News

Bertus de Jong 16/05/24

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As the final round of T20 League matches approaches, the unseasonably wet weather has left us with a substantial backlog of catch-up games to get through at the back end too, with almost as many rain-repeats scheduled over the next few days as actual Round 6 games. Further complicating the schedule is of course the arrival of the international season, with Scotland and Ireland in town for a tri-series that will pull a number of players out of domestic cricket as the scramble for playoff spots comes to a head.

A total of ten matches remain, to be played over the course of the weekend and Easter Monday. One side has already booked their place for finals day, hosts Voorburg, two points clear at the top of the table, can no longer drop out of the top four. That’s perhaps fortunate for them as they may lose a number of players to international duty – Vivian Kingma, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Michael Levitt unlikely to be available for their catch-up against HBS on the eve of the international tri-series, and even less likely to feature against HCC the next day.

For HBS Craeyenhout, currently in second place but unbeaten and with three games in hand, only a catastrophic final stretch could see them miss out. While they likely lose Kyle Klein and skipper Wesley Barresi to national duty, they only need one win from their three matches against Voorburg, Punjab, or Excelsior to be sure of progressing, and perhaps not even that considering their robust net run rate advantage. While Barresi and Klien have been key to the Crows success thus far, it’s hard to see them missing out from here.

Similarly HCC, though they lose the services of Tim Pringle, have two games in hand to make sure of their spot in the top four, one against a likely weakened Voorburg and another against wooden-spooners Salland, who have not looked like winning a game all season. Though the Lions’ core trio of Staal, Gorlee and Overdijk looked a bit rusty early in the season, all three have started to fire, while young Teun Leijer continues to impress. Though their poor net run rate does mean they will almost certainly need some points to make the playoffs, they’re pretty well-placed to collect them.

All of which makes for a nervous few days on the sidelines for VRA, who have completed all their fixures with five wins from nine and a solid but not insurmountable NRR of +0.85. Hermes DVS could yet leapfrog them, though it would take an emphatic win in their final match – the Schiedam Derby against Excelsior– to the tune of about 60-65 runs or with about 8 overs to spare if chasing. That looks a tall order given that they’ll likely be without Aryan Dutt and just possibly Olivier Elenbaas if the latter’s called up as cover for absentees. Any win could still be enough for the Sky Blues, but it would take a lot of improbable results going their way, having frittered away an excellent start to the season. If Daniel Doyle Calle or CP Klijnhand recover some of their early form one could still envisage a last ditch recovery, but finals day looks a long shot for Hermes as it stands.

Excelsior ‘20 themselves could still sneak in too if they got on a run this weekend, with three games in hand and three wins probably enough. In addition to the derby, Excelsior face HBS and Salland in their final matches. Unlike HBS, Excelsior won’t lose any players to the national team, and if they can take the hnours against rivals Hermes they will feel they’re in with a real chance of a surge up the table.

Meanwhile defending champions VOC Rotterdam are slightly better-placed to storm into the top four, level with Excelsior on two wins and a no result for 5 points in the bank with three games to go. The Bloodhounds will be away for all three fixtures however, first heading to Bermweg to take on Sparta, then the Zomercomplex to face Punjab, and finally Craeyenhout against HBS for their final match. With both Sparta 1888 and Punjab-Ghausia already out of contention (as are Salland of course), a full-strength VOC probably pose the greatest threat to HCC and VRA’s position in the top four. By the time Monday roles around HBS may already be safe as well, meaning VOC would exclusively be playing opponents with nothing to gain or lose.

All told there’s plenty of possibilities and permutations still in play, and the final four may well not be decided before the final match on Monday.

Rod Lyall 13/05/24

Voorburg tmade sure on Sunday of a place at the T20 finals day they will be hosting on 26 May, when they saw off a spirited challenge from Excelsior ’20 at Westvliet and won by eight wickets.

Excelsior’s imposing total of 197 for three was set up skipper Roel Verhagen’s 39-ball 70, 47 from Stan van Troost, and a composed fourth-wicket stand of 51 in 27 deliveries between Lorenzo Ingram (37 not out) and Derek Mitchell (22 not out), although it could have been even higher but for effective spells from Voorburg’s Sybrand Engelbrecht and Michael Molenaar.

