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Centuries for Rasool and Berry as the sun shines

Rod Lyall 01/05/2023

The sun shone brilliantly on Saturday, the first day of a Topklasse double weekend, and after the miserable opening to the season the previous week some batters at least were able to take advantage of the conditions and get themselves among the runs.

Anyone hoping for tense, exciting cricket, however, would have been bitterly disappointed, for the disparities within the competition which had been hinted at before the rain ruined the first round were now fully in evidence.

The nearest thing to a competitive game was at Thurlede, where VRA Amsterdam beat Excelsior ’20 by a mere 86 runs.

The Amsterdammers got off to a great start after Tim Etman had put them in, Shirase Rasool and Vikram Singh putting on 87 for the first wicket and Johan Smal then helping Rasool to take the total to 196 for one.

Singh’s contribution was 35 and Smal’s 56, but when Niels Etman returned to remove Smal and Rasool, immediately after reaching his third Topklasse century, fell to Tom Heggelman, it was left to Teja Nidamanuru and Tyler van Luin to build on this platform.

They added exactly 50, but then there came a flurry of wickets as the middle and lower order hit out in the closing overs, six falling for the addition of only 15 runs as VRA closed on 265 for nine.

There were three wickets apiece for Heggelman and Lorenzo Ingram, but the pick of the bowlers was Michael Hart, whose figures of one for 54 did less than justice to the quality of his effort.

Van Luin, Aryan Dutt and Eduard Visser then combined to reduce Excelsior to 71 for five, and despite some resistance from Niels Etman (37) and from Hart, last man out for 69, the home side were dismissed for 179, Visser claiming four for 41 and Van Luin three for 18, while Dutt was again a model of control, conceding just 22 from his ten overs.

The highest total of the day came at Craeyenhout, where Sparta 1888 ran up 330 for nine against a somewhat threadbare HBS attack.

Ali Raza performed one of his smash-and-grab raids, hitting a 16-ball 34 to get his side into top gear, but the real basis of their score was a second-wicket stand of 130 between Sam Ferguson (57) and Garnett Tarr (95).

Will Clark, the other member of Sparta’s trio of overseas players, contributed 58 to follow up his half-century the previous week, while Kyle Klein was the most successful of the HBS bowlers with three for 68.

Ahsan Malik then claimed two early wickets as HBS replied, and although Tayo Walbrugh made 46 and there were thirties from Kyle Klein and Nic Adendorff the Crows could only manage 186, Joost Kroesen removing both of the latter and running through the tail to finish with five for 32, his best-ever Topklasse figures.

VOC Rotterdam’s overseas player Lane Berry confirmed the promise he had shown in the rained-off game at Punjab with a fine 124 against HCC at the Hazelaarweg, anchoring his side’s total of 254 all out with stands of 95 with Scott Edwards (40) and Tim de Kok (43) and setting up a comfortable 149-run victory over the defending champions.

Jan-Wieger Overdijk eventually had him caught, and removed De Kok, Pieter Seelaar and Burhan Niaz into the bargain to finish with four for 47, and there was a wicket for Daniel Doram, drafted into the HCC squad as a late replacement for the injured Tim Pringle.

The Lions had no real answer against VOC’s attack, Jelte Schoonheim picking up three wickets for 20 early on and Asief Hoseinbaks three for 14 later, and the innings ended on a disappointing 105.

Voorburg cruised to an easy victory over Salland at Het Schootsveld, Shariz Ahmad securing his best Topklasse figures with six for 13 from ten overs and Sajjad Kamal picking up the rest with four for 24 as the Deventer side collapsed from 90 without loss to 135 all out in the space of barely twenty overs.

Piyaranga Ottachchige (51) and Venkat Ganesan (39) had given them a record-breaking start, but once they had gone the rest had no answer to Shariz and Kamal, and although Elam Bharathi battled valiantly, taking all four Voorburg wickets that fell, 38 from stand-in captain Musa Ahmad and an unbeaten 47 from little brother Shariz ensured that the visitors completed their win with almost twenty overs to spare.

It was a similar story at Het Zomercomplex, where Punjab Rotterdam’s attack ran through ACC, bowling them out for 124.

Thomas Hobson’s 55 was the only significant contribution to the ACC total, with Saqib Zulfiqar taking three for 16 for Punjab and Sulaiman Tariq, Aliyaan Mahmood and Mohammad Shafiq collecting two wickets apiece.

Pienaar Buys gave the Amsterdammers some hope with two quick wickets, but Sikander Zulfiqar and Shoaib Minhas steadied the ship for Punjab, their unbroken stand of 62 seeing them to a seven-wicket victory.

Round 3 Preview

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 28/04/23

Given that at the time of writing we don’t know the outcome of Saturday’s matches and we only have one complete (if rain-affected) game to go on, anything below is bound to be a bit provisional. An early-season double weekend is an interesting phenomenon, in part the result of the need to compress the Topklasse season because of (a) the once-more aborted Euroslam and (b) the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe in June; we don’t have the stats, but memory suggests that clubs often have great difficulty managing two wins on successive days. Still, let’s go with what we know . . .

