Asides

Preview Hoofdklasse Final

Bertus de Jong | 10-07-2026

The main business of the 2026 Topklasse may be settled, but there’s still an issue regarding the 2027 edition to be answered; namely who will be replacing the relegated VOC Rotterdam in the top flight. That last question will be decided on the field on Sunday, when the two table toppers from the twin 2026 Hoofdklasse groups, Excelsior ‘20 and Salland CC will meet in the Hoofdklasse final at Thurlede.

The final was originally slated to be played at de Diepput, but the two grass wicket clubs agreed between them that they’d prefer to settle the matter on a natural turf surface, so Schiedam will play host and Excelsior enjoy the privilege of playing at home. They’ll also have the notional advantage in that, by virtue of accumulating more points in the league phase, they will claim the title and promotion in the event of a washout. The forecast suggests that eventuality is vanishingly unlikely however, with clear skies and temperatures touching 30 expected at the weekend.

Having lost only twice over the course of the season, Excelsior finished fully 8 points clear of Group B runners-up Rood & Wit Haarlem and sealed a spot in the final with weeks to spare. A positive net run rate of 2.66 over the season illustrates a comparatively dominant run through the league phase, and the Schiedammers will carry a fair bit of momentum into the final as they look to bounce directly back from last year’s relegation.

The lion’s share of those runs have been provided by overseas all-rounders Jack Wood and Riley Ayre, as well as returning Excelsior legend Alex Ross early in the season and newcomer Charl Prinsloo at the back end. That said skipper Roel Verhagen has also had a fine season with the bat, as has Matthijs Schewe across his admittedly limited appearances.

Ayre’s left arm spin has also been instrumental to Excelsior’s success, delivering 38 wickets at a single-figure average, more than filling the sizeable boots of the departed Lorenzo Ingram. Young seamers Jens Blankestijn and Karson Edward have also reliably delivered top-order wickets, Gijs Kroesen has looked increasingly solid at first change, while Verhagen (having relinquished the gloves a few seasons back to Stan van Troost) has done solid work as second spinner along with Joost Kroesen. All told Excelsior have put together a well-balanced squad, and have looked a cut above in their first season back down in the second tier – especially on home turf. Of the two games they have lost only one was at home, and that was played on the artificial.

Salland, for their part, have a similarly unblemished record on turf. Their perfect record at home has been crucial to their topping the Group A table depsite arguably the tougher draw, having had to face down recent relegatees Sparta, Quick and ACC. They dropped points to all three of the former Topklasse sides, notably losing their season opener against Sparta, skittled by sometime Excelsior spinner Umar Baker. At home they’ve looked a class apart however, and the lure of playing on grass might go some way toward explaining their willingness to generously (some might say courageously) gift Excelsior hosting rights for the final.

Their success has been built on a combination of judicious acquisitions, substantial contributions from stalwarts, and a solid season from the now traditional German delegation. Of the latter, the advent of of 19 year-old spinner Ahmad Ullah has made the biggest impact, the leggie’s 36 wickets at 9 taking him to second in the season’s tallies behind Ayre. Another recent German debutant in Shahir Malikzai, a more established presence at Deventer, also had a fine season with the ball, and with skipper Reinder Lubbers in decent form the Salland seam section looks solid.

Kiwi Tim Seeto has proved an excellent addition, the former Canterbury under-19s keeper-bat topping the Hoofdklasse run aggregates with 592 at 45.5. Established German pair Talha Khan and Sahir Naqash have also looked in decent nick, while their countryman Jamshed Mutahihi has at times provided explosive acceleration down the order, as has former skipper Victor Lubbers on occasion. Lubbers limited availability arguably made Salland’s season tougher than it had to be, but doubtless they’ll be at full strength come Sunday.

It’s been some three years since the two sides last met in 50-over competition, at the same ground in 2023 in Salland’s most recent match in the top flight. Excelsior won that game fairly comfortably, and Salland’s record in the Hoofdklasse since has decent but not dominant. This will be there first opportunity since relegation three years ago to win their way back into the now-downsized Topklasse, and having won their way through the stronger side of the draw only to face Excelsior on their home turf, fair to say if they make it they will have certainly earned it.

