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Rod Lyall 13/08/23

The battle for semi-final places extended into Sunday’s final round of matches in the Championship pool, but even victory over HCC was insufficient to carry ACC into the final four as the defending champions had the advantage of the single point they had gained from their tie with Sparta 1888 back in July.

The other side to miss out was VOC, who lost to Rotterdam rivals Punjab by seven wickets at the Hazelaarweg.

After winning the toss VOC were stunned by the loss to two wickets within the first four balls of the match, Muhammad Shafiq removing both Francois Fourie and Lane Berry without scoring, but a third-wicket stand of 135 between Max O’Dowd (79) and Scott Edwards (65) put their side back on top for a time.

Once Sulaiman Tariq had dismissed them both, however, the innings subsided, and with Sikander Zulfiqar claiming three for 29 the last six wickets fell for the addition of just 10 runs as the side was all out for 175.

Punjab were in trouble in their turn, Asief Hoseinbaks reducing them to 48 for three and taking three for 29 in an unbroken ten-over spell, but that brought Saqib and Sikander Zulfiqar together, and they saw their side home with a stand of 129 to complete a seven-wicket victory with 70 balls to spare.

The win, together with results elsewhere, carried Punjab back into second spot and earned them a double chance of reaching the grand final – they will now play leaders Voorburg at Westvliet in the first semi-final.

HCC missed their chance to go second when they lost to ACC by 75 runs at Het Loopveld.

The basis of ACC’s total of 247 for seven, their second-highest of the season, was a fourth-wicket partnership of 141 between Thomas Hobson and Heino Kuhn, which rescued them from a perilous 48 for three.

Hobson was eventually dismissed for 79, but Kuhn remained unbeaten on 104, managing the tail and ensuring that momentum was maintained in the closing overs despite two run-outs.

HCC got off to a solid start when they replied, Tonny Staal making 57 before he was caught by Hobson off his own bowling, but with Mahesh Hans cutting through the top and middle order to claim three for 31 and two more run-outs, their challenge faltered, and they were all out for 172.

At Westvliet leaders Voorburg flirted with defeat by Sparta 1888, but were seen home by a dogged ninth-wicket stand of 42 between Philippe Boissevain and Mess van Vliet after Joost Martijn Snoep and Joost Kroesen appeared to have put the Spartans into a winning position.

They were defending a relatively modest 162, which was dominated by Garnett Tarr’s 93; he received too little support, however, and with Shariz Ahmad taking five for 32, his fourth five-wicket haul of the campaign, and bringing his season’s tally to 43 at an average of 11, Voorburg should have had a relatively easy chase.

But Snoep struck three times to reduce them to 47 for three, and when brothers Musa and Shariz Ahmad appeared to swung the game their side’s way Kroesen chimed in, removing first Musa for 53 and then Shariz for 42.

At 121 for eight Sparta were now on top, but Boissevain and Van Vliet, with plenty of overs in hand, were content to pick off the runs in ones and twos, their partnership not including a single boundary but moving swiftly enough to reach their target with seven and a half overs to spare.

Snoep finished with three for 38 and Kroesen with the day’s most popular figures, three for 29.

Despite this defeat Sparta stayed ahead of HCC on NRR, and will therefore enjoy home advantage in next Saturday’s second semi-final.

In the Relegation pool, HBS removed any lingering fears of the drop into the Hoofdklasse with a 140-run victory over Excelsior ‘20, who could still – at least in theory – be overtaken by bottom side Salland.

HBS set the highest total of the day, 270 for eight, thanks to another century by Tayo Walbrugh, his fifth of the season.

He shared in useful partnerships with Wesley Barresi (33) and then with Kyle Klein, and after he fell to Roel Verhagen for 104 Klein took over the baton, making an unbeaten 70 as the Crows piled on the runs.

Excelsior were soon in trouble, and although Stan van Troost made 36 and his brother Rens 31, they never looked likely to mount a serious challenge, Nic Adendorff claiming five for 51, including the vital wicket of Lorenzo Ingram, and they were eventually dismissed for 140.

The Schiedammers will now need to win one of their two remaining games next weekend, away to VRA on Saturday and at home to Salland on Sunday, or at the very least they will have to ensure that they do not lose heavily enough to eat away their very considerable net run rate advantage over their rivals.

Rod Lyall 12/08/23

Another blistering century from Vikram Singh was enough almost to put paid to Salland’s last remaining hope of remaining in next season’s Topklasse in the Amsterdamse Bos on Saturday, as VRA chased down their visitors’ 224 for eight in 23.3 overs.

Despite a reduction to 32 overs a side after heavy rain overnight and during the morning caused a delayed start, Salland set their highest total in their two years in the top flight, Piyaranga Ottachchige equalling his highest score of the season with 82, made from 80 deliveries, and skipper Victor Lubbers contributing 41.

