Tag: topklasse

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.

Topklasse Team of the Year 2024

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 04/09/23

So, that time rolls round again when we at TKcricket nominate our Topklasse Team of the Year. It’s all a bit different this year, since the influx of overseas players recruited by the clubs changed the character of the competition (once again, we’re only concerned here with the 50-over version) to a significant degree.

RL: Whatever the clubs may have done, I think we should confine our choice of overseas players to two, as we have done in the past. There is, of course, a large field to choose from, but for my money the first name on the sheet has to be that of Voorburg’s Gavin Kaplan, who went past fifty no fewer than seven times in just ten innings in compiling his 701 runs, going on to three figures on four of those occasions. Add to that the fact that he proved a useful change bowler, and his selection is a no-brainer. The second overseas is trickier: pace spearheads Jason Ralston (Excelsior) and Cameron Fraser (Sparta) claimed 38 and 29 wickets respectively for teams in the lower reaches of the table. Ralston has a strong claim, but my choice would probably be ACC’s Izhaan Sayed, who not only had the knack of grabbing early wickets but also topped his struggling side’s batting averages.

BdJ: While I do appreciate the high-minded sentiment on the overseas question, I’d be inclined to take a Jeffersonian approach and stylishly swim with the current on this one rather than risk principled petrification. With the influx of overseas showing no signs of slowing, if we stick to our guns here we may struggle to even pick a competitive XI in a few seasons’ time. Close to half the players in the competition already hail from abroad, accounting for more than half the runs and wickets this season, so I say who are we to blow against the wind?

Nowhere is that case more convincing than at the top of the batting card. The majority of clubs went with overseas at the top of the order this season, and of Dutch-produced or Netherlands-qualified players nobody averaged over 30 opening the batting. VCC’s Michael Levitt was the best of a bad bunch with 260 runs at 28.9, a disappointing season by his own standards, followed by HCC’s Tonny Staal with 300 runs at 27.3. If one had to pick an opening pair from among the local players one would probably go for Vikram Singh and Musa Ahmad, though both had more consistent success down the order. Ahmad’s sometime opening partner and near-permanent fixture in Dutch club cricket Shoaib Minhas arguably has a stronger case for his efforts against VRA alone, hitting the match-winning century in the first qualifying semi at the Zomercomplex that secured a home final and two half centuries against the same opposition earlier in the season making sure would be played there in the first place. Jonathan Vandiar also deserves a mention as an occasional opener albeit a committed overseas, and it’s notable that Punjab are the only side with two bats in the 500-club this season. Hermes’ overseas opening combo of Ashley Ostling and Daniel Doyle Calle were the most prolific pairing at the top of the order this season, Ostling the only opener to hit 500 runs from the top of the order during the League Phase.

RL: I can’t argue with m’colleague’s analysis of the problem, but my view is pragmatic as well as ‘high-minded’: if the competition continues on its present course, it will become almost impossible to produce young Dutch players capable of holding their own on the international stage. The clubs were unhappy when the Dutch-produced contingent in the national side withered to one or two, and it’s true that some progress has been made under the two Ryans (Campbell and Cook) to restore the balance. It’s really a topic for a different discussion, but I am personally convinced that the KNCB will need to act to curb the current arms race. That way, madness lies.

Another structural problem, of course, is that some of the leading players were absent for much of the second phase, so averages are probably a better guide to performance than aggregates. I’d certainly want to go with Musa Ahmad (420 at 30.00) as one of the openers, and Singh’s 367 at 40.78 make him a credible partner, even if neither of them had the sort of season they might have wanted.

As for the rest of the top order, if we have Kaplan at three, there are three more places available in the top six, or perhaps four, depending on what we decide about a keeper. Punjab’s Saqib Zulfiqar, for instance, finished seventh in the averages behind six overseas players, and his 326 runs at 46.57 give him a strong claim. He would slot in well at four, while I’d be inclined to include Voorburg’s Noah Croes (466 at 38.83) at five, thus filling the wicketkeeping spot at the same time. That would leave room for two more batters, or batting allrounders (it’s notable that apart from Croes, all the Dutch-qualified players we’ve named so far are more than useful change bowlers). The leading contenders would be Shariz Ahmad (VRA, 331 at 41.38) and Ryan Klein (Voorburg, 356 at 39.56), both of whom have greatly improved their batting and have played crucial innings for their sides.