T20 Cup season preview

Rod Lyall 10/07/26

Like the 50-over competition, this year’s T20 Cup will comprise a double round-robin, and for the first time there will be no finals day: the side topping the table after 14 games will be the champion. As with the longer format, this will likely remove the chance of any mid-table scramble for third and fourth, possibly reducing the interest in the closing rounds, about which there will doubtless be differing opinions.

Having been relegated last year, there will be no VOC or HBS in this competition, with Sparta 1888 and Excelsior ’20 participating instead.

Defending champions VRA have had an up-and-down season so far, and they have clearly been missing last year’s new-ball pairing of Ben Fletcher and Paul Ruffell, and more recently surprise spearhead Vikram Singh, although Sharad Hake has been effective in their stead. Singh’s explosive batting can also be a key factor in T20, and although openers Sam Cassidy and Lovepreet Padda can score quickly, the Amsterdammers’ batting has sometimes let them down in tight situations in the longer format. They do have a varied spin attack, but it would be a surprise if the holders were to go back-to-back this time.

HCC headed the table after the league phase last year, losing to VRA in a rain-reduced final. They have been competitive again this season, only dropping out of the championship race over the last, for them disastrous weekend, and they have a well-balanced side with a very effective attack. They suffered for much of the 50-over campaign from the loss of allrounder Hidde Overdijk, but he is likely to be fit again soon, and will add even more experience to a pace attack which includes Josh Brown, Daniel Crowley and the new boy on the block Justin Trijzelaar. With the spin of Tim Pringle as well as Clayton Floyd and Teun Kloppenburg, they will make life difficult for opposing batters, while Kloppenburg’s hard hitting, along with that of Tonny Staal, makes them serious contenders for the title.

On paper a Team of All the Talents, Voorburg have proved something of an enigma, losses at crucial moments costing them the 50-over championship. At their best, as when they posted 235 for two against Rotterdam in a 25-over match, they have seemed invincible, and they will be hoping to achieve that level more consistently in the shorter format. The leading wicket-taker over 50 overs despite having played only 11 games, Jaynul Islam has proved a valuable acquisition, as has Aaditt Jain now that he is in the side. Part of Voorburg’s problem is picking the right eleven, juggling their various overseas to stay within the limits of the new player-points system. On the other hand, the youngsters they have pulled in have proved useful, and in Bas de Leede, Noah Croes, Ryan Klein, Michael Rippon and the rest they have plenty of potential match-winners.

Surprise semi-finalists last year, Hermes-DVS had a difficult campaign in the longer format, partly because Daniel Doyle-Calle, their leading run-scorer in both formats in 2025, has had a relatively quiet season so far. Against that, the arrival of David Rushmere has strengthened the top order, and he has shown that if he gets a start he is a fine and potentially fast-scoring bat. The real key to the side’s success in last season’s Cup, however, was the bowling of Sebastiaan Braat and Olivier Elenbaas, who claimed 35 wickets between them and averaged 11.89 and 15.31 respectively, and if they can repeat that form the Sky Blues should stay well clear of the relegation threat in the shorter format.

Having carried almost all before them in the 50-over competition, Rotterdam may well start as favourites here as well. Ominously for their rivals, brothers Saqib and Sikander Zulfiqar had strike rates of 135.29 and 129.11 in the 50-over competition, while opener Shoaib Minhas, Mohsin Riaz and Burhan Niaz all went at over 100, and leading run-scorer Musa Ahmad can be expected to up his rate from just under 80 when he only has 20 overs to contend with. Saqib, along with Ahmad Shafiq, is also the side’s leading wicket-taker, and with Muhammad Gondal, Musa and Minhas all offering differing varieties of spin, the Rotterdam attack is equally not to be taken lightly. It’s the batting, though, that the the key to the team’s success, and we might see some T20 records broken if they get going in the next few weeks as they have over the past months.

