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Excelsior stay top as the pack jostles

Rod Lyall 20/07/26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Topklasse Fantasy returns for the T20 season

Bowing to whelming popular demand, CricketXI and TKcricket are delighted to announce the return of Topklasse Fantasy Cricket for the 2026 Topklasse T20 season.

Pit your managerial wits against your friends and team-mates, test your Topklasse knowledge against the self-styled experts.

Submissions for teams and leagues are now open over at CricketXI.

Rushmere century in vain as Rotterdam go top

Rod Lyall 08/06/26

HCC missed an opportunity to move into second place on the Topklasse table on Sunday, when they lost to VRA by five wickets in a hard-fought, at times attritional battle in the Amsterdamse Bos.

Put in to bat in overcast conditions which clearly favoured the bowlers, HCC began confidently enough, but then Sharad Hake and Johan Smal grabbed three wickets in nine deliveries to break open the middle order, and when stand-in captain Teun Kloppenburg fell four overs later, the Lions found themselves on 52 for four.

The lower order was partially successful in digging them out of trouble, keeper Yash Patel top-scoring with 35 as Teja Nidamanuru turned to his four-man spin attack of Sharif Ahmad, himself, Darsh Abhinay and Udit Nashier, and a series of twenties managed to get the total up to 204.

Josh Brown removed both openers when VRA replied, but a 60-run third-wicket stand between Smal (29) and Nidamanuru (36) put the hosts back on track.

Then Justin Trijzelaar took a hand, dismissing both and adding the scalp of Jack Cassidy, and at 83 for five VRA appeared to be heading for defeat.

That brought Ibaad Zaidi in to join Shariz, and they slowly built up what eventually became the match-winning partnership, Shariz making 45 not out and Zaidi posting his second Topklasse half-century, going on to a career-best, unbeaten 70.

The pair’s cautious and extremely effective approach was highlighted by the fact that they only hit three boundaries between them in their stand of 125, before Zaidi finished it with a six with 20 deliveries remaining.

The scheduling of this match for Sunday meant that, although the start was delayed by 45 minutes because of a wet outfield, the teams were able to avoid the disruptions which the weather created the previous day.

At the Zomercomplex, Rotterdam withstood a remarkable solo batting performance by Hermes-DVS’s David Rushmere and a long rain delay before they could start their abbreviated reply, their five-wicket victory taking them back to the top of the table.

Coming in at 2 for one, Rushmere made 118 out of a Hermes total of 188 before he was last man out in the 39th over.

He received very little support from the rest of the batting, only Daniel Doyle-Calle, Zaffar Chaudhary and Ralph Elenbaas reaching double figures, most of the damage being done by Rotterdam spinners Ahmad Shafiq and Saqib Zulfiqar with three wickets apiece and Shoaib Minhas with two.

After a long wait the players were finally able to return to the field, with Rotterdam set a DLS target of 165 in 36 overs.

They did it in just over 27, mainly due to Muhammad Gondal’s 63-ball 70 and an unbeaten 34 from Saqib, and results elsewhere saw Hermes return to the foot of the table.

The most remarkable of those results was at the Hazelaarweg, where a depleted Kampong dismissed VOC for 141, but were then themselves dismissed for just 132, losing by nine runs

With rain clouds threatening to bring the match to a premature end and at least 20 overs needing to be bowled to achieve a valid result, Kampong’s batters were caught between two stools, trying to knock off the runs as quickly as possible, but losing too many wickets in the process.

Two brief interruptions heightened their anxiety, but in the end VOC’s bowlers were able to have the last word, despite Damien van den Berg’s 40-ball 47 at the start of the innings.

Kampong were, of course, withut key batters Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, but even so they will have been deeply disappointed that they were unable to capitalise on the efforts of their bowlers, Pierre Jacod claiming three for 26 and Lorenzo Ingram and Saurabh Zalpuri picking up two apiece as VOC slumped from 61 for one to 141 all out.

The national selectors had caused even greater problems for Voorburg as they took on HBS at Craeyenhout, but 59 from Gavin Kaplan, recalled to the colours for this eventuality, and a maiden Topklasse century of 100 not out by stand-in captain Ryan Klein, enabled them to reach 266 for seven in 50 overs.

The latter stages of the innings were not without controversy, as the umpires kept the players on the field during several showers and then, after an interruption and an early lunch, bringing them back to complete the innings.

A further long delay followed, before HBS were able to start their chase with the target 161 from 20 overs.

Only one over could be bowled, however, before the umpires ruled that after so much rain conditions were unsafe for play to continue and the match was abandoned, each side taking a point.

Rotterdam-HBS match abandoned in regrettable scenes

Rod Lyall 17/05/26

The Topklasse competition took an unexpected – and unwelcome – turn on Saturday with the abandonment of the match between leaders Rotterdam and HBS at the Zomercomplex.

Play was stopped one over into Rotterdam’s reply as they set out in pursuit of the Crows’ total of 226 for eight.

Opener Musa Ahmad, who had taken two fours off the opening four deliveries from Kent Goedeke, survived an insistent appeal for caught behind off the fifth, and it appears that the discord in the middle overflowed to the boundary, resulting in an altercation between a spectator and one of the fielders.

The players left the field, and it eventually became clear that it was impossible for play to resume, the umpires having no alternative but to abandon a match which was nicely poised.

Earlier, the HBS innings had seen a return to form by skipper Tayo Walbrugh, who dropped back down to three and made a fine 67 before he became one of three victims for leg-spinner Saqib Zulfiqar.

That made it 134 for four with 18 overs left, and with Goedeke making 41 and Lucas del Bianco 42 HBS were able to set Rotterdam a moderate target.

The Rotterdammers’ power with the bat, however, has been well established, and they would probably have been the more confident side as their innings began.

The matter will now have to be resolved by the KNCB, whose Discipline Committee will presumably become involved in considering all the facts of the case.

This unsatisfactory situation allowed both Kampong Utrecht and Voorburg to leapfrog Rotterdam, at least temporarily.

Kampong’s victory over Hermes-DVS at the Loopuyt Oval was the more comfortable to the two wins, although this is to a degree belied by a 25-run margin which makes the game seem closer than it actually was.

The basis of Kampong’s total of 282 for nine was a second-wicket stand of 164 between internationals Max O’Dowd, whose 90 was his first significant knock of the campaign, and Scott Edwards.