BdJ: While I’m inclined to agree that Something Must Be Done about the proliferation of overseas players in the league, I still feel our Team of the Year ought to reflect the competition as it is rather than as we’d like it to be. Perhaps as a compromise we could make room for those overseas now permanently based in the Netherlands and intent qualifying for the national side. That would allow us to pick the soon-to-be-Dutch-eligible Tayo Walbrugh, whose 596 runs for HBS at an average of almost 60 make him a strong runner-up to Kaplan in the batting stakes this season. A case might also be made for VRA stand-in skipper Johan Smal, who missed out on the 500 club by just five runs and was indispensable to his side’s making their run to the final despite Teja Nidamanuru’s season-ending injury early in the summer and the regular absences of Singh, Ahmad and Floyd.

Johan Smal

Croes has little competition for the keeper slot, with none of the other glovemen in the league coming close to matching his 466 runs. Nonetheless some honourable mentions can be made, Luke Scully did some fine work in the handful of games he played for VRA 1s this season, averaging 44.3 across 4 innings in the Topklasse as well as playing a crucial role in the second team’s successful promotion campaign in the Eersteklasse. In terms of pure glovemanship, it’s worth noting that Sparta’s Riley Mudford gave up just three byes over the course of the season, even if he wasn’t able to replicate his short-format form with the bat. HCC’s Yash Patel also had a fine season behind the poles, effecting five stumpings and taking 21 catches to top the dismissal tally table.

RL: An hon. ment. also for Fawad Shinwari, whose 27 victims in 14 matches took him to the top of list and helped Punjab to their title. He also raises the thorny question of where Belgian-based players fit into our discussion of the overseas issue.

Whether or not we agree that Shariz and Saqib earn a place as allrounders, both have a strong claim as wrist-spinners, especially the former, whose 21 wickets at 21.52 may have been a smaller tally than last year but came from just 14 matches. Not many slow bowlers feature prominently in the averages, but Mahesh Hans (ACC) and Leon Turmaine (VRA) both averaged a shade over 16, the latter once he’d forced his way back into the first team. Neither, perhaps, has an overwhelming claim, but if we really wanted to include a finger spinner both could be relied upon to produce a decent performance.

BdJ: It has indeed been a remarkably lean summer for the slow-bowlers, with seamers occupying the first eight spots on the wicket-taking table, with Ahmad’s 21 the best tally for a spinner. The indefatigable Lorenzo Ingram was the only finger spinner to break 20 wickets this season, though six of those came in succession running through a hapless Sparta lower order. With two slow bowlers already penciled in on the strength of their batting, I’d be inclined to make room for an extra quick given the weight of wickets this season has heavily favoured them.

On that front it’s hard to look past Jason Ralston’s 38 for Excelsior, whose 14-wicket lead over Cameron and Sayed outweighs the latters’ ability to chip in an average 20-odd runs in my book. Among Dutch and Dutch-qualified seamers the stand-out this season was newcomer Ben Fletcher with 29 wickets at under 15 for VRA, the tall left armer already attracting the attention of national selectors. Hermes’ Ralph Elenbaas also had an excellent season, eclipsing his more-celebrated brother with 25 wickets at 15.4. Sajjad Kamal also enjoyed a fine first season for Punjab picking up 24 scalps, though they came at a comparatively hefty price in terms of runs conceded. Mees van Vliet, charged with leading the VCC attack while national duty or injury kept Kingma and Klein out of the side, is next on the wicket-taking table with 23 across 16 matches, but was similarly expensive, going at an economy rate of 5.65 an over. If one were to prize miserliness over penetration in our second seamer three names jump out. The first is that of Ryan Klein, who sent down 48 overs at the cost of just 142 runs, but then of course he spent much of the season bowling off-spin rather than his usual medium pace. HCC’s Adam Leonard was the most economical of the dedicated quicks, his 19 wickets coming at 16.9 runs apiece at the rate of 3.4 per over.The last is that of last year’s TK Team of the Year skipper Martijn Snoep, who had another quietly effective season for his side picking up 18 wickets at 16.4 while going at 3.5 an over.

