TKcricket

Preview Round 12

Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 09/08/2024

The men’s international summer begins in earnest this week, casting something of a shadow over the back end of the Topklasse league phase. Combined with the start of the South African pre-season prompting something of an overseas exodus, the next few rounds will be a severe test of bench-strength for a number of clubs. The absence of the national team will be most keenly felt at the top of the table, and the effect inevitably somewhat uneven, making for a tricky phase of the summer for the Oranje’s chief suppliers as they jockey for position ahead of the knock-outs.

BdJ: Defending champions Voorburg will again be among the most heavily affected, losing Vivian Kingma, Ryan Klein, Noah Croes and Michael Levitt to national duty. Worse still, they will have to do without opener Gavin Kaplan for the rest of the season, the league lead-scorer having been recalled to South Africa. They will benefit from the availability of the itinerant Flip Boissevain, in the country yet surprisingly overlooked by the selectors, but it’s above all batting that they will miss on Sunday. Conversely HCC, having astutely sourced their overseas mostly from New Zealand emerge largely unscathed from the late season availability cull, losing only Conor McInerney to the Australian pre-season and young Teun Kloppenburg, who resumes his South African stint. Indeed HCC stand to benefit from the Dutch being in action, with Daniel Doram, flown back as a reserve for the ODIs (though likely to feature in the T20s) expected to turn out in yellow at the weekend. Though the Lions looked below their best for much of the early season, they look to be hitting their stride at just the right moment and now have a gift of an opportunity to push there way into the top two this weekend. Voorburg’s bench is one most clubs would envy, but that’s in part because their most promising understudies – the likes of Cedric de Lange, Michael Molenaar and Alejo Nota – are still so young. If Westvliet’s young guns do manage to pick up two points on Sunday they’ll be confident of holding on for a top two finish, but fair to say it’s a big ask.

RL: There’s not much more to say about this, except perhaps that it will be interesting to see two rising young pace bowlers – Teun Leijer for the hosts and Molenaar for Voorburg – in action on the opposing sides. The Lions have indeed once again timed their run well, and will start as favourites against a half-strength Voorburg.

BdJ: Also heavily affected by the country’s call are HBS Craeyenhout and VRA, both of whom lose their captains to national duty. VRA are already on their second skipper owing to Teja Nidamanuru’s netting mishap earlier in the season, and now will also be deprived of deputy Vikram Singh as well as the spin duo of Shariz Ahmad and Clayton Floyd. They’ve no shortage of slow-bowling cover despite also losing Jack Balbirnie to injury, with Leon Turmaine and Udit Nashier already putting in some solid first team performances and Thomas Iles waiting in the wings, but will miss the in-form stand-in skipper at the top of what’s been a rickety-looking batting order. HBS meanwhile lose captain Wesley Barresi, as well as stand-out seamer Kyle Klein to national duty, and both Matt de Villiers and Lehan Botha to obligations back home in South Africa. While the crows have occasionally been able to call on old hands Stephan and Ferdi Vink, they don’t boast anywhere near the experience on the bench that VRA can fall back on. Much will likely depend on deputy skipper Tayo Walbrugh, whose presence at the crease tends to have a stabilising effect on the order, as well as delivering some 572 runs at an average over 80 thus far.

RL: This is a more even split, although the combined effects of national team commitments and the South African pre-season mean that HBS are hit a good deal harder than their visitors. They do have a crop of youngsters who have already gained a fair bit of first-team experience, but there’s been little sign so far that they are ready to step into a leading role against a side which, even without two key batters and a pair of front-rank spinners and despite their somewhat stop-start form, looks distinctly stronger on paper.

BdJ: The day’s final top-six match sees Hermes DVS welcome front-runners Punjab-Ghausia to the Loopuyt Oval, in what looks on paper to be an easy two points for the visitors. Hermes have already achieved their stated season goal of survival, and with their second team locked in a relegation battle there was already substantial demand on the Hermes bench, and on the evidence of last weekend they’ll likely be reluctant to divert playing resources to the first team’s unlikely attempt to break the top four. An injury to skipper Sebastiaan Braat and Dutch call-ups for Olivier Elenbaas and Aryan Dutt leaves the home side looking rather threadbare, though there’s still Daniel Doyle Calle and Ashley Ostling at the top of the order and young Sam van Giezen is expected to slot back into the seam attack alongside Ralph Elenbaas, who has outshone his brother with the ball thus far. Conversely Punjab only lose opener Musa Ahmad to Orange, and who will partner Shoaib Minhas in his absence is at this point an open question, but given the depth of the Rotterdammers’ batting it’s unlikely they’ll be sweating it unduly. They’ll nonetheless be keen to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack ahead of a showdown with second-placed HBS next week, potentially locking down a top two finish and a double shot at the final.

RL: This should be a banker for Punjab, for whom Khurram Shahzad proved an outstanding replacement for Ahmad Shafiq last weekend. Hermes did show remarkable resolution towards the end of the first place, making sure of their spot in the championship pool, but things have not gone their way since then, and although Rinck van Dam made a promising start to his Topklasse career last week, it was a decidedly makeshift side which played those games. Punjab have earned their place at the top of the table, and with a double crack at the grand final the reward for a top-two finish, they will doubtless want to make sure there are no slip-ups on the run in.

RL: Whatever the mathematics may say, the prospect of ACC playing in next year’s Topklasse has long gone, and defeat by VOC Rotterdam on Saturday (when the relegation pool will be in action) would settle the issue definitively were Sparta to take the points against Excelsior. The Loopveld side has looked out of its depth all season, and although they have shown rather more fight in some of their recent games, they have managed overall to be less than the sum of their parts. VOC, too, have often failed to live up to their considerably greater potential – hence the fact that they find themselves in the relegation pool – but they should have little difficulty in taking the points back to Rotterdam with them. Never has the case for an eight-team Topklasse been made more eloquently than it has at Het Loopveld this year.

