topklasse – TKcricket

Player-eligibility technicality puts VRA’s T20 finals berth in doubt

Bertus de Jong 10/09/2025

Defeated semi-finalists Voorburg CC, who lost to VRA by 22 runs in the second semi-final of the Topklasse T20 competition on Sunday, are seeking to have the result of that match overturned on grounds that VRA fielded an ineligible player. VCC are understood to have challenged the eligibility of VRA opening bat Shirase Rasool – who scored a brisk 41 before retiring hurt in the match in question – on the basis that he had not played sufficient matches in the preceding league phase.

Rasool, a former regular at the top of the order for VRA, has played only intermittently this season owing to personal commitments. In total Rasool has made three appearances for VRA’s second team and five for the senior side this season, but crucially played only four matches in the T20 competition.

Under Article 18 of the Competitieregelement only players that have played a minimum of 50% of the first (league) stage matches of the T20 competition are eligible to participate in the final rounds. Under the current competition format the minimum is thus five matches in across divisions prior to the finals phase; Rasool therefore falling one match short.

However, a number of exemptions to these requirements are detailed in the same document, not least 18.II.7.b which exempts long-standing members of a club from the above participation requirements, under which Voorburg match-secretary and first team occasional Floris de Lange was able to play. VRA maintains that Rasool is similarly exempt under Articles 18.II.6 and 18.II.7.b, which provides for players who have regularly played for a club in preceding seasons, though the language of the document is arguably inconsistent as to whether this refers to all competition or exclusively divisions below the top flight.

“VRA is confident that we are fully within the regulations regarding the eligibility of Shirase Rasool. Articles 18.II.6 and 18.II.7 clearly state that he qualifies to play without needing to meet the five-match threshold or apply for dispensation. It is extremely disappointing how this situation has unfolded, as it distracts from the spirit of the competition and takes the focus away from the cricket itself.” VRA first team captain and General Manager Teja Nidamanuru told TKcricket.

Voorburg Chair Richard de Lange was equally confident however, stating; “VCC remains confident in the strength of our position and our rightful place in the T20 final based on the merits of our case and adherence to competition regulations. We respect the ongoing appeals process and trust that the proper procedures will ultimately ensure the integrity of the competition is upheld. We look forward to a swift and fair resolution that serves the best interests of cricket in the Netherlands.”

VRA immediately appealed the KNCB’s initial decision, which Tkcricket understands awarded the match and a place in the final to VCC and imposed a 100 euro fine on VRA. That appeal appears to have been at least initially successful in reversing the decision, but said reversal has duly been appealled in turn by VCC. At press time it remains unclear who, if anyone, HCC will face in Saturday’s final at the Loopuyt Oval.

Preview Round 12

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 20/06/25

Whereas last weekend’s matches pitted the top five against the sides in the lower half of the table, this round sees more immediate rivals confronting one another, with the bottom four going head to head in games which will be vital in the battle to avoid relegation, while the pursuing pack who have not yet given up hope of snatching the title have crucial opportunities to gain some ground. With another warm, dry weekend forecast, we can look forward to some great contests.

RL: If the biggest question just now is: Who can stop the march of Kampong to the title?, then one possible answer is Punjab-Ghausia at home. The champions saw off VRA last Sunday without ever quite getting into top gear, and with the marginal advantage of playing on their own patch they will also know that a win here would move them to within a point of the leaders. Kampong, however, will be back to full strength with the return of Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, and although Punjab will regain the services of Saqib Zulfiqar, the reinforcement of Kampong’s mercurial top order is probably a more significant factor. On paper, at least, the sides are pretty evenly balanced, the difference being that up to now Alex Roy’s outfit has played to – and sometimes seemingly beyond – their potential, while Punjab have struggled to reproduce last season’s consistency.

BdJ: If Kampong are to be caught they’ll likely have to lose at least two from here, and if Punjab are to do the catching one of them will almost certainly have to be this one. Both sides have a battery of big guns at the top, usually needing only one or two to fire, though consistency has indeed been the main difference between the two in terms of totals, along with Lorenzo Ingram’s ability to lead lower order recoveries. The return of O’Dowd and/or Edwards would be welcome, though after a long tour where both have missed games Kampong may not be counting on them being ready for action. The real edge Kampong have had over the defending champions this season has been a comparatively effective bowling unit, with fully five bowlers in the top 20 wicket-takers this season, where Musa Ahmad is Punjab’s only representative. The Zomercomplex’s short boundaries may level the playing field somewhat on that front though. Punjab have not lost at home since Round 2, and it wouldn’t be the first time this season they upset the frontrunners there.

RL: The match between Voorburg and HCC at Westvliet is a real Four Pointer, with the sides currently level and three points off the pace. It is, moreover, an encounter with history: not only have the clubs contested two Grand finals in the recent past, but they have also operated something of a revolving door in their player lists, with Patient Charumbira’s move to Westvliet just the latest example. Whether he gets a game here following the return of Voorburg’s international contingent may be moot, depending in part on the often doubtful fitness of Viv Kingma, who only bowled three balls in the Netherlands’ victory over Scotland on Wednesday. The reunion of the home side’s enviable top six with the addition of Michael Levitt and Noah Croes certainly gives them a edge, especially since their opponents’ batting has been a lot less consistent. But Tonny Staal’s first big score of the season against Sparta last week, along with the wicket-taking of Josh Brown, are signs that HCC may be about to coalesce into serious challengers for the title.

BdJ: While both sides are a lot more than a single loss away from being mathematically eliminated from title contention, defeat on Saturday will leave one of the sides needing results elsewhere to consistently go their way if they’re to stay in the hunt.
The return of at least some of Voorburg’s internationals, especially the in-form Levitt if he’s good to go, would mean VCC will be fielding an even stronger batting line-up than the one that posted 327-7 when these two teams met at de Diepput, but a bowling attack likely weaker than the one that failed to defend it. That said Boris Gorlee’s 122 in that match underpinned that chase, and the HCC skipper hasn’t been able to carry his otherwise exemplary form onto natural grass wickets so far this season. Ollie White is the only other HCC bat to have crossed fifty more than once this season, and if HCC are to mount a serious title challenge they’ll either need more consistent contributions from the rest of the top order or for Gorlee to find his form off the mat. A sunny Westvliet this weekend does of course seem a fine occassion for either or both, but the hosts will be hoping for neither.

RL: At the other end of the table, Excelsior ‘20 will welcome VOC to Thurlede knowing that for both teams there’s even more on the line. Currently locked together on seven points, one of them is very likely to fill one of the automatic relegation spots, while the other may at worst face a play-off to ensure survival. That is, of course, barring a dramatic change in form, and in Excelsior’s case luck: injuries have certainly not helped their cause, but none of their overseas players has been able to impose himself so far, and it’s notable that each of their three wins has come when one or other has made a significant contribution. The same applies even more forcefully to their opponents, and although we keep banging on about the fragility of VOC’s batting it is without question the main reason that they find themselves in the basement, a point painfully illustrated by Voorburg last week.

BdJ: Almost certainly the most consequential match of the round, and perhaps the whole back half of the season. With three of the biggest overseas names in the league on the books Excelsior may well be wondering how they ended up here, especially with several of their home-grown players having better seasons than usual. Stan van Troost and Joost Kroesen have both looked genuine assets this year, yet the Schiedammers continue to look less than the sum of their parts. VOC, conversely, are about where most might have expected them to be. The comparartively callow Jannet and Oberholzer have contributed some solid scores on occasion, but VOC’s youthful new overseas have not been able to cover for the loss of Edwards and O’Dowd in the way their predecessors managed, in a team that all too often looks an unfortunate blend of age and inexperience. The efforts of the young bowling attack has been probably the only silver lining to the season so far, and on the rare occassions the batting unit backs them up the Bloodhounds have looked capable of pushing opponents hard, but as a rule this season they’ve rarely had much to bowl at.