Once O’Dowd had been bowled by Sahil Kothari Edwards continued in company with the middle and lower order and completed his sixth Topklasse century, eventually falling to Hikmatullah Jabarkhail for 131, made from 117 deliveries with 11 boundaries.

The momentum of the innings was impeded somewhat by an injury to Lorenzo Ingram, who was forced to retire hurt but who eventually returned with nine down to see out the closing overs.

Jabarkhail was the most successful of the Hermes bowlers with three for 53.

Hermes were soon in trouble when they replied, and at 75 for five after 19 overs they appeaared to be heading for a heavy defeat.

They were partially rescued, though, by a 95-run stand for the sixth wicket by Olivier Elenbaas (50) and captain Sebastiaan Braat (52), and then Aryan Dutt, coming in at eight, hit a 40-ball 53 which included three fours and three sixes, bringing his side unexpectedly close to their target.

They might have been even closer had it not been for the remarkable dismissal of Braat, bowler Pierre Jacod diving on a powerful straight drive from Dutt and instantaneously throwing the non-striker’s wicket down before Braat could react.

Having lost to Kampong by one wicket on Thursday, VRA Amsterdam were involved in another tight finish against Voorburg in the Amsterdamse Bos, falling just 12 runs short as they chased the visitors’ 253 for nine.

Vikram Singh had another great day with the ball, taking six for 52 and bringing his tally for the season to 18 wickets at 9.67, but VRA were held up by a stand of 127 for the fourth wicket by Noah Croes (65) and Bas de Leede (85), Ryan Klein chipping in with a useful 21-ball 23.

The Amsterdammers were well placed at 109 for one, with opener Lovepreet Padda and Sam Cassidy well set, but 22 overs had now been bowled and they had begun to fall behind the required scoring rate.

The first of a series of three run-outs further held up their progress, and when Shariz Ahmad was caught behind off Jaynul Islam moments before rain caused a brief interruption, it was 147 for four with 18 overs left.

Padda had reached a maiden Topklasse half-century, but at 196 he was bowled by Farhaad Khawaja for 74 and the game began to turn Voorburg’s way.

Ibaad Zaidi contributed a valuable 37, but the asking rate was continuing to rise, and in their keenness to pick up every possible run both he and Darsh Abhinay were run out looking for a second; Abhinay’s dismissal came in the middle of three wickets in consecutive deliveries by Jaynul Islam, and Udit Nashier was left to try to manufacture a victory in company with last man Sharad Hake.

23 were required from the final two overs, but Islam and Mees van Vliet were able to restrict the damage to ten, Nashier finishing on 21 not out and Islam claiming four for 48.

At the Hazelaarweg, HCC battled their was to 198 for seven against VOC, Zac Worden top-scoring with a patient 55, but it was skipper Boris Gorlee’s 23-ball 35 not out, including three sixes, which gave his attack something to bowl at.

Star of the show for VOC was Ramdas Upadhyaya, whose unbroken ten-over spell at the start of the HCC innings yielded three for 17.

Conditions proved no easier for the home side, though, nobody making more than 21 as they laboured their way to 143 all out in 42.2 overs, seamers Daniel Crowley and Justin Trijzelaar and spinner Teun Kloppenburg picking up two wickets apiece and Clayton Floyd collecting three for 21.

Hermes’ Rushmere rewrites the record book

Rod Lyall 27/04/26

A piece of Dutch cricket history was rewritten at the Hazelaarweg on Sunday, when David Rushmere, Hermes’ new overseas, posted the highest score ever by a player on debut, plundering 169 from a hard-working but ineffective VOC attack.

27-year-old Rushmere, who played a couple of List A matches for South African provincial side Boland half a dozen years ago, came to the crease at 9 for one, and was watchful at first but then hammered a series of boundaries, including three in one over from former Dutch international Ahsan Malik.

Joined by Olivier Elenbaas with the score at 71 for three, he reached his half-century from 48 deliveries, and his century, the 18th time a player had achieved this in his first top-flight innings in the Netherlands, from 101 balls, by which time he had struck 16 boundaries.

Batting with supreme assurance and well supported by Elenbaas, he now expanded his range of shots, surpassing Tim Zoehrer’s debut record of 153 as the Hermes total reached 250 with seven overs remaining.

A tired Rushmere eventually fell to Malik when he was on 169, made from 140 deliveries with 26 fours and two sixes; his partnership of 184 with Elenbaas was a club record for the fourth wicket.

Elenbaas’s role had up to this point largely been taking singles to get Rushmere back on strike, and he reached his fifty, from 83 deliveries, just before losing his partner.

Now, however, he went on the attack, so effectively that when the final over began he had gone on to 84; Nick Statham gave him the strike with five balls left, but he could only manage 12 from them, and was left stranded on 96 not out, facing just 24 deliveries after passing fifty.

Hermes’ total of 328 for five always seemed likely to be beyond VOC, and although their new overseas Caleb Montague made 59 and they reached 94 for one in the first 15 overs of their reply, thereafter their challenge subsided, and they were all out for 192.

The pick of the Hermes bowlers was Sahil Kothari, whose four for 41 accounted for almost the whole of the VOC middle order.

There had been plenty of interest as well, some of it statistical, in the three matches played on Saturday.

Transformed over the winter from Punjab to Rotterdam CC, Sikander Zulfiqar’s side ran up the third-highest total in the club’s Topklasse history, their 338 against VRA Amsterdam at the Zomercomplex built around opener Musa Ahmad’s composed knock of exactly 100.

While he anchored one end, a succession of partners hammered the Amsterdammers’ bowling: coming in at 44 for three, Saqib Zulfiqar plundered a 60-ball 90 which included nine fours and five sixes, his brother Sikander compiled a relatively quiet 37 (but with three fours and two sixes), and then Burhan Niaz topped it off with a 42-ball 77, hitting five fours and six sixes to add to VRA’s misery.

Vikram Singh and Viraj Thakur each claimed three wickets as Rotterdam were all out off the last ball of their 50 overs, but former international (and Musa’s brother) Shariz Ahmad went wicketless, conceding 60 off his seven overs.

VRA were certainly not intimidated by this big total: skipper Teja Nidamanuru (55) and Singh (70) put on 134 for the first wicket in 20 overs, Singh smacking six sixes as he answered the Rotterdammers’ aggression in kind, and Johan Smal kept up the momentum with a solid 46.

But 105 were still needed with ten overs remaining, and by this time six wickets had fallen; it was now up to Udit Nashier, back with his old club, to finish the job, but although he made 59 from 43 deliveries the Rotterdam attack was able to hang on, and VRA finished 29 runs short of their target with the last pair together.