BdJ: Needing three wins from three and two neutral results to fall their way, ACC’s coinflip odds of surviving the season are a shade over 3%, but given the form they’ve shown so far you’d have to say that’s pretty flattering. That said, looking back at the season you could make a case that the only substantial difference between these two sides is VOC’s better choice of overseas signings, at least in terms of batting, and indeed smarter domestic acquisitions in the bowling department. Though VOC have nothing to play for but pride in this encounter, there’s little reason to expect they’ll take the foot off the gas in any discernible way, given that the pedal’s been a long way from the metal all summer anyway.

RL: A win here would confirm Sparta’s survival, in a match which pits the two most destructive new-ball bowlers in the competition, Sparta’s Cameron Fraser and Excelsior’s Jason Ralston, against opposing top orders which have frequently failed to fire. In Mitchell, Tim Etman, Verhagen, Ingram and Lubbers Excelsior have as good a top five on paper as anyone in the Topklasse, but they have been extremely inconsistent, and that week they had to rely on a fine partnership between Ingram and Lubbers to dig them out of trouble against ACC. Sparta lack batting with that sort of pedigree, but Riley Mudford showed signs of a return to form last weekend. Given the effectiveness of the Sparta bowling unit, Excelsior may struggle at Thurlede to post the sort to total their own bowlers can defend. Expect a low-scoring, hard-fought encounter!

BdJ: Another case where two sides’ relative standings can be explained largely by overseas signings paying off or not, Excelsior owe their assured survival almost entirely to the excellence of Ralston and Ingram with the ball all season. Sparta, conversely, have got a bit more out of their lowland contingent, the indefatigable Martijn Snoep again leading from the front with the ball, ably supported by Belgium’s Khalid Ahmadi. While Cameron Fraser’s been an excellent new-ball spearhead, the trio together haven’t been able to compensate for the Spartans shortcomings with the bat. While Excelsior’s domestic contingent have had a middling season with the bat at best, Sparta’s locals have been abject. With Mudford mostly misfiring in the longer format, Sparta simply haven’t been able to get runs on the board, and there’s little reason to think they’ll go any better coming up against the league’s leading wicket-taker.

BdJ’s picks: HCC, VRA, Punjab,VOC, Excelsior

RL’s picks: HCC, VRA, Punjab, VOC, Sparta.

HBS vs HCC at Craeyenhout | Topklasse Round 11 | 04.08.24

Voorburg stake a claim as Phase 2 begins

Rod Lyall 05/08/24

The second phase of this year’s men’s 50-over competition got under way with a bang at the weekend with a complete double round of matches, the only really definitive development being the near-certain relegation of ACC.

In the championship pool the only side to win twice was Voorburg, who followed up a comfortable 100-run victory over HBS Craeyenhout on Saturday with a still more decisive win against Hermes-DVS on Sunday.

With four points now separating first and fifth and only three matches to play, it would take a remarkable concatenation of events to deny the defending champions, who have moved into second place on the table, a spot in the semi-finals, but national team commitments will deplete their side for the next two rounds, and they will be very glad to have the cushion provided by these victories.

The defeat of HBS was set up by a fourth-wicket stand of 111 between captain Noah Croes (80) and Ryan Klein (68), both Dutch internationals, enabling the champions to reach 262 for seven, and confirmed by a destructive spell of medium-pace bowling by Michael Levitt, another of the side’s international cohort, who removed Tayo Walbrugh, Matt de Villiers and Lucas del Bianco in the space of eleven deliveries to rip the heart out of the Crows’ batting.

Kyle Klein, who had claimed three for 29 in Voorburg’s innings, added 65 for the seventh wicket with Azzam Khan, and when Mees van Vliet removed both of them, finishing with three for 23, HBS subsided to 162 all out.

Having played a crucial role with the ball on Saturday, Levitt returned to prime form with the bat the following day, his 83-ball 105 setting up Voorburg’s monster total of 333 against a makeshift Hermes attack.

Already without Aryan Dutt and Niels Woermeijer, Hermes had lost skipper Sebastiaan Braat to injury in the course of Saturday’s defeat by VRA Amsterdam, and although stand-in captain Olivier Elenbaas and his brother Ralph toiled hard along with the rest of the bowlers, Olivier picking up four for 65, a second-wicket stand of 128 between Levitt and Gavin Kaplan set the stage for Voorburg’s monster total, their highest in the top flight since 1993.

Kaplan went on to complete his fourth century of the season, his 120 bringing his aggregate to 702; even more remarkable is the fact that he has passed fifty in all but three of his ten innings.

Voorburg collapsed from 304 for three to 333 all out – if you’re going to collapse, 304 isn’t a bad score to do it from – but that was far beyond Hermes, who despite opener Ash Ostling’s 52 were all out for 164, Floris de Lange taking three for 37.

Hermes had put up an heroic struggle against VRA in the Amsterdamse Bos on Saturday, despite being dismissed for just 165, of which Olivier Elenbaas made 37 and Braat 44; Ben Fletcher was the most successful of VRA’s bowlers with four for 42.

At 59 for four and 88 for five the Amsterdammers seemed in danger of defeat, but they were rescued an unbeaten 59 from Shariz Ahmad, who added 55 with Udit Nashier to see his side home.