RL: While Sparta 1888 may not yet have entered the Last Chance Saloon, there’s little doubt that they’re on the verandah outside, and the shoot-out with HBS at Craeyenhout on Saturday is absolutely crucial for their slim chance of escaping the drop. Sparta’s batters did well to reach their highest total of the season against HCC last week, but it proved to be insufficient for the attack to defend, and they may have similar problems against a Crows line-up which includes Tayo Walbrugh and Wes Barresi – picking them up early could well be the key to the Spartans taking home some desperately needed points. The fact that Ahsan Malik has gone wicketless in his last three games is an ominous sign, although it’s balanced to some degree by his emergence as a useful number three when his side bats. Their hosts on Saturday are not yet out of the woods, knowing that should either Excelsior or VOC put in a late surge they could find themselves in the bottom three, and they’ll be relieved to welcome Kyle Klein back to their ranks.

BdJ: Indeed the Spartans may not have made their entry to said metphorical watering hole just yet, but the camera’s fixed firmly on the swinging doors and the mournful sound of an ocarina is piping in ominously from somewhere. Even earning a play-off againt the Hoofdklasse champions to perhaps survive another season looks an implausibly tall order for the Cappelle side now, and a loss to 7th-placed HBS on Saturday would put the safety of the seventh spot definitively out of reach. Realistically the game is more likely to be of consequence to HBS, who risk being overtaken by the winner of Excelsior-VOC and sliding into relegation contention themselves. The return of Barresi and Klein would take some of the pressure off of Walbrugh, but given that they’ll likely be missing one or both of them again in a couple of weekss time there will be a degree of pressure on both to perform if and when they’re available. If they can’t take two points off the incumbent wooden-spooners, the Crows will be on a glide-path to a late season relegation showdown with Excelsior, VOC or both – those two would-be relegation rivals coincedentally HBS’ final two fixtures of the season.

RL: Once again, VRA have negotiated a shift of their match to Sunday, this time entertaining Hermes-DVS in the Bos. The Sky-blues remain title contenders, while for VRA, who will be delighted to welcome back their international contingent, the four-point gap which has opened up between them and the top five means that their season is now really about consolidating their mid-table spot and avoiding slipping into relegation trouble. The return of Teja Nidamanuru, Vikram Singh and Ben Fletcher can only improve their chances, but both the aggression of the Hermes opening pair of Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle and the depredations of an attack led by Olivier Elenbaas and featuring the spin of Hikmatullah Jabarkhail, back as leading wicket-taker thanks to his Michelle against HBS are problems which Nidaamanuru’s side will need to solve if they are to claim the points here. If the resumption of the Peter Ruffell-Ben Fletcher new-ball partnership enables the hosts to make early inroads into the Hermes batting then VRA will be in with a chance, but otherwise they could find themselves struggling.

BdJ: Just three points clear of the relegation zone and seven adrift of Kampong at the top the most VRA can do on Sunday is do themselves and the frontrunners a favour by taking two points off Hermes, thus making things less interesting at both ends of the table. The return of some or all of the remaining three absent VRA internationals would make that outcome more likely, even if the three all had fairly forgettable tours, at least in their primary disciplines. Nidamanuru may be more likely to give himself a bowl after a career best return against Scotland in the T20I series, but the Sky-Blue slow bowling section remains the stronger of the two. VRA perhaps have an edge in the seam department and in depth of batting, at least on paper. Hemes have looked vulnerable on the occassions that their opening pair fail to deliver, and VRA have the attack to trouble them. A tough one to call just now, but prediction will likely be a lot easier by about the first drinks break of the Hermes innings.

RL’s picks: Kampong, HCC, Excelsior, HBS, Hermes
BdJ’s picks Punjab, VCC, , Excelsior, HBS, Hermes

Preview Round 7

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 27/05/2025

Last Saturday’s wetwash has left things pretty much as they were, although some teams will doubtless be regretting a lost opportunity to steal a march on their nearest rivals. But it now appears that the rainy season has finally arrived in the Netherlands, and our Ascension Day previews are written in the full awareness that Thursday may turn into a Descension Day instead. Since there are enough imponderables already without taking the weather into consideration, what follows assumes that there’s a match-sized gap in the eastward-flowing bands of rain.

RL: Still unbeaten, leaders Hermes-DVS face a tricky trip to the ironically-named Zomercomplex to take on Punjab-Ghausia. These two sides have had contrasting campaigns so far: Hermes, short on big names, have gone on winning thanks to determined team efforts and a remarkably effective attack, while Punjab, with most of the team which carried all before it last season, have struggled. Injuries undoubtedly haven’t helped, and they will be overjoyed to have Saqib Zulfiqar back in the side, especially if he is now fully fit. But the absence of his brother Sikander from the attack has perhaps been an even greater loss of cutting edge, and Punjab will be hoping that bolstering the attack with Tehzeeb Haider will make a difference to their fortunes. Hermes, on the other hand, will know that the men in green are always a tough proposition at the Zomercomplex, and will be looking to their bowlers, who until now have equally been without Oliver Elenbaas but have prospered nevertheless, to contain a potentially devastating top order.

BdJ: An away trip to visit the defending champions will be a significant hurdle if Hermes are to continue their remarkable unbeaten run, even if Punjab have looked off the boil all season. Both the remaining Zulfiqars are expected to play on Thursday too, both having got game time during last week’s pro-series fixtures, though Sikander notably wasn’t bowling and didn’t look at his quickest between the wickets either. With the Belgian national team in action this weekend Punjab will likely also have to do without the services of Burhan Niaz for one if not both of their upcoming games, leaving their seam attack looking still thinner. Hermes’ losses to international duty will hit even harder, however. With Daniel Doyle-Calle captaining the Spanish 50-over side in Denmark and Hikmatullah Jabarkhail headed to the Mdina Cup with Belgium, the front-runners will be losing both their lead scorer and the league’s leading wicket-taker for their trips to the Zomercomplex and then Westvliet. If they can make it through the extended week-end with their lead intact they may seriously start thinking about silverware, but it’s fair to say the odds are against them.

RL: Leading the chase, Kampong Utrecht will welcome HBS Craeyenhout to Maarschalkerweerd for what will be another crucial match for both teams. Just one match behind the leaders, Alex Roy’s men (a) need to prevent the gap from getting any bigger, and (b) will be keen to capitalise fully on the availability of their internationals while they have them. The Crows are likely less affected by the latter, although Kyle Klein is a key member of their line-up, but for them the former is even more significant, since they are already four points off the pace and another defeat would leave them fighting for the best possible place mid-table. Significant as O’Dowd and Edwards are for Kampong, the club made the most of their winter, and Lane Berry, Lorenzo Ingram and Lachlan Bangs, alongside Damien van den Berg, give the Utrecht side a top six as menacing as any in the competition. HBS, it’s true, are very good at making the most of what they have, and no team which includes Klein, Tayo Walbrugh, Wes Barresi and Lehan Botha can be written off. Kampong will need to be at their very best to make sure of the points.

BdJ: Given the availability issues that Kampong are likely to encounter deeper into the season, they can ill afford to drop points when they are at full strength, much less at home. HBS have always been stronger on their own (lack of) turf, and have yet to pick up a win on a natural wicket this season. The Crows have struggled to shake a reputation as mat-specialists in a competition where grass wickets are becoming the norm, and indeed have only won four matches on turf in the past three years. That said, three years and a day ago they did take two points home from Maarschalkerweerd, albeit against a very different Kampong side. The current HBS squad is less a product of Craeyenhout than previous seasons too, and one which on paper might be expected to travel better. All told an upset is not out of the question, though if it does happen one imagines Kyle Klein will have a key role in it.

RL: Currently third and fourth on net run rate, VRA and Voorburg will lock horns in the Amsterdamse Bos in what is undoubtedly one of the day’s four-pointers. Again, one tends to think first of the big names – Singh, Smal, Nidamanuru and Shariz for the home side, Levitt, Kaplan, Croes and perhaps Boissevain for the visitors – but games like this are often swung by the contributions of their team-mates, and Voorburg will be boosted by the performances so far of Cedric de Lange and, more recently, Patient Charumbira. The occasion will also be enlivened by the return to the Bos of Udit Nashier, yet to fit fully into his new outfit but capable of making a significant impression. For VRA, the new-ball attack of Ben Fletcher and Peter Ruffel is likely to be a key factor, although the spin of Shariz and Leon Turmaine can’t be discounted either. The winner here will stay in the hunt for the championship, while life will become much, much harder for whoever drops the points.