Sparta 1888 did much better in T20 last year than they did in their 50-over campaign, as as a consequence of which they have been playing in the Hoofdklasse until now. There they finished second behind Salland in their group, but they will no doubt find the step back up to the Topklasse a considerable additional challenge. Newcomers this season are the former Queensland under-19 captain Judd Markham, whose 91-ball 150 against Quick Haag suggests that he has what it takes for T20, and South African Ruve Louw, a seasoned campaigner in franchise leagues who, like allrounder Juandre Scheepers, hit five half-centuries in the 50-over competition. The bowling has a more familiar look, with Umar Baker their leading wicket-taker, followed by Joost Martijn Snoep and allrounder Khalid Ahmadi, whose 232 runs came at a strike rate of 132.63. Sparta, then, have sufficient resources to make things uncomfortable for some of their Topklasse opponents.

The same applies to Excelsior ‘20, who won the other Hoofdklasse group by a distance and will also face Salland this weekend in a play-off for the title and a return to next season’s 50-over top flight. Their overseas include three Australians: pace-bowling allrounder Riley Ayre and opener Jack Wood, and South African Charl Prinsloo, but as well as Ayre’s 38 wickets at 8.79 the side’s success has owed a good deal to the further progress made by Jens Blankestijn and Karson Edward, while Roel Verhagen, Stan van Troost and Tim Etman have all contributed with the bat. That said, Excelsior finished seventh in the ten-team T20 competition last year, and it may be the overseas contingent who need to make the difference this time round.

Finally there is Kampong Utrecht, who gained promotion last season having just missed out the year before. After a slightly disappointing defence of their 50-over title they will have every motivation to repeat in this other format the trick they pulled last year, winning the 50-over championship immediately after being promoted. There’s no doubt they have the potential: the explosive opening of Danien van den Berg and Max O’Dowd, the experience of Scott Edwards and Lorenzo Ingram, and the allround skills of Pierre Jacod and Alex Roy form a solid core, although it must be said that the attack looks less effective in the absence of Shashank Kumar, who last played on 13 June.

Topklasse Fantasy returns for the T20 season

Bowing to whelming popular demand, CricketXI and TKcricket are delighted to announce the return of Topklasse Fantasy Cricket for the 2026 Topklasse T20 season.

Pit your managerial wits against your friends and team-mates, test your Topklasse knowledge against the self-styled experts.

Submissions for teams and leagues are now open over at CricketXI.

Rotterdam storm to the title

Rod Lyall 06/07/26

Newly-renamed Rotterdam won the club’s third championship in six years on Sunday, and they did so in style, running up a near-record total of 448 for five and beating HCC at De Diepput by a whopping 269 runs.

Rotterdam dominated the match from the moment Musa Ahmad and Shoaib Minhas took 15 runs off Daniel Crowley’s opening over, and by the end of the powerplay they had plundered 94.

With the total on 157 Minhas was eventually trapped in front by Justin Trijzelaar for 94, made from just 53 deliveries, but then Musa added a further 139 in company with Muhammad Gondal, whose 82 came from 70 deliveries.

Musa himself was finally run out for 150, made from 137 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, but still there was no relief for HCC’s weary attack, as Saqib Zulfiqar needed only 26 deliveries to smash an unbeaten 72, 58 of them in boundaries; in all, Rotterdam’s batters struck 35 fours and 24 sixes.

The total of 448 was the second-highest of the limited-overs era, surpassed only by VRA’s 455 for eight against HBS at Craeyenhout in 2023.

Gondal and Tehzeeb Haider then combined to reduce HCC to 29 for four in six and a half overs, and it seemed as if the record winning margin in Dutch limited-overs cricket might be shattered.

The middle oder, however, was able to restore some credibility to the Lions’ innings, Tim Pringle, Clayton Floyd and Josh Brown all compiling thirties, and the side reached 179, Sulaiman Tariq taking three for 63 and Ahmad Shafiq three for 31.

Less spectacularly, runners-up Voorburg completed a six-wicket victory over Kampong at Maarschalkerweerd to remain just a point behind the champions.

That Kampong managed to reach 182 was due almost entirely to Scott Edwards, who played a lone hand in making exactly 100, his second century of the season, to share the top spot in the batting aggregates with Musa Ahmad, on 638.