RL: That about covers the field, I reckon. A shout-out, though, for Kyle Klein of HBS, who claimed 18 wickets despite playing only seven matches, at an economy rate of 4.05. And in a season in which young home-grown players had regrettably few opportunities, or who seemed to have gone backwards when they did, two young seamers who enhanced their reputations were Aaditt Jain and Roman Harhangi of VOC. I still have a strong preference for picking Dutch (or at least Dutch-qualified) players over out-and-out incomers, which would lead me to give the nod to Fletcher – who also offers the bonus of being a left-armer – and Elenbaas minor over the rest of the contenders. That gives us three front-line seamers plus the incidental contributions of Kaplan and Singh, and two spinners.

Plenty of bowling, so we can afford to go back and add one more batter. Here the choice lies between adding an opener, who would have to be an overseas like Punjab’s Shoaib Minhas (see above), and including another batting allrounder, which which case the strongest claim is arguably that of Ryan Klein.

As for the captaincy, the only regular captains we’ve included are Croes and Walbrugh, and for my money the nod should go to the former, who led Voorburg with authority whenever he was available.

BdJ: The matter of the armband is a tricky question this year, with several clubs switching captains through the season and few full-time skippers having stand-out seasons. The field-promoted captain Smal is the notable was the notable exception there, probably the unluckiest to miss the cut this year and would have taken the armband too had he made it into the XI. But I’d agree that Croes is a sound second choice to lead our 2024 TK Topklasse Team of the Year…

The Team: Musa Ahmad (Punjab-Ghausia), Vikram Singh (VRA), Gavin Kaplan (Voorburg), Noah Croes (Voorburg), Tayo Walbrugh (HBS Craeyenhout), Saqib Zulfiqar (Punjab-Ghausia), Shariz Ahmad (VRA), Ryan Klein (Voorburg), Ralph Elenbaas (Hermes-DVS), Ben Fletcher (VRA), Jason Ralston (Excelsior ’20).

Previous TOTYs 2023| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

Group A preview

Rod Lyall 12/04/22

For the first time in its 132-year history the Dutch top flight men’s competition will be played in two groups this season, and the teams’ first target will be to finish in the top three of their pool, thus giving themselves a crack at the Topklasse title in the second phase.

At first glance it looked as if Group A might be distinctly the weaker of the two, but with a returning influx of overseas players after the pandemic-induced drought of the past two years and some significant transfers it may prove a tougher challenge than first thought.

2021 champions, Punjab Rotterdam, have made the bold decision to do without any overseas imports, and will largely stay with their winning combination from last season.

With the four Zulfiqar brothers at the top of their order, along with (now former) international opener Steph Myburgh and all-rounder Teja Nidamanuru, they have plenty of power with the bat; whether Myburgh is regularly available remains to be seen, but Punjab fans will be hoping he can reproduce the scintillating form with which he bowed out of the international arena in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago.

The parsimonious seam attack of skipper Suleiman Tariq, Sohail Bhatti, Sikander Zulfiqar and Mubashar Hussain, now joined by Belgian-based, former VOC player Ashiqullah Said, is likely to further trouble opposing batting sides, and with the spin options of Nidamanuru, Saqib Zulfiqar, Irfan ul Haq and possibly the veteran Muhammad Hafeez, Punjab will again be a tough proposition, especially on their bijou ground at Rotterdam’s Zomercomplex.

After last season ended controversially with claims and counterclaims of racist behaviour, HCC will be keen to make a fresh new start, and although they have lost opener Musa Nadeem Ahmad to Voorburg they have compensated for this by acquiring two overseas players, New Zealander Tim Pringle and Australian Zac Worden.