BdJ: It’s not been a great season so far for recent champions, and neither VRA (whose memories of 50-over silverware are admittedly somewhat distant now) nor 2023 winners Voorburg have looked their best this season. Voorburg’s enviable batting line-up has been let down somewhat by a bowling unit unsettled by availability and injury issues, and those issues are likely to continue. If they can squeeze another weekend out of Boissevain before he has to go back to New Zealand to make his days as a local there it would certainly be a boon, but one suspects the timer’s already buzzing on that front too. VRA’s bench strength has served them somewhat better, with the likes of Turmaine, Hake or Abhinay stepping up admirably when called up from the seconds, while the front-line seam attack of Fletcher, Ruffel and Abid has been consistently effective. The battle at the top of VCC’s innings where that trio are pitted against the competitions’ most productive opening pair may well prove decisive.

RL: Perhaps even more important for both teams, the meeting between Excelsior ‘20 and Sparta 1888 at Thurlede brings together two sides desperate to move clear of the depths of the relegation zone. Sparta’s keenness to get a crack at VOC last Saturday was very obvious, and no-one perhaps had more reason to be disappointed by the arrival of the rain. At least on paper, Excelsior are a much more serious proposition, with Raynard van Tonder and Antum Naqvi capable of scoring freely against any attack. The local players, too, have chipped in usefully at times, and one has a sense that if they put it all together they could ease clear of the danger zone. Sparta, by contrast, have become skilled at making the most of relatively limited resources, and in Ahsan Malik they still have a pace bowler with match-winning capabilities. The batting has so far been over-dependent on Kyle Klesse, but Juandre Scheepers proved last year that he, too, is able to play important innings, and if ever there was a must-win fixture, this is it.

BdJ: Excelsior had assembled a remarkable roster for the washed-out Schiedam Derby last week, with not only van Tonder and Naqvi lining up but Brett Hampton also ready to take the field in the game that never came, they’re unlikely to look as strong again however. Hampton will presumably be back at Hampshire come Thursday, and there’s questions hanging while the continued availability of Naqvi and van Tonder for the full season is also in doubt. Anything but two points at home to popular relegation-picks Sparta on Thursday would likely see the 2019 Champions supplant Sparta as bookie’s co-favourites to go down along with the hapless VOC. Indeed it would be bitterly ironic if the Schiedammers were to slip out of the Topklasse just as the likes of Stan van Troost and Joost Kroesen were beginning to look at home there. Sparta may claim to be sanguine about their own risk of relegation, but they’ve shown no signs of rolling over this season, and it’s telling that they were one of the two sides to wait the longest last week before giving up on getting a game in…

RL: No less threatened with a spell in the Hoofdklasse, bottom side VOC will entertain HCC, currently sixth on the table and themselves not entirely clear of relegation anxieties. There’s no two ways about it: in terms of firepower with both bat and ball, the Lions have a distinct advantage over the Bloodhounds, although the latter did spring a surprise when their bowlers were too sharp for an out-of-sorts Punjab on 10 May. There’s plenty of talent, if rather less experience, in VOC’s attack, but they are clearly suffering from the largely-unremarked departure of Asief Hoseinbaks, their leading wicket-taker last season but now back at Hoofdklasse club Dosti. Their visitors’ batting has blown a little hot and cold so far, as their position on the table attests, but Roman Harhangi and the brothers Jain, as well as overseas Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer, will need to be at their most effective if they are to keep HCC’s batting to within bounds that their own somewhat shonky batters will be able to match.

BdJ: There’s little question that VOC are outmatched on paper in this encounter, and will be hoping to catch HCC on an off-day, but when those have come for Lions this season they really have been very off indeed, and even this depleted Bloodhounds squad still have the quality to take advantage. That said, while VOC are not the only club affected by Dosti getting the old gang back together this season, I’d have to agree the impact of the loss of Hoseinbaks has received too little attention from the Topklasse commentariat (which I guess is mostly just us really, so our bad there). This week they’ll also have to do without Monty Singh, who’s on duty with Denmark for the first of several engagements, leaving the batting still more dependent on new overseas Scott Jannet, unless someone else in the top order happens upon some kind of form. Playing as they have been VOC will be underdogs if HCC manage more than 150 runs, which they’ve done on three out of five attempts this season.

RL’s picks: Punjab, Kampong, Voorburg, Excelsior, HCC
BdJ’s picks: Punjab, Kampong, VRA, Excelsior, HCC

Preview Round 5

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 15/05/2025

If last week’s matches proved anything, it’s that predicting outcomes in the Topklasse is a mug’s game. But it also confirmed, in large part, that so far this season it’s much more fun being a batter than a bowler: with 11 centuries in the first 20 matches, compared with eleven in the whole of last season, and 13 totals in excess of 250, conditions have certainly favoured batting. With the good weather expected to extend into the weekend, that at least is a trend which might be expected to continue.

RL: Having broken their duck with a remarkable victory over Punjab, VOC Rotterdam now have to take on the current leaders, Hermes-DVS Schiedam. They will at least be at home at the Hazelaarweg, but that won’t be much of a bonus unless they can sort out the ills which continue to afflict their batting. Christiaan Oberholzer stood virtually alone against Punjab, and it was the bowlers, led by young Siebe van Wingerden and the rather less young Jelte Schoonheim, who manufactured the Bloodhounds’ surprise victory. Hermes, it is true, have some batting worries of their own, but with Ash Ostling and Daniel Doyle-Calle in supreme form at the top of the order and Asad Zulfiqar contributing his first significant knock in the win against Kampong they have so far been able to rely on a solid start. The Sky Blues’ bowling has so far been their trump card, though, and VOC will need more than another virtuoso effort from Oberholzer if they are to double their points haul here.

BdJ: The only side to have taken ten wickets in each of their matches thus far, Hermes indeed owe their place at the top of the table primarily to their attack. Coming up against a VOC batting card that has looked inconsistent at best, one might predict with reasonable confidence that that streak is likely to survive another week. The Bloodhounds have shown increasing fight over the short season so far though, culminating in a surprise win over the defending champions, achieved without their lead scorer Monty Singh. The bowling remains a concern however, and while Hermes do have a longish tail if one can get through to it, their top order has not shown itself anywhere like as prone to collapse as Punjab’s did last week.

RL: Sparta 1888 similarly took their first points at home to VRA last Saturday, but they now face a difficult journey to meet second-placed Kampong Utrecht, who will presumably be back to full strength into the bargain. With 119 out of a total of 226 Lane Berry was another overseas batter who could have done with more support last week, and Kampong’s bowlers soon found that they were defending a sub-par score in the conditions at the Loopuyt Oval. For Sparta, though, 200 and a bit has so far been the limit of their batters’ success, and that is unlikely to be enough against a Kampong line-up which has twice passed 300. Sparta’s attack, on the other hand, has been pretty effective, and it will need to be to contain Kampong at Maarschalkerweerd. Alex Roy’s side remain serious title contenders, but they cannot afford to yield any more ground to Hermes, and will be determined to bounce back with a win.

BdJ: The pressure will be on Kampong to get full value out of their stacked batting line-up on the occasions that they can field it, and anything less than two points at home to Sparta will be a blow to their ambition to take the title on their first season back. Edwards and O’Dowd have both been in fine touch for the Dutch and will have had plenty of time in the middle at Utrecht, though after a week of ODIs a somewhat tired square may play into the hands of the Spartans and their wiley, pace-off approach with the ball. Two-hundred-and-some may prove a more challenging total than in past rounds, though Kampong would remain favourites to chase anything below 250-odd, and the more likely side to set something substantially higher.

