Topklasse Live | T20 Finals Day | As it Happened

They’ve bowed to the inevitable, and the T20 Cup Final has been abandoned. Voorburg take the cup by virtue of having finished top of the table after the round robin phase.

Extraordinary scenes at Wetvliet, as the rain comes pelting down and the umpires stay out there in conditions that would normally have them sprinting for the pavilion. But in the end it’s too much, and they’re off, one over short of the minimum required for each side to achieve a result. Just to remind you, if there’s a No result here Voorburg will take the cup. And there’s thunder and lightning about as well as heavy rain.

Another decent over from De Villiers, although Cedric de Lange reverses to his final delivery and sweeps it to the fine leg boundary. More good stuff from Botha, and when Gigani loses patience Walbrugh takes a good catch at mid-off. Gavin Kaplan at three.

We have a start! Botha bowls the opening over from the Pavilion End, bowling initially to Nehaan Gigani. Immaculate start, Gigani repeatedly playing and missing, before tucking the last ball away for a couple. De Villiers from the Paddock End.

HBS have won the toss and invited Voorburg to have a bat. Both teams unchanged from the semi-finals.

The start of the final has been brought forward to 17:10, in the hope that it will be possible to get a game in before the really serious rain sets in. Let’s hope it works!

With the scores level Botha finishes it in style, thumping Wiggins out to cow for four. He ends on 62 not out, from 24 deliveries, with three fours and six sixes. He suddenly made batting look easy, and HBS win by 7 wickets.

There’s time for Visée to display a little of the old magic, chopping Leijer to the third man boundary for four, then clipping him out to midwicket for another. Then he launches an absolute monster blow, clearing the team tents beyond long on. But he tries it again, and this time Leonard is under it as it just drops a little short. 16 off seven for Visée. Enter Tayo Walbrugh, with five runs needed.

Another victim of Charumbira’s off-pace special, as De Villiers skies a simple catch for keeper Yash Patel. The revenant Tobias Visée joins Botha, who’s on 47* now. Off 18 deliveries.

Botha continues his onslaught, belting Leonard‘s second over for two sixes and a four. Teun Leijer slams the brakes on, just three off his over. But HBS are still cruising.

A mixture of bad and good fortune for Reece Mason, who’s hit amidships by Leonard, the ball running into the base of the stumps without dislodging a bail. Then unadulterated good fortune, when a skied miscue is put down at fly slip. Patient Charumbira bowls the third, Mason cutting him wide of slip for four. And then holes out to Entrop at deepish extra, falling to Charumbira’s slower ball. Matthew de Villiers in at three.

The third ball of Daniel Crowley’s initial over is dismissed by Lehaan Botha over midwicket and into Lake Kingma. The next follows it, albeit closer to cow, and then he hits a straight four, followed by a massive stroke into the Kingmas’ front garden. A big, big start for HBS. Adam Leonard to bowl the second.

A big penultimate over for HCC off Henrico Venter, but finally Entrop holes out to Botha at long on. But just six runs and a run-out off De Mey’s last, Jed Wiggins finishing with 21* from 12, and honours are just about even at the halfway mark..

Entrop living dangerously, slicing De Mey to extra cover where Tayo Walbrugh can’t cling onto the catch, and then a missed stumping by Del Bianco. Two overs to go.

Two for De Mey, as McInerney gets an inside edge into the stumps and departs for a 26-ball 35. Bob Entrop in at five.

Julien de Mey into the attack, and after conceding a six to McInerney he gets Gorlee, caught by Botha at cow. Jed Wiggins joins McInerney.

McInerney and Gorlee have been grafting away against a steady attack, but the Australian cashes in when seamer Stephan Vink offers him a waist-high full toss and lashes it into the lake beyond midwicket. He’s on 28* from 23 now, Gorlee on 12*.

But then Wiesmeijer knocks one back to De Villiers, who takes the catch. Skipper Boris Gorlee in at three.

Back to back boundaries for McInerney at the end of Boddendijk’s over get HCC’s innings moving. Matthew de Villiers bowls the third, just a couple of singles and a couple for Wiesmeijer. Botha back from the Pavilion End with another tidy over, including a great yorker followed by a couple of bouncers. But that’s not been a bad powerplay for HCC.

Lehaan Botha from the Paddock End to Conor McInerney and debutant Victor Wiesmeijer. The batters look comfortable enough, both getting off the mark. Benno Boddendijk from the Pavilion End.

Good news of a sort: they’re planning to start at 14:40. HBS have won the toss and elected to field. They’ll be playing 13 overs a side. Maybe . . .

The next band of rain (ETA 15:30ish) is mercifully narrow, but there’s some ugly stuff coming up behind that.

The covers are still on at Westvliet, and we’re definitely looking at a delayed start and reduced overs. There’s a window of a couple of hours before the next bout of rain arrives, so whether there’s time to get a game in depends a lot on how long it takes them to get the ground ready. The outlook is fairly bleak.

