresi (HBS). These are all, of course, well established names, and it’s a little worrying that there are so few young guns forcing their way into consideration. Tonny Staal (HCC) played some valuable innings, and despite injury Sikander Zulfiqar (ACC) did so as well. But in a crowded field, it’s hard to go past the left-handed Cooper (third in the aggregates with 661 runs at 47.21), Seelaar, Borren and Hafeez, with Barresi possibly just edging out Borren.
BdJ: Indeed going purely on stats it would seem churlish to exclude Cooper, but then I am nothing if not churlish. Aside from being reluctant to disturb Kohli from his position at first drop, where he’s scored four centuries, I feel it should be pointed out that of his five fifties in the season, only Cooper’s 69 against HBS won VRA a match that mattered.
Pieter Seelaar
I’d also be hesitant to chance Bista as a front-line bowler given his mixed results with the ball for Quick, though obviously I’d not say the same of Hafeez, who is the only player this season who would likely make the team on the strength of both his batting and bowling. Peter Borren probably comes closest on that front, despite having what he himself described as a “pretty ordinary” season (though having averaged over 100 last year perhaps his expectations of himself have become somewhat unreasonable). The former Dutch skipper picked up 29 scalps to finish joint 5th in the wicket-taking tables, as well as scoring 565 runs from number 5. His successor at the helm of the national team, Pieter Seelaar, has had an equally successful season, with 555 runs and 50.5 and 21 wickets at 13.7 not to mention captaining his side to the title, the VOC skipper is surely a must-pick.
Wicketkeeper
BdJ: Having settled on Visée at the top of the order our hands are rather tied here, though with 34 dismissals behind the stumps HBS’ skipper’s glove-work is hardly in question. One might otherwise make a strong case for VOC’s Scott Edwards, who despite trailing Visée by eleven dismissals has arguably shown himself the tidier keeper, conceding just 9 byes in 16 matches as well as racking up 576 runs at an average of 52.36 – one of only four players to average over fifty over the season.
RL: Indeed, including both Visée and Edwards, one of them as a specialist batsman, would not be a daft move. That’s probably worth looking at when we review the overall balance of the team. And we’re agreed that they are the two outstanding keepers of the season.
Seamers
RL: This is an interesting one. If we assume seam from both ends initially, there are several contenders for the new ball: Sparta’s Mudassar Bukhari, who was pipped by Hafeez as leading wicket-taker but who claimed 34 wickets at 13.82; Ali Ahmed Qasim and Hidde Overdijk, both of HCC and both with 32 wickets; and Fred Klaassen (VOC), who took 29. There are pros and cons in all four cases: Bukhari played half his games at bowler-friendly Bermweg; Ali Ahmed took 14 of his wickets in just two devastating performances; Overdijk mostly bowled first change for HCC, who preferred pairing Ali Ahmed with spinner Ryan Ninan; and Klaassen surely benefited from having Pierce Fletcher at the other end. But the VOC man was outstanding in claiming early wickets, and his left-arm pace could be genuinely threatening.
Hidde Overdijk
A few other seamers are certainly worthy of consideration, even if their statistics are less impressive than those of this foursome: the HBS new-ball pairing of Wessel Coster and Berend Westdijk, the latter plagued by injury, as well as their team-mate Farshad Khan; VRA’s Quirijn Gunning, and Sikander Zulfiqar, who despite also being injured has a reasonable claim as an all-rounder.
But my pick would be Klaassen and Ali Ahmed, with Overdijk as first change.
BdJ: Klaassen is a sure pick for me, consistently finding early wickets and outstanding at the death, though the question of who he shares the new ball with is a little trickier. Bukhari’s duties with Belgium took precedence over his bid to best Hafeez at the top of the wickets table in the final round, but sheer weight of wickets is hard to argue with regardless of where he took them, and as it happens he took more than half of them away from home. He would just edge Ahmed in my book, though reasonable minds may differ on that. We agree on Overdijk though, if anything, his ability to take wickets with an older ball is a plus, as first-change is a somewhat less hotly-contested spot and a creditable average just shy of 20 with the bat only strengthens his case.
Rather overlooked in the role of seam-bowling all-rounder, however, is the veteran Doc Mol, who has quietly played an absolute blinder for Quick, and is arguably as much responsible for their survival in the top flight as was Jay Bista. In the midst of what might charitably called a transitional phase for the club (less charitably as a shambles of a season) Mol’s 480 runs (including a maiden century) and 26 wickets make him their lead wicket-taker and second behind Bista in the runs. Mol’s numbers may still be modest in the scheme of things, but given the context and the pressure Quick were under from the start, it’s hard to think of a player who’s been more crucial to his side this year.
Spinners
BdJ: With Seelaar and Hafeez sure of their spots the slow-bowling question more or less takes care of itself, but there’s certainly some honourable mentions to be made. First among them is Seelaar’s spinning partner at VOC, Max O’Dowd. He had the help of traditionally spin-friendly conditions at Hazelaarweg of course, but nonetheless 21 wickets at a shade over ten apiece is a remarkable effort. Leon Turmaine (VRA) also bowled better than his (still perfectly decent) figures suggest, whilst Lorenzo Ingram would be a tempting option had we another overseas slot.
RL: Turmaine’s team-mate at VRA, the evergreen Adeel Raja again demonstrated that he is, when available, still able to winkle out opposing batsmen, while Wesley Barresi would no doubt also wish to be seen as a spinning option, having claimed 16 wickets in his limited opportunities with the ball, at a strike rate of 26.06. But only O’Dowd (with a strike rate of 19.33, the best in the competition) is a real contender to balance off-spin against the very different left-armers in Seelaar and Hafeez.
