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Excelsior put down a marker as Voorburg and HBS squeeze home

Rod Lyall 25/07/22

A magnificent century from Brett Hampton on Sunday enabled Excelsior ’20 to chase down Punjab Rotterdam’s imposing total of 281 and gain a crucial advantage over their rivals as the battle for final-four places got under way in earnest.

Equally significantly, HCC and VRA Amsterdam, potential challengers to Excelsior and Punjab, both lost hard-fought matches and saw their pathway to the finals become a little bit narrower.

Put in to bat, Punjab lost Steph Myburgh to the first ball he received, but they were rescued by Jonathan Vandiar, whose 141, made from 136 balls and including 16 fours and four sixes, was his first for the club and his sixth – and highest – in the Dutch top flight.

Coming in with the score on 4, Vandiar saw his side through to 236 before his was the sixth wicket to fall, and then lesser contributions from Asad Zulfiqar (33) and Yasir Usman (31 from 16 deliveries) enabled Punjab to set the biggest total of the day.

Niels Etman and Hampton claimed four wickets apiece for Excelsior, at a cost of 63 and 51 runs respectively.

Vandiar’s knock left Excelsior with a huge task, but Tim Etman led the chase with a brisk 38, and then Lorenzo Ingram and Hampton produced a fourth-wicket stand of 107, of which Ingram’s share was 39, to keep their side ahead of the required rate.

Ingram eventually became the first of three victims for Teja Nidamanuru, but now Hampton took over, reaching his maiden Topklasse century in just 75 deliveries and going on to make an unbeaten 142 from 95, hitting 17 fours and seven sixes, and hammering Excelsior to a four-wicket victory with an improbable eight overs to spare.

Leaders Voorburg stayed ahead of the pack with a three-wicket win over HCC at De Diepput, but they made heavy weather of chasing a modest target after they had dismissed their hosts for 123.

Tim Pringle top-scored for HCC with 25, while young leg-spinner Shariz Ahmad achieved his first five-wicket haul in the top flight, taking six for 18 in 9.5 overs.

At 68 for five Voorburg seemed to be flirting with defeat, but skipper Bas de Leede held things together with a dogged, 144-ball innings of 53 not out, and although Hidde Overdijk and Reinier Bijloos picked up three wickets apiece the leaders squeezed home with 16 deliveries to spare.

The strangest match of the day was at Craeyenhout, where VRA collapsed to 83 for eight inside 12 overs against HBS, Ferdi Vink taking five for 32, but were rescued by a record-breaking ninth-wicket stand of 143 between Johan Smal and Leon Turmaine.

It was the highest partnership for the ninth wicket ever recorded in the Dutch top flight, surpassing Tim de Leede and Mike Vroom’s 107 for Voorburg against VRA at the old Duivesteijn ground in 1994, and Smal posted a maiden Topklasse century before he was run out for 113.

Turmaine went on to make 55, and the VRA innings ended on 258.

It might have been enough, but opener Tayo Walbrugh responded with his third hundred of the season, making 142 not out from 132 deliveries with 14 fours and four sixes.

Wickets kept falling at the other end, however, the next best contribution Kyle Klein’s 28, and with four overs left the Craeyenhout side still needed 53 to win with four wickets remaining.

Supported by Manjinder Singh, Walbrugh was equal to the challenge, and although he lost Singh with seven runs required he saw HBS home with four balls to spare.

There was a dramatic turnaround in the relegation pool as well, where Dosti Amsterdam appeared to be on course for their first win of the season at 97 for two after restricting Kampong Utrecht to 177 all out at Maarschalkerweerd.

Without seamer Alex Roy the Kampong attack seemed to be struggling, but once Pierre Jacod had removed Amitoze Singh for 43 and opener Waqas Raja for 27 the Dosti innings fell apart, Jacod taking four for 6 in six overs and Usman Malik four for 30 as the Amsterdammers lost their last six wickets for just 14 runs.

Earlier, Touseef Ahmad had taken four for 34 for Dosti to give his side a chance, but Cole Briggs’s 51 and a solid 41 from debutant Stijn Bakker enabled Kampong to set a total which eventually proved too much for the bottom-placed side, who now need a miracle if they are to avoid relegation.

There was no turnaround at the Bermweg, where Salland Deventer seized the initiative against Sparta 1888 and never surrendered it, dismissing the Capelle side for 61 in 31 overs and needing only 8.5 overs to complete a nine-wicket victory.

Victor and Reinder Lubbers began the rout, Victor claiming the vital wicket of Samit Gohil and finishing with two for 10 from seven overs, but most of the damage was done by Gul Ahmed Nasir with five for 13 in nine overs, Elam Bharathi chipping in with two for 20, including the scalp of Mudassar Bukhari.

Venkat Ganesan then ensured maximal net run rate advantage for Salland with a 27-ball 41 not out to complete one of the season’s most comprehensive victories.

The win enabled Salland to move to the top of the pool ahead of VOC Rotterdam, who lost at home to ACC, but more importantly, it took them another two points clear of the threat of relegation.

ACC, too, will have been relieved to collect the points at the Hazelaarweg, chasing down VOC’s 203 to win by three wickets.

Max O’Dowd top-scored for the Rotterdammers with 71 and skipper Tim de Kok made 35, but De Kok’s opposite number Anis Raza claimed three for 34 and there were two wickets apiece for Devanshu Arya, Aryan Kumar and Thomas Hobson as ACC did well to restrict VOC’s menacing batting line-up to a comparatively modest total.

Robin Smith got their reply off to a lively start with a 29-ball 44 which included five fours and three sixes, but it was Hobson’s more restrained 64 which was the foundation of his side’s win, he and Raza (47) sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 94 which tilted the game definitively in ACC’s favour, despite Matt Smit’s spell of four for 48 for VOC.

Phase 2: Round 1 preview

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 22/07/2022

After a prolonged five-week break in deference to the international schedule, the Topklasse returns to action this Sunday. With the field split into championship and relegation pools, six teams will be chasing a top four finish in the upper half of the table, jockeying for position ahead of the finals playoffs, while the bottom six will be looking to secure safety from demotion to the Hoofdklasse by means of a top three finish in the relegation pool.

Each team will play the three teams in their pool from the other side of the draw in home and away fixtures, having carried phase one points through from the matches played against the other teams to have wound up in the same half of the table. Consequently some teams will have earned a considerable head-start for Phase 2 while others, through bad luck or poor results will start with a marked handicap.

BdJ: Of the teams contending for the championship, HBS Craeyenhout will start with four points to their tally, two wins ahead of VRA Amsterdam, who they will welcome to the Hague on Sunday. HBS will also start with a degree of momentum on their side, the top order looking in fine touch during the T20 competition that continued through the break, though exactly which members of said top order will be available come Sunday is not yet clear. VRA will welcome back skipper Peter Borren and opener Vikram Singh from national duty as assistant coach and reserve opener/keeper in Zimbabwe, albeit without any game time between them. They will also be without South African rookie Eddie Visser, who departed after the first half of the season. A trip to Craeyenhout first up is thus a tough assignment for VRA, who can ill afford to drop any points if they’re to claw their way to the top four.