But any thought that the Amsterdammers’ 455 in 47 overs at Craeyenhout a fortnight ago might have been a fluke, or solely a product of Craeyenhout’s batter-friendly conditions, was quickly dispelled as Singh again went onto the attack.

Salland managed to remove Shirase Rasool (33), Johan Smal (30) and Teja Nidamanuru (10) at the other end, but Singh was again completely dominant, reaching his third century of the campaign from just 57 deliveries with seven fours and six sixes.

By the time his side had completed their chase he had moved on to an unbeaten 133, made from 70 balls with ten fours and nine sixes, and he had brought his strike rate for the season to 110.48.

Although two wins in their final two matches could theoretically bring Salland level with either HBS or Excelsior ’20 – should either of them lose all three games they still have to play – their net run rate deficit is so great that it would take an extraordinary set of results to enable them to escape bottom spot on the table.

In the Championship pool, HCC, after an early collapse against VOC Rotterdam in their rained-off encounter last week, elected to field at a damp Diepput this time and quickly seized the initiative, Hidde Overdijk removing first Max O’Dowd and then Scott Edwards with successive deliveries in just the third over of the game.

VOC never really recovered from this double blow, and although Lane Berry made 24 and Mussayab Jamil 29, a fine spell from Daniel Doram, who bowled nine overs and took four for 14, prevented any recovery.

Overdijk picked up another wicket to finish with three for 14, and it took an enterprising 17 from Asief Hoseinbaks to get their total up to 110 before they were all out, almost ten of their 41 overs left unused.

A target of 111 caused the defending champions few problems, Ratha Alphonse leading the way with 40, and after he departed Patient Charumbira declined to live up to his given name, smacking two fours and two sixes as he raced to an unbeaten 22 from ten deliveries, HCC needing one ball more than half their allocated overs to complete a seven-wicket victory.

The victory enabled HCC to leapfrog Punjab Rotterdam, as did Sparta 1888 by virtue of their three-wicket win against ACC at the Bermweg.

ACC were again unable to take full advantage of a good start, which saw them reach 103 for two thanks to 36 from Rahil Ahmed and 26 from hius fellow-opener Shreyas Potdar.

But thereafter only Heino Kuhn was able to gain the upper hand against Sparta’s persistent attack, and no-one was able to stay with him for long; he was the ninth man out for exactly 50, and the innings ended on 195.

The Amsterdammers fought hard in the field, reducing Sparta to 73 for four at one stage, but a fifth-wicket partnership of 91 between Will Clark (75) and Joost Kroesen (45) turned the game around, and Sandeep Sardha saw them to victory with two balls to spare.

Saturday’s results ensure that Sparta and HCC will both play in the semi-finals, but VOC would squeeze into fourth place were they to beat Punjab at the Hazelaarweg on Sunday.

For ACC, even victory over HCC is unlikely to be enough: any result at the Hazelaarweg is likely to leave them outside the top four.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 11/08/23

After a disappointingly wet weekend that saw just one match completed in Round 13, the back end of the Topklasse schedule has been thrown into a degree of disarray. Voorburg’s win over Punjab served only to tie a bow on their already-assured spot at the top of the table, and the rest of the matches will be replayed over the next couple of weekends. VOC vs HCC and Sparta vs ACC are both pencilled in for Saturday the 12th, and the remaining two matches a week later. For our thoughts on those games we refer you to our previous preview, but a full slate of round 14 matches are also coming up this weekend, with Salland taking on VRA in a must-win match at Amsterdamse Bos, and the rest of the round scheduled for Sunday.

BdJ: Defeat for Salland at VRA could all-but seal their fate, already trailing Excelsior and HBS by two wins and at a substantial net run rate disadvantage. The hosts will again be without Aaditt Jain and Udit Nashier, both still on under 19s duty, but remain heavy favourites even against a full-strength Salland side. The Amsterdammers looked well on top against Excelsior last week before the rain put a stop the the game, while Tim Drummond had Salland chasing leather. VRA are already well safe of course, while Salland realistically need three wins to have a hope of staying up. Whether motivation can trump momentum thus looks the key question on Saturday, but history favours the latter.

RL: The task for Salland remains daunting, and there’s little sign that the return of their German contingent will bring about a change in their fortunes. For VRA, on the other hand, the presence of Singh, Rasool and Co. in the top order offers the prospect of plenty of runs, while even without Nashier and Jain the attack has both variety and incisiveness. Salland escaped by the skin of their teeth from relegation in the T20 Cup; it would be a huge surprise were they to repeat the trick in the 50-over competition, and Saturday in the Bos might well seal their fate.