RJL: ACC’s attack did very well on their own (astro)turf against HBS on the opening day, and will now face a VOC Rotterdam top order which seems likely to be a much more formidable proposition. As Punjab discovered all too clearly, it’s vital to remove VOC’s Big Three of O’Dowd, Berry and Edwards if you’re to have any chance of restricting them to a moderate score. Not that they don’t have plenty of resources in the middle order, with Tim de Kok, Burhan Niaz and Jelte Schoonheim all capable of chiming in if needed. The Amsterdammers’ batting is, by contrast, an unknown quantity, although any line-up with Heino Kuhn in it demands plenty of respect. VOC’s bowling has been strengthened by the arrival of Asief Hoseinbaks from Dosti, although that may mean that there are fewer opportunities for young Siebe van Wingerden. But the fact remains: if ACC can’t achieve early breakthroughs it looks as if the task might be too great for them.

BdJ: Given the amount of changes to this ACC line-up it’s a little early to judge the strength of the side, but on the early evidence their threat with the ball lies in their slow bowlers. Yet even if they are able to get past VOC’s top order, the promotion of Arnav Jain to open alongside O’Dowd frees up Edwards to take a floating role in the middle order, and as a counter to spin there’s few better. VOC remain a batting-heavy side of course, and it’s fair to say the arrival of Hoseinbaks from Dosti doesn’t quite make up for the absence of Pieter Seelaar. Whether ACC have the batting to take advantage is open to question, but certainly Kuhn’s return doesn’t hurt.

RJL: As we keep saying, this Sparta side looks a lot more challenging to its opponents than its immediate predecessors, and their encounter with Punjab at the Bermweg on Sunday has the makings of a titanic battle. Mudassar Bukhari looked on the opening day as if his hunger for runs is very far from diminished, and with his fellow ex-international Ahsan Malik still spearheading the attack the home side may be a little sharper than that of Punjab. The men in green were without Sohail Bhatti on the opening day, and he would add some incisiveness to the Punjab new-ball attack were he to play. There remain questions, though, about the consistency of the Spartans’ top order, and they will need Sam Ferguson, Garnett Tarr and Will Clark all to get among the runs if they are to counter Punjab’s powerful top five.

BdJ: Punjab certainly looked to be at least one bowler light against VOC, and while Sparta’s new-look top order doesn’t look to have quite settled into Dutch conditions yet the quality is there to take advantage. It was Saqib Zulfiqar that was the chief architect of their collapse in the last completed match between the two, however, and while the loss of Myburgh and Vandiar leave some big shoes to fill, there’s little evidence to suggest that Punjab are incapable of running up serious scores. The seam trio of Bukhari, Malik and Khalid Ahmadi provide plenty of wicket-taking potential, but if a pair of Punjab bats can get set then containment may prove difficult.

RJL: Excelsior ‘20 are next up in the Who’s-Got-What-It-Takes-to-Beat-Voorburg? Contest, which last year ran until the end of May, when it turned out that the answer was VOC (this involves the assumption that Salland didn’t spring a surprise on Saturday). We can keep singing the praises of a Voorburg side which seems to have all the bases covered, but Excelsior’s main strength may turn out to be the sheer experience they are able to bring to the game: five key members of the team have played nearly 850 top flight matches between them, winning the title three times out of six attempts, and that can’t be discounted, even against the team of all the talents that Voorburg has assembled. Hart vs. Levitt will be an interesting match-up, but no-one should underestimate the capacity of Lorenzo Ingram to turn a game, either with bat or ball. None of which means that the home side won’t go into this game strong favourites.

BdJ: The enduring influence of the evergreen Ingram, 40 years young as of a fortnight ago, has been indispensable to Excelsior’s success over the years, and there’s been little sign of him slowing down in recent seasons. The continued development of Niels Etman also affords Excelsior an enviable left-right new ball pairing with Hart, and while VCC’s top order remains imposing, the batting isn’t as deep as it was last season. The VCC bowling unit is perhaps the more intimidating aspect of the side, with 20 overs of quality legspin and another 20 over international standard seam available to new skipper Sybrand Engelbrecht. While Excelsior certainly have as good a shot as anyone at taking points off VCC, it indeed remains a long one.

RJL: After two tricky away games HCC will doubtless be glad to get back to De Diepput, where they will face Salland on Sunday. A double weekend with a trip to Den Haag will be a big ask for Salland’s itinerant squad, and they won’t relish the prospect of trying to contain Tonny Staal and Jonathan Vandiar on the champions’ historic but diminutive home ground. It’s a big ask for the champions to regroup after their losses since last season, but there’s enough talent in their squad to more than hold their own in what promises to be an intensely competitive campaign even by Topklasse standards. Their first objective (like everybody else’s, no doubt) will be the secure a place in the top six, and for that a win against Salland might be thought to be a sine qua non. As always, a lot depends on who the Overijssel side are able to bring to the Randstad, but they will certainly be hoping to improve on their rather dismal effort on the opening day.

BdJ: Assembling a first-choice eleven is invariably a tougher task for Salland than most sides, as evidenced by the amount of time the venerable Steven Lubbers spent on the field for them last season. That said the arrival of two young Kiwi overseas in Finn Raxworthy and Fraser Bartholomew may alleviate that issue somewhat, though the Deventer side will be looking for a better showing with the bat this weekend from Raxworthy at least. He should have a somewhat easier time of it at de Diepput if he can adapt to a mat, HCC’s seam attack looking rather innocuous on Saturday. We’ve not had a look at the Salland attack yet given the rain at the Bos and their lack of warm-up games, but if they can get a full strength side to the Hague there likely won’t be much to hit on offer for the hosts. Salland’s stated objectives this season don’t rise much higher than survival, but two points collected at de Diepput would certainly help that cause.