RL: Add to the mix of factors complicating the transition from the first phase to the second the impact of Dutch visa requirements, and things are less straightforward than they might appear. Written off by some before the competition started, VRA have done well to reach the championship play-offs, but they will need to perform more consistently than they have so far (probably to the tune of winning at least five out of six games) to have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals. For HBS, Wesley Barresi will doubtless be one of those looking to catch the eyes of the national selectors, and he would particularly relish doing so against his old club. A well-balanced outfit, the Crows will certainly start as favourites, but VRA have the players to cause an upset.

BdJ: Also on four points each are Punjab Rotterdam and Excelsior ‘20, who will meet at the Zomercomplex on Sunday. Punjab rather unexpectedly crashed out of the T20 competition with losses to Rood en Wit and Sparta last week, despite the arrival of Jonathan Vandiar and Rushdi Jappie, but will be further reinforced by the return of Stephan Myburgh and Teja Nidamanuru from national duty. On short format form the Schiedammers look the favourites going in, but Punjab have depth and home advantage on their side, as well as a day off before the match while Excelsior will have a T20 quarter final to deal with.

RL: It’s not only in the T20 cup that Punjab have been slightly underwhelming this year: despite the advent of the admirable Safiullah Salarazai in the attack (leading the way with 20 wickets at the break) they have been a good deal less dominant than they were last season, and opposing sides have not been confronted by a solid phalanx of Zulfiqars as they were on the Rotterdammers’ march to their first title. Tom Heggelman’s side, on the other hand, had to come through a tough three-way battle to reach this point, and the return of Brett Hampton has clearly given them both a renewed cutting edge with the ball and additional hitting power in the middle order. Heggelman himself continues to take wickets, and if openers Tim Etman and Roel Verhagen can give their side a good start against Punjab’s excellent bowling unit this could be a very interesting match indeed.

BdJ: Frontrunners Voorburg CC will have to do without the services of Janneman Malan and Delano Potgieter from now on, but the arrival of Andre Malan and return of the international contingent will nonetheless make them favourites when they arrive at De Diepput to take on HCC. The hosts will doubtless have a point to prove, however, not least Clayton Floyd who will be looking to reassert his place in the national side after being passed over in favour of team-mate Tim Pringle. Similarly VCC opener Musa Nadeem would probably like to send a message to national selectors as much as his former team-mates, conversely if HCC’s Tonny Staal intends to remind the national set-up of his existence and a match against a VCC side featuring a handful of internationals is a fine opportunity. VCC’s own Viv Kingma will also be thinking along similar lines of course, and may well get the chance if the workloads of Van Beek and De Leede are being managed.

RL: Voorburg have carried pretty much all before them so far, and remain firm favourites to take their first title since 2002. Whatever adjustments they have to make to the composition of their eleven are unlikely to cause any appreciable weakening, although they will no doubt miss Potgieter’s all-round contribution. HCC, on the other hand, arguably under-performed in the first phase, and have the potential to match their visitors with both bat and ball. Alongside the established seamers Reinier Bijloos, Hidde Overdijk and Ollie Klaus, Henrico Venter has added a fourth seam option, while in Floyd and Pringle they have outstanding, and contrasting, left-arm spinners. The batting may be more of an issue, though here too they have plenty of firepower, and it will be fascinating to see how they deal with Voorburg’s almost wholly international attack. With De Diepput’s diminutive dimensions square this could prove a spectacular encounter.

BdJ: Down in the relegation scrap Kampong CC will be looking to set right the injustices dealt them by the vagaries of the format when they take on the winless Dosti at Utrecht. Having seen most of their points evaporate at the phase-change, Kampong face an uphill battle if they are to secure their top-flight survival. Dosti are in a still-worse position, though one more of their own making. Both sides scored a surprise win during the T20 competition, Dosti besting VRA and Kampong downing VCC in low-scoring games, but neither will have a quarter-final to distract them from the business at hand at the weekend.

RL: Down but not yet irrevocably out, Dosti were showing faint signs of a resurgence before the break, and will have been heartened by that T20 victory over VRA. But Kampong will be driven by the knowledge that however rough the hand they may have been dealt by the format, it is their results against weaker sides which have landed them where they are, and that beating their weaker rivals is the key to their escaping the automatic relegation zone, and of at the very least earning a play-off against the Hoofdklasse champions. If they play to their potential they could do better than that, but it will need to start with a strong performance here. In Alex Roy, Saurabh Zalpuri, Pierre Jacod and Robert van der Harten they have home-grown talent which has proved itself entirely able to prosper at this level, and they should get this phase off to a winning start.

BdJ: Salland CC are in the enviable position of having taken all six of their points through from Phase 1, but can ill afford to rest on their laurels. Current form suggests they will have a tough time adding any more points to that tally, certainly away against Sparta 1888 on Sunday, against whom they lost heavily in both their T20 encounters. While Sparta’s season has not gone as hoped, Salland have at times struggled to even get 11 men on the field, especially when their German contingent is unavailable. A win at Bermweg would put them two wins clear of potential relegation, but would certainly be the upset of the week.

RL: Salland’s cause has been helped by the fact that the hapless Dosti were in their first-phase pool, and that VOC, whom they beat in one of the upsets of the season, failed to make it into the championship pool. Their current standing is undoubtedly somewhat flattering, and it’s hard to disagree with m’colleague’s assessment that they are likely to start as underdogs, not only here, but throughout the rest of the programme. Sparta, of course, have had problems of their own, and although they looked a much better side after the arrival of Samit Gohil, they remain very dependent on the performances of the talismanic Mudassar Bukhari and his fellow former international Ahsan Malik.

BdJ: A trifle tougher to call will be VOC Rotterdam’s phase 2 opener against ACC, to be played at Hazelaarweg as VOC get their home games out of the way so the preparations can begin in time for the Pakistan series. At least some if not all of ACC’s South African trio of Hobson, Smith and Ackermann are understood to be sticking around for Phase 2, but VOC will also be at close to full strength as Edwards and O’Dowd slot back in at the top, while Pieter Seelaar has been easing his way back into the game during the T20 competition. Whether all three will play both their T20 quarter final on Saturday and the following day against ACC is not guaranteed, but on home turf the Bloodhounds are likely favourites either way.

RL: VOC start the second phase in an enviable position, only their stumble against Salland costing them a perfect record. They look to be far and away the strongest side in their pool, and it will be interesting to see how they approach the rest of their fixtures. They have the opportunity to use them creatively, and it would be good to see young Siebe van Wingarden, for example, who has bowled only 29 overs so far, given greater responsibility with the ball. ACC’s own youth contingent has begun to flourish under the protective cover of their overseas players, with both Shreyas Potdar with the bat and Mees van Vliet with the ball beginning to come into their own. ACC are capable of springing a surprise here, but VOC are more likely to emerge with the points.

BdJ’s picks: HBS, Punjab, VCC, Kampong, Sparta, VOC.