Edwards received little support from the rest of his side, the next highest score being Pierre Jacod’s 19, while for Voorburg it was Jaynul Islam who stood out with figures of five for 28, becoming the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 28.

Despite losing Michael Levitt in the first over and Cedric de Lange with 25 on the board, Voorburg were untroubled in reaching their target, Gavin Kaplan making 58 and sharing a thrid-wicket stand of 80 with Bas de Leede, who was unbeaten at the end with 66.

Already relegated, VOC gained some compensation by finishing their campaign with a win, beating VRA by just nine runs at the Hazelaarweg.

Their total of 220 was built around a hard-hitting 104 from Francois Fourie, but again the rest of the batting provided too little support, the next highest being Ramdas Upadhyaya’s 29 as Shariz Ahmad collected four for 50, his best return of the season.

VRA’s reply began well, Sam Cassidy (43) and Lovepreet Padda (47) putting on 71 for the first wicket, but the middle order was unable to build on their efforts, four wickets falling for 24 runs as the side slumped from 98 for two to 122 for six, Ethan Price collecting three of those wickets.

The Amsterdammers were partially rescued by Ibaad Zaidi, and then by Udit Nashier and Darsh Abhinay, who added 65 for the eighth wicket.

Then Ahsan Malik came into the attack, though, and he removed Abhinay for 30, Tharun Moorthy and Nashier (41) in quick succession to leave VRA just short.

Price finished with three for 36 and Malik three for 10.

A maiden Topklasse century by HBS opener Julien de Mey was the key to his side’s three-wicket victory over Hermes-DVS at Craeyenhout as they chased down their opponents’ 276 all out.

The Sky Blues had recovered from 45 for four to set a reasonably demanding target, Aryan Dutt top-scoring with 96, assisted by 49 from Ash Ostling and 43 from Sebastiaan Braat, while new-ball pairing Lucas del Bianco and Joris van Oosterom collected three wickets apiece for the Crows.

HBS kept pace with the asking-rate from the outset, De Mey and Reece Mason putting on 76 for the first wicket and the opener adding a further 98 with Tayo Walbrugh (38) for the second.

Then Lehan Botha smacked a 16-ball 42, and although Hermes fought back by claiming several key wickets, including De Mey’s for 101, Navjit Singh was able to ease the Crows over the line with almost seven overs to spare.

Rotterdam gain a crucial edge

Rod Lyall 05/07/26

With impeccable timing, Rotterdam slipped past championship rivals Voorburg on Saturday, and into the box seat for Sunday’s final round of matches.

To do so, they had to chase down the target of 261 set for them by VOC, and this they did with some ease, winning by seven wickets with more than twelve overs to spare.

Facing the imminent threat of relegation, their opponents had begun promisingly after winning the toss, the opening stand of 116 between Samir Butt (55) and Francois Fourie (55) the side’s first century partnership of the season for any wicket, but once they had gone the innings had subsided, the only substantial contributions Caleb Montague’s 52 and 27 from Ahsan Malik as VOC were all out for 260.

Ahmad Shafiq did the early damage, picking up three for 34, including the dangerous Jason van der Meulen, but thereafter it was Saqib Zulfiqar who cleaned up the innings, his five for 50 the third five-wicket haul of his career and leaving him needing just one more for 200 top-flight wickets.

Rotterdam’s powerful batting line-up never seemed in any serious danger of falling short of their target, but the issue was sealed by a third-wicket stand of 165 between Musa Ahmad (84) and Mohsin Riaz, whose 76-ball 117 not out included 11 fours and six sixes.

At the Boudewijn Hoek Oval in Schiedam, meanwhile, Voorburg surrendered their leading position by losing to Hermes-DVS by 29 runs.

For Voorburg, too, the day had begun well, as Aaditt Jain and Jaynul Islam reduced Hermes to 21 for three inside nine overs, but Ash Ostling and Nick Statham began a fightback which culminated in Mussayab Jamil’s unbeaten 46, and the home side scrabbled their way to 181 for eight.