RJL: Having demolished most of Salland’s batting on Day 1 VRA will be keen to repeat the dose against HBS, who were suffering a similar experience against ACC more or less simultaneously on the other side of Amstelveen, and who will now come to the Amsterdamse Bos to face what looks to be a very decent side. Having last year managed to be rather less than the sum of its parts last season, VRA will be hoping that new skipper Leon Turmaine is able to pull together his squad’s mix of youth and experience, the former part of the rich legacy Peter Borren leaves behind him, and they certainly made a promising start last Saturday. For HBS the challenge is to absorb the much greater numerical losses they have suffered, and their new captain Wesley Barresi, returning to the ground where he really built his Dutch reputation, will be he and Tayo Walbrugh meet conditions a little more conducive to batting than last week’s. On the other hand, it’s the Crows’ attack which has been most severely depleted, and with Singh, Rasool, Balbirnie et al. in the VRA top order favourable batting conditions might do the home side even more favours.

BdJ: While there were no particular demons in the VRA deck last Saturday, certainly nothing to justify the scoreline when the rain came, it would be foolish to arrive at the Bos in April expecting a late summer road, and both Barresi and Walbrugh’s most recent big scores at the ground have come toward the back end of the season. While it remains to be seen whether Turmaine can marshal the resources at his disposal as astutely as Borren did, it’s fair to say he has more to work with than Barresi, who leads an HBS side at the very base of what looks a mountainous rebuilding phase. The bowling especially looks rather thin, and one suspects Barresi will have to contribute as much with ball as with bat if the Crows are to score an upset.

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

BdJ’s picks: VOC, Punjab, Voorburg, HCC, VRA.

Round 2 preview

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyalll 25/04/23

While the April weather got the best of round one, with Voorburg versus HCC the only fixture that managed to beat the rain, the forecast looks somewhat more promising for the first of what now looks likely to be several doubled-up rounds this coming weekend. The four washed-out match from last Saturday will likely be replayed on Sunday the 7th, by which time we ought to have three more rounds on the board and a fair idea of how the season’s shaping up. For now though it’s still all to play for.

BdJ: Having closed out a convincing 8-wicket win over the defending champions on Saturday, Voorburg will be looking to extend their early lead when they make the trip out to Deventer to take on Salland on Saturday. Though the abbreviated match against HCC didn’t give us much to go on, it’s fair to say the bowling unit at least looks in decent shape, with the four man seam section all bagging at least one wicket and the twin leggies looking good before the rain came. The diminutive target meant the batting wasn’t truly tested, though if Salland can’t improve on last week’s performance that may be be the case again come Saturday. Salland’s batting was never their strength of course, and their bowlers didn’t get a chance to try to defend the handful of runs they’d scraped together. Both Venkat Ganesan and Victor Lubbers showed some admirable obstinacy with the bat, but they will need more from their overseas than a pair of first-ball ducks if they’re to get points on the board on Saturday.

RJL: If this Voorburg has a weak spot, it’s fair to say that HCC didn’t find it last week, and there was little in Salland’s effort in Amstelveen to suggest that their chances of doing so are any better. That said, conditions in the Bos – and everywhere else – were hardly ideal for cricket last Saturday, and on their own turf Victor Lubbers’ outfit may be able to put up a more sustained performance. But with Noah Croes looking to be in ominous form and Michael Levitt clearly capable of playing big innings, the Deventer-based side will need to fire on all cylinders if they are to treat their home supporters to a win. They showed occasionally last season that they are capable of springing a surprise, and in the end they stayed up comfortably enough, but it would be a brave prediction to anticipate anything other than a Voorburg victory here.

BdJ: Though VRA will be frustrated to miss out on the points against Salland, they’ll nonetheless have taken plenty of encouragement from their performance with the ball last Saturday. Southpaw spearhead Ashir Abid proved incisive with the new ball, while the offpin combination of Aryan Dutt and Leon Turmaine looked a potent one, Dutt barely going for a run an over and Turmaine bagging three wickets on his debut as captain. They may have a tougher job when they arrive at Thurlede of course, though Excelsior ‘20’s batting line up looks both shorter and more fragile than it has in seasons past. The Schiedammers will draw some encouragement from newcomer Michael Hart’s showing with the new ball alongside Niels Etman, though they will be hoping he can also replicate his predecessor Brett Hampton’s contributions with the bat last season.

RJL: Tom Heggelman’s side has long been better than the sum of its parts, due in no small measure to the captain’s own contributions with both bat and ball as well as his canny tactical sense. Whether that will be enough to overcome a VRA side which showed every sign last week of shrugging off the departure of Peter Borren is another matter, and the Amsterdammers’ visits to Thurlede have had an extra edge since the days when they seemed to take turns in claiming the championship. Two well-balanced attacks will provide serious tests for the opposing batting line-ups, both of which will be looking for decent starts from their seasoned opening pairings of Roel Verhagen and Tim Etman for the home side and Vikram Singh and Shirase Rasool for the visitors. VRA look to have more fire-power in the middle order, but much may depend on whether Hart is able to impose himself with the bat. This one is, especially in our current state of knowledge (very little), too close to call.