So, with all the above in mind, we have:
Our Topklasse Team of the Year:
Jay Bista (Quick Haag), Tobias Visée (HBS, wk), Taruwar Kohli, Mohammad Hafeez (both Dosti United), Wesley Barresi (HBS), Peter Borren (VRA), Pieter Seelaar (VOC, captain), Geert Maarten Mol (Quick Haag), Hidde Overdijk (HCC), Mudassar Bukhari (Sparta 1888), and Fred Klaassen (VOC).
12th man: Ali Ahmed
Three rounds to go, and each victory by leaders VOC Rotterdam, however it is obtained, makes the task significantly more difficult for their rivals: both VRA Amsterdam and HBS Craeyenhout still have a chance of pipping them at the post (VRA’s a good deal more realistic than that of HBS), but they are gradually being squeezed out by VOC’s resilience and the mathematics.
VOC stayed in front at Hazelaarweg on Sunday by successfully defending the very modest total of 169 for eight and bowling Sparta 1888 out for a disappointing 105.
That they reached even that score was very substantially due to a dogged knock from a partially-fit Max O’Dowd, whose 53 from 147 deliveries was the backbone of the VOC innings. Jelte Schoonheim had contributed 34 at the start and Pieter Seelaar made 27, but with Mudassar Bukhari and Warren Bell taking three wickets apiece, at a cost of 15 and 34 respectively, the home side were always forced to struggle for their runs.
But conditions proved even less savoury for the visitors, who were quickly reduced to 41 for seven in reply.
After Fred Klaassen and Pierce Fletcher removed the openers Seelaar and Bobby Hanif worked their way through the rest of the top and middle order, and only a defiant 37 not out from Craig Ambrose, who marshalled the tail admirably, enabled Sparta to get past the hundred mark.
Seelaar finished with three for 19 and Hanif three for 18.
VRA again recovered from an uncertain start to post an imposing 283 against Punjab Rotterdam in the Amsterdamse Bos, an innings dominated by Peter Borren’s 126-ball 153, his highest score in the top flight and one which included 14 fours and a six. It also took him into the select ranks of those who have scored 7000 runs in the highest division of the competition.
He came to the crease with his side on 7 for two, and they were on 51 for four, with Dan ter Braak, Eric Szwarczynski, Ben Cooper and Emile van den Burg all gone, by the time he was joined by Mitch Lees.
These two added 70 for the fifth wicket, and then with Borren in top gear he and Adeel Raja put on 126 for the eighth – a club record – of which Raja’s share was 36.
Mubashar Hussain was Punjab’s principal wicket-taker with four for 50.
283 always seemed likely to be too much for Punjab, and their cause suffered a crucial setback when Stef Myburgh was run out for 27.
Ali Raza made a solid 57, but the asking rate continued to rise and when he was stumped by Lees off the bowling of Ter Braak, who finished with three for 17, the only remaining question was whether the Rotterdam side would bat out their overs. This they managed to do, finishing on 207 for nine.
In a game of fluctuating fortunes at Sportpark Drieburg HBS Craeyenhout held on to beat Dosti United by 19 runs and give themselves an outside chance of nipping through to pinch the title.
With Tobias Visée and Berend Westdijk both missing from their line-up Wessel Coster and Sharn Gomes gave the side a good start with an opening stand of 71, but once Gomes had gone for 20 the wickets started to fall, including Coster’s for a determined 44, and it took an unbeaten 29 from Wesley Barresi to get the total up to a meagre 141.
Anees Davids took three for 22 for Dosti and Mohammad Hafeez – the leading wicket-taker in the competition – three for 13.
With Dosti on 86 for eight, in which Hafeez’s 28 was the main contribution, HBS seemed to be heading for a comfortable victory, but then Waheed Masood and Arief Hoseinbaks added 36 for the ninth wicket and the home side’s hopes began to recover.
Ferdi Vink dismissed Masood, however, and when Coster bowled Hoseinbaks without addition to the score HBS had made sure of the points. Farshad Khan and Barresi were again the main wicket-takers, with three for 30 and three for 29 respectively.
Remarkable as Borren’s innings was, it was surpassed by Rehmat Zulfiqar’s 188 out of an ACC total of 311 for seven against Quick Haag on the second ground at De Diepput.
Admittedly on a relatively small field the ACC opener equaled Darron Reekers’ record of 16 sixes in a single innings, hitting 11 fours into the bargain and facing 156 deliveries before he was caught off the final ball of the innings.
He shared an opening stand of 104 with Richard Frenz (36), and later he and Anees Raza (34) added 73 for the sixth. In between, a fine ten-over spell from Jeroen Brand, who took three for 15, had brought some much-needed sanity to the proceedings, but in the closing stages Rehmat again took charge, ensuring his side set the highest total of the day.
Quick’s reply was built around two contributions: Jay Bista’s lively 80-ball 85 and then Geert Maarten Mol’s maiden century in the top flight, 101 from 94 deliveries which included six fours and six sixes.
Mol’s heroics kept his side in the hunt, but when he finally skied a return catch to Saqib Zulfiqar 77 were still needed from 39 deliveries, and although the lower order kept battling they eventually fell 19 runs short of their target. Saqib’s three wickets cost 72 runs, but his dismissal of Mol was enough to turn the game ACC’s way.
On a day of radically contrasting games, much of the excitement came in the closing minutes at Thurlede, where HCC were chasing Excelsior ‘20’s total of 200 for seven.
Bryce Street’s 68 had got them into contention, but when he was trapped in front by Lorenzo Ingram 33 were still needed at exactly a run a ball and five wickets in hand.
Dan Trijzelaar and Douwe Walhain brought their side to the brink of victory, and Sohail Bhatti’s final over began with just five runs needed and four wickets remaining.
