Asides

Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 07/08/2021

As the league phase of the Topklasse heads into the final straight, there’s still three top-four slots left undecided, with Punjab are assured of a spot in the playoffs, while HCC and VCC are just one win or some helpful neutral results away, while four more teams are still in at least arithmetic contention. HCC and Voorburg are effectively guaranteed a place if they win or tie either of their remaining games, fourth-placed VOC will be looking to hold off challengers HBS and VRA, while one particular string of results might still see Excelsior sneak into the top four.

BdJ: First-placed Punjab Rotterdam assured of a place in the play-offs and nearest rivals HCC are vulnerable only should they lose both their remaining matches and VOC win both of theirs, but both will looking up rather than down at this point. Topping the table will confer more than just bragging rights this year as the top two finishers effectively gain a lifeline in the playoff phase and the first-placed side initial home advantage. Seeing off HCC would guarantee Punjab pole position in the next phase, but the Rotterdammers have been looking a little wobbly of late, losing two of their last three matches. Their obliteration of Sparta last week was of course a reminder of how the Punjab batting can take a game away if they get on top, but the HCC attack has consistently proved the most effective in the league, and if their batting lacks the explosive power of their opponents, it has the advantage of strength in depth.

RL: It’s certainly true that no attack in the competition – with the possible exception of a full-strength Voorburg – is better fitted to trouble Punjab’s powerful batting line-up than HCC’s, although it was evident last week that it is a good deal less devastating without Hidde Overdijk. The Lions’ batting has, in a sense, been the victim of the bowlers’ success, chasing low totals in T20 mode doing nothing for the building of an innings. But they will be hoping that Tonny Staal’s half-century last Sunday, his first since the opening day of the season, betokens a timely return to form in advance of the business end of competition, while Damian Crowley’s unbeaten 93 confirms how important he is in the middle order. Punjab’s containing bowlers have stood the side in good stead throughout the campaign, but the mouth-watering aspect of this game is the contest between the Topklasse’s most destructive attack and its finest top order.

BdJ: While the top-table clash at the Zomercomplex may be the week’s most eye-catching fixture, the clash between VRA Amsterdam and HBS Craeyenhout is arguably more consequential. With both teams currently outside the top four the fixture is effectively a knock-out, or at least will likely prove such in retrospect. VRA’s principal difficulty all season has just been getting 11 fit men on the field, with an improbable string of illnesses, absences and injuries leading to some surprise call-ups (and indeed recalls) over the course of the summer. The return of Eric Szwarczynski and Ben Cooper will do much to shore up the batting however, while Leon Turmaine’s form with the ball means young Luke Hartsink’s season-ending bike accident need not be season-ending for his team-mates too. HBS have had their own availability issues of course, though with both Walbrugh and Klein back in the side and Toby Visée finding some form they look close to full strength for Sunday. That said it’s a testament to VRA’s depth that they’ve managed to compete at all this season, and though HBS doubtless have the two biggest names on the field the home side looked the more balanced of the two likely elevens on Sunday.

RL: This, too, is a fascinating encounter. Having Szwarczynski and Cooper back in the side will give VRA a huge boost at a crucial moment, while the Crows have on the whole been a more settled unit. They will be smarting after last week’s loss to VOC, the more so for having had such a stellar start, and the prospect of bowling to Singh, Cooper, Szwarczynski and Borren after the mauling they received from O’Dowd and Rutgers will be less than enthralling. On the other hand, Tayo Walbrugh may well relish the idea of batting on the Bos’s turf – always assuming that the overnight rain which is again on the cards doesn’t make life unduly difficult. The two attacks, too, make an interesting comparison: Gunning and Abid have looked sharp with the new ball for VRA, with Singh and Borren providing seam back-up and Turmaine (and the unhappily absent Hartsink) the spin option, while Klein and Ferdi Vink have been the leading edge of a four-man seam attack with Sander Geenevasen and the steadily-improving Benno Boddendijk, with the spin coming from Julian de Mey, Navjit Singh and, on occasion, Wesley Barresi.