There was no such rescue-act for VRA on Sunday, however, as they fell 68 runs short of Punjab-Ghausia’s 253 all out at the Zomercomplex, their top order again letting them down before Elijah Eales top-scored with a defiant 63; for Punjab it was opener Shoaib Minhas’ 43-ball 71 which set the tone for their winning total.

The defeat means that VRA remain one win outside the top four, and they will need to win at least of their remaining three matches while hoping that one of their rivals falters on the run in.

Punjab’s victory kept them at the top of the table, a single point clear of Voorburg and HBS, after they lost to HCC at De Diepput on Saturday.

A fourth-wicket stand of 109 between Mohsin Riaz (78) and Saqib Zulfiqar (47) had set up their total of 261 all out, but HCC captain Boris Gorlee led the reply with a fine 97, adding 104 for the third wicket with Shirsak Banerjee (41), and after Khurram Shahzad had removed both of them, taking the first four wickets to fall at an eventual cost of 26 runs, Jed Wiggins saw the Lions to a four-wicket victory with an unbeaten 56.

The most exciting game of the weekend came at Craeyenhout on Sunday, where HCC came within seven runs of the Crows’ total of 227 all out.

Although HCC had done extremely well to contain their hosts for much of the innings, Wesley Barresi making 45 and De Villiers 40 and Teun Leijer adding to his growing reputation with four for 34, their efforts were to a degree undone by a dogged last-wicket partnership between Amrit Singh and Henrio Venter, which took the total from 192 to nine to 227.

Tonny Staal made a rapid 42 when HCC replied, but with Lehaan Botha claiming four for 44 and Kyle Klein three for 40, even fighting contributions from Hidde Overdijk (36) and Yash Patel (39) proved insufficient.

Final pair Adam Leonard and Leijer came together at 194, and for a time it seemed that they might emulate Singh and Venter’s efforts, but in the end Klein removed Leijer to give the Crows their narrow victory.

In the relegation pool two more defeats for ACC all but sealed their fate, although with four games still to play they retain a mathematical possibility of escape.

Dismissed by Sparta 1888 for 81 on Saturday, Cameron Fraser demolishing them with five for 16 in eight overs, the Amsterdammers lost by ten wickets as Riley Mudford and Sam Ferguson needed only 12 overs to knock off the runs.

The wooden-spooners put up more of a fight against Excelsior ’20 at Thurlede on Sunday, but a stand of 156 for the fourth wicket between Lorenzo Ingram (86) and Victor Lubbers (84 not out) enabled the Schiedammers to recover to 243 for four.

Then Ingram and Lubbers combined again, this time with the ball, taking three wickets apiece at a cost of 29 and 43 respectively, and although Guy Sheena’s 54 helped ACC to pass 200 for the first time this season, they remained stranded on 206 for nine at the end of their 50 overs.

ACC’s last remaining hopes of staying up came courtesy of Sparta’s defeat by VOC Rotterdam in a hard-fought game at Sportpark Bermweg on Sunday.

Sparta’s disciplined attack kept VOC’s batting under tight control for much of their innings, and although Taylor Bettelheim achieved his best score of the season with 91, another five-wicket haul for Fraser – his third in four games – ensured that the home side were only chasing a total of 206 all out.

Ferguson made 52 when Sparta replied, but Jock McKenzie (three for 42) and Aaditt Jain and Asief Hoseinbaks with two wickets apiece, made scoring equally difficult for the Capelle side, and even Umar Baker’s unbeaten 31 could not get them closer to their target than 191 for nine.

At the Hazelaarweg on Saturday Ryan Schierhout starred in an unfamiliar role, claiming an improbable six for 8 with his off-breaks as Excelsior collapsed to 72 all out; he had bowled only three overs before this, without taking a wicket, but his tally was the best in the Topklasse since Anees Davids’ seven for 6 against Sparta in July 2019.

Jason Ralston claimed all three wickets to fall as VOC chased down their paltry target in ten and a half overs, and with the two he added on Sunday he now has 29 at 12.93, four ahead of Cameron Fraser’s 25 at 14.84.

Sparta 1888 vs ACC at Bermweg | Topklasse Round 10 | 03.08.24

Preview Rounds 10 and 11

Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 01/08/2024

While it may seem as though the summer has barely begun, and indeed weather-wise it only just has, Phase 2 of the 2024 Topklasse is already upon us and we’re suddenly a mere month away from the knock-outs. Straight out of the break and head-first into a double-weekend, by this time next week we’ll likely have a good idea of which of the top six are likely to feature in that final phase, and which of the bottom four will be staring down the barrel of relegation.

BdJ: Starting from the bottom then, the weekend’s most significant fixture will be playing out at Bermweg where the still-winless ACC Amsterdam will be looking to kick off a comeback against Sparta 1888. While not quite at risk of arithmetical elimination on the first weekend of Phase 2, it’s hard to see the Amsterdammers surviving the season if they can’t take points off their nearest relegation rivals on Saturday. There’s been some signs of ACC belatedly finding some form of late, coming within two wickets of besting both VOC and local rivals VRA in their last two matches. ACC showed some genuine fighting spirit in both games, albeit let down by sloppy fielding and a shortage of runs on the board. Overseas left arm quick Izhaan Sayed and spin duo Sahil Kothari and Mahesh Hans can provide the wickets if ACC start holding their catches, and the top order provide something to bowl at. Sparta for their part have struggled to overcome Riley Mudford’s lack of form in the fifty-over format, reliant on their other overseas Scheepers, Clark and Fraser for runs, while Martijn Snoep has again led from the front with the ball. It’s been more than a month since their last win, against the same opposition at the same venue. A repeat of that result would all but settle the relegation fight with a month to go, or at least procure a welcome buffer for a Spartan side that’s mostly looked as fit for relegation as their opponents.