RL: Another side who claimed the points against more fancied opposition last week, HBS likewise are rewarded with a tough assignment, a Voorburg outfit which will be welcoming back most of its international contingent. The Craeyenhout attack, though, will be strengthened by the return of Kyle Klein, while the batting received a big boost against HCC from Lehan Botha’s remarkable display of aggression. One of the more intriguing features of the campaign so far has been the success of Wesley Barresi as a new-ball-sharing off-spinner, with seven wickets for 99 in the two matches since Tayo Walbrugh started using him in that role. Whether he will continue in it with Klein back in the side may be moot, but the encounter between the Crows’ bowlers and Voorburg’s powerful batting line-up should be one of the most interesting aspects of the round.

BdJ: A big caveat there is that Voorburg’s returning international contingent won’t be quite what it was on departure, with Viv Kingma picking up a hamstring injury and Bas de Leede likely heading back to Durham. Yet despite the unheralded success of the Crows’ attack so far this season, they’ll have their work cut out containing Voorburg’s intimidating batting card. Conversely, HBS have looked worryingly dependent on Barresi and Walbrugh for runs thus far, and if they’re going to take the points on Saturday they’ll likely have to win them with the ball.

RL: The meeting of VRA Amsterdam and HCC in the Bos will definitely count as a four-pointer: defeats for both sides last week see them level on points mid-table, a win on Saturday keeping them in touch with the three leaders, another loss bringing them unpleasantly close to relegation territory. With Boris Gorlee in outstanding form with the bat, 303 runs having come in his last three innings, the Lions looked as if they were recovering well from an opening-day loss until they fell away against HBS, while VRA suffered as much as anybody from the absence of their internationals in the past two rounds. So everything points to a real tussle here, and Johan Smal and Patrick Gouge, whose effort with the bat against Sparta proved to be in vain, will welcome much greater support from a VRA line-up which at full strength looks to be as formidable as any in the competition against an HCC bowling unit which has conceded over 600 runs in its last two outings.

BdJ: The outcome at the Bos on Saturday does look like it will be the difference between a stutter and a stumble for the two sides. HCC have the benefit of a settled side unperturbed by the national selectors and the leading run-scorer in the league, even if the rest of the batting order’s returns have been comparatively modest. VRA’s three international have spent much of the ODI series on the sidelines for one reason or another, and though we understand Teja Nidamanuru is expected to be fully fit for Saturday, none of the three have had much game time of late. That said the HCC attack has failed to contain lesser batting sides than what VRA will be fielding on Saturday, and the hosts will feel that if they can neutralise Gorlee the two points will be there for the taking.

RL: Sharing an unenviable position among the bottom four, Excelsior ‘20 and Punjab-Ghausia will be in even greater need of a victory when they meet at Thurlede. The comparative failure of Punjab’s top order, which has been reduced to 60 for four, 67 for four, 62 for four and 30 for six in its four innings so far, is one of the Topklasse’s great enigmas this season, although the injury to Saqib Zulfiqar has undoubtedly not helped a side which otherwise had a pretty settled look. Some bowling unit, one feels, is going to suffer mightily when Punjab hit their straps, and Excelsior’s, so often its great strength, has proved comparatively toothless so far. One notable exception to that was the under-used leg-spinner Joost Kroesen, who almost brought his side back into the game when they appeared to be down and out against Voorburg. But last season’s spearhead, Jason Ralston, has just five wickets from his first four games, and Excelsior will need his cutting edge to be at its sharpest if they are to put Punjab under pressure again.

BdJ: As much as the travails of the top four, Punjab’s title defense has been hamstrung by the Zulfiqar-shaped hole in the bowling attack. One indeed suspects that the likes of Minhas, Riaz and Musa Ahmad will not remain runless for long, but the lack of penetration in the bowling attack is a real concern, and indeed Ahmad’s formerly part-time spin has been the chief source of wickets for the side this season. Coming up against Raynard van Tonder, Antum Naqvi and an in-form Stan van Troost, there’s a danger Punjab’s attenuated attack could be exposed in a big way.

RL’s picks: Hermes, Kampong, Voorburg, VRA, Punjab

BdJ’s picks: Hermes, Kampong, Voorburg, VRA, Excelsior

Preview Round 3

Looking at Monday’s Liberation Day fixtures (for the uninitiated, Liberation Day is now a public holiday in the Netherlands once every five years) before Saturday’s second round is played makes prediction even more problematic than usual, especially since this time several clubs will be without their national team players. We knew from the outset that this year strength in depth would be a key factor in deciding the championship, and there will be a lot more evidence on that score by the time the dust settles on Monday evening. But we are where we are in several respects, so with all the usual caveats, here’s what we think.

RL: Whatever the results on Saturday, the clash between Kampong and Punjab-Ghausia at Maarschalkerweerd on Monday will be one of the key games of the season. Whether the Utrecht side will be able to maintain a challenge for the title in the absence of Edwards and O’Dowd is one of the big questions, and there could be no greater test of that issue than a game against the reigning champions, with or without their Zulfiqars. Here is a situation in which the acquisition of Lorenzo Ingram really comes into its own, but Lane Berry and Lachlan Bangs will also have a word or two to say in the matter, while Kampong also have plenty of home-grown talent, especially with the ball, Pierre Jacod having again proved his worth in the opening demolition of VOC. But Punjab’s all-round strength remains undoubted, and they will be out to demonstrate it to the full against the new kids on the block.

BdJ: Having strategically delayed my own contribution to this dialogue by a day, I’ve the benefit of hindsight looking back on the ambush sprung on Punjab in their own back yard by VRA yesterday, the defending champions proving bafflingly brittle despite the addition of Jonathan Vandiar. With Saqib Zulfiqar’s hamstring keeping him sidelined the batting depth isn’t quite what it might be, but one suspects Saturday’s performance was something of an aberration. Kampong, conversely, looked imperious with the bat against Excelsior, and indeed even without Edwards and O’Dowd one could argue that they remain a batting-heavy side. One would expect Punjab to revert to something closer to their altogether less embarrassing mean with the bat tomorrow of course, so all told a tough game to call, but you’d have to go with Kampong on form.

RL: VRA will travel to Schiedam without three of their regulars in skipper Teja Nidamanuru, opener Vikram Singh and spinner Shariz Ahmad, while hosts Hermes-DVS will have to manage without allrounder Aryan Dutt. But the Amsterdammers, whose Second XI is playing in the Hoofdklasse this season, have plenty of back-up, and with Johan Smal able to resume the captaincy they are probably as well fitted as anyone to cope with the depletion. If both sides have won on Saturday whoever takes the points here will retain an unbeaten record and have at least a share of the lead on the table, so there will be plenty on the line at the Loopuyt. Keen to build on their extremely promising return to the top flight last year, Hermes have a canny captain in Sebastiaan Braat, a competent, well-balanced attack, and a couple of explosive openers, but their main concern will be to ensure that their middle order comes to the party more consistently. Led by Ben Fletcher and Peter Ruffell, with Ashir Abid as first change, VRA’s attack is sharp enough to make that difficult, and Hermes will need to be at their best to take the points here.

BdJ: Coming off two wins, the most recent the closest thing to a hard-fought victory we’ve seen this season, Hermes may prove a sterner challenge than the cruising VRA have faced thus far. The Amsterdammers have the depth to shrug off the loss of three internationals in the bowling department at least, especially with Ben Fletcher expected to return to the fray, though without the trio lost to Oranje the batting does look rather dependent on Smal and the new overseas bats Cassidy and Gouge. How the three weather the trial by spin and pace-off seam from the likes of Kothari, Jabarkhail and Braat that awaits them at ‘t Loopuyt, together with the question of who if any amongst the VRA attack can contain or remove Daniel Doyle-Calle, will likely decide who takes the points from this one.