A fine all-round effort by Pierre Jacod, who made 52 and then claimed four for 30, was the key to Kampong’s successful start to the defence of their title, as they overcame HBS by 81 runs at Craeyenhout.

Young Joris van Oosterom had given the Crows a great start when he had international opener Max O’Dowd caught in the covers off the first ball he receeived, but a solid second-wicket stand of 72 between Damien van den Berg (42) and Scott Edwards (70) laid the foundations for a big total by Alex Roy’s Utrecht side.

Overseas Kent Goedeke and local seamer Benno Boddendijk bowled 20 overs on the trot as HBS skipper Tayo Walbrugh seemed content to let Kampong consolidate, only Van den Berg and Lorenzo Ingram falling during that passage of play, but once Julien de Mey had removed Edwards the middle order faltered, and it took Jacod’s half-century, his fourth in the Topklasse, and a run-a-ball 32 from skipper Roy, to get them to 256.

Lehan Botha took three for 54 for the Crows, while Van Oosterom returned to finish Jacod’s innings with a crushing yorker.

Roy started with the medium-pace of Shashank Kumar and Ingram’s left-arm spin, and although neither claimed a wicket they bowled tightly enough to have HBS already falling behind the asking rate.

Then Roy himself removed Goedeke and Walbrugh before running out danger-man Botha, and at 61 for four in the 21st over the home side’s challenge was starting to fade.

Keeper Lucas del Bianco did his best to hold things together with a defiant 65, but Jacod’s four-wicket haul ensured that there was no recovery, and when Del Bianco was the last man out the total was just 175.

The closest of Saturday’s matches was at Westvliet, where Voorburg, helped by an unbeaten century by opener Cedric de Lange, went into the final over before completing a four-wicket victory over HCC.

Put in to bat, HCC’s innings never really fired against a disciplined Voorburg attack, the star of which was Mees van Vliet with five for 53.

The Lions’ top and middle order got a series of starts, but only Shirsak Banerjee was able to build a substantial innings; he made 54 before he was freakishly run out, seamer Don Glover getting a boot to a powerful straight drive by Clayton Floyd and deflecting the ball onto the stumps with Banerjee stranded.

That was a key turning-point as HCC battled to recover from 140 for five, Ryan Klein having delayed their progress with an impeccable ten-over spell which conceded just 23 runs.

Josh Brown and Daniel Crowley chipped in with a 41-run ninth-wicket stand which helped their side to 230 for nine, and when Hidde Overdijk and Teun Kloppenburg reduced the home side to 70 for four it seemed as if HCC might be getting the upper hand.

De Lange, however, was still there, and although Voorburg were still in trouble at 150 for six with 14 overs remaining, that brought 17-year-old debutant Aarav Swaroop in to join the opener, just a year his senior.

The two teenagers proceeded to add 82 in an unbroken winning stand, De Lange finishing with 112 not out – his second Topklasse century – and Swaroop 43 not out.

Kloppenburg was the most successful of HCC’s bowlers with three for 28.

Preview Round 17

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 18/07/25

With Kampong claiming the title last week with two rounds to spare, the business at the top of the tabled is largely settled and their three nearest rivals – Punjab, VRA and HCC – are left chasing runners-up spots on the podium. With as many as three teams relegated this season though, the rest of the field are far from out of the woods. Sparta have of course been living in the woods for some time now with no hope of escape, but their valedictory matches in the top flight could still play a substantial role in determining who ends up in the Hoofdklasse with them next year.

BdJ: The real four pointer of the round this Sunday is thus set for Hazelaarweg, where VOC Rotterdam take on HBS Craeyenhout, aiming to vault over the Crows and out of the relegation zone. A win for HBS (currently in 7th place) could see them very close to safe, their NRR advantage over both VOC and Excelsior sufficient to insulate them against all but the most implausible calamity in the final round should they get to 15 points. For VOC a win will practically assure them of at least a shot at Topklasse survival via the playoffs, but their essentially irreparable net run rate means they can’t secure safety this week. Concerningly for the Bloodhounds, they’re set to lose the services of Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi for the final round, the increasingly impressive young pace pair heading off to the U19 Qualifiers in Dundee next week, along with HBS’s Elmar Boendermaker. VOC’s loss of their joint lead wicket-takers is unarguably more significant, but HBS can’t really spare many bats either given increasing reliance on Lehan Botha and Tayo Walbrugh for runs. Walbrugh currently tops the batting tables for good reason however, and while the progress of VOC’s young attack has been one of the few positives of their season, they face a tough pre-departure assignment on Sunday.

RL: VOC’s recovery, winning four of their last seven games after winning only two out of nine in the front half of the season, has been remarkable, but it has certainly helped that they have on the whole been able to field a stable eleven. The only raid by selectors until now has been by the Danes calling up Monty Singh, and his presence has been a key factor in most of VOC’s successes. The Bloodhounds’ other imports, Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer, have been important as well, and their contribution will be even more significant in the absence of Aaditt Jain and Harhangi. Concentrating on this week’s task, however, both sides should be at full strength, although the Crows were without Wes Barresi last week and Kyle Klein had followed big brother Ryan in confining himself to spin. Removing the dangerous Lehan Botha quickly when HBS bat will be a crucial task for VOC’s new-ball-deploying Jains, but if they can manage that then they will greatly improve their side’s chances to scrambling to relative safety.

BdJ: Languishing in 9th place, 2019 champions Excelsior ‘20 are not quite dead-and-buried, but will need a win when they take on HCC at Thurlede if they’re to claw their way out of the relegation zone. Sparta’s parthian shot last Sunday sent their net run rate deeper into the red, and while they’re unlikely to dip below VOC on NRR, the prospect of catching up to HBS or Hermes on that metric has receded into the realm of the fanciful. If they can bank two points on Sunday their fate will be mostly in their own hands come their showdown with HBS in the final round, effectively assured of finishing above either HBS or VOC should they also win that final game. For now though they face an HCC side that, while now playing essentially for pride, are coming off the back of a comfortable win over a motivated VOC last week, and comprehensively outclassed the Schiedammers in their Round 8 fixture. Raynard van Tonder was notably sidelined for that encounter, but while he’s found a degree of form of late he’s had limited support from the rest of the order (nor much cooperation when chancing risky singles). While on the bowling side Jason Ralston and Sam Rahaley both looked in good rhythm last weekend, HCC’s middle order resilience was also on show, and early wickets may not be enough for the hosts at Thurlede on Sunday.