That pesky rain cloud seems to be slowing down, and with the rain now projected to continue past 13:30, it’s probable that the second semi-final will be late starting.

And the match has officially been abandoned. Voorburg go into the final.

It’s still raining in Voorburg, but there’s no decision yet regarding an abandonment. We’ll likely have another hour of rain, though, so it looks as if it can only be a matter of time.

Ryan Klein takes the first over from the Pavilion End, bowling to Shirase Rasool. Luke Scully at the non-striker’s end. Klein goes short, his first ball cut hard to deep point. Short again, Scully pulls square for another single, and Rasool pulls the fourth through midwicket for four. Another single off the fifth, then a dot. But the rain has arrived, and at the end of the over the umpires take them off.

Floyd for the 19th, Croes still sweeping, up to 49* now. Boissvain finally sees strike third ball and, well he did say he was playing as a bat. Walks across his stumps early, clears the front leg and middles it. High and handsome into the press tent roof for the first six of the day. Six and out though, down the track next ball and an outside edge through to Scully, who takes a juggled catch. Laurens Boissevain replaces him and down the track first ball driving for four. Croes gets one more to the rope in the last cutting Eales square before holing out for a fine 55. Could be the difference as Voorburg cross the psychologically significant 120 mark.

Back to spin, back to singles. Five of them off Nashier in the 17th, then Ahmad back from the other end. Croes really trying to force the pace now, realises the boundaries just will not come so the running gets increasingly aggressive. Sweep behind square off the final ball and Croes wants three, Boissevain more alert to it now and they get back confortably enough. Nine off it and the hundred up, very good over for the hosts in the context of the game.

Eales back. Odd decision to go back to pace on on this deck, and Croes finds the first boundary since the second over driving through point for four. Iles bowls the 16th, Croes aims a savage reverse sweep at him but there’s no help here today, just two as it falls well short. Boissevain is the beneficiary of a real howler as he’s caught well short coming back for a mad second but bafflingly given not out. Croes still looking to go for shots here, on the pull to one that keeps low and hits him where he doesn’t want to be hit. Voorburg fighting their way toward three figures here, which looks an increasingly creditable effort on this track. VRA will still be the happier side if they keep them under 120 though.

Every attempt at aggression has been punished so far, and Molenaar is no exception as he looks to get under Shariz and loft him over long off, doesn’t get close to clearing Smal. Flip Boissevain in, told your correspondent he’d be playing as a bat this weekend, but VCC could really use his legspin in the chase if it keeps going like this. Rain a steady drizzle now, Voorburg may not mind a washout now as they’d go through on league phase standings.

Even more left arm spin, Udit Nashier into the attack, and quickly finds reward. Dragged down a tad short third ball and Klein looks to take advatage but pull straight to Iles in the deep, who just about clings on to what looks a slippery ball. Molenaar joins Croes, who’s into the 20s now at under a run-a-ball. Still just the one boundary in the innings.

An improbable run of 16 consecutive singles comes to an end with a dot in the 10th, as Voorburg crawl to 55-2 at the half way stage. Iles returns in place of Floyd, Kaplan clearly looking to kick on now, using his feet to Iles but can’t get him away. Finally takes a knee to him only to toe the slog-sweep out to Shariz coming in from deep midwicket. He goes for 28 off 30, Ryan Klein in at five. Spot of rain about now though…

Smal continues to rotate his spinners and to good effect. Floyd and Ahmad in tandem now and still just that one boundary in the innings. Kaplan and Croes pick six singles off Ahmad for the eighth, which may no be a bad result against Ahmad on this track. They do the same to Floyd in the next. VRA seem happy to give up singles at this stage but VCC look content with going at sixes too for now. The square has seen huge amount of cricket and weather both over the last week or so and is showing it.

De Lange had been struggling to get going on what looks a pretty turgid surface, and when Eales is introduced in the fifth he looks to get after him, in the slot second ball but it perhaps holds up a tad, more elevation than distance and Nashier in the deep at square leg has to cover a lot of ground to take a superb catch. Croes in at four, Iles to continue.

Left arm seam from both ends, Ashir Abid shares the new ball with Fletcher. Too much width to Kaplan who cuts him away for four behind point and the first boundary. That’s still the only one off the bat so far though, as Fletcher gives up just 3 in his next. Thomas Iles relieves Abid. Left arm spin. It’s allmost all southpaws of one sort or the other in the VRA attack in fact. Five left arm options today. Just Eales’ medium pace and googly merchant Shariz Ahmad the front line right arm options.

Fletcher takes the new ball for VRA, loosener for five wides second ball, but gets it right two later to swing one through Gigani’s defences and into the stumps. Kaplan at three to join Cedric de Lange.

Scratch that, we’ve been misinformed it seems VCC batting first.

A timely toss, which VRA have won. They’ll be batting first, overcast but dry for now.