BdJ: The big news at Bermweg last week was of course the evident non-retirement of both Mudassar Bukari and Ahsan Malik, meaning Sparta 1888’s line-up looks more formidable that might have been expected. Bukhari’s measure innings at number four alongside an impressive debut for William Clarke suggests the Spartan top six could be a force this season, despite being reduced to 13-3 on Saturday as Mahmoon Latif, second overseas Sam Ferguson and the returning Garnett Tarr all fell cheaply. They’ll likely have an easier time at Craeyenhout against a rather green HBS attack hollowed out by departure and retirements, though they will still need to contain the Crows’ potentially dangerous batting line up. Tayo Walbrugh and Wes Barresi both failed at ACC last week but they’re unlikely to stay quiet for long, and an impressive outing for debutant Swapnil Pote suggests HBS may have deeper reserves than some suspected.

RJL: Sparta certainly look like a much stronger side on paper than that which has often struggled to stay up in recent seasons, but the question may be how well that group of talented – and in some cases, very experienced – individuals cohere as a team. There was some evidence pointing in both directions in the abortive game against Excelsior, but we should get a clearer idea from their visit to Craeyenhout to take on an HBS side which seems – again, on paper – to be heading in the opposite direction. Batting at ‘t Loopveld is admittedly never a straightforward proposition, especially on a damp early-season morning, and the Crows can be expected to give a much better account of themselves on their own astroturf in front of their own support. Failures by both Walbrugh and Barresi don’t come along very often, and Sparta will want to see the back of both of them to give themselves a decent chance of two very significant points.

BdJ: Despite the rain precluding a result, VOC Rotterdam will also have been reasonably pleased with their efforts last Saturday, even if only three players were called upon to do anything. Max O’Dowd looked to be cruising toward another Topklasse century when the rain came, and new opening partner Arnav Jain supported him ably to see of the threat of the new ball. Lane Berry’s Topklasse debut was also more than encouraging, a brisk unbeaten 59 off 45 balls suggesting plenty more runs to come. The re-jigged top order allows skipper Scott Edwards to assume the floating role he plays so well for the Dutch, and may serve well in countering HCC’s spin threat (that is to say, Clayton Floyd) when they welcome the Lions to Hazelaarweg. VOC’s chief concern on Saturday (and likely through the season) will be their bowling, specifically how to deal with the threat of Jonathan Vandiar, who alone of HCC’s line-up looked in good nick against VCC.

RJL: Having faced five Dutch internationals at Voorburg last week, the defending champions will have to take on two more in O’Dowd and Scott Edwards on Saturday, along with the already-menacing Berry, and they are entitled to feel that the draw has done them few initial favours. Their own international batters, Tonny Staal and Boris Gorlee barely got a start and Hidde Overdijk, although he gave Vandiar some support, was also unable to impose himself on Voorburg’s outstanding attack. Their own bowling looked steady rather than incisive, albeit with the odds atacked against them, but Daniel Crowley bowled an encouraging spell, enough to suggest that he could be a useful new-ball partner for Overdijk. Whether VOC’s bowling unit will measure up to the power of their top order remains uncertain, but they will face a genuine test against an HCC line-up which has a lot more to offer than it was able to show against Voorburg.

BdJ: Finally ACC head down to the Zomercomplex to take on a Punjab side that looked rather stuck for ideas against VOC last week. In the absence of Salarazai and Said the Punjab attack rather lacks for firepower this season, and though Sulaiman Tariq remains a canny operator both with the ball and as skipper, the problem of how to deal with Thomas Hobson and Heino Kuhn in the ACC middle order remains a thorny one. The simplest option may simply be to out-hit them of course, and Punjab have shown in pre-season that even without the likes of Myburgh and Vandiar they are more than capable of racking up big scores. The early running suggests ACC’s chief bowling threat looks to be their slow-bowling section, and how well the ACC spinners can contain Punjab in spite of the grounds dimensions may prove decisive on Saturday.

RJL: ACC are another outfit which seems to have dealt itself an improved hand over the winter, with Heino Kuhn in a key leadership role and the arrival of Rahil Ahmed and Mahesh Hans from Dosti. They will, of course, miss Mees van Vliet, their leading wicket-taker last season, but Joseph Reddy looked like a useful new-ball partner for Aryan Kumar; the test will be whether they are able to make early inroads into a Zulfiqar-heavy Punjab top order which also now includes the undoubted skills of the returning Shoaib Minhas. We don’t yet know what the ACC batting line-up will actually look like, but even in the reduced state of the Punjab attack they are likely to face a stern test at ‘t Zomercomplex. Again, not easy to pick this one, but in the end home advantage and greater experience as a unit may tell in Punjab’s favour.

BdJ’s picks: Voorburg, VRA, Sparta, VOC, Punjab

RL’s picks: Voorburg, Excelsior, Sparta, VOC, Punjab.