Walhain was bowled for 21, Laurens Jan Lagas was run out off a wide, and although Trijzelaar and Tyrone Peters managed to level the scores, another run out – Trijzelaar this time – ensured that Excelsior escaped with a tie.
Earlier, James Hilditch, back from injury, top-scored with 39 as Excelsior achieved their 200 total, an innings in which most of the batsmen got a start but no-one was able to produce a truly decisive knock.
In the end, though, it proved to be just enough for the sides to share the points in the first tied match of the season.
Recovering from a somewhat shaky, if decidedly lively, start to beat their closest rivals, HBS Craeyenhout by 39 runs on Sunday, VRA Amsterdam set out their stall as the principal challengers to VOC Rotterdam’s run towards this year’s Topklasse title.
As the players left the field, however, the news came through that the leaders had themselves held on for a two-wicket victory over ACC, thus remaining effectively two games ahead in their bid to take the championship for the first time since 1994.
At Craeyenhout, VRA began at a gallop after Emile van den Burg won the toss and elected to bat, maintaining a rate of nearly six an over in the initial powerplay.
But this came at a cost, as Berend Westdijk, battling a shoulder injury, produced a sustained spell of hostile seam bowling, and Eric Szwarczynski, Ben Cooper and Daan ter Braak all fell hooking rising deliveries.
By the twentieth over three more wickets had fallen, including that of surprise inclusion Michael Rippon, and at 89 for six VRA were in some difficulty.
The Amsterdam side bat deep, however, and with Westdijk having completed an excellent spell for figures of four for 49 the innings was rebuilt by Vikram Singh (29), Leon Turmaine (19) and Mitch Lees, the latter top-scoring with a fine 55-ball 44.
Then Quirijn Gunning and Haseeb Gul Mia finished things off with a breezy, unbroken last-wicket partnership, and VRA closed on 226 for nine.
The same pair ripped through the HBS top order once they got the ball in their hands, and with 13 overs the home side had in their turn been reduced to 30 for five, with three wickets for Gunning and two for Haseeb Gul, Lees claiming four catches behind the stumps.
Wesley Barresi and Dennis Coster, the latter having sustained a painful rib injury while fielding, set about restoring HBS’s fortunes, but Coster eventually fell to a fine catch by Gunning at mid-on off Borren’s bowling, and it was left to Barresi to keep his side’s hopes alive, in company with Navjit Singh.
The asking rate was, however, rising, and when Barresi fell to another Gunning catch, this time on the midwicket boundary, as he attempted to push the score along, the chase was effectively over.
Singh and Ferdi Vink added 58 for the eighth wicket in a spirited stand, but by the time Vink fell, caught and bowled by Rippon for 20 at the start of the 47th over, 15 an over was still required.
Singh went on to complete a fine not-out half-century, ending on 55, but a run-out ended the innings on 187. Gunning took three for 26 and Haseeb Gul three for 35.
Leaders VOC Rotterdam were pushed all the way at Het Loopveld West by ACC, but another solid innings from Scott Edwards saw them home with five balls and two wickets in hand.
Anchored by opener Richardt Frenz, who made 82, ACC reached 217 for seven in their fifty overs, with Asad Zulfiqar making 40 and skipper Saqib Zulfiqar contributing a crucial 57 in the latter stages of the innings. Pierce Fletcher was VOC’s main wicket-taker with three for 42.
The Bloodhounds soon lost Corey Rutgers and Dirk van Baren, and then Jelte Schoonheim, when they replied, but their fortunes were at least partially restored by stands of 49 between Max O’Dowd and Pieter Seelaar, and then a further 46 between Seelaar and Edwards.
Once Seelaar was run out by Frenz for 52, however, it was left to Edwards to see his side home, and with support from the lower order he was ultimately successful, making a 66-ball 64 not out in the process.
Dewald Botha kept ACC’s hopes alive with three for 34, including the wicket of Fred Klaassen with 36 still needed, but in the end VOC were just too strong.
In the middle of the table there were wins for Dosti United and Excelsior ‘20, who beat Sparta 1888 and Quick Haag respectively.
Sparta did well to dismiss Dosti for 183 at Sportpark Bermweg, with Mudassar Bukhari and Martijn Snoep taking three for 22 and three for 32 respectively; the first of Bukhari’s three, in his 200th top-flight match, took him into the select company of those bowlers who have claimed 300 wickets in the limited-overs era.
Mohammad Hafeez was again Dosti’s top-scorer with 52, and he and Rahil Ahmed (35) shared in a vital fourth-wicket stand of 92.
That relatively modest total, though, turned out to be plenty as the home side quickly slumped to 38 for five and were finally bowled out for 83, Snoep the most successful of the batsmen with 21. Anees Davids took three for 23 and was also responsible for the vital wicket of Michael Pollard, run out for 12.
Excelsior’s total of 209 for five at Thurlede was mostly due to a 98-run stand between Joost Kroesen (55) and Lorenzo Ingram (57), while another Topklasse returnee, former international Daan van Bunge, chipped in with an unbeaten, 33-ball 39.
Then Rens van Troost ran through the top of the Quick batting, taking four for 29, and only a fifth-wicket partnership of 60 between Geert Maarten Mol (42) and Daan Vierling (37) lent any respectability to the Quick reply.
Once that stand had been broken Gijs Kroesen claimed three for 33 and Ingram two for 12, and Quick were all out for 157, 52 runs short.
But the most dramatic collapse of the day came at De Diepput where bottom-placed Punjab Rotterdam, chasing HCC’s total of 166, found themselves on 5 for four in the space of 10 deliveries, with Stef Myburgh, Ali Raza, Rohan Qadri and Barend Vorster all having come and gone.
That soon became 13 for five, and it took a defiant 41-ball 40 from Yasir Usman to get them up to 105 all out, with Ali Ahmed Qasim claiming three for 21 for the home side.