Left-armer Pringle is the son of former New Zealand international Chris, who played for HCC and then for one season with VRA between 1996 and 2001, taking 264 wickets at an average of 11.27, and the Diepput club will be extremely happy if Tim is able to come anywhere close to that kind of effort.

Worden is coming off the back of a successful season opening the batting for his Tea Tree Gully club in the South Australian first grade and was recently selected for the state’s second team; he will slot into the space vacated by Ahmad, and should add solidity to a line-up which showed a tendency to fragility last year, despite the presence of Boris Gorlee, now a Dutch international, Tonny Staal and Damian Crowley.

On the other hand, HCC’s pace attack of Hidde Overdijk, Reinier Bijloos and Olivier Klaus is as menacing as any in the competition, and Clayton Floyd, last year’s leading wicket-taker with 37 wickets at a miserly 7.32, will have benefited from his experience with the Dutch national side over the winter.

Consistently there or thereabouts in recent seasons without ever hitting the heights, HBS Craeyenhout have, like Punjab, opted for the mixture as before.

They will welcome back South African Tayo Walbrugh, who had an outstanding start to last season and finished with 780 runs at an average of 65.00, and Dutch passport holder Ryan Klein, whose sharp pace earned him a place in Ryan Campbell’s national squad this winter; he will be joined by younger brother Kyle, who has already played for the Dutch under-19 side, and the squad will be under the guidance of another South African, Gavin Kaplan, who is part of the coaching team at Gary Kirsten’s academy.

For the rest, HBS will have the experience of skipper Ferdi Vink and mercurial opener Tobias Visée, while they will be hoping that former international star batter (and occasional deadly off-spinner) Wesley Barresi will be more regularly available than the six games he played last season.

They will also be looking for further progress from their emerging talents: allrounders Navjit Singh and Julian de Mey, seamer Benno Boddendijk, and young keeper Martijn Scholte. All told, HBS should certainly be in the mix for one of those top three places.

Among the dark horses of Group A will be promoted side Kampong Utrecht, returning to the top flight after a 24-year absence.

They have signed Auckland wicketkeeper-batter Cole Briggs, who will join South African Pite van Biljon, who enjoyed two successful seasons with the Utrecht club in 2011-12 and who has since played in ten T20Is for South Africa.

Led by the evergreen Usman Malik, the Kampong squad is not short of youthful talent, with under-19 international off-spinner Pierre Jacod, seamer Kertan Nana, the leading wicket-taker in the Hoofklasse last year with 19 at 9.26, and opener Alex Roy all likely to relish the opportunity to move up a level.

There is plenty of experience, too, with seamer Sean Trouw, Shivdutt Singh Jhala, Vikram Chaturvedi, Sandeep Abhyankar, Ratha Alphonse, Saurabh Zalpuri and Robert van der Harten all likely to play a part; with Briggs and Van Biljon to spearhead the side, it would be rash opponents who took Kampong for granted.

By contrast with the stability elsewhere there has been something of a revolving door at the Bermweg, where Sparta 1888 have seen several departures, the most notable of them the transfer of young quick Max Hoornweg to VOC; he has, however, metaphorically passed former international Ahsan Malik somewhere on the A20 as the latter will be appearing in Sparta colours this year.

Another absentee will be last season’s overseas player, Garnett Tarr, who will be with Scottish club Kelburne. He will be replaced by 31-year-old Tripura and former Gujarat batter Samit Gohil, who once made 359 not out for Gujarat in a quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy.

Other acquisitions at the Bermweg include the returning Sandeep Sardha and Belgium pace man Khalid Ahmadi, while Mudassar Bukhari is likely to again be the mainstay of the side with both bat and ball.

Prithviraj Balwantsingh played some useful knocks last year in a team which was generally short of runs, and the Capelle club will be hoping for a better season for the always-dangerous Ali Raza; on the bowling side, Bukhari, Malik and Ahmadi will have the support of fellow-seamers Joost Martijn Snoep and Nasratullah Ibrahimkhil.

If Sparta is to make a serious challenge for a top three spot it will, one suspects, be the bowlers who get them there.

Change is also the order of the day at ACC, another side who found runs hard to come by in 2021.