Scorecard | Sparta vs Excelsior | 22.04.23

Sparta I Vs Excelsior 20 I
1-Innings Match Played At Sportpark Bermweg, Capelle a/d IJssel, 22-Apr-2023, Topklasse
No result
Round 1/1
Toss won by Excelsior 20 I
Umpires MA Din – E Ruchtie
Scorers AO Smelt – EM Heggelman
Home Side Sparta I
Comment Rain stopped play, Sparta 92-3 (28 overs), match reduced to 38 overs. Rain again stopped play, Sparta 143-5 (34.4 overs).
Sparta I 1st Innings 143/5 (Overs 34.4)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
M Latif c LT Ingram b NT Etman 0 2 0 0
SR Ferguson+ c TJ Heggelman b M Hart 3 25 0 0
G Tarr   b NT Etman 7 10 1 0
M Bukhari not out   50 96 3 0
WJ Clark c M Hart b UF Baker 54 63 6 0
J Kroesen c LT Ingram b M Hart 11 14 0 0
AAJ Malik dnb          
K Ahmadi dnb          
Manminder Singh dnb          
JM Snoep* dnb          
N Ibrahimkhil dnb          
extras   (b1 lb1 w14 nb2) 18      
TOTAL   5 wickets for 143      
FOW
1-0(M Latif) 2-8(G Tarr) 3-13(SR Ferguson) 4-110(WJ Clark) 5-143(J Kroesen)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
NT Etman 6 2 21 2 – –
M Hart 5.4 0 19 2 4 –
RWA van Troost 3 0 27 0 3 1
GG Kroesen 8 0 34 0 3 –
LT Ingram 8 3 19 0 – –
TJ Heggelman 2 0 7 0 – –
UF Baker 2 0 14 1 – –
Excelsior 20 I 1st Innings
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
TC Etman dnb          
RTF Verhagen+ dnb          
M Hart dnb          
TJ Heggelman* dnb          
LT Ingram dnb          
LA Kroesen dnb          
SL van Troost dnb          
RWA van Troost dnb          
UF Baker dnb          
NT Etman dnb          
GG Kroesen dnb          
extras   (b0 lb0 w0 nb0) 0      
TOTAL   0 wickets for 0      
FOW
 
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb

Scorecard | ACC vs HBS | 22.04.23

ACC I Vs HBS I
1-Innings Match Played At Het Loopveld West, 22-Apr-2023, Topklasse
No result
Round 1/1
Toss won by ACC I
Umpires RJ Akram – JP Wentink
Home Side ACC I
HBS I 1st Innings 148/6 (Overs 44)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
T Walbrugh lbw b JS Reddy 2 7 0 0
S Pote c TG Hobson b JS Reddy 60 111 5 0
A Ahmed c F Wegener b M Hans 12 45 1 0
W Barresi* c J Pote b M Hans 0 1 0 0
RP Mason   b M Hans 2 12 0 0
K Klein c HG Kuhn b RA Kumar 36 61 1 1
N Adendorff not out   19 25 1 0
E Boendermaker not out   2 2 0 0
BFL Boddendijk dnb          
MMR Scholte+ dnb          
Manjinder Singh dnb          
extras   (b0 lb3 w12 nb0) 15      
TOTAL   6 wickets for 148      
FOW
1-3(T Walbrugh) 2-54(A Ahmed) 3-55(W Barresi) 4-61(RP Mason) 5-106(S Pote) 6-138(K Klein)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
RA Kumar 7 0 30 1 6 –
JS Reddy 7 1 23 2 3 –
TG Hobson 7 0 17 0 2 –
D Arya 8 0 38 0 – –
M Hans 10 0 28 3 1 –
MA Raza 5 0 9 0 – –
ACC I 1st Innings
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
RI Ahmed+ dnb          
MA Raza dnb          
S Potdar dnb          
TG Hobson dnb          
HG Kuhn* dnb          
F Wegener dnb          
JS Reddy dnb          
RA Kumar dnb          
M Hans dnb          
J Pote dnb          
D Arya dnb          
extras   (b0 lb0 w0 nb0) 0      
TOTAL   0 wickets for 0      
FOW
 
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb

Scorecard | VRA vs Salland | 22.04.23

VRA I Vs Salland I
1-Innings Match Played At Amstelveen (VRA), 22-Apr-2023, Topklasse
No result
Round 1/1
Toss won by Salland I
Umpires DJ Kalloe – WPM van Liemt
Home Side VRA I
Salland I 1st Innings 89/7 (Overs 35)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
PP Ottachchige+ c L Scully b A Abid 0 3 0 0
V Ganesan   b A Dutt 46 96 0 0
FP Raxworthy   b A Abid 0 1 0 0
VS Lubbers* lbw b LA Turmaine 25 62 0 0
S Naqash   b V Singh 0 6 0 0
SV Elam Bharathi lbw b LA Turmaine 4 25 0 0
FC Bartholomew lbw b LA Turmaine 0 1 0 0
RA Lubbers not out   0 8 0 0
G van Molen not out   1 8 0 0
R Du Plessis dnb          
I Webber dnb          
extras   (b0 lb4 w9 nb0) 13      
TOTAL   7 wickets for 89      
FOW
1-0(PP Ottachchige) 2-0(FP Raxworthy) 3-69(VS Lubbers) 4-70(S Naqash) 5-88(SV Elam Bharathi) 6-88(V Ganesan) 7-88(FC Bartholomew)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
A Abid 4 1 11 2 1 –
T van Luin 4 0 16 0 5 –
A Dutt 7 1 8 1 – –
E Visser 6 1 14 0 2 –
LA Turmaine 9 1 22 3 – –
V Singh 5 0 14 1 1 –
VRA I 1st Innings
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
V Singh dnb          
SR Rasool dnb          
J Balbirnie dnb          
AT Nidamanuru dnb          
L Scully+ dnb          
T van Luin dnb          
A Dutt dnb          
J Smal dnb          
E Visser dnb          
LA Turmaine* dnb          
A Abid dnb          
extras   (b0 lb0 w0 nb0) 0      
TOTAL   0 wickets for 0      
FOW
 