Given Voorburg’s batting depth this seemed unlikely to be enough, but – not for the first time this season – the engine failed to fire, Aryan Dutt grabbing three quick wickets to leave the leaders on 38 for three, and although Bas de Leede contributed a fighting 50, when he was last out his side were still well short of their target.

Jamil capped a fine all-round performance with four for 25 and Hikmatullah Jabarkhail claimed two for 37 as Hermes moved well clear of the relegation zone.

HCC had started travelled to Maarschalkerweerd with some faint hope that victory over Kampong combined with results elsewhere going their way could take them into Sunday’s clash with Rotterdam with a sniff of the title, but any such thoughts were quickly blown away by their hosts, who bowled them out for 106 in exactly 29 overs.

Kampong skipper Alex Roy began the collapse, but all the bowlers contributed, and only an aggressive 35 from Josh Brown, batting at eight, enabled his side to achieve three figures.

Max O’Dowd fell to the first ball he faced when Kampong replied, but Damien van den Berg and Scott Edwards then knocked off the runs in double-quick time, Van den Berg finishing with 54 not out from 44 deliveries and Edwards 48 not out from 38.

The highest-scoring, and hardest-fought, match was in the Amsterdamse Bos, where VRA chased down a HBS total of 275 for three, winning by two wickets with just one ball to spare.

HBS were on a shaky 46 for three after twelve and a half overs, Sharad Hake having collected all three wickets, but they were rescued by a record-breaking stand of 229 between Lehan Botha and Kent Goedeke, the highest ever recorded for any wicket by their side and the second-best for the fourth wicket in the history of the competition.

Botha’s 142 not out was his fourth Topklasse century and his highest, coming from 130 deliveries with 16 fours and one six, while Goedeke finished on an unbeaten 94.

When VRA replied, it was Johan Smal who matched Botha’s effort with a match-winning 129; despite being severely hampered by cramp towards the end of his innings, he guided his team to within 14 runs of their target, hitting 13 fours and three sixes, and useful contributions from Adam Madgwick (32) and Udit Nashier (35 not out) enabled VRA to squeeze home.

Preview Rounds 13 & 14

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong | 02-07-2026

Never in the long history of the Dutch top flight has the championship been decided on the first weekend of July, and it really does feel like a premature climax. Perhaps it marks the eclipse of the 50-over format by T20, in which case it is part of a much larger trend in world cricket which many of us profoundly regret. Will there be a time when the list of national champions runs from the original time cricket to a period of limited overs formats (63 overs, 60 overs, 55 overs, 50 overs) to the T20 title?

Be that as it may, there’s no doubt that this eight-team competition has been intensely competitive, and we go into the final weekend with the championship still up for grabs, and the relegation spot not quite finalised either. In the absence of play-offs at least three teams are playing only for pride, but the outcome of seven of the eight games will help to determine both issues.

Saturday

RL: Leaders Voorburg face a tricky trip to the Boudewijn Hoek Oval to face Hermes-DVS, knowing that their hosts will guarantee themselves another year in the Topklasse if they manage to take the points. Having won their last two games to ease themselves clear of VOC, Hermes are entitled to go into this one with a certain amount of optimism, but they will need to be at their absolute best against opponents who have their noses in front as they head towards the line. The return of Gavin Kaplan has made a huge contribution to Voorburg’s recent performances with the bat, and while their bowling may still have some question marks, it looks a lot sharper when Jaynul Islam is in the side.

BdJ: Worth noting that Voorburg could potentially claim the title at Harga should second-placed RCC slip up against VOC; a combination of results the Hermes will be desperate to forestall, given it’s the only one that would see them enter the last round still at risk of relegation. The chief concern for the Sky Blues will indeed be the consistent strength of Voorburg’s batting, especially now back at full strength. Kaplan’s been averaging almost 100 since his late arrival, Peter Hatzoglou is rumoured to be reinforcing this weekend, and with Dutch internationals Cedric de Lange, Noah Croes and Bas de Leede all averaging north of fifty too, Voorburg’s batting card is arguably as strong as (and indisputably very similar to) that of the national team. The VCC bowling has looked relatively weak in comparison however, with both Michael Rippon and Mees van Vliet having somewhat subdued seasons, with Hermes own enviable top order finally finding some semblance of form the Sky Blues might just be able to capitalise. The teams are at opposite ends of the table for a reason though, and though Hermes did manage to hold Voorburg to a tie away earlier in the season they’ll still start as underdogs at home on Saturday.