They will be strengthened by the advent of three South Africans: 27-year-old Limpopo opener Thomas Hobson and two players from Durban’s Amanzimtoti club, Robin Smith, who has experience with Llandudno in Wales and Langley in Cheshire and who was recently selected for the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal side, and Rob Ackerman.

The Amsterdammers will be delighted at the return of Charles McInerney from injury, and will be hoping that their South African trio will create greater space for the development of their crop of promising youngsters, such as seamers Aryan Kumar and Mees van Vliet, batter Shreyas Potdar, and 16-year-old spinner Zinesh Master, who had a sensational debut last season, taking five for 30 against Dosti on his first Topklasse outing.

With Anis Raza, Devanshu Arya and Chris Knoll all lending solidity to the side ACC will be hoping to hold their own in what promises to be a very tight competition, but they will do extremely well to make the cut at the beginning of June.

Scorecard | Final | Punjab vs VCC | 05.09.21

Punjab I Vs Voorburg I
1-Innings Match Played At Zomercomplex, Rotterdam, 05-Sep-2021, Topklasse
Punjab I Win by 55 runs
Round GF
Toss won by Voorburg I
Umpires RJ Akram – N Bathi – AND van den Dries
Home Side Punjab I
Points Awarded Punjab I 4, Voorburg I 0
Punjab I 1st Innings 157/10 All Out (Overs 47.3)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
SJ Myburgh c BFW de Leede b VJ Kingma 24 20 4 1
RU Zulfiqar c A Dutt b GK Nieuwoudt 17 48 1 1
AA Zulfiqar+ lbw b BFW de Leede 30 56 4 0
SM Zulfiqar lbw b PRP Boissevain 22 34 4 0
SA Zulfiqar   b LV van Beek 14 17 2 0
I Ul Haq   b BFW de Leede 11 18 1 0
MMA Bajwa st M Hingorani b PRP Boissevain 4 38 0 0
S Bhatti c M Hingorani b LV van Beek 1 5 0 0
Y Usman c M Hingorani b VJ Kingma 14 24 2 0
S Tariq* c PRP Boissevain b A Dutt 3 6 0 0
Mubashar Hussain not out   3 20 0 0
extras   (b0 lb3 w10 nb1) 14      
TOTAL   10 wickets for 157      
FOW
1-31(SJ Myburgh) 2-53(RU Zulfiqar) 3-102(SM Zulfiqar) 4-104(AA Zulfiqar) 5-125(SA Zulfiqar) 6-129(I Ul Haq) 7-130(S Bhatti) 8-146(Y Usman) 9-149(S Tariq) 10-157(MMA Bajwa)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
A Dutt 10 1 29 1 – –
VJ Kingma 8 3 14 2 – –
LV van Beek 10 1 26 2 3 –
GK Nieuwoudt 7 1 26 1 2 –
PRP Boissevain 6.3 0 41 2 1 1
BFW de Leede 6 0 18 2 – –
Voorburg I 1st Innings 102/10 All Out (Overs 32.1)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
M Hingorani+ run out S Bhatti   5 24 0 0
TN de Grooth c AA Zulfiqar b S Bhatti 0 2 0 0
BFW de Leede* c SM Zulfiqar b S Tariq 9 7 1 0
SA Engelbrecht c MMA Bajwa b S Tariq 7 20 1 0
A Dutt c AA Zulfiqar b SM Zulfiqar 35 82 3 1
LV van Beek   b SA Zulfiqar 19 26 2 1
GK Nieuwoudt c AA Zulfiqar b SA Zulfiqar 2 9 0 0
PRP Boissevain c SM Zulfiqar b SA Zulfiqar 0 1 0 0
FJ de Lange lbw b SA Zulfiqar 2 6 0 0
VJ Kingma c Mubashar Hussain b SM Zulfiqar 1 8 0 0
ST Mulder not out   5 9 1 0
extras   (b4 lb0 w13 nb0) 17      
TOTAL   10 wickets for 102      
FOW
1-2(TN de Grooth) 2-12(BFW de Leede) 3-19(M Hingorani) 4-27(SA Engelbrecht) 5-60(LV van Beek) 6-64(GK Nieuwoudt) 7-72(PRP Boissevain) 8-75(FJ de Lange) 9-85(VJ Kingma) 10-102(A Dutt)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
S Tariq 10 4 26 2 – –
S Bhatti 3 0 16 1 4 –
Mubashar Hussain 6 0 17 0 5 –
SA Zulfiqar 7 0 22 4 4 –
SM Zulfiqar 6.1 1 17 2 – –