RL’s picks: HBS, Excelsior, VCC, Kampong, Sparta, VOC.

Excelsior beat VOC to take final top-six spot

Rod Lyall 12/06/22

The structure of this season’s expanded Topklasse competition may not be to everyone’s liking, but the final round of Phase I matches on Saturday delivered plenty of interest, with the final placings in Group B in doubt almost to the end.

With the destination of Group A sides in the second phase already settled, most of the tension was located in Group B, where on Saturday morning three teams were still in contention for the two available places in the Championship pool alongside group leaders Voorburg.

By half past five one of the contenders, VRA Amsterdam had lost to Voorburg, but they had done enough to ensure that regardless of the outcome of the match between Excelsior ’20 Schiedam and VOC Rotterdam they would finish in the top three of the group.

The winners of that latter game would leapfrog over them into second place, while the losers would be heading into the Relegation pool, and at that stage the match was delicately poised, with Excelsior on 130 for three chasing VOC’s total of 213 for eight.

Excelsior’s seam attack had earlier done well to contain the VOC batting line-up, which had collapsed to 87 for five before 35 from Tim de Kok, 38 from Burhan Niaz and an unbeaten 35 from Pieter Seelaar, batting in an unaccustomed spot at nine, enabled them to post a score which they had some prospect of defending.

At 85 for three there seemed to be a chance that Excelsior were in trouble, but Lorenzo Ingram now took over, sharing a useful stand of 56 with Tom Heggelman and then adding another 73 in company with Brett Hampton, carrying his side to a six-wicket victory and into the Championship pool.

Ingram ended on 86 not out, made from just 80 deliveries, and Hampton had 31 not out as Excelsior won with two overs to spare.

At Westvliet, Voorburg skipper Bas de Leede’s 111-ball 81 was the foundation of his side’s 231 for seven against VRA, Aryan Dutt taking three for 38 for the Amsterdammers.

VRA knew that even if they lost a margin of less than about 115 would be sufficient to see them into the top three, but when Delano Potgieter and Karl Nieuwoudt reduced them to 21 for four inside nine overs that suddenly appeared a remote secondary target.

Voorburg had rested internationals Viv Kingma and Logan van Beek in advance of next week’s Super League series against England, but such are their resources that they scarcely seemed to miss them, and although the VRA middle order recovered sufficiently to get the deficit under 100, Udit Nashier making 38, Peter Borren 28 and Mitch Lees a hard-hitting 25-ball 36, Ali Ahmad Qasim ran through the tail for figures of three for 46, and the Amsterdam side were all out for 159.

In the remaining Group B game, in Deventer, Salland too had a shaky start chasing Dosti Amsterdam’s meagre 103, two wickets for Asief Hoseinbaks and a run out reducing them to 17 for three, but Sahir Naqash (49 not out) and Victor Lubbers (41 not out) then steered their side to a seven-wicket victory.

Earlier, Victor and his brother Reinder had had Dosti on the ropes at 39 for five, and then Hashim Khan picked up four for 23 to complete the demolition work.

The two points from this game may well stand Salland in very good stead in the relegation battles to come.

Crucial points in the struggle to avoid relegation were also at stake at the Bermweg, where Kampong Utrecht were looking to secure a first win against one of their rivals at the lower end of the table, home side Sparta 1888.

After bowling their side into a potential winning position against ACC last Monday, only to see the match rained off, the Kampong attack quickly seized the initiative after Sparta had elected to bat, and with Alex Roy collecting three early wickets, including that of the prolific Samit Gohil, Sparta soon found themselves on 45 for five.

Faisal Iqbal fought a rearguard action with his side’s top score of 29, but they were all out for 102, Tushar Sharma completing what Roy had started with three for 14 in the closing stages.

Ahsan Malik again created early pressure when Kampong replied, taking three for 30, but Pite van Biljon made an unbeaten 26-ball 47, and with Pierre Jacod contributing 17 not out the Utrecht side completed a six-wicket win with more than 28 overs to spare.

At the other end of the Group A table HBS Craeyenhout made sure of finishing on top with an impressive 85-run victory over defending champions and long-time group leaders Punjab Rotterdam.

Their total of 285 for five, the second-highest of the season to date, was mostly due to a second-wicket stand of 122 between Tayo Walbrugh and Wesley Barresi; Walbrugh narrowly missed out on a third century of the season when he was leg-before to Safiullah Salarazai for 94, but Barresi went on to post his eleventh top-flight hundred and his third for HBS, making a 119-ball 113, with eleven fours and two sixes, before he was out three deliveries before the end.

Salarazai came in for some punishment, but finished with three for 67.

It soon became evident that the chase was beyond Punjab, and although Jonathan Vandiar contributed 37 and there were smaller contributions from Saqib and Sikander Zulfiqar, they were dismissed for 200 in 44.4 overs; Julian de Mey claimed three for 39 and Ferdi Vink, cleaning up at the end, three for 35.

At De Diepput HCC consolidated their third position with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over ACC, dismissing their visitors for 123, Tim Pringle taking four for 23, and knocking off the runs with more than 25 overs to spare, Zac Worden making 41 and Tonny Staal 38 not out.

Rain settles Group A, but Group B still up for grabs

Rod Lyall 07/06/22

The bad weather which had mercifully stayed away from the Topklasse this season finally intervened on Monday, all six matches being abandoned as the Pentecost holiday spoke with tongues of rain rather than fire.

The cancellation of the entire programme took with it Sparta 1888’s last slim hope of reaching the top three in Group A, leaving them four points behind HCC with just one match left to play.

HCC’s match against HBS Craeyenhout was one of two abandoned without a ball being bowled after HBS had won the toss and elected to field; at the Hazelaarweg in Rotterdam proceedings didn’t even get that far, persistent rain eliminating any thought of playing the vital game between VRA Amsterdam (notionally the home side) and VOC Rotterdam.

That wash-out, together with the abandonment of Excelsior ‘20’s match against Dosti Amsterdam at Sportpark Drieburg after the Schiedam side had reached 249 for four in 45 overs, left the three-way tussle for two places in the Championship pool hingeing on next Saturday’s final round, when Excelsior will be at home to VOC and VRA will travel to Westvliet to take on group leaders Voorburg.

The winners of the Excelsior-VOC match will be guaranteed one of those two spots, but unless VRA are able to beat Voorburg, who have lost only once so far this season, the remaining place will be determined by net run rate, where VRA currently enjoy an advantage of 0.331 over VOC and a marginally greater one over Excelsior.

As far as the actual cricket goes, Excelsior made a good start against Dosti, Tim Etman (53) and Roel Verhagen (63) putting on 106 for the first wicket, and then Lorenzo Ingram contributed an unbeaten 51, his first fifty of the season, sharing an unbroken stand of 68 with Joost Kroesen before the heavens opened.

It was a similar story at Westvliet, where Musa Ahmad (54) and Janneman Malan shared an opening stand of 125 for Voorburg against Salland, Malan going on to post his maiden Topklasse century and remaining on 113 not out when the players were driven from the field with Voorburg on 219 for two in 42.3 overs.