Ali Ahmed (42) had earlier shared a crucial 67-run partnership of 67 with Hidde Overdijk (47), which enabled their side to set what proved to be an adequate target. Mubashar Hussain took three for 44 for the Rotterdam side.
A sustained 15-over spell of hostile fast bowling by VOC’s new-ball pair of Fred Klaassen and Pierce Fletcher, backed up by aggressive fielding, effectively put an end to Excelsior ‘20’s remaining hopes of winning a third successive championship at Hazelaarweg on Sunday, as the Schiedam side, chasing 192, were reduced to 42 for four.
That included the prolific Lorenzo Ingram, caught at slip to give Klaassen his third wicket at a cost of just 13 runs, and it exposed Excelsior’s brittle middle order to the off-spin of Max O’Dowd and the medium pace of Bobby Hanif, which completed the job as Excelsior were dismissed for 83, O’Dowd finishing with four for 25.
David Woutersen showed some resistance, top-scoring with 17, but otherwise was another disappointing day with the bat for the defending champions.
Earlier, they had started well, claiming the wickets of Jelte Schoonheim and Corey Rutgers with just two runs on the board, but then Dirk van Baren (40) and O’Dowd (23) led the fightback, and a splendid innings from Scott Edwards, who made 69 from 82 deliveries with six fours and a six, supported by Umar Baker (21), enabled them to reach 191 for nine.
It turned out to be a very decent total on a day when the bowlers were again often in charge, and it reinforced VOC’s hold on the lead as well as consigning Excelsior to the middle of the table.
The chasing pack, now reduced to two, both maintained the pressure with comfortable victories.
The easier of the two was third-placed VRA’s ten-wicket win in the Amsterdamse Bos against one-time leaders Sparta 1888, which featured an unbroken opening stand of 141 between Daan ter Braak and Eric Szwarczynski.
Sparta had begun well with a first-wicket partnership of 64 between newly-promoted Vikki Rattu (16) and Warren Bell (44), but once they had gone Leon Turmaine and Peter Borren worked their way through the rest of the batting, and the Capelle side were dismissed for 138.
Turmaine finished with four for 26 and Borren four for 30, George Dunlop collecting two for 9 to complete the demolition work.
For the second week in succession Szwarczynski and Ter Braak responded with a century opening partnership; against ACC the latter had been dismissed with his side on the brink of victory, but this time they completed the job in style.
Szwarczynski ended on 65, made from 89 deliveries with 10 fours, his partner on 63 from 87 deliveries with five boundaries.
At Het Zomercomplex, Punjab Rotterdam lost Ali Raza and Barend Vorster before they had a run on the board, and although Stef Myburgh contributed another aggressive 41 and later Yasir Usman produced an equally hard-hitting 43, the home side could only manage 135 against a determined HBS Craeyenhout.
Wessel Coster, who took those two early wickets, claimed two more to finish with four for 28, while Farshad Khan took three for 41.
Raza then made up for his lack of success with the bat by taking four catches when HBS replied, and with Vorster taking three for 29 the visitors were in a degree of trouble at 92 for five.
But Wesley Barresi was still there, in company with Dennis Coster, and these two knocked off the remaining runs without further alarms; Barresi made an unbeaten 40, from 32 deliveries with five fours and a six, while his partner ended on 17 not out.
Dosti United could once again thank Taruwar Kohli’s bat for their 13-run victory over ACC at Sportpark Drieburg: he made 62 out of their total of 177, and shared in an 83-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Hafeez (39).
Skipper Saqib Zulfiqar was the most successful of the ACC bowlers with three for 40, and he completed a fine double with a knock of 67, sharing in a even more productive stand of 99 for the fourth wicket with Richardt Frenz (60).
When Kohli had Frenz caught behind it was left to Zulfiqar to continue the chase with 48 still needed, but with wickets tumbling at the other end, Hafeez taking four for 30 in another decisive spell, he was eventually dismissed himself, and despite a defiant 18 from Dewald Botha the ACC innings ended on 164.
Quick Haag took a crucial step away from the relegation danger zone with a hard-fought 27-run win against HCC at De Diepput.
Another fine innings from Jay Bista, who made 77 at better than a run a ball, was the foundation of HCC’s total of 193 – the highest score of the day – with Geert Maarten Mol chipping in with 29 and Govert Trappenburg with 25.
Ryan Ninan took three for 30 and Bryce Street three for 39 for the nominal visitors, and both then proved the backbone of their side’s batting. Ninan, opening, made 72 and Street 46, but those apart only Tonny Staal (19) was able to reach double figures.
The destroyers for Quick were Pieter Groenewald with four for 40 and Mol with four for 30, and despite Street’s rearguard battle HCC were dismissed for 166.
VOC Rotterdam retained their position at the top of the table with a comfortable victory over HCC on Sunday, but wins for HBS Craeyenhout and VRA Amsterdam over near rivals Sparta 1888 and Excelsior ’20 Schiedam respectively mean that the battle in the upper half remains extremely tight, with all five teams having a realistic chance of grabbing the silverware.
Only 0.33 of an average point now separates Sparta in fifth place from the leaders, and while two defeats in succession have seen the Capelle side’s challenge subside somewhat – not to mention three defeats in four matches for defending champions Excelsior – no side has been consistent enough to emerge from the chasing pack.
VOC again needed to recover from the loss of early wickets after winning the toss at Hazelaarweg, and it was a fourth-wicket stand of 108 between Max O’Dowd (57) and Pieter Seelaar (80) which enabled them to reach 238 for six, while Hidde Overdijk was the most successful of the HCC bowlers with three for 42.