RL: Voorburg provide more players than any other to the Dutch squad, so they will really need to draw on their reserves when they make the short journey to De Diepput to take on HCC. Given, though, that those ‘reserves’ include former HCC seamer Patrick Charumbira and his fellow-Zimbabwean Carl Mumba, and that they will still have Mees van Vliet to take the new ball and Gavin Kaplan’s allround skills (as well as stand-in captaincy), they will make that journey in good heart. Untroubled by national team call-ups, the Lions will nevertheless have a great opportunity to show that they belong at the upper end of the table rather than the lower. HCC’s overseas Oliver White had a couple of games with Voorburg last season after Kaplan had departed, so like Charumbira he will be taking on former teammates, but the key to the home side’s chances of success will likely be how their home-grown batters cope against Voorburg’s well-balanced attack. They will certainly need to do a lot better than they managed last time they occupied the crease at De Diepput.

BdJ: While some teams prefer to rely on a pipe-line of youth players, others source reinforcements from overseas, and other still pull in talent from rival Dutch clubs, Voorburg persist with the sly tactic of just doing all of those things at once. The loss of Croes, Levitt, de Leede and Kingma consequently doesn’t hit quite as hard at VCC, who can call upon an unrivalled bench strength to compensate. HCC at de Diepput remains a tricky proposition however, and the Lions looked a massively improved outfit yesterday compared to their rather shambolic opening showing this season. The trusted trio of Staal, Overdijk and Gorlee will as ever be crucial to the hosts’ hopes, and there’s something to be said for a settled side on home turf, even when objectively outgunned.

RL: Having gone down fighting on day one, HBS and Sparta 1888 will both hope to show more of that resilience, with a better outcome, when they meet at Craeyenhout in another early-season showdown where getting away from the bottom three is the first priority. Although they will undoubtedly miss Kyle Klein from the attack, and possibly from the middle order, the Crows will otherwise be at full strength, and they have plenty of batting to give Sparta’s dogged attack a hard time. The Capelle side may tend to rely excessively on their overseas trio of Kyle Klesse, Lukas Boorer and Juandre Scheepers with the bat, but they do have a lower order which can chip in with valuable runs, and they may need them to do so against an HBS attack which has the likes of former skipper Ferdi Vink to call on in Klein’s absence. The home side, too, have a crop of promising youngsters coming through, as Elmar Boendermaker’s progress attests, so they have the luxury of choosing between the wiles of experience and the enthusiasm of youth.

BdJ: The Crows have racked up another fighting defeat since the above was written, while the Spartans’ efforts against HCC were rather less inspiring yesterday. That said, the HBS attack without Kyle Klein looks considerably less intimidating, while Sparta have been left entirely unscathed by the national selectors. Ahsan Malik’s return to regular competition has been a particular blessing, looking every bit as canny as back when he too was a regular in Orange. The Cappelle side have said they were sanguine about the possibility of relegation, but will doubtless be alert to the fact that a win over the winless Crows could put distance between them and the prospect.

RL: More than any other, reading this match depends greatly on what happens on Saturday: which of home side VOC and visitors Excelsior ‘20 has started to come back from their catastrophic start to the season? With Raynard van Tonder, Antum Naqvi and Jason Ralston, Excelsior have a trio of overseas who should be able to win them a fair number of crucial matches, and few will be crucial-er than this one as the table starts to take shape. But the two sides share the problem of under-performing home-grown players, and while in Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi the Bloodhounds have two of the most promising seamers in the competition, it’s in games like this that they will need them to step up and prove their mettle. The Bloodhounds will also be looking once more for big contributions from Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer, their new overseas, who will likely be instrumental in the side’s campaign to stay up.

BdJ: While both sides put up a somewhat improved showing with the bat in the process of being thoroughly beaten yesterday, VOC almost getting to within 130 runs of Voorburg’s total was entirely down to a single partnership between new overseas Scott Janett and Denmark’s Monty Singh, whereas Excelsior can take heart from encouraging innings from both Kroesens and especially Stan van Troost. If the three maintain that momentum, new arrival Antum Naqvi can recapture some of his recent form, and/or Raynard van Tonder can play through the pain of the hand injury he picked up yesterday, Excelsior would have the makings of a formidable batting line up. While the Schiedammers bowling has rather lacked a cutting edge so far this season, given the Bloodhounds batting so far one might say it’s a question of an eminently resistible force meeting an easily moveable object…

RL’s picks: Punjab, VRA, Voorburg, HBS, Excelsior.

BdJ’s picks: Kampong, VRA, Voorburg, HBS, Excelsior.

Kampong come back in style

Rod Lyall 28/04/2025

Kampong Utrecht stormed back into the Topklasse in their opening game on Sunday, dismissing VOC Rotterdam for just 86 and then requiring only ten and a half overs to knock off the runs to complete a nine-wicket victory.

Put in to bat, VOC’s innings never really got out of first gear, only 27 runs coming from the opening powerplay for the loss of two wickets as seamers Shashank Kumar, Kirtan Nana and Alex Roy maintained the pressure on a helpful Maarschalkerweerd surface.

In retrospect Pieter Recordon’s patient 18 – the top score and one of only three in double figures – looks like a much better innings than it did at the time, but once Pierre Jacod trapped him in front the spinners took over, and the remaining seven wickets fell for 41 runs in the space of 16 and a half overs.

Jacod finished with four for 24, and new signing Lorenzo Ingram collected three for 12 as the Bloodhounds’ innings crumbled.

The home side’s batters then set about maximising their net run rate advantage, Damien van den Berg and Max O’Dowd taking 28 off the first four overs before Roman Harhangi removed Van den Berg for 17.

But that brought Lane Berry to the crease, and he unleashed a savage attack, smashing four fours and three sixes in a 22-ball onslaught which earned him 41 runs, while O’Dowd finished with an unbeaten 24 at the other end.

Defending champions Punjab-Ghausia Rotterdam, on the other hand, were made to battle almost all the way against a defiant HBS Craeyenhout before a 171-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Mohsin Riaz and skipper Sikander Zulfiqar decisively took the game away from the Crows.

Although HBS captain Tayo Walbrugh contributed 56, his side were in trouble at 129 for six against Punjab’s spinners, but Kyle Klein (58) and Elmar Boendermaker (59) turned the innings round with a seventh-wicket stand of 89, and the home side managed to reach a competitive 238 for eight.

It looked like it might be enough when pacemen Lehan Botha and Klein reduced the champions to 60 for four, especially since Saqib Zulfiqar had pulled a hamstring and was unlikely to bat, but Riaz and Sikander steadied the ship and gradually took control.

Riaz’s 111, made from 85 deliveries with 15 fours and three sixes, was his fourth Topklasse century, while Sikander Zulfiqar remained 71 not out, hitting eight fours, the last of them the winning boundary, and facing 96 balls.

There was a similar story at Sportpark Bermweg, where Voorburg’s hearts fluttered briefly as their batters set out in chase of Sparta 1888’s total of 210.

Former international Ahsan Malik grabbed two early wickets, as he has done so often, but at 31 for two returning overseas Gavin Kaplan was joined by Bas de Leede, turning out for his old club under a dispensation which allows a player to appear in the Dutch competition as well as one abroad when he returns to the club which raised him.

The pair put on 124 for the third wicket, De Leede making 57 of them in a knock which bodes well for the upcoming League 2 series against Canada and the UAE, and then Kaplan and skipper Noah Croes saw the 2023 champions home, Kaplan finishing it with back-to-back boundaries to end on 85 not out.

Earlier, Sparta had battled hard to set a defendable total, Kyle Klesse top-scoring with 41 before he was most unfortunately run out by a direct hit from Bas de Leede’s younger brother Tom after a misunderstanding with fellow-overseas Lucas Boorer.

Not for the first time, Umar Baker contributed valuable runs as he batted with the tail, the last two Sparta wickets adding 42, while Udit Nashier was the most successful of the Voorburg bowlers, claiming three for 40 in his first outing with his new club.

His former outfit, VRA Amsterdam, enjoyed their day in the Amsterdamse Bos, posting the highest total of the round with a solid 253 for six, and then dismissing Excelsior ’20 Schiedam for 85 to win by 168 runs and take second place on the table.

Excelsior’s attack was able to make little impression on VRA’s strong top order, opener Vikram Singh making 46, Johan Smal 64 and Teja Nidamanuru 48.