BdJ: While last week’s defeat at HCC has taken Excelsior’s fate out of their own hands, they aren’t quite out of it yet. Should VRA take the points at the Bos on Sunday then the Schiedammers could enter the final round in contention, but first they need to dislodge VOC Rotterdam from their current spot in fourth, a tough ask away at Hazelaarweg. Though the Bloodhounds have been rather over-reliant on openers Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd for runs this season, the return of a rejuvenated Corey Rutgers, unburdened of his Belgian responsibilities, has lent a degree of solidity to the middle order. Conversely the loss of Tristan Stubbs has been keenly felt at Excelsior, whose youthful side will have to do more to support the evergreen Lorenzo Ingram if they are to upset VOC on their own turf.

RL: The return of Tom Heggelman from holiday will give Excelsior a welcome boost, as the return of Pieter Seelaar from injury did VOC last week. Both sides will have been disappointed by the contributions of some of their home-grown batters in the course of the season, but the trump card for VOC has been the contribution of their two Dutch international openers, who have between them produced 1336 runs, or more than half of the side’s runs from the bat. Heggelman’s men will need to figure out a way to get both of them early if they are to prevail, and then hope that a couple of their batters are able to share substantial partnerships with Ingram. That will involve dealing with a VOC attack which has on the whole been more effective than the top order, with Pierce Fletcher providing the cutting edge and Siebe van Wingerden one of the most improved players of the campaign.

BdJ: At Westvliet Voorburgwill look at a home fixture against Dosti-United as a golden opportunity to break into the top two ahead of the final round. With Logan van Beek and Vivian Kingma back and bowling the VCC attack is back to full strength, and though the batting has looked brittle when genuinely tested it would be remarkable if it were to be so on Sunday. Though Dosti still have the capability of springing an upset, it would be a brave man to bet against them extending their record-breaking losing streak at Westvliet this week.

RL: Currently at a net run rate disadvantage to HCC, with whom they are level on points, Voorburg will want to take full advantage of their meeting with Dosti ahead of next week’s tough final assignment against HBS. The Amsterdammers’ bits-and-pieces side, shorn of the protection of a battery of overseas players, has looked hopelessly outclassed all season, a few brief periods of competitiveness aside, and Bas de Leede’s men will start as unbackable favourites. The return of Van Beek from England and Kingma from the physiotherapist’s table gives them a much more formidable look, well as their replacements have performed, and while they have largely failed to dominate with the bat it seems improbable that Asief Hoseinbaks, Mahesh Hans and Co. will be able to contain them for long.

BdJ: Finally Sparta 1888 and ACC will contest what would have been a crucial game were relegation on the cards this season, though as it is they will be playing purely for pride at Bermweg. Both teams have plenty of that of course, as well as a couple of wins under their belt, both most recently against VOC. Sparta have looked abject since losing the combative Mudassar Bukhari however, sinking to heavy defeats to VCC and Punjab. ACC looked equally poor last week against VCC however, and have developed a habit of just looking to bat time if they lose a couple of early wickets. Should Sparta be able to make early inroads into the ACC line-up, something they’ve shown themselves capable of even without Bukhari, they may just be able to get on top of the Amsterdammers and give the home fans some thing to cheer for in their final home game of the season.

RL: These sides have displayed contrasting styles of awfulness with the bat in recent games, Sparta collapsing dramatically from almost any position – which is to say, whether Garnett Tarr and Bukhari make runs or not – and ACC limping along at not much more than two runs an over. Should Bukhari return this week it will give the home side a much-needed boost, but with their Belgian contingent proving a big disappointment and the rest of the side, with the notable exception of paceman Max Hoornweg, performing fitfully at best, a win here would provide scant consolation as the club looks towards next season. ACC, on the other hand, do have a handful of promising youth players, but the club’s decision to go without any overseas this year has left them very, very exposed, and the senior members of the side have been unable to provide the cover or support they need.