RL: Having found themselves on 49/6, 72/7 and 37/4 in their last three games, HCC will be hoping for a more solid start this time, and although Oliver White delivered on being switched to an opening role against Kampong it availed little as the rest of the top order again went cheaply. Jason Ralston’s season has distinctly picked up after a relatively quiet start, and he will likely provide a stiff test for Tonny Staal and Co. On the other side of the balance sheet, Excelsior have had top-order problems of their own, the return of Tim Etman not having yielded quite the results they might have hoped, and they have nothing like the strength in depth with the bat that their visitors can boast. The Lions’ bowling unit, too, has been better balanced than their hosts’, although the success with the ball of leg-spinner Joost Kroesen and, more recently, the occasional contributions of skipper Roel Verhagen, have been useful when all else has failed. A depleted Excelsior, however, will need to be at their very best if they are to overcome HCC and give themselves a chance of staying up.

BdJ: Both winless now since Round 11, either Hermes DVS or Voorburg will (weather permitting) end a five-match losing streak and thereby secure safety on Sunday, while the other will head into the final round at real risk of relegation despite their strong starts to the season. Voorburg’s late season has inevitably suffered from the absence of their internationals for long stretches, compounded by an injury to pace spearhead Viv Kingma, with the remaining seamers hemorrhaging runs at close to six an over in his absence. The looming loss of Alejo Nota, Tom de Leede and especially Cedric de Lange to the U19’s for the final round, when they will face champions Kampong, means defeat this Sunday could carry dire consequences. The pressure will be on senior internationals Noah Croes and Michael Levitt to make up for missed matches, and on the seam section to deliver some measure of control. Any win will be enough for VCC to reach the safety of 16 points, but their positive net run rate is unlikely to be of use to them should they be stuck on 14. For Hermes any win likewise means safety, but in case of defeat every run and ball will count. The hosts’ reliance on Daniel Doyle-Calle for the former has been an increasingly telling vulnerability, especially given Ashley Ostling’s current lean patch. One could easily imagine the Spanish skipper making hay against a profligate VCC attack, but should he fail again Hermes may quickly find themselves in damage-limitation mode.

RL: On paper, Voorburg had the strongest 18-man squad in the competition, but national team call-ups have been exacerbated by injuries to Kingma and Carl Mumba and the premature departure of Peter Hatzoglou, and they have not been able to field a stable A team when the internationals were away. Lacking big names but relatively free of national team demands – Aryan Dutt aside on both counts – Hermes have now lost five on the trot, balancing their run of five wins back at the start of the season, one factor being the decline in the wicket-taking capacity of Hikmatullah Jabarkhail, which was crucial during that initial winning streak. The reduction in the size of next season’s competition means that this game is rather more than the mid-table jostle it would otherwise have been, and with another raid on their playing resources impending for the final round the points here are much more vital for Voorburg than for their opponents, whose last game is against woodeen-spooners Sparta.

BdJ: On to the day’s dead rubbers then, with Hoofdklasse-bound Sparta 1888 headed to the Zomercomplex to take on silver medal hopefuls Punjab-Ghausia. The Spartans have looked keen to do some damage on their farewell tour, and having made a mess of Excelsior’s net run rate last week would doubtless be delighted to knock Punjab off the podium on Sunday. Such pressure as there is on Sunday will probably be on the hosts, but despite the danger posed by a side with nothing left to lose, it’s worth noting Sparta have yet to win a game away from home this season. Even if their hopes of retaining the title are gone, the 2024 champions look to be finishing strong, sending first Voorburg and then Hermes down toward the danger zone last weekend. the Punjab top order has been consistently producing runs, and even if the bowling has lacked for penetration at times it’s likely to be more than enough to see off Sparta’s brittle batting line-up.

RL: Little to add to that, really: Punjab have settled back into a solid match-winning formula, built on the most dependable top order in the competition and a very effective spin attack, while the thinness of Sparta’s resources has beeen increasingly apparent as the campaign has continued. Kyle Klesse’s batting has been one of their few successes, although if any new-ball can cause problems for Punjab’s top five it’s former international Ahsan Malik, coming off a short run these days but still capable of claiming early wickets. Had Punjab not lost three of their first four games the climax to the competition would have been a lot more interesting, but they will want to finish the season in style, and a win for Sparta here would be one of the shocks of the campaign,

BdJ: Finally our newly-crowned champions Kampong start their lap of honour by welcoming VRA to Maarschalkerweerd. The hosts may be forgiven for treating the game as something of a celebratory occasion in the circumstances, and there’s every chance some of the senior players make way for some lesser lights. That said, the likes of Lane Berry and Lachlan Bangs have lately been clearing the ropes with consistency regardless of the circumstances, and one imagines they’ll be aiming to put on a show for the home crowd again. Conversely, while VRA may be happy enough with safety at this stage too, their underperforming internationals are likely to take any chance to improve their season statistics fairly seriously. Neither sometime skipper Vikram Singh not current incumbent Teja Nidamanuru will relish the prospect of finishing the season with an average in the teens, and Sunday represents their penultimate chance to address the issue.

RL: I’ve never understood the concept of a ‘dead rubber’: quite apart from team pride, surely no cricketer ever wants to get out cheaply or throw away runs by a ton, and equally surely both sides here have plenty to play for. A Kampong celebration would be somewhat deflated by a home defeat, while VRA, having clambered out of the relegation zone in recent weeks, will want to prove that their more elevated position is a fairer reflection of their quality. This could, therefore, be one of the showpiece fixtures of the season, with a panoply of talent on display, if both sides approach it in the right spirit.

BdJ’’s picks: HBS, HCC, Voorburg, Punjab, Kampong

RL’s picks: HBS, HCC, Voorburg, Punjab, Kampong.

Preview Round 9

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 06/06/2025

We may be barely a month into the cricket season, but the half-way stage of this year’s frenetic Topklasse is already upon us, with another double round looming. Saturday’s schedule especially features a handful of games that may well prove retrospectively decisive, and at the least will be a test of the bench strength of several sides that have lost players to the national team – currently away in Dundee contesting the latest CWC trilateral series again Scotland and Nepal.

[RL: If I may for once violate the conventions of the genre by adding a second headnote, most of what follows is written on the improbable assumption that the weather allows Saturday’s matches to go ahead uninterrupted. In the more likely event that they are abbreviated by rain, the balance obviously shifts, possibly in favour of the heaviest hitters.]