RL: Izhaan Sayed has not only spearheaded the ACC attack very effectively; he has also provided much-needed stability in the middle of the order, top-scoring in three of their last four outings. But he will need a great deal more support, especially from the rest of the top six, if ACC are to find a way out of the dungeon they’re currently in. Sayed’s opposite number in the Sparta line-up, Cameron Fraser, has not always been rewarded with the wickets he’s deserved, but he has 12 of them, boosted by his five for 45 against Voorburg. But the batting does remain vulnerable, and if ACC are to pull off what would be one of the great escape acts in the top flight, it really needs to start here.

BdJ: Saturday’s second relegation-pool match sees VOC Rotterdam face off against Excelsior ‘20 at Hazelaarweg, with both sides looking to take a step toward security. Excelsior are only a win or two off securing their certain survival, VOC one win behind, and indeed neither side is in serious danger as it stands. That’s just as well for VOC, who looked like they might lose to whipping-boys ACC last week and indeed have only had one convincing win all season. They may take some comfort from the form of habitual lower-order blush-saver Aaditt Jain, who racked up a century in the under 19’s victorious Division 2 Qualifier this week, especially given the fragility of the top and middle order this season. They come up against the competition’s leading wicket-taker in Italian prospect Jason Ralston, who may well give the senior Dutch team reason to worry if he does indeed turn out for the Azzurri next year. Excelsior for their part will be looking to put this whole season behind them as soon as possible after coming off the worse in their climactic first phase net run rate show-down with Hermes, leaving them to face this unfortunate epilogue in the lower pool.

RL: The fact that VOC find themselves in the relegation pool is evidence that their recruitment of four overseas players has been insufficient to compensate for the loss of Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd to Kampong Utrecht. The foursome head the side’s batting averages, it is true, but they have not really dominated – the absence of the injured Jock McKenzie for a couple of matches didn’t help – and while local talents like Asief Hoseinbaks, Arnav Jain and Jelte Schoonheim have played their part in the attack, the middle order has let the side down even when the overseas players have given them a decent start. Excelsior’s batting concerns have arguably been greater: with Derek Mitchell and Lorenzo Ingram averaging in the high twenties with the bat, it was Ralston’s pace and Ingram’s guile which kept them in the hunt for a top six spot. With their places in next year’s Topklasse virtually safe – VOC are six points clear of ACC, and Excelsior two more – this might be the time for both clubs to start thinking about next year, and giving greater responsibility to local players whose efforts they may want to rely on more in the 2025 campaign. As for this game, the teams are evenly matched, and much may turn on the VOC batting’s ability to withstand the onslaught from Ralston.

BdJ: After a triumphant Schiedam derby-by-proxy Hermes DVS find themselves, perhaps unexpectedly, in contention for the knockouts, albeit with a fair hill to climb to make the top four. A fine first step would be an away win over VRA on Saturday, and with both skipper Teja Nidamanuru and deputy Johan Smal sidelined by injury the Bos-dwellers do look vulnerable. While stand-in skipper Vikram Singh has looked in phenomenal form for the hosts he’s had little support the rest of the remaining line-up has been inconsistent, though young spin all-rounder Udit Nashier has done fine work with the bat in the lower middle order. Hermes own batting card still looks rather top-heavy however. While Ashley Ostling has had an excellent season, Daniel Doyle-Calle has been more destructive than dependable in the fifty-over format and his absence this weekend on international duty will likely not be the last. All too often skipper Sebastiaan Braat has been left to salvage things with the middle and lower order, though he has performed that role well. In short it’s a tricky match-up to call, with the two teams’ first phase fixture and the rescheduled clash washed out we’ve yet to see a result between the pair.

RL: With two of the top six to fall by the wayside over the next four weeks, this is not only one of the weekend’s more significant matches; it could be one of the most important of the second phase. Both sides need to make up ground on the four teams above them, and points here and on Sunday would represent an excellent start. The obvious difference between them is VRA’s array of spinners: Shariz Ahmad is again among the leading wicket-takers, with Clayton Floyd and Nashier chipping in and Leon Turmaine more recently making a welcome return to the colours. Against that, the pace attack has been less effective than might have been expected, and that is where Hermes come into their own, with the brothers Elenbaas, Braat and Niels Woermeijer consistently among the wickets, joined now by young Sam van Giezen, another who will have enjoyed his run out with the U19s in Denmark. International Aryan Dutt, on the other hand, has had surprisingly little impact since his return from the T20 World Cup, and he may not be available to them for much of the rest of the campaign.

BdJ: Over at Westvliet defending champions Voorburg will take on HBS Craeyenhout, with both sides looking to shore up their position while still at something like full strength. Both clubs are set to lose several players either to the South African pre-season or the Dutch national side later in the summer, and for Voorburg especially this fixture looks must-win if they’re to hold on to a top four spot. Their young understudies at least have had plenty of match-practice, with Cedric de Lange, Tom de Leede and Alejo Nota all returning from under-19s duty, as are HBS’ Elmar Boendermaker and Joris van Oosterom. How those youngsters step up for the remainder of the season will likely determine both teams’ fortunes for 2024, as well as giving a decent idea of how they’ll shape up further down the line.