Scorecard | Qualifier 2 | VCC vs VRA | 04.09.21

Voorburg I Vs VRA I
1-Innings Match Played At Westvliet, Voorburg, 04-Sep-2021, Topklasse
Voorburg I Win by 5 wkts
Round PF
Toss won by Voorburg I
Umpires AND van den Dries – E Ruchtie – D Das
Home Side Voorburg I
Points Awarded VRA I 0, Voorburg I 4
VRA I 1st Innings 210/7 Closed (Overs 50)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
V Singh c SA Engelbrecht b A Dutt 31 62 3 0
L Scully   b LV van Beek 39 27 8 0
BN Cooper c A Dutt b PRP Boissevain 22 42 3 0
ES Szwarczynski   b VJ Kingma 41 86 3 0
PW Borren* c M Hingorani b PRP Boissevain 1 3 0 0
J Balbirnie c M Hingorani b PRP Boissevain 16 41 0 0
LA Turmaine lbw b GK Nieuwoudt 4 7 0 0
MB Lees+ not out   16 36 2 0
QWM Gunning dnb          
A Abid dnb          
U Nashier dnb          
extras   (b0 lb6 w30 nb4) 40      
TOTAL   7 wickets for 210      
FOW
1-54(L Scully) 2-112(BN Cooper) 3-112(V Singh) 4-113(PW Borren) 5-164(J Balbirnie) 6-170(LA Turmaine) 7-210(ES Szwarczynski)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
VJ Kingma 8 0 39 1 2 1
GK Nieuwoudt 6 0 37 1 4 3
A Dutt 10 0 33 1 5 –
LV van Beek 9 0 42 1 4 –
BFW de Leede 3 0 16 0 2 –
PRP Boissevain 10 0 25 3 1 –
ST Mulder 4 0 12 0 2 –
Voorburg I 1st Innings 214/5 (Overs 48)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
M Hingorani+ lbw b QWM Gunning 1 4 0 0
TN de Grooth c L Scully b V Singh 29 41 3 0
BFW de Leede* run out U Nashier/MB Lees   5 14 1 0
SA Engelbrecht not out   103 135 10 0
A Dutt c PW Borren b U Nashier 1 8 0 0
LV van Beek c BN Cooper b LA Turmaine 38 63 2 2
GK Nieuwoudt not out   30 23 2 1
PRP Boissevain dnb          
VJ Kingma dnb          
FJ de Lange dnb          
ST Mulder dnb          
extras   (b2 lb0 w5 nb0) 7      
TOTAL   5 wickets for 214      
FOW
1-6(M Hingorani) 2-19(BFW de Leede) 3-70(TN de Grooth) 4-73(A Dutt) 5-151(LV van Beek)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
QWM Gunning 8 0 39 1 4 –
A Abid 4 0 17 0 1 –
LA Turmaine 10 0 63 1 – –
U Nashier 10 1 34 1 – –
V Singh 6 0 15 1 – –
PW Borren 9 0 39 0 – –
J Balbirnie 1 0 5 0 – –