The Schiedammers threatened to take the upper hand when they removed both openers, but the game was taken away from them by an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 146 between Gavin Kaplan, whose 81 not out came from just 52 deliveries, and Engelbrecht (64 not out from 43), the winning run coming with just one ball to spare.

It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Excelsior, who had brought themselves back into contention for a semi-final spot with victories over Punjab-Ghausia on Friday evening and VRA the following day.

Not for the first time, Excelsior showed remarkable resilience in defending a low total against Punjab: Saqib Zulfiqar’s four for 27 had been instrumental in dismissing them for a disappointing 118, Mitchell top-scoring with 33, and at 84 for three in the 14^th over Punjab appeared to be cruising.

But then Jason Ralston bowled Jonathan Vandiar for 33 and a remarkable collapse ensued: five more wickets fell for the addition of just 16 runs, and even a late flurry from Sajjad Kamal left them nine runs short.

Ralston finished with three for 19, Niels Etman giving excellent support with two for 20.

A much more assured batting performance enabled Excelsior to take command of the game against VRA on Saturday: Tim Etman (53 from 34) and Verhagen (28 from 23) put on 86 for the first wicket, and then it was Ingram and Mitchell who closed out the innings, Ingram finishing with an unbeaten 32-ball 47.

VRA’s reply never really got out of first gear, the best partnership 31 for the second wicket between Vikram Singh and Abul Sheikh. The wickets were shared, Ingram, Ralston, Niels Etman, Lubbers and Luuk Kroesen picking up two apiece as VRA were all out for 111.

A wretched weekend for VRA continued into Sunday, when another batting collapse saw them slump to a 20-run defeat by HCC at De Diepput.

They had started brilliantly, Ben Fletcher removing Jed Wiggins with the first ball of the match and Bob Entrop, returning to first-team cricket after a 14-year absence, shortly afterwards, and although Tonny Staal contributed 31 and Conor McInerney 34 it took a defiant 31 not out from Patient Charumbira in the closing stages to get them up to 138 for eight, Fletcher finishing with three for 34.

Again VRA’s batting let them down: despite Singh’s 32, marked chiefly by three consecutive sixes off Hidde Overdijk, they were soon in desperate trouble at 54 for seven, the damage having been done by Daniel Crowley at the top of the innings and then by Adam Leonard (four for 11) and Wiggins (three for 20).

Elijah Eales (23) and Udit Nashier (29 not out) put up significant resistance towards the end, limiting the NRR damage somewhat, but the side was dismissed for 118, and VRA, having completed their programme, will now have to wait to see whether results elsewhere mean that their five earlier wins will be enough to see them to the finals day. It seems unlikely.

Also likely to miss out on a spot at Westvliet on 26 May are Hermes-DVS, whose nine-wicket defeat by VOC on Saturday was only partially offset by their subsequent 33-run victory over Punjab-Ghausia.

Despite Daniel Doyle’s 40 and 21 from Aryan Dutt, Hermes could only manage 118 in their first game, Jelte Schoonheim taking three for 27 for VOC and Arnav Jain and Asief Hoseinbaks picking up two wickets apiece.

It was never likely to be enough, and VOC rattled off the runs in 13.3 overs, thanks to an opening stand of 95 between Ryan Schierhout (37) and Francois Fourie (59 not out from 38).

But then Doyle produced the individual batting performance of the weekend, smashing his second century of the campaign with an unbeaten, 57-ball 101 which saw his side to 179 for four, Ashley Ostling contributing 38.

Olivier Elenbaas quickly struck twice when Punjab replied, and although Saqib Zulfiqar made a 47-ball 66 the visitors steadily fell behind the required rate and ended on 146 for six.

HBS, meanwhile, were maintaining their unbeaten record with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sparta 1888 at the Bermweg.

An unrelenting Crows’ attack never let their hosts off the hook, and although Juandre Scheepers hit a defiant 45 which included four sixes, he received little support, and the innings closed on 123 for eight.

At 28 for three HBS wobbled slightly, but then Matthew de Villiers and Wesley Barresi steadied the reply, adding 73 for the fourth wicket before De Villiers fell to the admirable Ahsan Malik for a 22-ball 42.

Barresi continued in company with Kyle Klein, moving to 49 not out with the six which secured HBS the win.