RL: At home to wooden-spooners VOC, Rotterdam must at least keep pace with their rivals, whom they would overtake should Hermes pull off a surprise. For the Bloodhounds, this is last-chance saloon: they will be relegated unless they can produce the shock of the season and beat Rotterdam at the Zomercomplex. They have clicked just three times this campaign, always against more fancied opponents, but it’s hard to see them doing it against a side which has a powerful top order, bats in depth, and boasts a varied attack, especially when for the latter the title is on the line.

BdJ: Depending on events at Harga, this fixture could well prove critical at one end of the table or the other. Trailing Hermes by three points (and VRA/HBS by four) the Bloodhounds path to Topklasse survival grows ever more narrow. Given their net run rate, as it stands they will need to win both their remaining games and hope other results fall their way. Despite showing some creditable fight throughout the season, most notably from new skipper Jason van der Meulen and the bowling attack, I’d agree VOC besting Rotterdam in their own back yard would be the upset of the season. The Rotterdammers have looked nigh-unstoppable with bat in hand, and while VCC have twice outscored them only HCC have managed to contain them thus far.

RL: Currently fourth and third, Kampong and HCC meet at Maarschalkerweerd in an encounter which is more important for the visitors, whose hopes of a miracle depend on their going on winning and results going their way elsewhere. The hosts have definitely gone off the boil as their hopes of retaining their title have ebbed away, and the departure of Lachlan Bangs certainly hasn’t helped their cause. HCC, on the other hand, have if anything improved in the back half of the season, although they have been distinctly more impressive bowling first and chasing.

BdJ: The 2025 champions really haven’t looked anything like their best of late, sinking to defeats against Hermes last week and VRA the week before, but then it’s worth noting HCC lost to both those sides recently too. Kampong’s problems seem to run a tad deeper though, beset by mounting injuries and unavailabilities all season that not even Max O’Dowd’s return to domestic form could paper over, of which Bangs is only the most recent. An in-touch O’Dowd along with Edwards and Jacod still makes facing Kampong away a tough proposition, and all will likely get a tune-up in this week’s pro-series game. Alex Roy’s return has also shored up the bowling side somewhat, but HCC has there opponents outgunned in that department at this point, with Brown currently topping the League wicket-tallies and Crowley racking up a personal best last week, while Tim Pringle is also back in the country and available ahead of the international (and franchise) season. HCC still need a lot to go right for them to find themselves in with a chance at the title come the final round, but for now at least it’s partly in their hands.

RL: Many might call this a dead rubber, but for those of use who believe there’s no such thing, the visit of HBS to the Amsterdamse Bos to take on VRA is about which of these sides might squeeze into the top half of the table at the expense of Kampong, who are two points ahead of the home side at this point and who have an almost identical NRR. Their mid-table positions reflect the fact that both sides have blown hot and cold all summer, although the hosts can probably claim to have greater strength in depth, especially given the indifferent form of Tayo Walbrugh and the inconsistency of Lehan Botha.

BdJ: Admittedly a match that’s unlikely to matter much in the scheme of things, but it should be pointed out that neither side are arithmetically safe from relegation at this point. A victory on Saturday would certainly see the winner safe even in the case of unlikely results elsewhere, while the loser could still theoretically start the final round in danger. VRA have weathered some misfortunes well this season, and a mid-table finish without most all their best bowlers from last season and this one would be an achievement in itself. Their threadbare attack was rather exposed by VCC last week, but even with Tayo Walbrugh finally finding some runs it’s questionable whether HBS have the firepower to take the same advantage. That said the Crows were able to restrict a full strength VRA side to 261 early in the season and chase comfortably at Craeyenhout. While this may prove the least consequential of the day’s fixtures, it may well also be the most closely contested.