BdJ:The top-table clash between 3rd-placed Voorburg and current frontrunners Kampong at Westvliet is a match that falls into both of those categories, with the hosts missing skipper Noah Croes as well as Michael Levitt and Viv Kingma, while Kampong will be without Dutch skipper Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd. Down a keeper and opener each, both sides will arguably miss the former more than the latter on current form, while the loss of Kingma is a blow to VCC it is one they’ve become accustomed to this season. For Kampong the importance of Edwards’ role as anchor to an otherwise rather gung-ho top order was illustrated again last week, striking a crucial century as part of a match-turning partnership with Lorenzo Ingram that delivered a critical away win over VRA. In Edward’s absence Ingram’s experience in the middle may prove crucial, should the rest of the top order’s buccaneering approach fail to come off. Voorburg’s batting has been driven above all by the opening pair of Kaplan and de Lange, and while the loss of Croes as backstop and the underperforming but dangerous Levitt will be a blow, their main concern remains a comparative lack of incision with the ball. The return of the now Netherlands-resident Carl Mumba may help in that regard, but one suspects the game will be decided by the battle between a care-free if occasionally care-less Kampong batting line-up, and Voorburg’s young bowling attack.

RL: Even without a handful of internationals, this is undoubtedly the Match of the Day: a win for Kampong would keep them clear at the top of the table going into the back half of the 50-over season, while a Voorburg victory could, depending on events at the Loopuyt Oval, turn the run-in into a genuine three-forse race, with the additional possibility of one or more from the chasing pack bridging the gap to tighten things up still further. Those absences put the spotlight even more than usual on the overseas contingent in both squads: Kaplan, Henry Melville and (in a sense) Carl Mumba for the Villagers, Lane Berry, Lachlan Bangs and (in a sense) Lorenzo Ingram for their opponents (who also, incidentally, have a claim to our ‘Villagers’ nickname, given that that’s what kampong means in Indonesian). And significant as the ability of Kampong’s top order to deal with Voorburg’s bowling will be, so will the match-up between Voorburg’s top six and the Utrecht side’s bowling unit, in which the seam of Kertan Nana, Shashank Kumar and Alex Roy combines effectively with the spin of Pierre Jacod and Akhil Gopinath. This is really one of the most crucial encounters of the season, as the return match on 3 August, when both sides should be at full strength, could well be as well.

BdJ: Already stumbling somewhat, VRA now suffer the hammer blow of losing four first-choice players to the Oranje, potential debutant Ben Fletcher joining Teja Nidamanuru, Shariz Ahmad and Vikram Singh on the tour to Dundee. Their hosts on Saturday, VOC Rotterdam, are conversely entirely unscathed, and may sense a chance to claim some direly-needed points against a weakened and wobbling VRA side. Even without their internationals VRA still boast a solid front line bowling attack however, with lead wicket-taker Peter Ruffel in fine flow, while both young Darsh Abhinay and less-young Leon Turmaine have impressed coming off the bench at the Bos. The batting may be somewhat dependent on stand-in skipper Johan Smal with support from overseas Jack Cassidy and Patrick Gouge, but the Bloodhounds have been no less dependent on their foreign recruits for runs this season. The brothers Jain have been consistent performers, but VOC have lacked a genuine match-winner with the ball as much as with the bat thus far this summer. Nonetheless of late they’ve come close to besting stronger sides than what VRA can likely muster next weekend, and if they’re going to turn their season around they can’t wait much longer to start.

RL: It’s a sign of progress that people seem to be accepting that you need a squad of 15 or so to be in with a real chance of doing well in the Topklasse, and that losing your internationals is the downside of packing your team with them in the first place. Whether VRA have the strength in depth to get the better of sides like a first-choice VOC is indeed moot: it seems a long time since the Amsterdammers, under Peter Borren’s leadership, had the most progressive youth policy in the competition. Their Second XI is having a hard time in the Hoofdklasse, to which they won promotion last year, but they do have possible replacements for Fletcher in Sharad Hake, who made a useful contribution to the Topklasse seam attack at the back end of last season, and Viraj Thakur. Turmaine’s efforts have again been good enough to keep him in the side even when the internationals are back, but the big question is how VRA reinforce the middle-order in the absence of Singh, Nidamanuru and Shariz. Along with the Jains we should not forget Roman Harhangi, who has bowled some great spells so far, while Jelte Schoonheim chipped in usefully last week. With Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer beginning to find their feet with the bat and helping out with the ball, this is an opportunity VOC cannot afford to miss.

BdJ: Another side hit hard by the return of international cricket are HBS Craeyenhout, who will be without not only Kyle Klein, but also their lead wicket taker and most reliable bat in Wes Barresi when they head to Thurlede to take on Excelsior ‘20 on Saturday. Away games on turf wickets have generally posed a particular challenge for the Crows, and without Klein and Barresi much will depend on skipper Tayo Walbrugh and his compatriot Lehan Botha, or for a more impactful cameo from a veteran occasional like Navjit Singh or Toby Visée. Excelsior for their part have seen impressive individual performances from almost every member of their side at one point or another, without being able to consistently translate them into wins. They will likely have far the stronger side on paper and form come Saturday, but the question remains whether they’ll be able to translate paper advantage into points against an HBS side that, while weakened, has found wins in less likely places.

RL: Among those waiting in the wings at Craeyenhout is veteran seamer and former skipper Ferdi Vink, and it will be interesting to see whether he comes into the attack in place of Klein. With 11 runs in three innings the potentially-explosive Visée has yet to fire, but it’s a fair bet that if the Crows persist with his recall some attack is going to suffer. It could conceivably be Excelsior’s, which has lacked the incisiveness it had last season, although as m’colleague observes, HBS are a much more menacing on their own astroturf than they are away from home. But Walbrugh remains one of the classiest batters in the competition, and if the rest of the top and middle order bat around him they are capable of posting a score which would challenge the theoretically more powerful Excelsior batting. They really missed Raynard van Tonder against HCC last week, collapsing dramatically after Sam Rahaley and Roel Verhagen had given them a great start, and they will need to do much better against a Crows’ attack which, even without Klein and Barresi, offers Walbrugh plenty of options with both seam and spin.