The quick removal of both openers by Fred Klaassen and Pierce Fletcher soon had HCC on the back foot when they replied, but Tonny Staal (66) and Bryce Street (36) shared another valuable partnership, adding 89 before O’Dowd separated them.
O’Dowd went on to take six for 40 as HCC’s batting crumbled, and they were eventually all out for 161 to lose by 77 runs.
HBS moved into second spot with another powerful display, beating Sparta 1888 by 84 runs at Craeyenhout.
The highlight of the home side’s 259 for eight was a fine century by Sharn Gomes, who passed 50 for the seventh time in ten innings but this time went on to three figures, sharing stands of 97 with opener Wessel Coster (43) and 72 with Jaron Morgan (24).
With Wesley Barresi chipping in with a 24-ball 30, HBS posted a challenging target which their attack proved more than capable of defending, and Sparta’s batsmen never looked likely to approach it after Coster removed both openers by the time 9 runs were on the board.
Tim de Kok (29), Michael Pollard (27) and Mudassar Bukhari (37) – who had taken three for 39 in the HBS innings – all got a start, but with wickets falling at regular intervals the Sparta reply never really gained momentum.
Farshad Khan removed both Pollard and Bukhari, going on to finish with four for 35, and with spinner Julian de Mey contributing a useful spell for two for 28 even the dogged resistance of Atse Buurman (39 not out) was insufficient, and the innings closed on 175.
In the Amsterdamse Bos VRA reached 203 for two thanks to half-centuries from Dan ter Braak and Peter Borren and a splendid 89 from Ben Cooper, but a flurry of wickets in the final ten overs saw the side dismissed for 260 an over before the end, Sohail Bhatti cleaning up the tail with four for 54.
The Excelsior top order mounted a decent reply, Lorenzo Ingram making 42 and Joost Kroesen a career-best 74, and at 175 for three and ten overs remaining it seemed that the Schiedammers had an outside chance of pulling off the victory.
But they, too, collapsed in dramatic fashion, and with VRA’s former internationals Adeel Raja and Borren taking four for 38 and three for 37 respectively they were dismissed for 235.
ACC’s stop-start season took another extraordinary turn at Het Zomercomplex, where they ran up a total of more than 320 for two against a hapless Punjab Rotterdam (exact scores from this match are unfortunately currently unavailable).
Sikander Zulfiqar hit the highest score of the season with an unbeaten 150, while his brother Asad was left on 97 not out as the pair put on a record 227 (approximately) for the third wicket.
For the second week running Punjab belied their lowly position with a spirited response, but despite half-centuries from opener Stef Myburgh, Rohan Qadri and Yasir Usman they fell some 40 runs short of their massive target.
Veteran Ahmed Zulfiqar was ACC’s main wicket-taker.
Dosti United consolidated their mid-table position with two home wins over the weekend, beating Punjab by 95 runs on Saturday in a rearranged match and then prevailing over Quick Haag on Sunday.
Taruwar Kohli was again the star of Saturday’s show, posting his fourth century of the season as Dosti reached 252 for six, while in the absence of Anees Davids second-team coach Amitoze Singh contributed 53.
Waheed Masood then took four for 38 as Punjab were dismissed for 157, only Barend Vorster showing any real resistance with 48.
Singh and Masood underlined their value again on Sunday, the former making 99 in Dosti’s total of 201 all out against Quick and the latter picking up three for 48 as the Nieuw Hanenburg side were dismissed for 177.
This defeat coupled with ACC’s win sees Quick drop to ninth place in the table, but they, like ACC, are two wins ahead of Punjab and not yet in serious relegation trouble.
There cannot have been many more extraordinary afternoons in the recent history of Dutch top division cricket than Sunday’s – in particular there was an hour in which wickets were tumbling all around the country as top orders fell apart and seam bowlers had a field day.
Nowhere was the mayhem more spectacular than at De Diepput, where after coming back well to restrict hosts HCC to a relatively modest 189, Sparta 1888 saw their hopes of consolidating their position at the top of the table torn apart by a concentrated burst of well-directed hostility from Ali Ahmed Qasim.
He took six for 18 in the space of just 38 deliveries as Sparta slumped to 21 for six, and although they managed to prolong the innings long enough to reach 65 they never seemed remotely likely to mount an effective challenge.
Earlier, Sparta’s bowlers had done well to get their side back into the game after HCC had reached 132 for three, stand-in captain Tonny Staal making 49 and Bryce Street 56, with support from Boris Gorlee (25).
HCC squandered that good start, however, the last five wickets producing just 27 runs as Mudassar Bukhari, who had begun by removing both openers, came back to clean up the tail and finish with season’s best figures of five for 32.
It all proved in vain as 40 minutes of lively pace from Qasim, who had similarly demolished HBS earlier in the season, tore the heart out of Sparta’s response.
The chief beneficiaries of the Sparta collapse were new leaders VOC Rotterdam, who themselves needed to recover from 41 for four batting first against Dosti United Amsterdam at Hazelaarweg and eventually reached 177 before bowling their opponents out for 128.
They owed their total to a useful partnership of 44 between Pieter Seelaar and Scott Edwards, but even more to the contribution of Bobby Hanif, whose unbeaten 36 held the tail together and frustrated the Dosti bowlers, for whom Anees Davids and Mohammad Hafeez had led the way with three for 22 and three for 31 respectively.
Then Pierce Fletcher quickly removed the in-form Vinoo Tewarie and the talismanic Taruwar Kohli, who again failed to score, and Dosti never really recovered from these twin setbacks, despite a dogged 30 from Hafeez and some late aggression from Asief Hoseinbaks and Wahid Masood.
Hanif followed up his heroics with the bat with two for 9, while Fletcher finished with two for 14 and skipper Pieter Seelaar took two for 38.