RL: HBS have a slightly more comfortable cushion than Voorburg as they seek to defend their place in the top four, but there’s only one win in it, and five matches to play. In between the overseas players and Dutch internationals on the one hand and the crop of youngsters on the other, both sides have key players with rather more experience: for HBS that means spinner Julian de Mey, seamers Henrico Venter and Benno Boddendijk, and – should they again be called up – Ferdi and Stephan Vink. Voorburg, by the same token, have potential match-winners in Mees van Vliet and Michael Molenaar as well as Nehaan Gigani and Nirav Kulkarni. The national squad for the upcoming Canada-USA series will obviously have a huge impact for both sides: will brothers Ryan and Kyle Klein, with the former now seemingly approaching full fitness, both be included? Will Noah Croes replace Sybrand Engelbrecht in the top order? And will there be a place for Wesley Barresi? These are all questions will inevitably influence the course of the Topklasse campaign, and in this four-pointer both sides will want to make full use of their stars while they have them.

BdJ: Frontrunners Punjab-Ghausia kick off their phase 2 campaign with a trip to de Diepput to take on HCC, with a win all but guaranteeing a spot in the knock-outs. The Lions have had something of a stop-start season so far, and not only because of the weather, with the traditional HCC three-stroke engine of Staal, Gorlee and Overdijk stuttering all summer. Contributions form the likes of Yash Patel, Daniel Crowley and especially Teun Leijer have taken up the slack at times, but even on home turf they’ll start as underdogs against a Punjab side on a five-match winning streak that included a comprehensive drubbing of HCC in their first phase encounter.

RL: After their traditional slow start, not helped by the weather and conditions at De Diepput, HCC are beginning to hit their straps, and if I were a betting man I might make a small investment on their reaching their third grand final in a row. It’s taken a while for their overseas contingent to slot into the side, but with that now beginning to happen the pace of Adam Leonard and the spin of Jed Wiggins, backed up by Crowley and the rapidly-emerging Leijer, is looking like one of the better-balanced attacks in the competition. It hasn’t helped the cause that Overdijk has only played five games so far, since he is a crucial factor with both bat and ball. They will need to be at their absolute best against a Punjab outfit who, if not invulnerable (see below), have looked consistently strong in all departments. And once again, the return of Jonathan Vandiar to his former stamping-ground may prove ominous for the Lions.

BdJ: Come Sunday Punjab facing VRA, the only top-six side to get the better of them in phase one. That match was a close-fought and rain-abbreviated encounter at the Bos, and conditions are likely to be wildly different at the smaller and hopefully sunnier Zomercomplex. Where Punjab have yet to lose a match all season. While VRA have a couple of bats at the top that are more than capable of taking advantage of the ground’s diminutive dimensions, containing a deep and dangerous Punjab batting line-up may prove beyond them.

RL: Their rather bizarre panic attack in the Bos apart, Punjab’s batters have looked composed and utterly confident all season, and it will take a massive effort by the Amsterdammers’ bowling unit to contain them. Vikram Singh’s side will perhaps be hoping that Shariz and Floyd have established a psychological advantage after that trauma, but the Zomercomplex is a very different proposition from the Bos, and Musa Ahmad, Shoaib Minhas, Vandiar and the remaining brothers Zulfiqar are all capable of taking full advantage. That applies equally, however, to Singh himself and to other members of his rather-less-dependable batting line-up; the question is how effectively they will be able to deal with the spin of Ahmad Shafiq and Saqib Zulfiqar, as well as the seam bowling of Sajjad Kamal, Sikander Zulfiqar and the nagging, always-frustrating accuracy of Suleiman Tariq. A win for VRA would massively increase their chances of reaching the semi-finals, but it would also come as something of a surprise.

BdJ: Meanwhile Hermes will head back to Westvliet to take on Voorburg, where the Sky Blues scored a surprise away victory in their Round 4 replay three weeks ago, with VCC bowled out for under 150 for the first time in three years. While that scorecard is unlikely to see a repeat, it does speak to the defending champions’ top order troubles. With Gavin Kaplan returning to South Africa and Michael Levitt in a rut of form VCC have too often had to look to skipper Noah Croes and newly-minted batting all-rounder Ryan Klein to dig them out of trouble. Given that they may well be without all four for much of the rest of the season a title-defence looks an increasingly remote prospect, and Hermes may well smell blood in the water.

RL: Maintaining the steely determination with which Hermes forced their way into the top six may prove to be something of a challenge, and beating the defending champions on their own turf twice in a row would indeed be no mean achievement. But a double victory this weekend would create a momentum which could carry the newly-promoted Sky Blues all the way, and they have, at the very least, the core of a very good side. Voorburg, of course, remain much the stronger outfit on paper, and there’s no doubt that Levitt with the bat and Viv Kingma with the ball are both due. Ryan Klein’s long-delayed return as a frontline bowler will make a difference, but this has the makings of a fascinating encounter.

BdJ: The final top-six fixture sees HBS welcome HCC to Craeyenhout for the Hague derby, a match that may prove decisive for which team makes the top two, crucial to which even stays in the top four or – equally possibly – entirely irrelevant in retrospect. Both clubs take bragging rights very seriously however, so expect a fiercely-fought contest either way. The phase one fixture between the two was washed out and HCC had already maxed-out their replays by then of course (because at De Diepput summer is something that happens to other people), so this will be the first fifty-over match between the two this season, though HBS will doubtless be quick to remind their rivals of the two T20 thrashings they handed them back in May.

RL: Yet another game where the efforts of the respective overseas contingents may be decisive on the day, and this certainly has the hallmarks of a four-pointer. One has sometimes had the feeling this season that there were two games taking place simultaneously: one between the six or seven overseas players on both sides, and another between the locally-based team members. In this case, with former internationals Gorlee, Staal and Overdijk, HCC probably have the marginally better credentials in the latter category, and with Daniel Crowley in good form with the ball they have the potential to upset HBS here. On the other hand, one should never underestimate a team which includes Wesley Barresi, whose 8672 top-flight runs at 35.98 put him in the absolute elite of Dutch batters, and he may play a significant role before this season is over.