Then the new-ball pairing of Ben Fletcher and Peter Ruffell removed the openers before Shariz Ahmad ran through the rest of the batting, claiming five for 27; it was his sixth five-wicket haul in the Topklasse and leaves him one short of 100 wickets.

He received good support from dubutant Darsh Abhinay, who took two for 10 in three overs, including that of Raynard van Tonder, whose 43 showed that he will be a key player for Excelsior this season but who will clearly need to find some teammates to stay in the middle with him.

There was a similar batting collapse at De Diepput, where HCC fell apart against Excelsior’s Schiedam rivals Hermes-DVS and succumbed by 93 runs.

Hermes got off to an outstanding start after Boris Gorlee won the toss and put them in, Aryan Dutt and Ashley Ostling compiling an opening stand of 103 before Oliver White had Ostling caught at slip by Tonny Staal for 39.

That was the cue for a dramatic collapse, two more wickets falling for the addition of just one run, and the rest of the batting able to add only 88 as the Lions fought back well.

Dutt went on to make 79, his highest in the Topklasse, and Sahil Kothari contributed a dogged 30, but with Hidde Overdijk taking three for 34 and White, Daniel Crowley and Henrico Venter picking up two apiece, the innings closed on 192.

That proved to be plenty, and after Ralph Elenbaas had removed White Roy Numair took three quick wickets for 23, including an outstanding return catch to remove Staal, before Hikmatullah Jabarkhail, on his Topklasse debut, claimed three more at a cost of 21, and HCC were in desperate trouble on 59 for seven.

Yash Patel and Mark Wolfe put up some resistance, but Sahil Kothari finished things off, taking three for 4 from 25 deliveries, and HCC were all out for 99.

Preview Round 1

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 23/04/25

The KNCB’s overdue decision to reduce the top divisions in the men’s competition to eight teams as from next year makes this a particularly sharp year in the Topklasse. At least two teams will be relegated, three if the eighth-placed side lose a play-off against the champions of the Hoofdklasse. Furthermore, there will be no finals round, with the title going to the side that tops the table after the double round-robin which starts this Saturday. Even more than usual, even match will be crucial.

RL: Defending champions Punjab-Ghausia Rotterdam face a tricky visit to Craeyenhout to take on HBS. But the astroturf outfield at Craeyenhout is always a bonus for hard-hitting batters, of whom the champions have no shortage, and few away fixtures will present them with as few qualms as that offered by the Crows. The home side, though, have a pretty formidable batting line-up as well, not least skipper Tayo Walbrugh, whose 1954 Topklasse runs on this ground have come at a remarkable average of 81.42, with nine centuries and seven fifties in 30 innings. Few overseas players have literally made themselves at home to that degree. Punjab, though, have a strong attack, and they have the capacity to clip the Crows’ wings. Predictions at this stage of the season are even more problematic than usual, but if the Rotterdammers are able to continue where they left off last year they might just come out on top.

BdJ: The stake-raising decision to pull the trigger on the transition to an eight-team top division has certainly put the top flight under the pump, if you’ll pardon the metaphor melange, and prompted something of a scramble for talent among the more nervous teams. Not so the defending champs though, who are understandably content with the squad that claimed the title last season. Pre-season losses at the hands of VRA and Sparta are unlikely to concern them unduly, and they did best Excelsior handily in the warm-ups with Fawad Shinwari did rack up an unbeaten ton in that game. HBS meanwhile have put in a fair few calls (and recalls) over the winter, the addition of Roelof van der Merwe and Heino Kuhn to the roster perhaps the most eye-catching signings for the season. The Craeyenhout old guard has also returned in force, with Navjit Singh and the brothers Vink expected to play a bigger role this season, and of course the return of Toby Visée at the top of the order ensuring HBS do not lack for hitting power of their own. The Crows have perhaps looked a bit undercooked in pre-season, losing by 9 wickets to VCC at the NextCommunications T20 Cup, though tough to draw any conclusions from 15 overs a side. All told they have the ingredients to prepare an ambush for the champions, and the Craeyenhout mat is something of a leveller, though taking two points off the title-holders first up would remain an upset

RL: Last year’s runners-up VRA Amsterdam start at home, welcoming Excelsior ’20 Schiedam to the Amsterdamse Bos. With potentially half-a-dozen debutants across the two sides it will be interesting to see who settles down quicker, but Excelsior have one of the most promising signings of the summer in former South African Test opener Raynard van Tonder. They also have last year’s spearhead Jason Ralston, and the attack has the cutting edge to unsettle VRA’s theoretically solid top order. How the Schiedammers adjust to the absence of Lorenzo Ingram will be one of the indicators of their ability to stay clear of the relegation zone in what looks like an even more challenging season than usual, while the home side will similarly be hoping that their new trio of overseas, Peter Ruffel, Jack Cassidy and Patrick Gouge, slot quickly into the side. Unlike tried and tested Craeyenhout, the quality of the early-season pitch under VRA’s new groundsman will also be a point of interest, but again, we wait to see which of these sides hits the ground running.

BdJ: Speaking of eye-catching acquisitions, the arrival of van Tonder and the late announcement of Belgian-Australian-Zimbabwean all-rounder Antum Naqvi at Thurlede has set tongues wagging as the season closes in. Neither of the new overseas has been tested in pre-season, but the pair, together with Jason Ralston spearheading the attack, will likely be key for Excelsior. The loss of Ingram naturally looms large and the home-grown batting looked rather suspect last season, though Stan van Troost looks in decent nick and Rens van Troost has been quietly developing into something of a wildcard down the order. If Excelsior have turned heads with name signings, VRA have adopted something of a moneyball approach. VRA’s new acquisitions will be largely unknown to any but the most dedicated followers of Associate or NZ domestic cricket, but the side looks well rounded and the locals largely boast a better track record in recent seasons than their Excelsior counterparts. Those locals may of course be called away to national commitments later in the season, leaving an already unsettled selection looking like something of a grab-bag side, but for the season opener they should be at full strength and will start as favourites.

RL: Back in the Topklasse after a two-year gap, Kampong Utrecht will be able to field Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd when they take on the internationals’ former club, VOC Rotterdam at Maarschalkerweerd. They will also, of course, have Ingram in their ranks, bringing has vast experience to the side. Not to mention Akhil Gopinath, Salland’s most effective bowler over the past couple of seasons. Once again, the question will be how quickly VOC’s rejigged side settles into form, and the degree to which their crop of youngsters are able to build on last year’s experience. Making the most of the presence of national team members when they are available will be a key factor for several clubs, and Kampong will want to make sure of the points here and get their season off to a flying start.

BdJ: The newly promoted Kampong will likely be pleased with their winter’s work, in addition to the coup of prizing Ingram away from Thurlede, the Utrecht club have also secured the services of former VOC overseas Lane Berry, while Northern Districts’ Ben Pomare makes way for Melbourne bat Lachlan Bangs for the 2025 season. While Edwards and O’Dowd will likely be only intermittently available given the international schedule, but at full strength Kampong arguably have the most formidable batting line-up in the competition. All five were absent for some or all of the preseason, though the ebullient Damien van den Burg has looked in fine form at the top of the order, and Kampong’s front line bowlers all found wickets in their warm-up against Excelsior. VOC meanwhile, aside from switching out a couple of overseas, otherwise largely unchanged from the squad that struggled last season. But the likes of Aaditt Jain and Sieb van Wingerden are indeed all a year older, and the side will likely be undisturbed by national team call-ups across the season. Coming up against a full-strength Kampong first up is a tough assignment however, and VOC taking two points back to Rotterdam would be a remarkable result.

RL: The two oldest clubs in this year’s top flight, HCC and Hermes-DVS Schiedam, will face off at De Diepput. Having negotiated their return to the Topklasse with flying colours, the Light Blues may find this demanding campaign even more challenging, but in Asad Zulfiqar and Sahil Kothari they have two additions to their squad who may compensate them for the loss of CP Klijnhans. They will be hoping to get more out of Aryan Dutt’s presence than was possible last season, but HCC at home are never an easy proposition, always presuming that the predicted fine weather for the opening weekend in fact eventuates. The Lions, of course, are still more reinforced, with Clayton Floyd and Henrico Venter rejoining the colours, and a complete change of the overseas guard. Another tough one to call, but I’m going with home advantage – just!