Scorecard | Qualifier 1 | Punjab vs VCC | 29.08.21

Voorburg I Vs Punjab I
1-Innings Match Played At Zomercomplex, Rotterdam, 29-Aug-2021, Topklasse
Punjab I Win by 3 wkts
Round SF
Toss won by Punjab I
Umpires ML Hancock – WPM van Liemt
Home Side Voorburg I
Points Awarded Voorburg I 0, Punjab I 4
Voorburg I 1st Innings 209/7 Closed (Overs 50)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
M Hingorani+   b Mubashar Hussain 18 44 1 0
TN de Grooth   b Mubashar Hussain 22 47 3 0
BFW de Leede* c AA Zulfiqar b I Ul Haq 38 75 2 1
SA Engelbrecht   c&b SM Zulfiqar 59 82 4 0
A Dutt c sub b SM Zulfiqar 15 16 1 1
LV van Beek c Y Usman b I Ul Haq 40 23 1 4
FJ de Lange run out Y Usman/AA Zulfiqar   10 13 1 0
PRP Boissevain not out   0 0 0 0
VJ Kingma dnb          
ST Mulder dnb          
N Kulkarni dnb          
extras   (b1 lb0 w6 nb0) 7      
TOTAL   7 wickets for 209      
FOW
1-39(TN de Grooth) 2-48(M Hingorani) 3-126(BFW de Leede) 4-147(A Dutt) 5-164(SA Engelbrecht) 6-208(LV van Beek) 7-209(FJ de Lange)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
S Bhatti 5 1 28 0 6 –
S Tariq 10 2 24 0 – –
Mubashar Hussain 10 2 16 2 – –
SA Zulfiqar 4 1 22 0 – –
SM Zulfiqar 10 0 63 2 – –
AT Nidamanuru 1.1 0 4 0 – –
I Ul Haq 9.5 0 51 2 – –
Punjab I 1st Innings 211/7 (Overs 48.2)
Batter Fielder Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
SJ Myburgh c M Hingorani b VJ Kingma 11 8 2 0
RU Zulfiqar   b LV van Beek 10 35 2 0
AA Zulfiqar+ lbw b VJ Kingma 8 18 2 0
SM Zulfiqar lbw b A Dutt 4 21 0 0
SA Zulfiqar not out   114 116 6 5
I Ul Haq c M Hingorani b BFW de Leede 1 11 0 0
Y Usman   b BFW de Leede 0 3 0 0
S Tariq* c TN de Grooth b LV van Beek 18 42 2 0
S Bhatti not out   31 38 1 0
Mubashar Hussain dnb          
AT Nidamanuru dnb          
extras   (b0 lb2 w10 nb2) 14      
TOTAL   7 wickets for 211      
FOW
1-15(SJ Myburgh) 2-29(AA Zulfiqar) 3-31(RU Zulfiqar) 4-44(SM Zulfiqar) 5-51(I Ul Haq) 6-52(Y Usman) 7-93(S Tariq)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
A Dutt 10 3 16 1 – –
VJ Kingma 10 2 38 2 – 1
LV van Beek 10 1 38 2 3 –
BFW de Leede 9.2 0 54 2 6 1
ST Mulder 8 0 57 0 1 –
PRP Boissevain 1 0 6 0 – –

Preview Finals Weekend

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 03/09/21

The KNCB’s scriptwriters were back in top form last weekend, as after all the hassle of the previous two weeks actual cricket became the headline once more, and Punjab hauled themselves out of a seemingly hopeless situation to claim the first grand final spot and home advantage for the season’s climax this Sunday. First, though, Voorburg and VRA Amsterdam will have to play off on Saturday to decide who their opponents will be.

RL: Having come so close to victory last Sunday, only to see it torn from their grasp by an innings of rare character and accomplishment, Voorburg will need to discover resources of character of their own as they try to achieve a rematch with Punjab. That they have resources of ability, especially in the bowling department, is beyond question, although the sharpness of the attack was effectively blunted towards the latter stages of last week’s encounter. Still and all, Viv Kingma and Logan van Beek, backed up by Bas de Leede and Aryan Dutt, did well against the might of Punjab’s top order, and VRA’s rather more fragile batting will need to be at its very best to cope with that threat. If we assume that the Amsterdammers will be at full strength for this one – and if not now, when? – then a top six of Vikram Singh; Zamaan Khan, Shirase Rasool or Luke Scully; Ben Cooper; Eric Szwarczynski; Peter Borren; and Jack Balbirnie is, on paper at least, the equal of any in the competitition. Lack of consistency has, of course, been one of the hallmarks of their season, but they are no strangers to the big occasion, and there are few in Dutch domestic cricket bigger than this. Setting a decent tempo has been the bugbear of Voorburg’s batting this year, but they showed last week, mainly through the efforts of De Leede, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Van Beek, that even a slowish start need not be terminal if the side has wickets in hand. Engelbrecht is Voorburg’s leading run-scorer and only centurion, and getting him early might well be crucial for VRA’s chances. New-ball pairing Quirijn Gunning and Ashir Abid may lack the menace of Van Beek and Kingma but they have claimed early wickets often enough, and with seamers Singh and Borren and spinners Leon Turmaine, Udit Nashier and Balbirnie available to take over VRA’s bowling resources are far from negligible.