BdJ: Back to the bottom pool, the stakes in Sunday’s games with inevitably be contingent on Saturday’s results of course, but either way ACC will still need all the points they can get when they take on Excelsior at Thurlede. Conversely, Excelsior could be in a position to secure their survival by Sunday, giving their long-suffering home fans something to cheer for at least. A low-pressure de-facto post-season might be just the ticket for the Schiedammers, who again have looked reliant on their overseas to deliver them points and must be starting to worry about their prospects in an eventual post-Ingram era. It’s not inconceivable that this match could be a second step in an ACC comeback effort of course, Excelsior’s batting has been inconsistent and only Ralston and Ingram have had a solid season with the ball, but the hosts will likely feel two phase one wash-outs against ACC are a big part of why they’ve ended up in the bottom four at all and will be looking to make a point now that they finally get to play them.

RL: As m’colleague suggests, by the end of Sunday we will have a much clearer idea of whether the hints of ACC’s improved form in their final two first-phase games were the faint light of a candle flickering in the wind, or a beginnings of a flame which could lead them out of the relegation spot. But Jason Ralston is without doubt a serious threat to the Amsterdammers’ fragile top order, and it remains a moot point whether they have the resources to post a total which could be beyond the reach of Excelsior’s batting. We would, of course, like the relegation issue to remain open for a while longer, but dispassionate reflection indicates that it will be all over by Sunday evening.

BdJ: By process of elimination that leaves VOC vs Sparta as the weekend’s final relegation pool match, the context of which will be very much set by Saturday’s results. If they take no points from either game, Sparta could find themselves at risk of slipping behind ACC, while back-to-back wins could see them climb ahead of VOC. For the Bloodhounds certain safety may be in reach this weekend, but worst-case they could find themselves just a couple of points from the danger zone themselves. Whether the prospect of becoming embroiled in that process of elimination is enough to concentrate minds at Hazelaarweg remains to be seen of course.

RL: What we said earlier about looking forward applies equally here, although Sparta’s willingness to experiment may depend upon whether they have managed to widen further their advantage over ACC, and may be limited, too, by their comparative lack of up-and-coming home-grown talent. Their second and third teams languish in the lower reaches of the Tweede Klasse (i.e. fifth division), and there’s a big, big gap to their U15 side. So for the present, they seem likely to remain dependent on old routiniers like Martijn Snoep, spinners Umar Baker and Manminder Singh, and the always-dangerous Khalid Ahmadi, plus the current batch of overseas players, not forgetting the promising (but still work-in-progress) Prithvi Balwantsingh. That combination is certainly capable of stretching VOC to the limit, but that would involve their workmanlike attack getting the better of the Rotterdammers’ formidable top order.

BdJ’s picks: Saturday: Sparta, Excelsior, VRA, HBS, Punjab;

Sunday: Punjab, Hermes, HCC, Excelsior, Sparta.

RL’s picks: Saturday: Sparta, Excelsior, VRA, Voorburg, Punjab;

Sunday: Punjab, Voorburg, HBS, Excelsior, VOC.

VRA vs HBS at Amsterdamse Bos | Topklasse Round 9 | 21.07.21

Hermes-DVS edge past neighbours Excelsior

Rod Lyall 22/07/24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACC vs VRA at Het Loopveld | Topklasse Round 4 20.07.24 (rescheduled from 15.06.24)

VRA squeeze past ACC and into the top six

Rod Lyall 21/07/24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Preview Round 9

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 18/07/2024

And so we enter the finishing straight of the first 50-over race, with the finishing positions all but decided. There’s still a lot to play for, however: there’s an outside possibility that a couple of runners might squeeze past their rivals, while this is, after all, just the preliminary event, and with points earned now carried forward into Phase Two, itself a handicap race, every advantage gained this weekend could turn out to be worth its weight in gold come the end of August. Let’s look further at the runners and riders.

Saturday

RL: Of the two sides still hoping against hope to squeeze into the top six, VOC Rotterdam have the slightly less arduous escape route. But Saturday’s assignment is nevertheless tough: a visit to De Diepput to take on HCC. Here we have a match-up between two of the more powerful batteries of overseas players, with the Lions’ Conor McInerney, Jed Wiggins and Adam Leonard facing the Bloodhounds’ Ryan Schierhout, Taylor Bettelheim, Jock McKenzie and Jason van der Meulen. That the latter are currently outside the top six and their hosts’ position within it not entirely secure is evidence both that the big guns have not quite made the overwhelming impression the clubs might have hoped, but also that their local players haven’t been able to contribute enough. On both counts this game, therefore, is something of a last-chance saloon, especially for a VOC outfit which will know that defeat here would definitively mean a place in the relegation pool for the rest of the season.

BdJ: Of the catch-up matches scheduled for Saturday this does indeed look the most likely to be decisive given that state of the table and Sunday’s fixture list. HCC lead VOC by two points as it stands but there’s little to separate them on net run rate, and while VOC will be fairly confident of picking up two points against ACC in their final match, HCC hacve a date with defending champions Voorburg on Sunday. A win for VOC would thus make them firm favourites to leapfrog HCC into the top six. The Boodhounds have relied almost entirely on McKenzie, Schierhout and Bettelheim for runs this season, with the rest of the batting card averaging in the low teens at best. Three bats is often enough to win a typical Topklasse game of course, and HCC have looked like a thoroughly typical mid-table team this season.