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Bertus de Jong’s picks: HCC, VRA, VOC, Voorburg, Sparta
Rod Lyall’s picks: Punjab, VRA, VOC, Voorburg, Sparta.

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 30/07/21

Three rounds to go, and still seven teams in the hunt for a place in the top four. The weather may have done its best to ruin a season which was always going to be a difficult one, but the outcome is one of the most exciting contests in a very long time – helped, of course, by the reintroduction of the play-off system. With seven points (less than two matches) separating second from seventh there is little room for any mis-steps, and only the most sure-footed will be contesting the semi-finals towards the end of August.

RL: The undoubted Eight-pointer of the Day pits HBS (currently fourth) against VOC Rotterdam (fifth) at Craeyenhout. Buoyed by the return of Tayo Walbrugh and Ryan Klein and the presence of Wesley Barresi, the Crows had a good win over Excelsior last week, and they will need to carry that form into another clash with a key rival. Victory here would enable VOC to leapfrog over their opponents and back into the four, and with Excelsior and HCC yet to play they have one of the tougher assignments in the final weeks. They, too, were boosted by the return of Bobby Hanif from injury, but the batting remains a worry once Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards have returned to the side-line. They disposed of Dosti efficiently enough last Sunday, but Pieter Seelaar’s absence leaves a massive gap in both batting and bowling, and in this Aesopic contest between the Crows and the Bloodhounds it’s the men in black who seem more likely to come out on top.

BdJ: Word is the Dutch skipper may yet be seen again in VOC colours this season, perhaps even as early as Sunday. Certainly his return would go some way toward steadying a shaky middle order even if he doesn’t bowl his full quota. Even so it’s hard to look past Walbrugh and Klein’s form thus far this season, combined with the fact that VOC haven’t won a game against a side that wasn’t Dosti in the last five rounds.

RL: One can imagine that a lot of people in Schiedam are cursing the South African Warriors for not having started their pre-season training a week later, but as it is Excelsior ‘20 (sixth) will go into their match against HCC (second) at De Diepput without Tristan Stubbs. The Lions’ ruthless demolition of Sparta has made the statistics we quoted last week even more striking: over their last six matches HCC’s attack has now taken 60 wickets at an average cost of 8.15 runs per wicket. Excelsior, even without Stubbs, are likely to put up more resistance than Sparta, but even so they will need to be at their absolute best to cope with the threat of Overdijk, Bijloos, Klaus and Floyd. HCC have won all those six matches by bowling first and skittling their opponents, so winning the toss and attempting to put the home side’s top order under pressure might well be Excelsior’s best option. That said, the last time HCC batted first they recovered from 11 for four to post 237 for eight, so there’s no question but that they bat in depth.

BdJ: Excelsior’s strangle and chase strategy generally comes off best on home turf, and it’s worth noting that Stubbs’ departure also weakens their slow bowling attack somewhat. His absence thus puts even more on the shoulders of Lorenzo Ingram. Together with Umar Baker, who’s had a rather inconspicuous season thus far. With their last two games pitting them against fellow potential top-four contenders VOC and VRA, the Schiedammers route to the play-offs is far from easy. HCC could in principle afford to drop points this week, though they will likely have their sights on a top two slot at this stage. A home encounter with a weakened Excelsior will look to the Lions like a fine opportunity to stake that claim.

RL: Leaders Punjab Rotterdam, smarting from their defeat by Voorburg last Sunday, will entertain Sparta 1888, whose collapse against HCC was spectacular even by their standards. They were, of course, missing Mudassar Bukhari as well as their Belgian contingent, which left them ill-fitted to face the onslaught of the HCC attack. Punjab’s bowling is a different proposition, exponents of line and length rather than out-and-out cutting power, but they will also test their visitors’ resolution, albeit in a different way. Then there’s the home side’s top and middle order: they may have been out of sorts in recent weeks, but on their own patch, where they seem to have measured to the last millimeter the distance to every corner of the boundary, they can take a visiting attack to pieces in double-quick time if they’re in the mood. It’s hard to know at this stage what Sparta’s side will look like this week, but they will all need to come to the party if they’re not to see Punjab reverse their losing run.