The closest encounter of the day was, a little surprisingly, at Thurlede, where relegation-threatened Punjab Rotterdam made a decent fist of chasing Excelsior ‘20’s 219 for seven, eventually falling just 19 runs short.
Although Lorenzo Ingram went cheaply, significant contributions from opener Tim Etman (37), Roel Verhagen (38 on his return from injury), Sandeep Shankar (36) and David Woutersen (36) enabled the defending champions to reach a competitive total, sufficient at least to give their attack something to work with.
Stef Myburgh gave his side a rapid start with a 47-ball 48 when Punjab replied, but wickets were falling at the other end, and despite 34 from Mamoon Latif it was again left to Ahsan Bamunusinghe to hold the middle and lower order together.
43 were still needed when the ninth wicket fell, but in company with last man Mubashar Hussain Bamunusinghe gradually worked his way to a well-deserved half-century and reduced the target in the process.
But it was Ingram who had the last word, eventually bowling Hussain to seal the victory for Excelsior and keep them well in the hunt for a third successive title.
Just behind the three leaders, HBS Den Haag also maintained their challenge with a comprehensive victory over ACC, another team to implode during Sunday’s Hour of Death.
Given a great platform by a second-wicket stand of 136 between Wessel Coster (64) and the remarkably consistent Sharn Gomes (66), HBS assembled a challenging total of 235, helped by a 41-ball knock of 48 from Wesley Barresi.
Sikander Zulfiqar, deputising as captain for his injured brother Saqib, kept his side in the game by removing both Coster and Gomes and finishing with three for 51, while Dewald Botha claimed three for 41.
ACC’s batting has fared much better in recent weeks, but form deserted them this time, as they were bundled out for just 62, Berend Westdijk taking five for 35 after Coster had removed both Richardt Frenz and Rehmat Zulfiqar by the time 28 runs were on the board.
Across Amstelveen in the Amsterdamse Bos, VRA Amsterdam took full advantage of playing on the own ground against Quick Haag, running up the highest total of the day with 238 for seven and then dismissing their opponents for 127.
VRA were given a solid start by Vikram Singh (27), Dan ter Braak (49) and Ben Cooper (45) as this trio took them to 129 for three, and Peter Borren built on this with 42, supported by Leon Turmaine, who in turn shared a useful partnership with Mitch Lees.
Quirijn Gunning then joined the national seamers’ bonanza by ripping through the Quick top and middle order, his career-best five for 36 reducing the notional home side on 52 for six and 73 for eight.
Only some enterprising resistance from Daan Vierling and Imran Khan, each of whom made 30, got Quick past the hundred mark, but when Dan ter Braak finished things off by removing both of them the score was still 101 short.
Not the least remarkable feature of a remarkable day was the fact that of the five winning sides four had started the season by losing to the same opponents, only Excelsior making it a double by again prevailing over Punjab – and even that proved to be hard work. Such are the glorious uncertainties of this season’s Topklasse.
HBS Den Haag opened up the Topklasse competition and did their own chance of the title no harm with an impressive 99-run victory over Excelsior ‘20 at Thurlede on Saturday. With four teams within one defeat of each other at the top of the table, this season’s competition is developing into one of the most open for years.
After winning the toss Excelsior made early inroads into the HBS top order, the device of opening the bowling with Lorenzo Ingram again achieving its purpose of removing the menacing Tobias Visée before he was really into his stride.
But the champions’ progress was halted by a fine fourth-wicket partnership of 132 between Sharn Gomes, who achieved his fifth half-century of the season in making a solid 79, and Wesley Barresi, who stayed until the end and finished on 89.
Najvit Singh chipped in with a brisk 26 before being somewhat unfortunately run out by a direct hit from Tom Heggelman on the long on boundary when trying to get Barresi back on strike, and the innings closed on 252 for six.
Excelsior’s batsmen did better than they had against Sparta the previous week, but a combination of Barresi’s off-spin and the seam of Wessel Coster, Ferdi Vink and Berend Westdijk proved too effective, and they could only manage a disappointing 153. Barresi took three for 27, Westdijk cleaned up the tail to finish with three for 23, and there were two wickets apiece for Coster and Vink.
Notably, all ten Excelsior wickets fell to catches, of which Singh’s to remove Ingram and Barresi’s to account for James Hilditch were outstanding.
At Het Loopveld in Amstelveen, meanwhile, Sparta 1888 took advantage of Excelsior’s second defeat to move to the top of the table, but their victory over ACC was hard won. It gives Sparta a real chance of becoming the first newly-promoted team to win the championship since the introduction of automatic promotion in 1970.
Chasing ACC’s 254 for six, a total largely based on a 140-run opening stand between Richardt Frenz, whose 100 was his second successive century since taking over the role of opener, and Rehmat Zulfiqar (79), Sparta were in trouble at 101 for five.
Michael Pollard was still there, however, and his partnership of 88 with Atse Buurman brought their side back into the game. Pollard was eventually bowled by Aryan Kumar for 108, but Buurman continued to produce his best knock for many seasons, and by the time he was dismissed for 72 Sparta were on the brink of victory.
Dost Muhammad, who had earlier taken four for 36 in the ACC innings, and Usman Saleem made the five runs still needed, and Sparta won by two wickets with an over to spare.
There was a thrilling finish, too, a few kilometres away at Sportpark Drieburg, where home side Dosti United came within five runs of chasing down HCC’s total of 208 for eight.
Bryce Street was again amongst the runs for HCC, making a 98-ball 82, while Boris Gorlee contributed 29 and keeper Laurens Lagas 23 not out in the closing stages. Mohammad Hafeez was once more the most effective of Dosti’s bowlers with three for 30.
Skipper Vinoo Tewarie confirmed his return to form with 63 when Dosti replied, and his third-wicket stand of 81 with Rahil Ahmed (41) gave his side a real chance.