RL: For Hermes-DVS, it may be enough in this first season back in the top flight that they’re four points clear of the bottom of the table, but they too have the faintest of outside chances of making it into the top six. But their first assignment is to face Voorburg at Westvliet, and they will need to be at their absolute best to claim the points and keep that hope alive for another 24 hours. They will be assisted by the return of Olivier Elenbaas from suspension, but even that may not be enough against the defending champions, whose chances of reaching the top four at the end of August may depend in large part on their ability to pile on the points this weekend. Hermes did pretty well with both bat and ball against HBS last Sunday, and their seam attack is sharp enough to unsettle a Voorburg top order which has been highly dependent on the phenomenal form of Gavin Kaplan, with the assistance of Michael Levitt and Noah Croes. On the other hand, Ryan Klein and Michael Molenaar have been very useful in the middle order, and the defending champions’ attack remains a powerful force.

BdJ: With newly-promoted Hermes aiming for survival this season and Voorburg prioritising renewal over a repeat title win, it’s probably fair to say both have had a pretty successful summer so far. The impending departure of Kaplan coupled with the resumption of international cricket will further test VCC’s depth at the back end of the season, and picking up two points here would substantially improve their odds of making the playoffs. For Hermes two points would mean a substantial safety-buffer if not total security ahead of phase two, even if a top four finish looks fanciful from here. The return of Olivier Elenbaas won’t hurt, though the Schiedammers will be hoping he finds the sort of rhythm his less-celebrated brother has found this season, with Ralph Elebaas currently the only Hermes bowler taking regular wickets at a reasonable price. The batting likewise has looked top-heavy, though Voorburg may struggle to get through the top order with Mees van Vliet consistently expensive and Viv Kingma’s fitness still in doubt. Yet while Kingma conspicuously did not bowl during this week’s Pro-Series matches in Deventer, the astute may have noted that Lgan van Beek is in the country. Whether he rocks up for his old club come Saturday may yet swing the odds for this one.

RL: VRA Amsterdam, though, can slam the door in the faces of VOC and Hermes if they are able to secure a win against so-far-winless ACC at Het Loopveld. A victim of the weather on 15 June, the Amsterdam Derby can sometimes spring a surprise, but a victory for the home side here would probably be sufficient to trigger a stewards’ enquiry, even if VRA’s form has been on the patchy side. Izhaan Sayed has emerged as ACC’s one bright spark, with the bat as well as with the ball, but the side has still not passed 150 in six attempts, and you’d think that, barring a really astonishing effort with the ball, they’d need a good deal more than that against a line-up which includes Vikram Singh, Shirase Rasool, Johan Smal and Co. VRA’s combination of seam and spin, moreover, has more than enough fire-power to run through their hosts’ fragile batting, leaving Singh’s side odds-on favourites to head back across Amstelveen with the points and a settled place in the championship pool.

BdJ: It’s been a while since the Amsterdam Derby was as competitive as those in the Hague or Schiedam, but still it’s hard to recall at time where one side were as overwhelming favourites as VRA will be on Saturday. The Bos-dwellers are no mere paper-favourites either, with several of the side looking in excellent form in the Pro-Series this week, not least Singh, who notched another century for the Seafarers. Flethcher, Floyd and Shariz Ahmad all had decent mid-week returns with the ball too, while ACC were conspicuously unrepresented. As with basically every game from here this will be do or die for ACC however, and it’s been a while since VRA have had to play on a mat, but it would indeed be the upset of the weekend if the hosts were to pick up any points on Saturday.

Sunday

RL: Whatever the outcome of Saturday’s matches, ACC will still be at the foot of the table when they entertain VOC on Sunday. How significant the game is for the Bloodhounds, on the other hand, will depend greatly on the previous days’ results: if they beat HCC and VRA should lose, then they will have every incentive to win convincingly at ‘t Loopveld. Sheer professionalism should in any case be a sufficient motivation for the Rotterdammers to end the first phase on a high, and what we said about the match-up with VRA applies equally here: nothing about ACC’s form to date suggest that they will have effective answers to their guests’ strengths in both batting and bowling. In the latter department, it will be interesting to see how the brothers Jain and Roman Harhangi respond to bowler-friendly conditions at ‘t Loopveld.

BdJ: One might imagine ACC ambushing a potentially deflated VOC on a likely rainy Sunday should HCC put the Rotterdammers out of top-six contention the day before, and the Bloodhounds still looks a side that could fold if they lose early wickets. That said, ACC have looked deflated since day one this season, and even if they succeed in rolling VOC for a sub-150 score it’s hard to see where those runs would be coming from for the hosts.

RL: In what is almost certain to be a preliminary match in the relegation pool, Hermes-DVS will end Phase One by entertaining Sparta 1888 at Loopuyt Oval. Barring a sensational recovery by ACC, both sides will be safe from the drop to the Hoofdklasse, but both would welcome the additional security of a couple more points heading into the back end of the season. They seem on paper to be well-matched: the Schiedammers’ batting is perhaps a tad more solid than that of their hosts, especially given the indifferent recent form of Riley Mudford, but Cameron Fraser and Martijn Snoep have proved an effective seam pairing, and Khalid Ahmadi lurks in the wings as a potential destroyer. But Hermes have the Elenbaas brothers, Sebastiaan Braat and Niels Woermeijer, not to mention international Aryan Dutt, and a top six which is more than capable of generating big totals. These sides will have seen a lot of each of other by the end of the campaign, and this could be an extremely absorbing first round.