BdJ: If one defeat is a hiccough and a second is a stumble, then heaven knows how mixed up that metaphor will get should Punjab be forced to call housekeeping on Sunday. The loss of Bukhari leaves a significant hole in both the batting and bowling for Sparta,  and on the face of it the match looks like a fine chance for the table leaders to get back to their winning ways as they look to build some momentum going into the play-offs. Conversely, though dropping out of the top four altogether is no longer a risk for the Rotterdammers, the prospect of taking a losing streak into the bottom half of the draw is not one they will relish.

RL: If HBS-VOC is the Eight-pointer of the Day, Voorburg’s visit to ‘t Loopveld to take on ACC is perhaps the Banana Skin of the Round. VOC discovered to their cost a fortnight ago that a trip to Amstelveen can be far from straightforward, and on a ground where runs can be at a premium Voorburg’s problems with pacing an innings could well be magnified. On the other hand, their attack has stepped up impressively, with Sajjad Kamal and Stef Mulder outstanding in last week’s win over Punjab, and they will seek to impose themselves on an ACC line-up which has been struggling for runs. With Dosti their next opponents Voorburg will be keen to consolidate their top four spot before they face HBS in the final round, while their hosts have nothing except honour to play for. That, though, should be incentive enough, and the younger component of their side have reputations to establish in advance of what is likely to be a much tougher campaign next season.

BdJ: Though ACC’s ambitions likely did not extend much further than team-building and development this season, the flip side of that is that for much of their young side this season is effectively an audition for a regular first team spot in 2022, when the Amsterdammers are expected to bring in some bigger guns. At home they have occasionally proved a handful when they get runs on the board, aided by the turgid outfield at het Loopveld and, at least early in the season, a remarkably disciplined approach to fielding. That discipline has slipped somewhat in recent weeks but, as VOC showed, timing a chase remains a tricky proposition as indeed does scoring rapid risk free-runs at any point with attempted acceleration usually resulting in wickets falling. Such considerations are not enough to make VCC underdogs by any stretch, but putting together a win at het Loopveld remains a different sort of challenge to the one the met at home against Punjab last week.

RL: Every match day is High Noon for VRA Amsterdam now, given that they are six points outside the four in seventh spot, and they need not only to win all their remaining games but to see the other results go their way. Even if all goes well they may need to improve their NRR considerably as well, and they will no doubt view their visit to Sportpark Drieburg to take on Dosti Amsterdam in that light. They posted 302 for six when the sides met in the Bos at the end of May, and Dosti’s fortunes have if anything declined further since then. VRA’s line-up has tended to vary from week to week, but Luke Scully and Jack Balbirnie have added significantly to their batting resources, compensating for the absence of Ben Cooper and the variable availability of Eric Szwarczynski, while the attack benefits from the continued development of Ashir Abid and Luke Hartink. It’s hard to know what remains to be said about Dosti, except that the end of the league phase probably can’t come quickly enough for Vinoo Tewarie and his embattled outfit.

BdJ: VRA’s improbable procession of injuries has continued unabated meanwhile, with Hartsink reportedly out for the rest of the season with a fractured wrist, Cooper still recovering, and Udit Nashier out with a shoulder complaint it’s not even clear that they will have 11 men on Sunday. Still two wins short of a top four slot they can’t afford any slip-ups, and losing to Dosti would certainly be an emphatic way to end their play-off hopes. Given the state of Dosti at the moment it’s likely that any side VRA cobble together will start as favourites of course, but no Topklasse team has ever been due a win more than Vinoo Tewarie’s side, and given the season-ending consequences of defeat for VRA this match would be my pick for the round’s pre-eminent banana skin.

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