But once Tewarie was trapped in front by his opposite number Mark Jonkman it was left to Anees Davids to keep the chase going, but when he was last out for 51, made at almost a run a ball despite the regular loss of partners at the other end, the home side was still just short of their target.
Jonkman took three for 49 and Hidde Overdijk three for 33, but it was Street’s dismissal of Taruwar Kohli before he had scored which was perhaps the most decisive blow for HCC.
VOC Rotterdam maintained their challenge for the title with a three-wicket win over old rivals VRA Amsterdam in a tight match at the Hazelaarweg.
Despite another middle-order collapse by VRA after Ben Cooper (45) and Daan van Braak (31) had given them a decent start with an opening stand of 72, the visitors battled through to 211 for nine thanks to useful contributions by Leon Turmaine, Quirijn Gunning and Mitch Lees, and this looked as if it might be enough when VOC were reduced to 74 for four.
Then Scott Edwards joined Pieter Seelaar, and their partnership of 112 virtually ensured a VOC victory. Edwards was finally bowled by Peter Borren for 56, but only 26 were still needed, and although two more wickets fell quickly Seelaar was able to see his side home, finishing with an unbeaten 80 from 87 deliveries.
Turmaine took three for 39 in the losing cause.
At Hermes-DVS’s new ground at Sportpark Harga, pressed into service because Quick Haag’s ground has been dug up prior to being converted to an artificial surface, there was a game of bizarre contrasts in which Quick came out on top against relegation-threatened Punjab Rotterdam.
The highlight of Quick’s 197 for eight was a rapid 90 from Jay Bista, who completely dominated a third-wicket partnership of 106 with Stefan Ekelmans, of which his partner contributed only 19.
After Bista’s departure the Quick total was pushed towards respectability by the recalled Abhinav Gill (27) and Thijs van Schelven (28 not out), while for Punjab Ahsan Bamunusinghe had his best return with the ball with five for 31.
Punjab soon lost Awais Khan and Stef Myburgh to the bowling of Imran Khan when they replied, and thereafter the score crept upwards at a snail’s pace, despite a solid 46 from Berend Vorster.
Behind the rate, Punjab then started losing wickets as they tried to accelerate, Van Schelven picking up three for 34 as the innings closed on 144. This defeat leaves Punjab firmly anchored at the bottom of the table, below ACC and Quick.
Excelsior ‘20’s unbeaten record came to an end in a short-lived but spectacular fashion at Sportpark Bermweg on Saturday, when they crashed to 41 all out against Sparta 1888 and lost by nine wickets.
Concerns have been expressed about the Bermweg pitch, but Excelsior’s demise was attributable to an outstanding performance by the Sparta attack and some indifferent batting rather than to the physical conditions.
An opening was drilled through the top order by Mudassar Bukhari and Warren Bell after Joost Maarten Snoep had inserted the visitors, and within eleven overs Tim Etman, Sandip Shankar and, crucially, Lorenzo Ingram had all edged catches to keeper Atse Buurman, two off Bukhari and one off Bell, and the score was 23 for three.
Then Dost Muhammad took over from Bell, and in a remarkable eight-over spell he claimed five wickets for just 4 runs, completing the rout with good support from Usman Saleem and then from Bell, who returned to take his second victim. Two more catches for Buurman brought his tally to five for the innings.
No Excelsior batsman reached double figures, Joost Kroesen coming closest with 9, and Sparta then took just 9.1 overs to knock off the runs for the loss of Usman Ishfaq’s wicket, with Faisal Iqbal hitting three fours and a six in the space of half-a-dozen deliveries to bring the early conclusion.
The defeat still left Excelsior top of the table, just ahead of Sparta on points average, and it sets up an enthralling finish to the first round of the competition next weekend when the champions take on HBS Den Haag, who consolidated their position on Saturday with a 60-run victory over neighbours Quick Haag.
The HBS top order again ran riot at Craeyenhout, Tobias Visée’s 19-ball 43 getting them off to another flyer and Sharn Gomes (79), Wesley Barresi (77 not out) and Adil Ahmed (41 from 26 deliveries) seeing them through to 276 for five. Only Jaron Morgan missed out this time, making only a single.
Quick were soon in trouble at 42 for three, and although Lesley Stokkers (37) and Geert Maarten Mol (40) again gave some solidity to the middle order, Ahmed and Barresi completing excellent all-round performances, taking three for 53 and three for 30 respectively, and the innings closed on 216. Visée also completed a fine double, with two catches and two stumpings.
VOC and VRA both kept up their chase of the leaders with victories over Punjab and Dosti United.
VOC’s was the more comfortable, as they restricted Punjab to 147 for nine from their 50 overs, and then raced to a seven-wicket victory in just 19.5 overs.
Fred Klaassen and Pierce Fletcher again removed the top of the opposition’s batting, collecting two wickets apiece, and only a dogged, 122-ball 53 not out from Ashan Bamunusinghe brought the home side to anything like a respectable total.
Suleiman Tariq and Assad Saleemi then reduced VOC to 49 for three, but any hope Punjab might have had was quickly removed by Max O’Dowd and Pieter Seelaar, who put on 99 in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand which saw their side home. O’Dowd finished on 49 and Seelaar on 52, the latter made from only 40 deliveries.
In the Amsterdamse Bos, VRA battled their way to 217 in what proved to be the closest and most absorbing encounter of the day.
Most of the home side’s top order got a start, Ben Cooper top-scoring with 43, but with Anees Davids taking four for 32 and Asief Hoseinbaks and Mohammad Hafeez picking up two wickets apiece, no-one was able to go on to a really significant score.
Dosti made a good start to their reply despite the early loss of Vimal Tewarie, as an 88-run second-wicket partnership between Vinoo Tewarie and Taruwar Kohli took them into a reasonably srong position.