BdJ: Probably the toughest of a tough set of games to call, while HCC had the better of Hermes last season there’s been sufficient personnel changes to muddy the waters there somewhat. How quickly HCC’s new overseas adapt to Dutch conditions could be determinative, though Ollie White at least has had the benefit of half a season in the Netherlands last year. Hermes new acquisitions are largely local, with Belgian legspinner Dewald Dumon no stranger to Dutch competition while Kothari and Zulfiqar are of course seasoned Topklasse campaigners. Overseas opening pair Daniel Doyle Calle and Ashley Ostling are similarly well settled now, though whether anyone ever truly acclimatises to an away fixture at de Diepput is questionable.

RL: In a very promising start, Sparta’s new overseas Kyle Klesse and Lukas Boorer saw them home a couple of weeks ago with an unbroken stand of 80 to beat defending champions Punjab, after local boy Jochem Steenbergen had given them a decent start with a half-century, and Klesse followed this up with a century against a Bloemendaal XI last weekend. With Ahsan Malik claiming four wickets in the former match, Joost-Martijn Snoep’s side will have plenty of grounds for optimism as they welcome 2023 champions Voorburg to the Bermweg. If they’re at full strength, though, the Villagers (I really want to call them that in the absence of another nickname, and I reckon it’s one they should wear with pride) have plenty of firepower with both bat and ball, and Sparta will need to be at their absolute best if they are start their season with a win.

BdJ: The unfancied Spartans have arguably had the best showing in the pre-season warm-ups thus far, with both their new overseas looking astute acquisitions. Indeed there will be growing concern at Bermweg that the German selectors will come calling for Klesse at some point in the season. Come Sunday though they will presumably be at full strength and in some form, presenting a tricky opening assignment for Voorburg. The 2023 Champions had a somewhat disappointing 2024 season, failing to reach the final for the first time in four years, but look appreciably stronger this time round with the addition of Zimbabweans Patient Charumbira and Carl Mumba, as well as Melbourne youngster Henry Melville. The return of Gavin Kaplan, whose early departure last season saw VCC’s campaign lose momentum, further bolsters what looks an intimidating line-up.

RL’s picks: [degree of confidence: about 30%] Punjab, Excelsior, Kampong, HCC, Voorburg.

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

KNCB faces pushback on domestic structure overhaul

Bertus de Jong 12/03/2025

The beleaguered KNCB board headed by Guido Landheer will face further tribulation tomorrow, as they look to face down opposition to the overhaul of the domestic one-day competition structure that was announced in January. A number of clubs from various divisions, including Sparta 1888, VRA, Dosti, Hercules, Rood en Wit, Salland CC, VVV, Quick 1888 and Qui Vive among others, moved last month to request a Bijzondere Algemene Ledenvergadering (Special General Members Meeting) to reconsider the proposed changes, and that meeting has been duly scheduled for tomorrow (March 13th).

Perhaps unsurprisingly Hoofdklasse clubs comprise a substantial proportion of the remonstrants, more than half the current competitors in the second division adding their voices to the call. Under the current proposal the Hoofdklasse will see fully half of the current field relegated at the end of the coming season, with five teams dropping down to an enlarged Eersteklasse for 2026, to make room for three relegated Topklasse teams and the promotion of the 2025 Eersteklasse champions.

Speaking on behalf of the clubs appellant, former national team captain and sometime KNCB vice chair Steven Lubbers stressed that the appeal for a BALV was a move of last resort, but the group saw no other option. Lubbers, who has long advocated a broader pyramid with expedited promotion especially at the lower end of the ladder, told TKcricket that the remonstrant clubs felt there were significant deficiencies both in the process and that led to the new structure revealed in January, as well as the outcome.

Lubbers argues that the relegation of half of the Hoofdklasse would leave those clubs in an appreciably weaker position vis-a-vis local councils and rival sports when it came to Topsport subsidies and competition for facilities. Lubbers also echoed an observation which several commentators have raised regarding the board’s proposed promotion/relegation scheme for 2025/26, namely that the absence of any relegation playoffs means that sides in lower divisions enjoy a perverse advantage in jockeying for position for 2026. A team now in the Eersteklasse, for example, need only win that division (effectively placing 21st on the ladder) to win promotion to the Hoofklasse for 2026 while a team starting in the Hoofdklasse would have to place in the top five (essentially 15th in the full rankings) to retain their place.

Lubbers had previously championed and alternate plan which had come to be known as Voorstel Salland, which envisioned broadening the pyramid structure substantially all the way up to the Hoofdklasse, which under the Salland plan would be split into two pools and expanded to 16 or more teams, while lower divisions would also be expanded and slip into more pools – a format which Lubbers argues would both alleviate competitive pressure on clubs while allowing for expedited promotion.

Former VRA chair John Wories, who has played a leading role in the opposition to the new structure, observed in a memo circulated to clubs early last month that “expanded relegation will increase the pressure on clubs for extra reinforcement with foreign players/coaches” further crowding out homegrown youth talent on the field while limiting other expenditure “if only because financial resources would be used for [overseas recruitment] rather than for improving facilities (including grass wickets), strengthening participation and developing (young) players.” Indeed while early indications suggest that we may be on course for record spending on overseas talent for the coming season, at least in the Hoofdklasse. That in and of itself may however generate resistance to the remonstrants’ proposals from clubs that have already invested heavily ahead of what is currently slated to be a cut-throat season.

The remonstrating clubs are arguing for a postponement of any substantial restructure, either maintaining the same format as 2024 for the coming season or, in deference to the difficulty of overhauling the calendar at this late stage, at least postponing the envisaged transition to the planned 2026 structure and the numerous relegations that it would entail. Pointing to perceived deficiencies in the consultative process followed by the KNCB, which saw a nine-member working group headed by Reinout Scholte and Adriaan van der Dries arrive at the current restructure plan, the dissenting clubs propose a new committee be set up to consider the question.

Scholte, KNCB board member with the High Performance portfolio who has acted as point-man for the board on the issue, stepped down last month citing in part the increasingly fractious nature of the controversy, but the board shows little sign of throwing in the towel. Regretting the departure of Scholte, KNCB chair Guido Lanheer said in a previous statement, “The reasons for his departure give rise to thought and reflection on the way we deal with each other within cricket Netherlands. Differences of opinion will always exist, but the way we currently deal with each other and with these differences of opinion does not lead to the best result for cricket Netherlands in our view.”

Speaking to TKcricket, Landheer defended the process that produced the restructure plan, which included wide consultation with clubs across various divisions. While conceding that it was regrettable that the subject could not be discussed at the December ALV (which was busy with other matters), an extra virtual meeting was scheduled in January to address the issue specifically. “There were 45 clubs represented at the January (8th) meeting, and all clubs were afforded the chance to comment up until January 24th.” Landheer said, observing that neither Salland nor VRA did so at the time.

Referring to the alternate proposals first tabled two years ago, Landheer insists they were not dismissed out of hand. “The so-called Voorstel Salland was considered in depth, and several aspects of it have been incorporated into the new structure.” Landheer told Tkcricket, “a broader pyramid, and regionalisation at lower levels, for example, the latter especially has been made easier by the new scheduling software.” Landheer explained. “We’ve sought to give more attention to T20 and recreational cricket, while providing for more predictable and stable scheduling compared to the previous system.” The board is not entirely blind to some of the problems the upheaval expected at the end of the 2025 season may throw up, and aspects of the “Big Bang” transformation are less than ideal as Landheer concedes. “Transition is difficult but it is a necessary investment in the future.”

Following several bruising meetings focusing on the KNCB’s now well-documented financial woes, the board may even be relieved to be back on the familiar ground of wrangling about domestic structures, and it has been noted that the ALV’s role in questions of domestic structure is, constitutionally speaking, purely advisory. Nonetheless it is doubtful that the board will be afforded an easy time of it tomorrow, though with the first ball of the season now just weeks away it is late in the day to be changing course…

Topklasse to return to eight teams from 2026

Bertus de Jong 18/01/2025

The KNCB today confirmed a substantial overhaul of the Dutch domestic one-day competition structure, with both the Topklasse and Hoofdklasse to return to an eight-team divisional league format from 2026 onwards.