A curious feature of this game was that Salland fielded 69-year-old former Dutch captain Steven Lubbers alongside 14-year-old debutant Fasih Ullah, surely the greatest age difference within a top-flight side since the beginnings of the Dutch competition in 1891.

Back in Group A, Punjab Rotterdam and Sparta 1888 may have set another kind of record, the players being driven from the field three times in the space of four overs before more persistent rain brought their efforts to an end.

Punjab had managed to get off to another of their quick-fire starts in that time, Steph Myburgh hitting three fours and two sixes in a 14-ball knock of 26 not out, out of a total of 37 without loss.

The most absorbing, and ultimately frustrating, tussle of the day was in the vital bottom-three match between Kampong Utrecht and ACC at Maarschalkerweerd, where the Utrecht side had succeeded in pegging back a brisk start by their visitors and had reduced them to 110 for five in 30 overs before the match was abandoned.

Opener Thomas Hobson was still there on 51 not out, however, and although the Kampong attack appeared to have gained the upper hand the game, of vital importance to both sides in the relegation battles to come, was delicately poised when the elements took control.

First loss for Voorburg as Group B battle stays tight

Rod Lyall 30/05/22

The glorious – or for some, traumatic – uncertainty of the Topklasse was fully evident in the past week, with all six teams in Group A winning either on Ascension Day or on Saturday, while in Group B Voorburg’s unbeaten run was finally brought to an end by VOC.

HBS Craeyenhout briefly moved to the top of Group A with a five-wicket victory over Kampong Utrecht on Thursday, but then lost that advantage again on Saturday with an 83-run defeat at the hands of Sparta 1888, for whom Samit Gohil made a splendidly-composed 102.

Sharing a third-wicket stand of 107 with Mudassar Bukhari (42), Gohil steered Sparta to a total of 247, and with Khalid Ahmadi and Joost Martijn Snoep taking three wickets apiece HBS could only manage 164 in reply.

Gohil had come close to a maiden Topklasse century two days earlier, but his 93 out of a total of 219 was not enough to beat ACC, for whom Thomas Hobson made 122 as the Amsterdammers closed out a four-wicket victory with just three balls to spare in a thrilling finish.

ACC then had to face Punjab Rotterdam, and were shot out for just 55 in 24.3 overs, a sensational spell from Safiullah Salarazai slicing through the top of the innings and Ashiqullah Said then finishing off the lower order; Salarazai had figures of five for 12 and Ashiqullah four for 9.

Punjab, perhaps intent on improving their net run rate, flirted with disaster in their reply, losing six wickets as they knocked off the runs in 14.3 overs, Robin Smith taking three of them at a cost of 23 runs.

It  was, though, an important comeback for Punjab, who had suffered a second successive defeat on Thursday, this time at the hands of HCC; given the way in which the playing conditions operate this was a more serious loss for the defending champions, since the points seem certain to be carried through to the competition second phase.

After their usual rapid-fire start Punjab were pegged back by Henrico Venter’s parsimonious ten-over spell, which conceded just 16 runs, and with Floris de Lange taking three for 37 and Clayton Floyd four for 25, the Rotterdammers were dismissed for 171.

Tonny Staal’s 81-ball 75 was the foundation of HCC’s reply, and although Sikander Zulfiqar claimed four for 30 the Lions cruised to a five-wicket victory with 18 overs to spare.

It was a very different story at De Diepput on Saturday, when Kampong posted their second win of the season by shooting HCC out for 74 after they had themselves made 164.

Star of the show was Kampong’s Kertan Nana, who took five for 21 in eight overs of superb seam bowling, and he was backed up by Alex Roy with three for 29.

Earlier, Roy’s unbeaten 37 had made an important contribution to the Kampong total after Pite van Biljon had made a hard-hitting 37; Tim Pringle took three for 18 for HCC and Hidde Overdijk three for 33.

These topsy-turvy results leave Sparta with the faintest of outside chances of displacing HCC in the top three of the group: for that to happen, they would need to beat Punjab and Kampong in their final group matches, while they must hope that HCC lose to both HBS and ACC, with sufficient margins to reverse a substantial net run rate deficit.

The situation is very different in Group B, where three teams – VRA Amsterdam, VOC Rotterdam and Excelsior ’20 Schiedam– are fighting for two places in the top three who go through to the Championship pool, along with leaders Voorburg.

VOC gave themselves a real chance on Saturday when, having beaten Salland in Deventer on Thursday, they inflicted a first defeat of the season on Voorburg.

Burhan Niaz and Arnav Jain seized the initiative early against Voorburg, reducing the leaders to 39 for four, and although Delano Potgieter fought back with 65, the innings ended on 153.

Max O’Dowd then made an unbeaten 84 to steer VOC to a five-wicket victory, sharing a stand of 54 with Jain after their reply had seemed to falter at 100 for five.

Against Salland on Thursday it had been O’Dowd’s opening partner Scott Edwards who had made the winning contribution with 87 as VOC chased down the home side’s 185 for nine, to which Talha Khan had contributed 53 and Sahir Naqash 60 not out; Niaz was again among the wickets with three for 27 while former Voorburg overseas Matt Smit, making his first appearance in VOC colours, took three for 25.

The only other side to win twice in three days was Excelsior, who overcame a spirited challenge from close rivals VRA before travelling to Deventer for a routine win over Salland.

Peter Borren took three for 23 for VRA and Jack Balbirnie three for 8 as Excelsior posted 201, Brett Hampton carrying the Schiedammers from 122 for five with a hard-hitting 45.

VRA were in early trouble at 42 for four, but a stand of 98 between Aryan Dutt (62) and Johan Smal (58) put them back on track until Tom Heggelman removed both of them, claiming two more to finish with four for 46.

At 173 for nine it seemed to be all over, but Mitch Lees and last man Ashir Abid worked the total up to 195, just seven short, before a controversial run-out decision gave Excelsior a narrow and very important victory.

There was no such tension in Excelsior’s defeat of Salland on Saturday: Heggelman’s four for 29 and Hampton’s three for 16 were instrumental in the home side’s dismissal for just 110, and Excelsior needed only 21.3 overs to complete an eight-wicket win, Tim Etman making 62 not out and Lorenzo Ingram an unbeaten 42.

Dosti Amsterdam remained the only side without a win, going down by nine wickets to Voorburg on Thursday after being dismissed for 117, but they put up a much more spirited fight against VRA on Sunday before losing by four wickets.

Potgieter and Stef Mulder did most of the damage for Voorburg, each taking three for 14, and then Musa Nadeem Ahmad hit a 55-ball 66 not out to ensure victory in 21.4 overs.

Against VRA, however, a 96-run stand for the third wicket between Vinoo Tewarie (66) and Amitoze Singh (57) enabled Dosti to reach 218, Jack Balbirnie taking four for 53, before Peter Borren, slotting in as an opener, belted a 43-ball 63 which included five fours and five sixes.

That put VRA in the box seat, and with Luke Scully contributing 38 and Balbirnie 46, both at a run a ball, they completed the win with 13 overs to spare.