BdJ: Even in the absence of Bukhari and Malik, the Sparta seam section has looked like that of a team that belongs in the top flight this season. The rest of the side simply has not, however, with both the batting and slow-bowling section looking sub-par at best. Conversely Hermes’ problems seem to stem more from form than structural deficiencies in the squad, notably Aryan Dutt’s curious under-performance for his new side in the fifty-over format, Olivier Elenbaas’ lack of wickets, and the evaporation of CP Klijnhans’ form since the T20 competition. On paper Hermes really ought to be a bowling side, only Ashley Ostling and Daniel Doyle Calle’s solid seasons and Sebastiaan Braat’s apparent transformation into a batting all-rounder turning that on its head so far. Regardless of other results a certain security in survival will be at stake on Sunday, and one of the two sides will at least be able to play with the pressure off for the second phase.

RL: In another game where the height of the stakes will depend a good deal on Saturday’s events, VRA will welcome second-placed HBS Craeyenhout to the Amsterdamse Bos. But the battle for a top-four spot and a place in the semi-finals has already started, and whether or not VRA have made sure of their place in the championship pool, the two points from this match will be very important to both sides. The Crows were fully tested by Hermes last week, and playing on the turf in Amstelveen is a very different proposition from the all-astro environment at Craeyenhout. Skipper Wesley Barresi is, of course, no stranger to conditions in the Bos, having had several very successful seasons with VRA, and no doubt the likes of Lehan Botha, Matt de Villiers and Tayo Walbrugh will relish the chance to play there. That top order will have to weather the storm represented by Ben Fletcher, Elijah Eales and perhaps Ashir Abid, with the spin of Shariz Ahmad and Clayton Floyd to follow. This looks like one of the most attractive fixtures of the season, and it’s one that could go either way.

BdJ: Another side likely to be substantially weakened by the looming exit of South African pros and Dutch internationals, points on the board will be at a premium for HBS. Even before the late season exodus the Crows have been chopping and changing their side in exactly the manner they had planned not to, though it should be said the results have been solid enough. They have nonetheless looked reliant on precisely the players they’ll be losing, and should they lose to VRA on Sunday a semi-finals place looks a tough ask indeed. VRA meanwhile have been pegged back by the weather as much as the opposition this season, but are nonetheless in a precarious position going into the last weekend of phase one. They do at least have form in their favour, even if the side assembled by the now-sidelined Teja Nidamanuru has not looked quite the sum of its parts thus far.

RL: This may be a replay of the last two grand finals, but the situation will be a bit different when Voorburg take on HCC at Westvliet on Sunday. Neither side has been quite the force it was this season, and both can look forward to a real battle to convert a top-six position into a spot in the top four. The hosts, in particular, will be conscious of the demands that are likely to be made on their reserve strength during the second phase, with the consequence that points in the bank now are of double significance. Cedric de Lange’s first Topklasse fifty last week was an encouraging sign that he is finding his feet in the top flight, something that HCC’s Teun Kloppenburg has already done with a vengeance. The Lions will be hoping that Tonny Staal and Boris Gorlee really come into their own as the competition reaches its sharp end, while a more consistent presence of Hidde Overdijk would also do their chances no harm. There’s plenty of home-grown talent on view on both sides in this one, and if Voorburg may start as slight favourites, an HCC firing on all cylinders could just be too strong for the champions.

BdJ: After a strong showing from both in recent seasons, both HCC and Voorburg again look like sides in a building phase, arguably a year or two away from a new peak. Spectators will perhaps be treated to a vision of things to come on Saturday, with probably the densest concentration of as-yet uncapped future internationals anywhere in the league. It’s notable that both sides’ fortunes have mirrored the individual form of their least experienced players so far this season, though HCC especially will be hoping that their more seasoned forever-fringe-international trio can make more of an impact this weekend.

RL: Finally, leaders Punjab-Ghausia will be at home to an Excelsior ’20 outfit which all but made certain of a top six spot with their victory over VRA last Sunday. Despite a couple of slip-ups the new combination have thoroughly deserved their seat at the head of the table, and they will be reluctant to surrender it going into the second phase. In Shoaib Minhas and Musa Ahmad they have perhaps the most accomplished opening pair in the competition, and their attack is varied and always threatening. But Excelsior have a potential trump card with the pace of Jason Ralston, and in the absence of Jens Blankestijn in the past couple of games Gijs Kroesen has slotted back in very effectively. Whether that, together with the contributions of Derek Mitchell and Lorenzo ingram, will be enough to overcome Punjab is perhaps moot, but on a final day of the first phase on which there promise to be riches everywhere this, too, could be a great encounter to watch.

BdJ: Generally speaking in the Topklasse if you’ve got six players averaging between 25 and 125 with the bat and as many averaging under 25 with the ball, you’re probably going pretty well. In that light, it’s actually surprising Punjab are just the one point clear at the top of the table. Excelsior, with just the one bat averaging over 25, can probably count themselves lucky to have a place in the top four for now. Those figures are of course in part a reflection of their bowler-friendly home ground at Thurlede, but while runs come easier at the Zomercomplex Punjab have not been in the habit of giving them away for free. Above all Punjab’s success has been built on depth in the batting and a lack of hittable for the opposition to target. Likely needing their best score of the season against a side reliably sending down fifty good overs, fair to say Excelsior will start as underdogs when they cross the Maas on Sunday.

RL’s picks: Saturday: VOC, Voorburg, VRA ; Sunday: VOC, Hermes, VRA, HCC, Punjab.

BdJ’s picks: Saturday: VOC, Voorburg, VRA ; Sunday: VOC, Hermes, VRA, Voorburg, Punjab.