The coming 2025 edition will dispense with the play-off system, reverting to a simple double round robin format, with the ten teams playing each other home and away. At the end of the season the bottom three Topklasse teams will be relegated, with the Hoofdklasse champions promoted to join the remaining seven for an 8-team competition in 2026. The crowded calendar precludes the possibility of a finals day or relegation play-off, meaning both the title and promotion/relegation will be directly determined by the final standings on the table. Similarly, the crowded schedule leaves no room for replays or reserve days during the competition.

The Hoofdklasse will likewise be returning to an 8-team format from 2026, with the consequence that no less than five teams will face relegation to the Eersteklasse at the end of the 2025 season, while the 2025 Eersteklasse champions will join the three relegated Topklasse sides and the four surviving Hoofdklasse sides for the 2026 Hoofdklasse season. As with the top division, there is no provision for a relegation play-off.

Conversely the Eersteklasse will be expanding from the current 10-team format to a two-pool 16-team leaguev (similar to the current Overgangsklasse) from 2026 onwards. The champion of the 2025 edition, also played as a straight ten-team double round robin, will win promotion to the 2026 Hoofdklasse, while the bottom two sides will be relegated to the Overgangsklasse, the latter to be renamed “Tweedeklasse”. A similar numerical naming scheme is to be applied to lower leagues, which remain otherwise unchanged.

The one-day season for 2025 is set to begin on the 26th of April and run until the 6th of August, with matches again played on Saturdays until the switch to Sundays in mid-July. The T20 competitons look broadly similar in format to last season, albeit switch to the other end of the Summer, commencing on August 13th and culminating in a finals day a month later.

The points system and the finals

Robert Vermeulen

21/11/2024

In May I posted an article about the delicate future of our beloved Game in The Netherlands. The vast majority of the feedback I received was positive. In this polarised digital world and a quite tribal Dutch cricket community, that is a remarkable thing. It stands to reason that there are several ways to solve the issue I tried to address. The most important thing is that we acknowledge the problem and try to formulate a strategy to face it.

You might think that I, as a lawyer, would propose strict rules and regulations. That is only partly true. Sure, I salivate by the thought of drafting such documents, but rules are more effective if they are broadly supported, are seen as ‘obvious’ and, finally, reflect an internal moral belief. The reason one does not steal is -hopefully- not that it is illegal, but that is ‘not right’. It goes against your moral fabric and would make your mother very very disappointed in you.

Breaking the trend

A rough estimate by ‘those-in-the-know’ is that we collectively, as clubs, might have spent as much as half a million Euro’s this year on players. If true, and I am afraid it might be, that is a shocking amount of money. At best one would hope that this money was spent on a lot of junior coaching hours…. if there were any juniors to coach.

I would suggest that it is time to start the (long) process towards addressing our unhealthy habits that have crept into our top leagues. We must stop spending resources on things that not evidently ensure the long term survival of the Game as a whole. A club will truly survive a relegation. Trust me, I have been there. Healthy clubs that invest in their home-grown stock and the health of their own club organisation and culture, will survive and return. Take VCC as an example, they went through a major lean patch some years ago but now they were (again) in contention for a championship. Good on them!

Only if the club does not have a strong foundation, the players might move on. That is the risk of those clubs who are ‘a bank account with a first team’. Mercenaries follow the money.

If we are to survive, a collective action is needed to stop ‘stupid money’ and encourage ‘smart money’. In my very humble opinion, a points based system as suggested by me in May, would stimulate that and see to it that clubs are forced to make the right choices. We must break the arms-race.

Let’s have a look at our semi-finalists in the Topklasse of this year: Punjab Ghausia (Punjab), VRA, VCC and HCC.

When I speak of local players, I mean those players that are either home-grown players or are players that are here for other reasons than cricket. This last group are those that moved here for work, study or other non-cricket related reasons like marriage/relationships/family reunion or refugee status. Home-grown players are players that learned their cricket here. Overseas players are players whose main reason for being in The Netherlands is to play cricket.

In this piece I will add the distinction between home-grown players by the club itself and home-grown players that came from other clubs. Why keep things simple?

Semi-finalists

On 1 September 2024 I partly watched VCC 1 beat my beloved HCC 1. No complaints there: they were the better side, especially on the day. If one breaks down the makeup of the teams, HCC fielded 3 home-grown HCC players, 2 home-grown players that moved from other clubs, 3 local players (players who live here but are not home-grown) and 3 overseas players. VCC fielded 4 home-grown VCC players, 3 home-grown players that moved from other clubs, 1 local player and 3 overseas players. The home-grown players on a whole were quite influential, so cheers all round!

Punjab, a powerhouse in the last years, was in the Grand Final. Again, good on them. VRA had a sniff at victory but fell just short. A breakdown of these teams is as follows. Punjab fielded 0 home-grown Punjab players, 4 home-grown players that moved from other clubs, 3 local players (if Belgium is deemed local / plus a player I could not place in the other columns) and 4 overseas players. VRA fielded 3 home-grown VRA players, two home-grown players that moved from other clubs, 3 local players and 3 overseas players.

The differences between the clubs are not extreme.

The main reason Punjab does not have Punjab home-grown players is their recent rapid rise to prominence. Their efforts in junior cricket will reap benefits in due time. VCC fielded 4 VCC home-grown players on Sunday and 3 home grown players that came over from other clubs (two HCC raised and one ACC). 7 home grown players in total. Well done. Fair play!

Breakdown of relative influence of types of players in last Sunday’s games:

This is only one game but it should be interesting to make a broad analysis over the whole season. Certain retired CBS statisticians might be interested to have a go at this…

Second teams

In the Eerste Klasse VRA 2 beat Punjab 2 in the Grand Final. Punjab 2 beat HCC 2 in the semifinal. The fact that all-but-one player in HCC 2 are HCC home-grown players, delights me. They beat Qui Vive 1 in the elimination final and are clearly a tight group that have a boat load of fun together. That is what it is all about.

VCC 2 might have relegated to the Eerste Klasse, but that might only be healthy for the team as a whole so that they can rebuild and play at a level that might be more fun for younger players. I would say that VCC and HCC, for now, have a bright future. The strength of VRA 2 and Punjab 2 is very promising as well, albeit that the latter team contains not a lot of home-grown players and even overseas players.

The point that I am trying to make here is that the second teams of all the semi-finalists in the Topklasse are vibrant as well. That shows a broader basis of playing talent than just the flagship team. These second teams are usually not stacked with ringers, albeit that they might have potential first team players that were pushed out by overseas players acquired for the first team. If you would add to that picture the line up of these clubs in the U17 and U15 leagues, these Topklasse semi-finalists are largely healthy clubs. They are not an empty shell.

Points system

field competitive teams with the back up of strong second elevens and talented youth. VCC survived a drain from the Dutch XI and pro’s leaving home by fielding a slew of home-grown players; so did VRA. Again, cheers all around. The four finalists had enough depth in their selection to fill the gaps.

I would say all potential champions this year were clubs with a role to play in the future of our local Game.

If we would be able to reduce the amount (and influence) of overseas players in these (and other) teams, the further development of home-grown players could be stimulated and create a more level playing field for all clubs with good intentions. I am sure that these four clubs would support that idea (as they live in relative luxury). Others might be more reluctant, but it has to be done!

Clubs have limited resources that could and should be used wisely. The club members should demand transparency from their committees regarding the finances surrounding players. Depending on sugar daddies and non-recurring donations (even in kind) is no basis for long term policy. If they suddenly leave, you are done for.

The introduction of a points system results in a reduction of overseas players, this would reduce the need to spend money on everything surrounding overseas players and could free up resources for other, more productive, causes.

I hope that this autumn and winter will provide us with ample time to develop ideas to improve the future of or local Game.