BdJ: The weekend’s other relegation pool fixture effectively sees HBS: and Excelsior: competing for safety, with the winner assured of top-flight survival. Despite a less than successful season the hosts will start as favourites at Craeyenhout, Tim Drummond’s maiden century last week adding another name to the now-complete list of centurions in the HBS top five. The bowling remains a worry, but given the form of Excelsior’s top-order probably not one that’s keeping the Crows up at night. The Schiedammers’ reliance on Lorenzo Ingram and Michael Hart for runs has been particularly pronounced this season, and were it not for Salland’s woes they might well have been headed for the Hoofdklasse.

RL: The HBS attack has looked more convincing with the return, at least on a part-time basis, of the Fabulous Vink Brothers, and although Tobias Visée’s occasional appearances have so far been limited to cameos at best, his role has to some extent been taken over by Reece Mason. With Drummond now established in the top order and Nic Adendorff ditto as a useful all-rounder HBS look a more solid outfit, and they will trouble an Excelsior side which, although the squad list has changed relatively little, has been well short of their form of recent seasons. Ingram leads the wicket-takers and well as the run-scorers by a country mile, and if HBS can neutralise his threat they should make sure of the points they need to guarantee survival.

BdJ: At the other end of the table Voorburg have already secured the top spot, but will be keen to maintain their winning streak when they head to Bermweg to take on Sparta 1888. The hosts will be gunning to join VCC in the preliminary final, and currently third behind Punjab but with a game in hand the Spartans are well-placed to bag that double-shot at the final. Having bowled ACC out for 128 last week before the rain came the bowling looks to be on-song, and Voorburg may be without Ryan Klein, who is nursing a bruised foot, but Vivian Kingma will be back from coaching duties and there’s a fair few in the VCC ranks, not least their newly-eligible skipper, who will be looking to bolster their case for inclusion in the World Cup travelling party.

RL: Sparta were the unluckiest team last weekend, well on their way to victory over ACC when the rain brought a premature end, and the way in which they fought back after an indifferent start suggested that they will maintain their challenge for a semi-final place to the bitter end. They do miss Ahsan Malik with the new ball, but their workmanlike attack, especially when Mudassar Bukhari is at anything like his best, is capable of causing most sides problems. Whether that includes Voorburg’s star-studded line-up remains doubtful, however, and it would be one of the bigger surprises of the season were they to take the points back to Capelle.

BdJ: Also jostling for position at the top end are ACC: and HCC:, who meet at ‘t Loopveld on Saturday. On paper HCC should be favourites, but they were on the ropes against VOC last week before the rain came. The top order’s form has been shaky at best, while the season’s stand-out Hidde Overdijk may be in doubt for the weekend. The all-rounder looked rather under the weather at the pro-series game at VRA on Thursday, managing just two balls before heading to the latrines – suspicion falling on a dodgy plate of ribs the night before. ACC skipper Heino Kuhn is also understood to be planning to hit 200 runs this weekend, though it’s not clear how he plans to divide them between the two matches.

RL: Reaching the top six, surprising as it was, seems likely to prove the height of ACC’s achievements this season, and with their title at stake last year’s champions will have every reason to turn it on in Amstelveen and make almost sure of a semi-final place. Doubts about Overdijk and last week’s batting collapse notwithstanding, HCC look a much more complete side than their hosts, and the lurking threat of Jonathan Vandiar is always there. The head-to-head between the two South Africans will be an extremely interesting aspect of this encounter, but with Teun Kloppenburg back from Under-19 duty the Lions’ batting overall looks a good deal stronger than ACC’s, and the attack also has greater edge.

BdJ: Finally VOC take on Punjab at Hazelaarweg, in what could well prove a crucial match-up in the context of play-off positioning. The hosts are likely to welcome back Edwards and O’Dowd, but may not be at full strength across a double weekend. Punjab meanwhile have been without Riaz and Minhas for the back end of the season, though with a full complement of Zulfiqars and the benefit of a single game to focus on this weekend they remain entirely in contention for both the win and a top two spot if other results fall their way. VOC have the benefit of a substantial net run rate advantage over the field, but whether the T20 champions have the hunger to chase the double is another question.

RL: The loss of Minhas and Riaz has hurt Punjab, and they will not only need the Zulfiqars to be at their best with both bat and ball but will be looking to the Yasir Usmans and Mubashar Hussains to chip in as well if they are to upset a VOC side who, along with HCC, look to be the strongest candidates to get between Voorburg and their seemingly-inevitable title. The return of O’Dowd would be a huge boost for the Bloodhounds, who looked very sharp indeed in cutting through HCC’s top order last week and who will hope that Lane Berry can play some imposing innings as the season reaches its business end.

BdJ’s picks: VRA, HBS, Voorburg, HCC, VOC
RL: VRA, HBS, Voorburg, HCC, VOC.