BdJ: Firmly in the mid-table both, Punjab-Ghausia and HCC’s clash at the Zomercomplex could set the tone for the rest of the season for the two sides – a late title challenge or relegation battle still on the cards for either in theory. Though the watchful eyes of the Dutch camp have doubtless been monitoring the likes of Overdijk, Gorlee, Floyd, Ahmad and Punjab’s remaining Zulfiqars, both clubs have been unscathed by the selector’s scythe for these rounds at least, and will presumably be at full strength come Saturday. After an underwhelming start to their title defence, Punjab have managed to string three wins together in their last three matches, perhaps building a degree of confidence or momentum. The return of Saqib Zulfiqar to bowling has lent a greater variety to the attack, though the lack of Sikander as seam option remains an issue. The batting hasn’t quite been firing on all cylinders either, but the quality of the top six is such that it’s rarely had to. Conversely HCC have been rather reliant on the prolific Gorlee for big runs at the top this season, even if the middle and lower order has been a steady source of helpful 20s and 30s. Alongside Gorlee’s weight of runs, it’s been the seam attack – the in-form spearhead Hidde Overdijk ably supported by Josh Brown, Henrico Venter and Daniel Crowley – that’s arguably delivered the most points for HCC this season. In conclusion, as they say, Punajb-HCC is a match of contrasts.

RL: That Punjab have been able to win despite Jonathan Vandiar managing just one run in his last two knocks is an indication that their batting overall is starting to run back into form, and you just know that sooner or later, as with Visée, some attack is going to bear the brunt of the big man’s hard-hitting talent. The consistency, though, has been coming from Mohsin Riaz, on course for his most productive season to date, but with players like Fawad Shinwari and Khurram Shahzad coming in at seven and eight, Punjab ought to be riding higher than they are. The same applies, though in a different sense, to HCC, whose attack is among the most effective in the competition. That it can be put under pressure was clearly demonstrated by Excelsior’s openers last week, but the Lions fought back impressively to take the points, and the battle between their bowling unit and Punjab’s top order is one to savour. By the same token, even without Sikander Zulfiqar the champions’ combination of seam and spin, reinforced now by Tehzeeb Haider, will test a HCC batting line-up which has experienced both the highs and lows already this season.

BdJ: Finally erstwhile frontrunners Hermes DVS welcome incumbent wooden-spooners Sparta 1888 to the Loopuyt Oval for what could be a make-or-break game for both sides, albeit for rather different reasons. Back-to-back defeats over the double round last week brought Hermes’ unbeaten streak to a jarring halt, and if they’re to get their title challenge back on track one feels a convincing victory at home to the struggling, straggling Sparta will be necessary, if far from sufficient. To their credit, the dogged Spartans have generally made their opponents work hard for their wins so far, and taken advantage when opportunity arose, as against a weakened and unwary VRA. Last Saturday’s batting capitulation against Punjab might just be an indication that Martijn Snoep’s side (Ahsan Malik aside) have begun to lose their appetite for tenacious resistance and valiant defeat, but if they can rediscover their resolution they could well prove a stern test for a Hermes side likely somewhat shaken by last week’s double blow. The return of Daniel Doyle-Calle, back from Spanish obligations, at the top of the order will doubtless provide some reassurance for the Sky-Blues, and while they will be without Aryan Dutt, the slow bowling section remains the most effective in the competition thus far. Leggie Hikmat Jabarkhail and southpaw Sahil Kothari have taken 33 wickets between them and both average under 12 this season – streets ahead of any competing spin pairing. For Sparta, that means getting to a competitive score on Saturday will require a degree of application that seemed to have deserted them last week.

RL: Doyle’s return is considerable compensation for the absence of Dutt, and it is a tribute to Jabarkhail and Kothari that the Sky Blues can even contemplate with equanimity the unavailability of the Netherlands’ international off-spinner. Likewise the absence from the attack of Olivier Elenbaas, after his brother Ralph Hermes’ leading wicket-taker last season, who has yet to bowl a ball in this year’s competition and indeed missed the first four matches altogether. But their batting has been a lot less reliable, and if anyone can make early inroads it’s Sparta’s Ahsan Malik, who has removed eight of the 14 openers he has faced this season, several of them in the initial overs. On the other side of the balance sheet, Kyle Klesse and Lukas Boorer may be finding the demands made on their batting to be somewhat excessive, and even Juandre Scheepers, a potential trump card with both bat and ball) has yet to really impose himself. Sparta will need all three to come to the party if they are to win here, still more if they are to perform the increasingly unlikely feat of escaping from a rapidly-deepening relegation zone.

BdJ’s picks: Kampong, VRA, HBS, Punjab, Hermes
RL’s picks: Voorburg, VOC, HBS, Punjab, Hermes.

Kampong edge past Hermes to top the table

Rod Lyall 30/05/25

There were small but significant shifts at both the top and bottom of the Topklasse table after Thursday’s rain-affected Ascension Day round, tremors rather than earthquakes, but enough to cause alarm in at least some clubhouses two matches short of the halfway point.

Not the least meaningful outcome was in the Amsterdamse Bos, where not a ball was bowled, the effects of the morning’s rain leaving the pitch unplayable, frustrating VRA and Voorburg, and forcing them to settle for a point apiece.

This opened up a three-point gap between them and the two leaders, although the damage was curtailed to some extent by the news from Rotterdam’s Zomercomplex, where Hermes-DVS suffered their first defeat of the season, at the hands of defending champions Punjab-Ghausia.

Put in to bat in a match reduced to 40 overs a side and with opener Daniel Doyle-Calle on international duty with Spain, Hermes found runs elusive against a parsimonious Punjab attack, before Burhan Niaz grabbed four quick wickets at a cost of 38 runs to reduce them to 61 for four.

That brought together veteran Nick Statham and the club’s new recruit Mussayab Jamil, who proceeded to add 93 for the fifth wicket in just over 16 overs, Jamil’s 52 his second half-century in the top flight and Statham’s unbeaten 67 his 70th in 477 innings, seven of those converted into centuries.

Hermes closed on 184 for seven, and with half Punjab’s batters out and 101 still needed, the leaders seemed to have given themselves a chance of retaining their unbeaten record.

The defending champions, however, were rescued by Mohsin Riaz and Niaz, who put on 72 for the sixth wicket before Niaz was run out for 41.

Riaz continued in company with Fawad Shinwari, making 63 not out and steering the side to a four-wicket victory with 14 deliveries remaining.

Hermes’ place at the top of the table was taken, albeit only on net run rate, by Kampong, who eked out a three-wicket victory over HBS Craeyenhout in a match reduced to 45 overs.