Scorecard | Excelsior vs VRA | 26.05.22

Excelsior 20 I Vs VRA I
1-Innings Match Played At Thurlede, Schiedam, 26-May-2022, Topklasse
Excelsior 20 I Win by 6 runs
Round B7
Toss won by VRA I
Umpires N Bathi – ML Hancock
Scorers EM Heggelman – KA Holdsworth
Home Side Excelsior 20 I
Points Awarded Excelsior 20 I 2, VRA I 0
Excelsior 20 I 1st Innings 201/10 All Out (Overs 43.4)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
TC Etman   b E Visser 30 36 4 1
RTF Verhagen+ lbw b A Dutt 20 32 2 0
TJ Heggelman* c L Scully b LA Turmaine 32 52 6 0
LT Ingram c V Singh b PW Borren 17 34 1 1
NT Etman   c&b LA Turmaine 16 15 2 0
J Kroesen   b PW Borren 20 35 2 0
BR Hampton c E Visser b J Balbirnie 45 42 2 3
SL van Troost c J Smal b PW Borren 1 4 0 0
SG Shankar lbw b J Balbirnie 4 2 1 0
RWA van Troost c V Singh b J Balbirnie 7 10 1 0
R Heinsbroek not out   0 0 0 0
extras   (b0 lb1 w8 nb0) 9      
TOTAL   10 wickets for 201      
FOW
1-33(TC Etman) 2-70(RTF Verhagen) 3-101(TJ Heggelman) 4-122(NT Etman)
5-122(LT Ingram) 6-185(J Kroesen) 7-188(SL van Troost) 8-192(SG Shankar)
9-201(BR Hampton) 10-201(RWA van Troost)
 
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
A Abid 9 0 43 0 1 –
E Visser 7 0 29 1 2 –
J Smal 2 0 10 0 – –
A Dutt 8 1 30 1 2 –
V Singh 2 0 13 0 1 –
PW Borren 7 1 23 3 2 –
LA Turmaine 5 0 31 2 – –
U Nashier 2 0 13 0 – –
J Balbirnie 1.4 0 8 3 – –
VRA I 1st Innings 195/10 All Out (Overs 41.5)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
V Singh c SG Shankar b NT Etman 7 6 1 0
E Visser c RTF Verhagen b NT Etman 0 1 0 0
L Scully+ c SG Shankar b NT Etman 11 10 1 1
A Dutt c RTF Verhagen b TJ Heggelman 62 87 8 1
J Balbirnie lbw b BR Hampton 9 16 2 0
J Smal c SL van Troost b TJ Heggelman 58 48 11 0
U Nashier c SG Shankar b TJ Heggelman 3 8 0 0
PW Borren* c RTF Verhagen b TJ Heggelman 0 4 0 0
MB Lees not out   22 35 2 1
LA Turmaine c LT Ingram b BR Hampton 6 15 0 0
A Abid run out LT Ingram/RTF Verhagen   6 22 0 0
extras   (b0 lb1 w9 nb1) 11      
TOTAL   10 wickets for 195      
FOW
1-1(E Visser) 2-17(V Singh) 3-18(L Scully) 4-42(J Balbirnie) 5-140(J Smal) 6-149(U Nashier) 7-159(PW Borren) 8-161(A Dutt) 9-173(LA Turmaine) 10-195(A Abid)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
NT Etman 6.5 1 20 3 – –
TJ Heggelman 10 2 46 4 – –
BR Hampton 9 0 40 2 2 –
LT Ingram 10 1 35 0 2 –
R Heinsbroek 2 0 20 0 3 –
RWA van Troost 4 0 33 0 2 1

Scorecard | Dosti vs VCC | 26.05.22

Dosti I Vs Voorburg I
1-Innings Match Played At Sportpark Drieburg, 26-May-2022, Topklasse
Voorburg I Win by 9 wkts
Round B7
Toss won by Dosti I
Umpires WPM van Liemt – E Ruchtie
Home Side Dosti I
Points Awarded Dosti I 0, Voorburg I 2
Dosti I 1st Innings 117/10 All Out (Overs 31.3)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
RI Ahmed+ run out S Ahmad/D Potgieter   10 13 1 0
WA Raja lbw b ST Mulder 21 47 2 0
VAB Tewarie c BFW de Leede b D Potgieter 3 7 0 0
A Singh c VJ Kingma b D Potgieter 3 10 0 0
M Hans* lbw b ST Mulder 13 35 2 0
NB Perumal st M Hingorani b ST Mulder 0 9 0 0
K Diwan c M Hingorani b S Ahmad 12 7 0 2
S Ghori   b S Ahmad 0 4 0 0
W Masood   b D Potgieter 17 20 2 1
Asief Hoseinbaks not out   18 33 3 0
JRM Wegecsanyi run out   2 4 0 0
extras   (b1 lb2 w15 nb0) 18      
TOTAL   10 wickets for 117      
FOW
1-13(RI Ahmed) 2-21(VAB Tewarie) 3-31(A Singh) 4-42(WA Raja) 5-51(NB Perumal) 6-73(K Diwan) 7-78(M Hans) 8-78(S Ghori) 9-114(W Masood) 10-117(JRM Wegecsanyi)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
PRP Boissevain 8 1 33 0 – –
D Potgieter 7 1 14 3 2 –
S Ahmad 10 1 52 2 7 –
ST Mulder 6 2 14 3 6 –
MN Ahmad .3 0 1 0 – –
Voorburg I 1st Innings 118/1 (Overs 21.4)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
MN Ahmad not out   66 55 7 2
JN Malan c A Singh b K Diwan 18 26 1 1
M Hingorani+ not out   25 49 1 0
BFW de Leede* dnb          
TN de Grooth dnb          
S Ahmad dnb          
LV van Beek dnb          
D Potgieter dnb          
PRP Boissevain dnb          
VJ Kingma dnb          
ST Mulder dnb          
extras   (b1 lb1 w7 nb0) 9      
TOTAL   1 wickets for 118      
FOW
1-59(JN Malan)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
Asief Hoseinbaks 4 0 32 0 – –
W Masood 3 1 24 0 6 –
WA Raja 4 0 11 0 1 –
K Diwan 6 0 19 1 – –
M Hans 3.4 0 17 0 – –
NB Perumal 1 0 13 0 – –