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb

Scorecard | Punjab vs VOC | 22.04.23

Punjab I Vs VOC I
1-Innings Match Played At Zomercomplex, Rotterdam, 22-Apr-2023, Topklasse
No result
Round 1/1
Toss won by Punjab I
Umpires M Prabhudesai – J Westerberg
Home Side Punjab I
VOC I 1st Innings 177/1 (Overs 28.4)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
MP O’Dowd not out   91 85 10 4
Arnav Jain lbw b SM Zulfiqar 23 42 4 0
LP Berry not out   59 45 5 3
SA Edwards+ dnb          
TIM de Kok* dnb          
F Fourie dnb          
B Niaz dnb          
JD Schoonheim dnb          
Asief Hoseinbaks dnb          
MB Hoornweg dnb          
PJ Fletcher dnb          
extras   (b0 lb1 w3 nb0) 4      
TOTAL   1 wickets for 177      
FOW
1-81(Arnav Jain)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
S Tariq 10 2 31 0 – –
SA Zulfiqar 3 0 31 0 1 –
M Shafiq 4 0 27 0 – –
SM Zulfiqar 7 0 53 1 1 –
A Mahmood 4.4 0 34 0 1 –
Punjab I 1st Innings
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
RU Zulfiqar dnb          
SA Minhas dnb          
AA Zulfiqar+ dnb          
SM Zulfiqar dnb          
SA Zulfiqar dnb          
Y Usman dnb          
A Mahmood dnb          
M Riaz dnb          
Mubashar Hussain dnb          
S Tariq* dnb          
M Shafiq dnb          
extras   (b0 lb0 w0 nb0) 0      
TOTAL   0 wickets for 0      
FOW
 
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb

Scorecard | VCC vs HCC | 22.04.23

Voorburg I Vs HCC I
1-Innings Match Played At Westvliet, Voorburg, 22-Apr-2023, Topklasse
Voorburg I Win by 8 wkts (DLS)
Round 1/1
Toss won by Voorburg I
Umpires NR Bathi – J Hilhorst
Home Side Voorburg I
Comment Rain stopped play, HCC 107-6 (27 overs); match reduced to 22 overs, revised DLS target 98.
Points Awarded HCC I 0, Voorburg I 2
HCC I 1st Innings 107/6 Closed (Overs 27)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
MR Alphonse+ c M Levitt b VJ Kingma 6 11 1 0
AJ Staal c GK Nieuwoudt b R Klein 13 26 2 0
JD Vandiar c MN Ahmad b S Kamal 47 51 7 1
BHG Gorlee*   b GK Nieuwoudt 0 7 0 0
HC Overdijk c PRP Boissevain b R Klein 3 25 0 0
C Floyd   c&b S Ahmad 10 17 1 0
J Kooistra not out   6 18 0 0
D Crowley not out   7 8 1 0
J-WM Overdijk dnb          
JZ-X van Kessel dnb          
H Venter dnb          
extras   (b0 lb4 w10 nb1) 15      
TOTAL   6 wickets for 107      
FOW
1-9(MR Alphonse) 2-40(AJ Staal) 3-41(BHG Gorlee) 4-71(HC Overdijk) 5-89(C Floyd) 6-94(JD Vandiar)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
VJ Kingma 5 0 19 1 1 1
GK Nieuwoudt 7 0 23 1 7 –
R Klein 5 1 25 2 – –
S Kamal 5 0 22 1 2 –
S Ahmad 4 0 13 1 1 –
PRP Boissevain 1 0 1 0 – –
Voorburg I 1st Innings 98/2 (Overs 17.3)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
M Levitt   b C Floyd 14 22 1 0
N Croes+ not out   31 40 5 0
MN Ahmad c MR Alphonse b H Venter 23 25 4 0
SA Engelbrecht* not out   17 18 2 0
N Kulkarni dnb          
GK Nieuwoudt dnb          
S Ahmad dnb          
S Kamal dnb          
PRP Boissevain dnb          
R Klein dnb          
VJ Kingma dnb          
extras   (b0 lb2 w11 nb0) 13      
TOTAL   2 wickets for 98      
FOW
1-30(M Levitt) 2-67(MN Ahmad)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
HC Overdijk 3 0 17 0 8 –
D Crowley 5 0 21 0 – –
C Floyd 4 0 23 1 – –
H Venter 3.3 0 18 1 3 –
J-WM Overdijk 2 0 17 0 – –

Voorburg the only winners on a wet opening day

Rod Lyall 23/04/2023

What started out as the Match of the Day turned out to be the match of the day, as the repeat of last year’s Grand Final between Voorburg and HCC at Westvliet was the only game to get a result, the other four rained off at various points during a miserable opening afternoon.

That Voorburg were able to claim the points was in part a tribute to the efforts of the ground staff and the quality of the covers, not to mention the persistence of the umpires and captains, but the Voorburgers had laid the foundations of their victory during the 27 overs which could be bowled before the rain arrived.

The bowlers never let up from the moment Ratha Alphonse edged Viv Kingma to Michael Levitt at second slip, and only Jonathan Vandiar looked really comfortable against the pace of Kingma and Ryan Klein, the seam of Karl Nieuwoudt and Sajjid Kamal, and the spin of Shariz Ahmad and Philippe Boissevain.