VRA skipper Emile van den Burg, hampered by an injury to Peter Borren after he had bowled only three deliveries, resorted to less regular bowlers, and it was Cooper who achieved the breakthrough, removing Tewarie for 42.
But Kohli was still there, and it was his dismissal, also by Cooper, with the total on 128, which decisively turned the match VRA’s way. Leon Turmaine picked up two wickets and Van den Burg himself achieved career-best figures of three for 31 as Dosti’s chase foundered, and the innings closed on 172 for nine. On a good day for wicketkeepers, VRA’s Mitch Lees claimed four catches behind the stumps.
At De Diepput, ACC enjoyed a reversal of fortunes as they secured a 29-run victory over HCC, making the highest total of the day with 300 for eight.
Promoting Richardt Frenz to opener worked like a charm, and the overseas player’s 117 gave the ACC top order the solidity it has so far lacked this season. Rehmat Zulfiqar made 66 in a century opening stand, and then skipper Saqib Zulfiqar contributed 80 before wickets started to tumble in the final overs.
Bryce Street also ran into top form when HCC replied, but his 102 was not quite enough, despite useful contributions from Mark Jonkman (40) and Douwe Walhain (35). At 187 for four with eleven overs left HCC had wickets in hand, but the asking rate had risen to ten an over, and this proved beyond the home side.
Sikander Zulfiqar’s four for 67, including the wicket of Jonkman, helped to turn the tide, and 30 were still needed off the final two overs when Street was run out and the innings ended on 271.
VOC Rotterdam jumped ahead of Sparta 1888 and into second place on the Topklasse table with a comprehensive demolition of their rivals at Sportpark Bermweg on Saturday.
With VOC’s new-ball attack of Fred Klaassen and Pierce Fletcher in rampant form, only Michael Pollard among the home batsmen was able to reach double figures, top-scoring with 19. There were no fewer than six ducks in the Sparta innings, as the Capelle side were dismissed for 49.
Klaassen and Fletcher bowled unchanged for twenty overs, finishing with five for 28 and three for 20 respectively. Then Pieter Seelaar came on himself, and two deliveries were sufficient, not only to claim the final two wickets but to take the VOC captain past 300 wickets in the top flight.
VOC needed just 38 deliveries to reach their target, losing two wickets in the process. Dirk van Baren made 22, while Corey Rutgers ended on an unbeaten 19.
At De Diepput meanwhile, Excelsior ‘20 strengthened their position at the top of the table with an 89-run victory over HCC.
It was slow going much of the time, but Lorenzo Ingram’s 144-ball knock of 109, including 10 fours and two sixes, was the difference between the sides, as he saw the Schiedammers to a decent total of 209 for six.
Sanjit Shankar chipped in with 28, while skipper Tom Heggelman’s breezy 26 not out helped to get his side past the magic 200.
This, and a disciplined Excelsior attack, proved too much for HCC, who battled their way to 120 before they were all out in exactly 47 overs. Boris Gorlee’s patient 29 was their best effort, while Gijs Kroesen’s four for 31 represented his best return in the Topklasse.
On the artificial outfield at Craeyenhout, HBS Den Haag and Dosti United Amsterdam turned on a runfest, 578 runs coming in a match which was decisively won by the home side.
Tobias Visée got HBS off to great start with a remarkable 46-ball 85 which included 12 fours and four sixes, and then Sharn Gomes and Jaron Morgan added 151 for the third wicket as Dosti’s bowlers toiled in the heat.
Sheet-anchor Gomes eventually departed for 63, but Morgan went on to make his first century of the season, making 115 from 93 deliveries with eight fours and seven sixes before he fell to a sharp return catch by Anees Davids.
Then Wesley Barresi and Anil Ahmed took up the challenge, adding 79 quick runs to take their side past 350, 356 for four being a club record total in the top division. Barresi finished on 40 and Ahmed on 34.
It always looked likely to be too big an ask for Dosti, and when Wessel Coster had Taruwar Kohli caught at slip by Barresi for 29 and then Ahmed removed Davids for 39, the writing was on the wall. Vinoo Tewarie played a fine captain’s knock of 65 and Mahesh Hans posted a career-best 42 not out, but with Morgan capping a splendid allround performance with three for 19 and a stunning diving catch in the covers, Dosti were eventually dismissed for 222.
There was a century too for former VRA and Netherlands captain Peter Borren, whose 90-ball 105 included a fourth-wicket stand of 134 with Daan ter Braak (78). Their efforts, and an extremely rapid 41 from Leon Turmaine in the closing stages, saw the Amsterdam side through to 327 for eight against Punjab Rotterdam at Het Zomercomplex.
This, too, was too challenging a total to chase, and despite 85 from Berend Vorster the home side – again without Stef Myburgh – could only manage 233 for nine. Borren followed up his hundred with three for 42, while Ter Braak claimed two for 63 and George Dunlop two for 31.
The bottom-of-the-table clash between ACC and Quick Haag at Het Loopveld was won for the visitors by Lesley Stokkers (81 not out) and Geert Maarten Mol (70 not out), who saw their side home after they had been reduced to 62 for five chasing ACC’s 189.
The Amsterdammers were again disappointing with the bat, Sikander Zulfiqar top-scoring with 45 after elder brother Rehmat had made 30, while Quick’s Sean Davey claimed five for 30 – including three of the five Zulfiqars – and skipper Thijs van Schelven three for 39.
At 16 for three and then 62 for five the ACC bowlers appeared to have brought their side back into the game, but the experienced pair of Stokkers and Mol, helped by some indifferent catching, fought their way out of trouble and paced the chase perfectly, the winning runs coming with just three balls to spare.
TKcricket 