Sunday

RL: What will be at stake at De Diepput on Sunday is anybody’s guess: should HCC win on Saturday and Rotterdam lose, then the Lions would go into this game just one point in arrears, and if Voorburg had lost as well, a last-minute grab at the title would be on the cards. A lot of ifs, yes, but however they are resolved this looks certain to be The Game of the Final Round. Arguably, HCC’s home ground suits Rotterdam’s big hitters even better than their own, but we shouldn’t forget that in their previous meeting, at the Zomercomplex, HCC dismissed their previously-rampant opponents for just 120. A trick they will certainly be keen to repeat on Sunday.

BdJ: Should results fall HCC’s way on Saturday this could indeed have the makings of a thriller, HCC’s net run rate advantage over VCC meaning should they end up level on points Voorburg’s run of narrow wins punctuated by a couple of very heavy defeats will tell against them. That said of course it could equally be a dead rubber. Most likely only Rotterdam that will will have something at stake and will consequently be the side under the greatest pressure, and who better than the Lions to play for pride?

RL: On one scenario, Voorburg are already champions and Sunday’s game at Westvliet becomes a victory lap; in another, everything is on the line as they take on Kampong with hopes of succeeding them. Both these sides have been at the top of the table at some point this season, but more recently they have headed in different directions: Voorburg have settled into a much more consistent pattern – not least because of Kaplan’s presence – while Kampong have never really recovered from the national selectors’ raid on their squad, losing their last four games. Or possibly five.

BdJ: In all but one scenario there will at least be something to celebrate at Maarschalkerweerd on Sunday, and in any event no doubt a cracking mid-season end-of-season party – tempered only by looming pro-series commitments for a fair portion of participants. There’s every chance though that the game itself will be a live one only for Voorburg, and while some sides have improved with the pressure off Kampong look like they’ve been going through the motions since their chances of retaining the championship receded. Voorburg made fairly light work of a full strength and fully motivated Kampong earlier in the season, and it’s difficult to imagine a different result in their final game.

RL: Once again, the significance of the game at Craeyenhout between HBS and Hermes-DVS will depend on what happens on Saturday: if VOC lost then Hermes will be safe, but if the Bloodhounds pulled off a miracle and Hermes lost, then this will be a must-win for the Schiedammers. Both sides have potential match-winners, but they also have palpable weaknesses, and if this match turns out to be really meaningful, it may hinge on who steps up when it really matters. The Crows have a crop of youngsters, a resource Hermes seemingly lack, and it’s possible that we will see more of them on Sunday as they start to look towards the T20 competition.

BdJ: Arithmetically there’s still a chance that if things go very badly wrong for HBS that they may have have a live NRR spreadsheet running for this game, though with a margin of about 300 runs on NRR over VOC chances are they’ll be safe enough by the time Sunday rolls around. The reverse fixture went down to the wire at Harga earlier in the summer, but on home astro one would be tempted to back the Crows.

RL: It would be a pretty extraordinary piece of Houdini-ism were VOC to finish their campaign with victories over Rotterdam and VRA and contrive to avoid playing Hoofdklasse cricket next season. But having survived a play-off last year to stay up, the Bloodhounds have had another disappointing season, and it seems most likely that whatever’s at stake, it will be the visitors who return to Amstelveen with the points.

BdJ: I’d actually say that if by some combination of derring-do and good luck VOC found themselves in a position where a win in their final game might see them survive, I’d probably back them to do it. It would imply that they were coming off the back of a much more improbable win over Rotterdam the day before and that fortune is in their favour, while VRA will (barring some absolutely absurd scorelines against them) have nothing but position to play for. Both paper strength and form points to a VRA victory though, both on run of results this season and past precedent for season finale dogfights between the two sides.

RL’s tips:
Saturday: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, VRA
Sunday: HCC, Voorburg, Hermes, VRA.

BdJ’s tips:
Saturday: Voorburg, Rotterdam, HCC, HBS
Sunday: HCC, Voorburg, HBS, VRA

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