Scorecard | Salland vs VOC | 26.05.22

Salland I Vs VOC I
1-Innings Match Played At Het Schootsveld, Deventer, 26-May-2022, Topklasse
VOC I Win by 5 wkts
Round B7
Toss won by Salland I
Umpires J Hilhorst – M Prabhudesai
Home Side Salland I
Points Awarded Salland I 0, VOC I 2
Salland I 1st Innings 185/9 Closed (Overs 50)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
PP Ottachchige+ c TIM de Kok b A Jain 22 46 2 0
V Ganesan   b B Niaz 6 22 0 0
TA Khan   b M Smit 53 81 5 2
VS Lubbers* c TIM de Kok b M Smit 15 28 1 0
S Naqash not out   60 62 2 4
SV Elam Bharathi c SA Edwards b M Smit 0 7 0 0
A Gopinath   b MB Hoornweg 1 6 0 0
H Khan   b B Niaz 5 23 0 0
GA Nasir lbw b B Niaz 0 4 0 0
RA Lubbers   c&b A Jain 12 7 1 1
GR Ahmadi not out   0 1 0 0
extras   (b1 lb2 w7 nb1) 11      
TOTAL   9 wickets for 185      
FOW
1-16(V Ganesan) 2-55(PP Ottachchige) 3-93(VS Lubbers) 4-103(TA Khan) 5-115(SV Elam Bharathi) 6-117(A Gopinath) 7-135(H Khan) 8-139(GA Nasir) 9-178(RA Lubbers)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
B Niaz 10 1 27 3 1 1
SB van Wingerden 7 2 18 0 – –
MB Hoornweg 7 0 36 1 5 –
A Jain 8 2 35 2 – –
JD Schoonheim 8 0 41 0 1 –
M Smit 10 0 25 3 – –
VOC I 1st Innings 186/5 (Overs 30)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls* 4s 6s
SA Edwards+ c TA Khan b GR Ahmadi 87 90 11 0
MP O’Dowd c VS Lubbers b GA Nasir 41 45 4 1
M Smit c RA Lubbers b V Ganesan 20 20 3 0
TIM de Kok st PP Ottachchige b V Ganesan 2 3 0 0
F Fourie not out   11 15 2 0
JD Schoonheim c TA Khan b V Ganesan 12 5 0 1
A Jain not out   1 2 0 0
B Niaz dnb          
MA Durrani dnb          
MB Hoornweg dnb          
SB van Wingerden dnb          
extras   (b4 lb1 w7 nb0) 12      
TOTAL   5 wickets for 186      
FOW
1-110(MP O’Dowd) 2-153(M Smit) 3-155(TIM de Kok) 4-168(SA Edwards) 5-180(JD Schoonheim)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
RA Lubbers 4 0 16 0 2 –
GA Nasir 5 0 32 1 2 –
SV Elam Bharathi 7 0 50 0 1 –
GR Ahmadi 5 0 27 1 – –
A Gopinath 1 0 12 0 – –
V Ganesan 8 0 44 3 1 –

Round 8 Preview

Rod Lyall and Bertus de Jong 27/05/22

For those that think that dead rubbers are a thing, this weekend offers a lot to moan about. But there’s an argument that every match counts, and where it’s not yet clear which second-phase pool teams will end up in, there’s an exhilarating uncertainty about whether any points will be carried through. And as Kampong proved against Punjab last weekend, the possibilities for a surprise are in any case if not infinite, at least substantial. So with three rounds to go, if it’s not all to play for, there’s still a lot of interest in Saturday’s fixtures.

Group A

RL: Although there’s still a faint mathematical possibility of someone bridging the gap, the split in Group A is effectively settled, and at least part of that possibility will be extinguished this week if Punjab Rotterdam take the points from their visit to Het Loopveld to take on ACC. Punjab have, of course, lost two on the trot, the first of them to previously-winless Kampong, and even the advent of Jonathan Vandiar could not prevent their defeat by HCC on Thursday. They will therefore need to dig deep to make absolutely sure of their spot in the Championship pool when they take on an Amsterdam side which, though still very dependent on its bevy of South Africans, has demonstrated its ability to fight all the way to the final over. You still have to favour the visitors, but a Punjab victory is clearly less self-evident that it was a couple of weeks ago.

BdJ: ACC have looked increasingly competitive as the season has progressed, while Punjab’s early dominance seems to have faded rather, but both trends likely come too late to make any difference to who ends up where for phase two. Consequently this match, and indeed all three Group A matches this weekend, are effectively pointless – at least for as far as the Phase 2 points table is concerned. Nonetheless Punjab will be keen to avoid a third successive defeat, lest losing prove habit-forming. ACC are in a better position to bag a confidence boosting win here however, with their winter acquisitions, Hobson especially, coming good in the batting department, and of course it’s worth remembering they had Punjab 5-25 at one point in their first encounter. Nonetheless Punjab are where they are for a reason, and with Vandiar added to the side will start as firm favourites.

RL: HBS Craeyenhout, at least, are now certain of reaching the Championship pool, but for their opponents on Saturday, Sparta 1888, three wins in their last three games are essential if they are to have even a theoretical chance of catching either Punjab or HCC. Victory on Saturday may seem unlikely for the Capellenaren, who lost to ACC in the final over on Thursday, but in Samit Gohil and Mudassar Bukhari they have potential match-winners, while Ahsan Malik is capable, along with Bukhari, of taking the top off opposing batting sides. They will need to strike early if they are to have a realistic chance against HBS, who bat deep and whose attack is both sharp and varied. Now top of the group, the Crows will go into the second phase with plenty of confidence, and although the points here are unlikely to have any long-term significance, they will be keen to stay in a winning vein.

BdJ: Indeed any points either side picks up at Craeyenhout will likely evaporate at the end of the first phase, but bragging rights are bragging rights. Sparta look to be hitting some sort of form a little too late to challenge for a top three spot, but look less like pushovers than when the two sides met last month. It was the batting that rather let Sparta down that time, failing to chase 139 owing largely to the efforts of Ryan Klein. With international duty looming it’s entirely possible Klein won’t be bowling his full quota on Saturday however, and with the addition of Gohil since then the Sparta line-up’s less fragile than it was. Nonetheless HBS have a deeper pool to draw on than do Sparta, and unless the rest of the side can back up Bukhari, Gohil and Malik better than they have thus far the Crows look likely to claim the ephemeral points on offer.

RL: After beating Punjab on Thursday, HCC are just one win away from a certain shot at the title, and know that those two points will very probably go with them. But even though they have dropped back to sixth in the group, Kampong remain a potential banana-skin, even if they are perhaps less threatening on the mat at De Diepput than they would be in Utrecht. They put up a good fight there on 1 May, and with Pite van Biljon having joined Cole Briggs in the top order they are more of a force to reckon with than their lowly position suggests. Again, the Lions are distinctly the stronger side on paper, but if they are not firing on all cylinders, Kampong could be the side to take advantage.

BdJ: With just two points on the board Kampong can only hope to play spoiler at de Diepput on Saturday, though again they’re headed for the relegation pool largely because of their slow start to the season. In recent matches they’ve looked more competitive, at least with the bat, and of course pulled off a remarkable upset against Punjab. It would certainly be a surprise if they pulled the same trick against HCC, Kampong having struggled to bowl out weaker sides thus far. That said they go to de Diepput with even less to lose than they have to gain, and will be keen to carry some momentum into the two more consequential matches remaining in the first phase.

Group B

RL: The attention in Group B centres on which two out of VRA, VOC and Excelsior join unbeaten Voorburg in the Championship pool, and it will be VOC’s turn to entertain the leaders at Hazelaarweg on Saturday. This is a moment when having six members of the national team in your squad reveals its down side, since with the first Super League match against the West Indies just three days away, it is unlikely that Voorburg’s bowling, at least, will be at full strength. VOC, of course, also boast three internationals, but skipper Pieter Seelaar did not play at Salland on Thursday, and may again be watching this one from the boundary. Still and all, this context is likely to favour VOC more than it does Voorburg, and in a potential four-pointer this may well be the best chance anyone has to overturn Voorburg’s imposing line-up.