On a day when most skippers chose to bowl, Tayo Walbrugh took the bold step of electing to bat, and it seemed to be paying off when his side had reached 161 for three with eight overs remaining, Walbrugh himself having contributed 40 of them before he was trapped in front by Pierre Jacod.

But then Akhil Gopinath bowled Lehan Botha, leaving Wesley Barresi to work with the lower middle order, and Lorenzo Ingram took over, removing first Barresi for 45 and then three more to finish with four for 38.

The last six HBS wickets fell for just 14 runs, and with the side all out for 197 the bowlers were left with the extremely difficult task of removing Kampong’s powerful top order.

This they did reasonably effectively, and when the home side were on 87 for five, with O’Dowd, Van den Berg, Berry, Ingram and Bangs all back in the dug-out, the Crows were in with a real chance.

This brought Jacod in to join Scott Edwards, and this pair swung the match back Kampong’s way with a 94-run stand for the sixth wicket, and although Julien de Mey had Edwards caught behind for 49, soon trapping Alex Roy leg-before as well, Jacod saw the side home, finishing with an unbeaten 67.

Barresi’s three for 28 were the best figures for HBS, 13 of the 17 wickets to fall in the match captured by the spinners.

Fielding no fewer than five overseas players, another escalation in the Topklasse Arms Race, Excelsior ‘20 proved too strong for Sparta 1888 at Thurlede, winning their 43-over match by 53 runs, but the Spartans lived up to their name by battling hard against the odds.

It took a 49-ball knock of 67, including five sixes, from New Zealander Brett Hampton to get Excelsior up to the day’s highest total of 234, but it was a Dutch-produced youngster, Karson Edward, who administered the final blows, taking three wickets in five balls to end Sparta’s chase on 181, finishing with five for 11.

Earlier, Raynard van Tonder had anchored the first part of the Excelsior innings with a steady 54, while Khalid Ahmadi delivered the season’s third hat-trick, removing Niels Etman, Jason Ralston and Edward with successive deliveries to finish with four for 29.

Promoted to three, Ahsan Malik contributed 33 to Sparta’s reply, but the best partnership of the innings was 65 for the fifth wicket between Lukas Boorer (32) and Juandre Scheepers, who remained not out on 54.

Sparta remain narrowly ahead of current wooden-spooners VOC Rotterdam, who also fought hard all the way but eventually lost to HCC by 24 runs in the only game where overs were not deducted.

HCC’s innings sputtered along to 211 all out, mostly thanks to a solid 60 from Oliver White and a valuable 29 from Hidde Overdijk, while for VOC Jelte Schoonheim claimed three for 43, including a fine reactive return catch to remove Mark Wolfe (24).

Bowling honours, though, went to Aaditt Jain, who after claiming the early wicket of Clayton Floyd came back to pick up three more, finishing with four for 44; his brother Arnav finished wicketless, but his ten overs conceded only 18 runs, a nagging stint which maintained the pressure on the Lions’ batters.

That VOC came so close to their target was due to an aggressive 71 in 60 deliveries from Jason van der Meulen, who shared half-century partnerships with Christiaan Oberholzer (21) and Tim de Kok (26), but HCC’s overseas pair of White and Josh Brown kepttaking wickets, finishing with four for 27 and three for 31 respectively, and keeper Wolfe helped out with two catches and two smart stumpings.

And then there were two . . .

Rod Lyall 06/05/2025

It was by any standards a remarkable day’s cricket on Monday, as more than 2500 runs were scored across the five Liberation Day matches, with no fewer than 17 partnerships of 50 or more, three of them extending into three figures.

The bowlers, correspondingly, collectively had a day to forget: they went for over five an over, each wicket costing them an average of almost 34 runs.

The most remarkable runfest came at De Diepput, where HCC saw Voorburg run up 327 for seven, their second triple-century total in succession but, undaunted, chased that massive target down with 15 deliveries to spare.

The match featured two splendid centuries by Dutch-produced batters: Cedric de Lange, opening in the absence of Michael Levitt on national team duty, batted almost throughout the Voorburg innings to post a 122-ball 104, but he was more than matched by HCC captain Boris Gorlee, who followed up his 102 against Sparta on Saturday with an even more decisive 122.

He, too, batted almost to the end, falling to his old clubmate Patrick Charumbira when only two more runs were required for victory.

Supporting roles in Voorburg’s innings were played by three of the side’s four overseas, with Peter Hatzoglou hammering a 38-ball 59, Gavin Kaplan making 46 and Henry Melville 42, while Josh Brown took advantage of his opponents’ quest for quick runs at the death to finish with four for 76.

Tom de Leede removed both openers when HCC replied, Tonny Staal having smacked a 28-ball 46 to get them going, but then Gorlee took over, sharing a 95-run stand for the fourth wicket with Oliver White (39), and then an equally valuable partnership of 89 with Hidde Overdijk (38).

Yash Patel joined him for what was almost the winning stand, and there was time for him to reach his half-century before HCC completed the win.

Kampong matched Voorburg’s effort by running up 320 for six against Punjab-Ghausia at Maarschalkerweerd, but they were able to retain their unbeaten record as they dismissed the defending champions for 243 and won by 77 runs.

Missing Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, the Utrecht side relied heavily on the mid-order engine-room of Lane Berry (53), Lachlan Bangs (85) and Lorenzo Ingram (68), although it was the locally-produced pair of Pierre Jacod and skipper Alex Roy who propelled the total past 300 with an unbroken stand of 56 in the final overs.

Roy then led the way in reducing Punjab to 62 for four, and even a blistering century from Jonathan Vandiar, whose 109 came from 93 balls and included no fewer than nine sixes, wasn’t enough to keep his side in the hunt.

It was Vandiar’s twelfth century and his fifth for Punjab, and while he and Sikander Zulfiqar were sharing a 128-run stand for the fifth wicket the champions were in with a chance, but once Ratha Alphonse had stumped Zulfiqar off Ingram’s bowling for 57 the writing was on the wall, and Roy picked up two more wickets to finish with five for 56, his second five-wicket haul in the top flight.

Kampong now share the lead with Hermes-DVS, who ended VRA Amsterdam’s unbeaten run at the Loopuyt Oval in the only game of the day in which the bowlers had the upper hand.