Vandiar’s uncharacteristically patient 47, though punctuated by moments of blazing aggression, enabled his side to 107 for six, but Voorburg were solidly on top, reflected in the fact that when, after an interruption of several hours, the game could resume, the home side were given a target of 98 from 22 overs.

That never seemed like to be a problem, and although HCC managed to pick up two wickets, Noah Croes and Sybrand Engelbrecht saw their side home with four and a half overs to spare.

Generally bowlers were on top on a damp and overcast day, but there was an exception at Het Zomercomplex where VOC Rotterdam, put in to bat by Punjab captain Sulaiman Tariq, raced to 177 for one in just 28.4 overs.

Max O’Dowd hammered an 84-ball 91 not out which included ten fours and four sixes, sharing first a stand of 81 with Arnav Jain and then adding another 94 from 76 deliveries with VOC’s new overseas player Lane Berry, who marked his Topklasse debut with an unbeaten, 45-ball 59.

The only captain who took the risk of batting first on winning the toss was Salland’s Victor Lubbers, who saw his side reduced to 89 for seven by VRA Amsterdam in Amstelveen by the time they were rescued by the weather.

Ashir Abid started the rot by removing Piyaranga Ottachchige and Finn Raxworthy with consecutive balls in the first over, and although German international captain Venkat Ganesan and Lubbers himself put up some resistance, adding 69 for the third wicket, new VRA skipper Leon Turmaine’s three for 22 winkled out the middle order, Aryan Dutt finally dismissing Ganesan for a dogged 46.

On the other side of Amstelveen HBS Craeyenhout also struggled with the bat, reaching 148 for six against ACC at Het Loopveld before the rain intervened.

Tayo Walbrugh was trapped in front by Joseph Reddy in the second over, and despite a solid 60 from Swapnil Pote on his Topklasse debut with wickets falling regularly at the other end the HBS innings never really got going.

Off-spinner Mahesh Hans claimed three for 28 on his first outing with his new club, and with 44 overs bowled before the rain arrived ACC were clearly in the box seat when the game was called off.

The match at the Bermweg was a little more evenly poised, with home side Sparta 1888 on 143 for five against Excelsior ’20 Schiedam  in the 35th over after a brief resumption between intervals of rain.

Niels Etman and Michael Hart had reduced them to 13 for three, but Mudassar Bukhari and Will Clark turned things round with a fourth-wicket partnership of 97, and there was time for Clark to reach a maiden Topklasse half-century and for Bukhari to pass fifty for the 37th time before it was decided to call it a day.

So eight of the clubs will need to try again on 7 May, the first of the three dates allocated for replaying rained-off matches in the first phase of the competition.

Round 1 preview

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 20/04/23

The winter tombola always means that the first round of matches is enigmatic even by the standards of the Topklasse, and the reversion to ten teams together with the arrival of a score of new or returning players and the usual clutch of transfers ensures that picking winners is pretty much an exercise in sticking a pin in a telephone directory (yes, I know, nobody remembers telephone directories). Add to all that the fact the opening fixtures all have plenty of intrinsic spice, and it’s more fun contemplating the encounters in prospect than it is trying to judge who might come out on top.

RJL: No question what the opening round’s Match of the Day is: the luck of the draw has ordained that last year’s grand finalists will kick off proceedings, and that they will do so at the scene of HCC’s triumph. Some of the cast of that event will be missing, most notably departed Voorburg captain Bas de Leede, but there will equally be some significant arrivals. HCC will welcome back Jonathan Vandiar, while the home side will counter with Michael Levitt and a brace of pacemen in Ryan Klein and Mees van Vliet. With places in the squad for the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe up for grabs there will be players on both sides especially keen to strut their stuff and a series of fascinating match-ups in both innings should make for an enthralling game. It would, however, not be unreasonable to expect Voorburg’s more seasoned attack to give their side the advantage this time.

BdJ: The same fixture as last year’s final, but a stretch to call it a rematch given the personnel changes on both sides over the winter. VCC’s acquisitions of van Vliet and Klein go some way toward covering the seam exodus, but more responsibility will rest on the shoulders of Viv Kingma to lead the attack. Newcomer Michael Levitt’s form, hitting back-to-back tons in pre-season, suggests he has acclimatised to Dutch conditions faster than some past VCC signings, while the brothers Ahmad return with a good deal more international experience under their belts. All told a tough game first up for an HCC side in a rebuild phase, though if Vandiar can match his form from last season it may be game on.

RJL: Opening day also features the first Rotterdam derby of the season, with Punjab playing host to VOC at Het Zomercomplex. Minus Vandiar, Nidamanuru and Salarazai, Punjab may find the going tough, and the contribution of the four Zulfiqar brothers seems likely to be even more important for the side’s prospects this season. Early breakthroughs against a VOC batting line-up which includes not only O’Dowd and Edwards but also the new overseas Lane Berry will be crucial to Punjab’s chances, with the evergreen Sohail Bhatti and Sulaiman Tariq backed up by the seam of Sikander Zulfiqar and his leg-spinning triplet brother Saqib. Berry’s arrival should add substance to a line-up which often looked brittle once the two internationals had departed, although non-one should underestimate the contributions of Jelte Schoonheim with both bat and ball.