BdJ: VOC’s net-run-rate boosting win against Salland last week has improved their chances of a top three finish somewhat, but not as much as they were hurt by Excelsior’s closely-contended (and not uncontentious) win over VRA. Taking points off VCC on Saturday would allow them to steal a march on their two nearest rivals before facing both in their final two games, as well as bagging them two extra points if they do make it to the top three. As such, VOC have plenty to gain and little to lose, and against a Voorburg side that’s perhaps taking it’s foot off the gas rather, the upset is there for the taking. VOC’s international trio will also have half an eye on the Windies next week of course, and the remainder of the side has been less than reliable so far this season.

RL: Of VOC’s rivals for one of those two places, Excelsior ’20 Schiedam face the trip to Deventer knowing that Salland have had an increasingly tough time in their debut Topklasse season, losing heavily to both VRA and VOC in their last two games. Excelsior, who survived a serious scare against VRA on Thursday, will be especially keen not to lose any ground against their rivals, and if possible to improve a net run rate which currently has them trailing both. Salland, with their German contingent back in the side, were able to post a respectable total against VOC on Thursday, but it was still well short of what they needed to give their bowlers a chance, and Excelsior, too, are decidedly stronger in both departments than their hosts. Skipper Tom Heggelman continues to lead from the front, and Brett Hampton is a potent force with the ball. Excelsior may not look like serious title candidates at the moment, but they should take the points back to Schiedam on Saturday evening.

BdJ: It has indeed been a tough old time in the top flight for Victor Lubbers’ side, and doubtless the strategists at Salland will already be turning their attention to the coming relegation fight. In that respect Saturday’s game may prove of little significance, depending on Excelsior’s later fortunes. A win for Salland would provide a little security however, all-but ensuring they will take at least four points into phase two, or as many as six should they beat Dosti again in their final fixture. It does look a tall order against and Excelsior attack that skittled a near full-strength Salland side for 123 in their first match without the in-form Heggelman even bowling. The trip out East remains a banana skin for Excelsior however, with their net run rate lagging behind both that of VRA and VOC with only two matches to go they may well be targeting more than just a win.

RL: Still second on net run rate, VRA Amsterdam have what is theoretically the easiest task of the round when they take on still-winless Dosti at Sportpark Drieburg on Sunday. Even the talent and experience of Kuldeep Diwan and Amitoze Singh has been unable to lift Dosti’s fortunes so far, although the former’s heroics against VOC did give their supporters something to cheer about. That total of 249, however, was 60 better than they have managed in any of their other games, while their lowest total, 70, came against their opponents on Sunday. With net run rate conceivably a factor when the split comes and matches against VOC and Voorburg to complete their first-phase programme VRA will be particularly keen to extend their advantage.

BdJ: While we’ve been spared any significant weather interruptions this season, the customary day-long lag in for Dosti home games may end up costing VRA this weekend, with wetter weather expected Sunday and the Bos-dwellers in dire need of a win this round. Certainly there’s been occasional signs that Drieburg may not remain a reliable a points-dispensary for teams to rock up and claim a couple, but there were few on Thursday as VCC brushed their hosts aside without breaking a sweat or bowling their first-choice seamers. Anything less than a win would be a significant disappointment for VRA, not only making a relegation fight more likely but also worsening their prospects in it, with Dosti certain to be in the lower pool. For the hosts the chance to drag VRA down toward the relegation fight and perhaps take some points with them in doing so is a significant opportunity of they can take it, with their prospects of top flight survival looking increasingly bleak.

RL’s picks: Punjab, HBS, HCC, VOC, Excelsior, VRA.

BdJ’s picks: Punjab, HBS, HCC, VCC, Excelsior, VRA.

Round 7 Preview

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 24/05/22

With the traditional Ascension Day round upon us on Thursday the first phase of the Topklasse is accelerating toward a conclusion, and by this time next week at least some, conceivably even all of the contenders for the championship group will be known. For those teams in the lower halves of their respective tables, especially those in Group A, time for a comeback is rapidly running out.

Group A

BdJ: For Kampong, who face second-placed HBS Craeyenhout at Maarschalkerweerd on Thursday, practically every match is must-win from here if they’re to avoid the relegation pool. Realistically though, the outcome of the match will probably be of little consequence given the likelihood of the two teams ending up in different pools for the second phase. Kampong pulled off a remarkable upset win over the previously unbeaten Punjab last week which is likewise unlikely to matter much, perhaps suggesting that they rather enjoy playing with little on the line. Notably they bagged the points without any significant contribution from the newly-arrived Pite van Biljon, though one expects it won’t be long before he makes his presence felt. For HBS the fixture is principally a chance to take the pressure off somewhat for the rest of the first phase, as they’re unlikely to take any points won on Thursday through. Despite the heist Kampong pulled on Punjab the Crows remain firm favourites for this one, with Barresi and Walbrugh looking in good touch and Kaplan back (though unneeded last week) the potential return of the ever-busy Toby Visée would be a luxury they would welcome, but not necessarily require.

RL: Kampong have taken a while to settle to their task, but last week’s victory over Punjab showed that they are not as out of their depth at Topklasse level as might at one stage have appeared. With Van Biljon joining Cole Briggs in the batting line-up and the attack, spearheaded by Alex Roy and Usman Malik, an increasingly effective unit, the Utrecht side may be capable of springing more surprises from here on in. But HBS, off-days excepted, are a tough proposition for anybody, and they way they bounced back from their Zomercomplex debacle indicates an impressive toughness. One plus point for Kampong is home advantage: Maarschalkerweerd has proved a tricky venue for batting sides, and Malik’s side have shown themselves thoroughly capable of exploiting it. HBS are indeed favourites, but this game might be closer than the sides’ records so far suggest.

BdJ: Of greater probable consequence is the clash at De Diepput between third-placed HCC and current leaders Punjab Rotterdam, who could both seal their place in the top three this week. HCC’s emphatic win over Sparta last week took them two wins clear in third, and they may sense a chance to both solidify their position and bag crucial second-phase points against a Punjab side whose air of invincibility has comprehensively blown away. Nonetheless the Rotterdammers are defending champions for a reason, and though their batting failed them last week the bowling remains more formidable than what HCC faced last week, especially with the addition of Samiullah Salarazai, who lends the Punjab attack a cutting edge it had arguably lacked, and whether it will be enough to counter the in-form Tim Pringle may prove the key question come Thursday in what looks to be the headline match this round.