The Amsterdammers might have felt they had done well at the innings break, restricting Hermes to 219 for eight; Ben Fletcher, Peter Ruffell, Leon Turmaine and Darsh Abhinay all claimed two wickets, while Daniel Doyle-Calle was again the stand-out batter with a 75-ball 74.

Some of the limelight inevitably fell on Hermes veteran Nick Statham, who became only the second player in the 134-year history of the Dutch competition to play 500 matches in the top flight.

That resilience would have been welcome among the VRA batters, but without Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru and Shariz Ahmad the reply quickly fell apart, Ralph Elenbaas grabbing three early wickets and the rest of the bowlers working their way through the middle and lower order.

Opener Jack Cassidy made 27 and Abhinay showed some resistance before he was last out, but the side could only manage 116 as Hermes posted a 103-run victory.

At the other end of the table Excelsior ‘20 registered their first win of the season, their total of 320 for four proving enough to overcome VOC Rotterdam at the Hazelaarweg.

Batting with a hand injury he had sustained on Saturday, Raynard van Tonder was unfortunate to miss out on a maiden Topklasse century when he was bowled by Jelte Schoonheim for 97, but there was no such disappointment for Stan van Troost, whose 91-ball 107 not out was his first venture into three figures in the top flight.

He shared an unbroken stand of 120 with Sam Rahaley (43 not out) as Excelsior piled on the agony for VOC in the closing overs.

69 for three at one stage, the Bloodhounds put up a spirited battle, Monty Singh (87) and Arnav Jain (47) adding 129 for the fourth wicket, but the run rate was too great in the end, Antum Naqvi picking up three for 40 as VOC closed on 254 for nine.

Also winless after two rounds, HBS and Sparta 1888 duked it out at Craeyenhout, and it was the home side who eventually came out on top, Wesley Barresi’s 85 the key to their four-wicket victory.

Barresi had had an influential role with the ball as well, taking the new ball with fellow-spinner Jayden Rossouw and claiming three for 40; spinners bowled 34 of the 48 overs in Sparta’s innings, Tayo Walbrugh’s tactics paying off as the Capelle side were dismissed for 210.

Opener Jochem Steenbergen made 39 and Lukas Boorer top-scored with 51, but HBS maintained the pressure well to restrict their opponents to a relatively modest total.

The Crows were in early trouble at 57 for three, but Barresi steadied the ship in partnership first with Reece Mason and then with Sellin de Beer, and only five more runs were required when the former international was bowled by Juandre Scheepers.

Punjab pull off a sensational victory

Rod Lyall 15/09/24

Exciting as the semi-final between Punjab-Ghausia and VRA Amsterdam a fortnight ago had been, it was surpassed by Saturday’s grand final between the same two teams, which not only went into the final over but which produced a stunning one-wicket victory for the Rotterdammers.

That had seemed very unlikely for much of the afternoon, as Punjab battled their way towards their challenging target of 271, well behind the required run-rate and losing wickets at inconvenient moments.

So it was, perhaps, unsurprising that when, with two deliveries to spare, Khurram Shahzad despatched Clayton Floyd over cover for the winning six, a substantial crowd of cheering Punjab supporters should have raced onto the field to salute their heroes.

What were deeply disappointing, however, were the scenes which followed, as VRA players were harassed and jostled before they could leave the ground.

Whatever the on-field background may have been and whoever might have initiated it, it was decidedly ugly, and it should have no place on a cricket field. The clubs and the KNCB need to make that clear, in both word and action, and they need to do so promptly.

An apology on the Punjab website and on social media would be a start, but after appropriate reflection there should also be tangible consequences from such unpleasant and unjustifiable scenes.

The cricket which preceded them, though, had certainly lived up to expectations.

Winning the toss, VRA began promisingly, Shirase Rasool immediately going onto the offensive and hitting Shahzad out of the attack with a succession of sixes.

Sulaiman Tariq, though, was as steady as ever at the other end, and he duly removed both openers, both caught by Saqib Zulfiqar, while Sajjad Kamal disposed of the dangerous Vikram Singh, who provided Saqib with yet another catch.

And when Johan Smal fell to Burhan Niaz in the next over VRA were suddenly 83 for four, and Punjab were threatening to take charge.

They were held up by a 97-run partnership between Elijah Eales and Shariz Ahmad, put on in 19 and a half overs, which brought their side back into the game, and after Eales was caught behind off Sikander Zulfiqar for a 61-ball 56, Shariz continued to the end, adding 61 for the eighth wicket in an unbroken stand with Luke Scully (25 not out) and finishing with 82 not out.

It was, potentially, a match-winning innings, since it set Punjab to make their highest total of the season if they were to chase successfully.

Then Ben Fletcher struck twice, dismissing first Jonathan Vandiar, brilliantly caught by Sharad Hake at short fine leg, and then his fellow-opener Shoaib Minhas by the time 21 runs were on the board, and, more worryingly for Punjab, only 23 came from the initial powerplay.

Hake replaced Eales in the attack, but after he had bowled five economical overs VRA literally suffered a damaging blow when Hake, fielding at point, was struck on the knee by a powerful cut from Musa Ahmad, and was forced to leave the field.

Almost immediately Mohsin Riaz, who had added 50 in company with Musa, fell to Hake’s successor in the attack, Vikram Singh, and although Musa and Saqib Zulfiqar were able to put on a further 83 for the fourth wicket, Punjab continued to fall behind the required rate.

With twenty overs left they needed more than seven an over, and when Saqib was caught by Smal of Shariz, departing for 39, the match was delicately poised.

Musa, who had anchored the innings since the third over, followed soon afterwards, caught behind by Scully off Shariz for 71, but Sikander Zulfiqar and Niaz contributed another half-century stand, this one coming at slightly better than a run a ball.

Even so, when Sikander was run out for 41 Punjab still required 47 from 42 deliveries, and that had become 19 from 15 when Niaz holed out to Prince at long off as he tried to hit Singh for six and departed for a vital 39.

Singh completed his over with another wicket, Fawad Shinwari magnificently caught by a diving Scully behind the stumps, and Punjab needed 11 from the last two overs.

Just four singles came from Eales’s penultimate over, so Floyd bowled the last with seven still required.

He yorked a flailing Kamal with his second ball, and so last man Tariq came to the crease with seven still needed and four deliveries to be bowled.

The next was a leg-side wide which escaped Scully’s gloves and allowed the batters to run, crucially giving Shahzad the strike.

He was content to push the next into the covers, but then he opened his shoulders to loft the ball over cover, and Punjab were champions for the second time.