BdJ: The importance of the Zulfiqar triplets to the Punjab line-up was rather underlined in pre-season, the Rotterdammers sliding to a 38-run loss to an understrength VRA side while the trio were away in Iberia with the A-side before handing out a 129-run drubbing to Excelsior on their return. This without even the services of prodigal pair Shoaib Minhas and Khurram Shahzad, who rejoin Punjab this season. Nonetheless the loss of Salarazai, who’s understood to have followed new-ball partner Ashiqullah Said to Belgium, leaves Punjab without their two most effective quicks from last season. VOC’s top order may already be eyeing up the short boundaries at the Zomercomplex, though even with the advent of Berry, O’Dowd and Edwards may have to be mindful of the long tail behind them. They will also be starting the season comparatively cold, VOC not featuring in any formal pre-season matches, while Punjab’s hitters already have their engines running.

RJL: Neither Capelle a/d Ijssel nor Schiedam would be happy to be seen as part of Rotterdam, but Excelsior ‘20’s visit to the Bermweg to take on Sparta 1888 also has something of the flavour of a local rivalry, spiced up this time by the transfer of Joost Kroesen to the Capelle club. Reinforced by the return of Garnett Tarr and the arrival of New Zealanders Clark and Ferguson as well as Kroesen, Sparta will be looking to improve on the surprising fourth spot they achieved in the 2020 half-season, and two points here are vital if they are to challenge for the top six. Excelsior, on the other hand, will be hoping that Michael Hart slots quickly into their top order, and that Lorenzo Ingram eases past the 38 runs he needs to pass 5000 in the Topklasse and goes on to add plenty more. The Schiedammers have a well-balanced attack, but Sparta are an unknown quantity at this point, and this could be one of the day’s more intriguing encounters.

BdJ: Tarr’s return alongside the two young Kiwi prospects certainly lends the Spartan batting a rather more intimidating look than last season, though settling into Dutch conditions is often a trial for newcomers and it’s rare for antipodean arrivals to replicate home form at once. Clarke and Ferguson both have plenty of the latter however, and judging by how Excelsior’s balanced attack went against Punjab last week this may prove a comparatively gentle introduction. Conversely Excelsior’s Michael Hart has had a rough welcome in preseason, clubbed for 75 off his 8 overs at the Zomercomplex and going little better with the bat. The Schiedammers will be hoping their new pro finds his feet quickly, especially with the ball, after last week’s alarming showing. That said it should be noted new ball pair Niels Etman and Rens van Troost were absent that day, and their return may lend the Excelsior attack a little more penetration.

RJL: The return of South African international Heino Kuhn to Het Loopveld is one of the bigger stories of the pre-season, and if anyone can generate energy at ACC you’d think it would be him. They start their campaign against a somewhat depleted HBS, who will be relying on their new captain Wesley Barresi to lead from the front. There’s been something of an exodus from Craeyenhout, the seam attack particularly depleted, and Kyle Klein and Benno Boddendijk will find themselves called upon to deliver against an ACC top order which has been reinforced not only by the advent of Kuhn but also with the transfer of Rahil Ahmed from Dosti. But the Amsterdammers are also missing their leading wicket-taker from last season, Mees van Vliet having moved to Voorburg, and it may be the spin trio of Mahesh Hans (another acquisition from Dosti), Anis Raza and young Zinesh Master which gives them their best chance of bowling out opposing sides.

BdJ:It was indeed ACC’s slow section that caused the most trouble for VRA in their warm-up last week, and though their batting looked extremely fragile as they were rolled for 100 exactly, that was without Kuhn and the returning Thomas Hobson in the line-up. All told ACC look a somewhat stronger side this season despite the departure of van Vliet, while HBS will be fielding a comparatively more callow outfit. Nonetheless they still boast last season’s top-scorer Tayo Walbrugh at the top of the order, who struck two centuries against ACC last season. Whether ACC have the bowling to get past him and Barresi (who also averaged almost 100 against them last season) will likely prove the key question on Saturday.

RJL: One of the questions we all have is how VRA Amsterdam will cope with the departure of Peter Borren, while a more immediate one on Saturday will be which Salland they will be facing in the Amsterdamse Bos. The Deventer side’s inconsistency last season had much to do with whether or not they were able to call on their German contingent, but they may have greater stability this time round with the addition of New Zealanders Fraser Bartholomew and Finn Raxworthy. Given how competitive they could be without this infusion of new blood, they could prove a handful for a Borrenless VRA, although the home side will be looking to Teja Nidamanuru and Australian import Tyler van Luin to anchor a batting line-up which also blew hot and cold last year. Vikram Singh’s evolution into an allrounder means he may bowl a good deal more this season, and VRA’s young but fairly incisive attack will doubtless be the better for Van Luin’s presence as well.

BdJ:It’s always difficult to judge how the arrival of a single new overseas will affect the fortunes of a previously struggling club, much less two. Indeed that’s arguably the principle reason that Topklasse sides fortunes’ careen wildly {https://tkcricket.com/2021/09/08/better-together-a-two-pool-2022-topklasse-is-a-recipe-for-rancour/] from one season to the next. Salland arguably rode their luck to Topklasse survival last season, but with the two newcomers and a full delegation from across the Eastern border they ought to have an easier time of it in 2023. The departure of Borren along with sometime keeper Mitch Lees leaves new skipper Leon Turmaine looking a little lonely in the leadership group, and how well he manages his young side will likely prove crucial to their fortunes over the season, and indeed on Saturday.

RL’s picks: Voorburg, Punjab, Sparta, ACC, VRA.

BdJ’s picks: Voorburg, Punjab, Sparta, ACC, VRA.