BdJ: It’s fair to say that VCC’s attack is better suited to their own conditions than the Zomercomplex, where pace on the ball is ever a risky strategy. Against Punjab the wet conditions didn’t help either as lateral movement didn’t last and the visitors weren’t willing to risk deploying Boissevain’s legspin given how tough it was to keep the ball dry. In retrospect that may have been a mistake, and one suspects it’s not one that will be repeated. Voorburg’s traditionally slow starts with the bat are arguably a sign of a lack of faith in their lower middle order, preferring to build a platform for the likes of Engelbrecht, Dutt and van Beek to launch from rather than going hard from the start, and it’s a strategy that has largely worked for them, thanks in part to the strength of their bowling. Against a line-up with the potential hitting power of VRA it’s perhaps not the soundest approach however, and risks the hosts underexploiting VRA’s bowling woes. Though the visitors’ persistent availability issues are unlikely to be a factor for a semi-final, the improbably numerous injuries that have plagued them through the season persist. With Quirijn Gunning, Udit Nashier and Luke Hartsink all less than fully fit, even if VRA can field their first-choice attack it will be somewhat under-strength. What VRA do have, however, is momentum. A six-game winning streak heading into this fixture will lend the visitors a degree of confidence that their hosts, having seen a place in the final slip away last week, may struggle to match.

RL: And then the winners will proceed to the Zomercomplex on Sunday to take on Punjab. Leaders after the round-robin phase, the Rotterdammers have shown in recent weeks both that they are far from invincible and that they fight all the way to the final delivery. They will undoubtedly miss injured allrounder Teja Nidamanuru whoever their opponents may be, and in view of the way Irfan ul Haq stepped up last week when Nidamanuru was forced to leave the field and the faltering of the top order it may be that his absence will be felt especially keenly when the side bats. The depth of Punjab’s resources has been tested less than any other side in the competition: they’ve used only 13 players all season. But with Steph Myburgh and the four Zulfiqars in the line-up they remain a powerful unit, and the bowlers, if a little short of cutting edge, make up for that with discipline and an evident loathing of giving runs away. It has all the makings of a really cracking denouement.

BdJ: After such a dominant early season, Punjab’s entry into the final lacked a certain pomp for sure, though it indeed illustrated a degree of resilience that they’ve not had to call upon much. As much as the Zulfiqar-heavy middle order, the obduracy of the Punjab tail has been a somewhat un-remarked strength of the table-topping Rotterdammers. That may again come into play regardless of who they face in the final, especially if VRA’s rickety bowling attack is called upon to play two days in succession. That said, should the Amsterdammers get through to the final they arguably have a better shot at spoiling Punjab’s party. The ability to bring in pinch-hitters such as Marcus Andrew and Shirase Rasool whose style of play is well-suited to Punjab’s artificial wicket and short boundaries makes them better able to at least partially negate the hosts’ home advatage. It’s worth noting that since Sieb van Wingerden’s six-for saw VOC roll Punjab in their own back yard back in May, VRA are the only visiting side to have taken points home from the Zomercomplex. Conversely, VCC have now lost there twice. It’s hard to argue that either would be favourites over a Punjab side that, despite their late wobbles, has consistently looked the strongest in the competition, but one suspects that the Rotterdammers themselves will be rooting for Voorburg tomorrow.

RL’s picks: Voorburg, Punjab.
BdJ’s picks: VRA, VRA.