RL: HCC’s attack now looks back to full effectiveness, and they will undoubtedly fancy their chances against a Punjab side which had until last week continued winning despite performing distinctly below their best. But Kampong’s cause was greatly helped by the early removal of Steph Myburgh, and unless HCC are able to repeat that trick they could find themselves doing some serious leather-chasing. The Lions have proved adept at making the most of what DLS calls ‘resource’: they were all out off the last ball of their innings against ACC, but not before they had put on 260, and with Clayton Floyd coming in at seven and Yash Patel at eight they bat as deep as anyone in the competition. With Suleiman Tariq bowling as well as ever and Salarazai a real acquisition, Punjab’s bowling is pretty effective as well, and if the group has seemingly split early into a top and bottom three, that is compensated by the fact that the top three are very evenly balanced.

BdJ: Meanwhile in the Last Chance Saloon ACC will head to Bermweg to face Sparta 1888 with both sides looking in the first instance for probable second phase points to stave off relegation, with an outside chance of kicking off a late surge to the top-three should neutral results permit. Sparta scraped to a two-wicket win in a low-scoring dogfight at Het Loopveld earlier in the season and ACC will be keen to level the score on Thursday, though neither side can take much heart from current form. The arrival of Samit Gohil has gone some way toward shoring up the Sparta batting in the meantime, but the rest of the line-up has been desperately short of form. That said, a home outing against an ACC attack that has looked rather toothless last week might be just what the Spartan batting needs. It seems unlikely that they’ll be able to roll a rather more settled ACC batting line-up for as little this time round, so if Gohil can’t find support somewhere, or goes cheaply himself, even an underrated Sparta attack led by canny ex-internationals Malik and Bukhari will struggle to deliver two points with the ball, especially if Bukhari plays as a specialist bat as he did last week.

RL: The bottom three in Group A are fairly evenly matched as well, and with relegation likely to be extremely keenly contested these are crucial points for both teams. If ACC can weather the initial onslaught from Malik and whoever his new-ball partner is they have shown themselves capable of making a decent total, while Sparta’s problem is, as m’colleague observes, finding reliable partners for Gohil. ACC’s youngsters, after several seasons of having to fend for themselves, now have the support of a quintet of more experienced hands, and the likes of Shreyas Potdar and Mees van Vliet are showing signs of coming into their own. This will doubtless stand them in good stead as the season progresses, but their more immediate concern will be to pick up two points which the winners are very likely to carry with them all the way to September. The Last Chance Saloon is also the Too Close To Call division, and this is definitely one which could go either way.

Group A

BdJ: Over in Group A it’s all a bit tighter in the middle, and there’s every chance that  Excelsior ‘20 versus VRA at Thurlede could determine who ends up on which side of the cut-off when the music stops in June. Excelsior did a number on the VRA batting in their first encounter this season, with prodigal overseas Brett Hampton taking four wickets as the Amsterdammers collapsed to 57 all-out, but the Schiedammers’ recent results don’t inspire as much confidence. Both sides showed some fight against champions-presumptive VCC over the last couple of weeks, but VRA are coming off thumping Salland last week while Excelsior are still recovering from a shellacking at the hands of VOC. On paper the hosts remain favourites however, with VRA lacking the top-tier overseas reinforcement that Excelsior have in Ingram and Hampton, and the homegrown core of the Schiedam side is rather more seasoned that VRA’s array of recent youth graduates.

RL: With three teams currently fighting over two places in the Championship pool this game is doubly key: depending on other results the loser here could be the one to miss out, while if both go through and VOC are the ones to finish in the relegation pool, then the two points from a win here could be vital in the season’s closing stages. It was Ashir Abid who was instrumental in VRA’s demolition of Salland last week, but he will no doubt face greater and more determined resistance in Tom Heggelman and Co. Similarly, the Excelsior attack, in which skipper Heggelman led from the front against Voorburg, will present more of a challenge to a VRA batting line-up whose form has been (sometimes literally) hit and miss. Their profiles may differ but these sides look more evenly matched than the result in the Bos suggested, and in Peter Borren and Heggelman they have the two most seasoned captains in the competition.   

BdJ: The principal draw for the encounter between Salland and VOC at Deventer is the potential disaster that defeat would mean for the visitors. A second loss to the unfancied Salland would not only put VOC on track for the relegation pool, but would also potentially leave them profoundly short of points when they got there, should Salland likewise fail to make the cut. For Salland two points on Thursday would not only buy them some insulation against relegation, it could put them in contention for the still greater security of a top-three spot. An ignominious drubbing at the hands of VRA last week may not be the best preparation, but given the number of first-choice players absent need not have unduly dented their confidence as they look to knock over VOC for a second time. They will also have noted the vulnerability of VOC’s attack to a bat willing to tee-off with abandon, having had plenty of time to watch Kuldeep Diwan’s fireworks on Saturday. So long as VOC can put Edwards, O’Dowd and Seelaar on the field they will remain heavy favourites of course, but if you had to pick an upset this week (which for once I don’t) you could do worse than this match.

RL: What the man said. It’s hard to see VOC stumbling over this particular hurdle a second time, especially with Arnav Jain and Tim de Kok now running into form with the bat, although the contributions of Max O’Dowd, Scott Edwards and Pieter Seelaar remain fundamental to their prospects of making it into the Championship pool. Salland have had real continuity issues, having used no fewer than 21 players in six games, with only skipper Victor Lubbers, keeper and opening batter Piyaranga Ottachchige, Akhil Gopinath and Hashim Khan having been ever-present. They really need the presence of Venkat Ganesan and his German team-mates; as last week’s disaster demonstrated, they are a long way short of Topklasse standard when they are missing. VOC seem pretty certain to have too many guns for their Deventer hosts, even if the latter gain some reinforcements. 

BdJ: Finally in what seems certain to be the least consequential match of the round, the unbeaten Voorburg travel to Drieburg to take on the winless Dosti Amsterdam.  Given that, barring some implausible turn of events, VCC are guaranteed to make the top three and Dosti guaranteed to end up in the relegation pool, this Thursday’s game is effectively little more than a friendly. In that respect it would of course be entirely in-character for the luckless Dosti to go ahead and win it. As unlikely as such an outcome remains (which is to say, very) it is not quite so hard to imagine as it might have been last week, before we witness Kuldeep Diwan’s assault on the VOC bowling and two of VCC’s South African pros bag first ball ducks on Saturday. It’s also worth noting that VCC have not had to play on an artificial wicket yet this season, and that Amitoze Singh has belatedly arrived to bolster the Dosti ranks. All this of course has to be weighed against the obvious fact that Voorburg have a much stronger team in all respects, which often proves decisive in such encounters.

RL: And again. Voorburg may not always have been 100% convincing, but then, they have seldom needed to be. They may drop points before the season’s end, but it’s not likely to be on Thursday against a Dosti side which has consistently struggled to do itself justice. The addition of Amitoze may make some difference and skipper Mahesh Hans will be fervently hoping that Diwan’s knock last week wasn’t a flash in the pan, but it will take more than a repeat of that effort if the Amsterdammers are to mount a serious threat to a Voorburg side which is, one way or another, carrying all before it.     

BdJ’s tips: HBS, Punjab, ACC, Excelsior, VOC, Voorburg.

RL’s tips: HBS,HCC, ACC, VRA, VOC, Voorburg.