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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.

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

Things aren’t always what they seem

Rod Lyall 20/09/24

‘I saw it on TV!’ is a phrase which is likely to go down in history as a monument to the unreliability of what we see in these days of AI, and the growing body of ‘alternative facts’ with which we are increasingly surrounded.

Not everything we see on the screen, whether on television or a computer, can necessarily be taken at face value, and journalists have an obligation to try to distinguish the apparent from the real, and to tell their story as accurately as they can.

So this is by way of being a ‘mea culpa’, an acknowledgement that my first reaction to the regrettable if brief events which followed the Topklasse grand final between Punjab-Ghausia and VRA Amsterdam last Saturday did not do sufficient justice to the complexity of what took place, in those moments and in the hours which preceded them.

As I write this, I am conscious not only of the fact that what I have to go on is mostly images from a live stream, a single camera situated at some distance from the events, but also that the whole issue is in a certain sense sub judice, in that the KNCB has disciplinary procedures which need to be allowed to run their course.

Not to mention the laws of defamation, which require one to be extremely careful in what one says about any individual.

Like the semi-final between the same two teams two weeks earlier, the grand final was a hard-fought, tense battle which went all the way down to the wire.

Unlike the semi-final, however, this was something of a gala event, with VIP tents, music, and a relatively large crowd of supporters.

It was also a game of fluctuating fortunes, VRA fighting back towards the end of their innings with a fine knock from Shariz Ahmad, and Punjab needing nearly eight an over from the last seven with six wickets down.

The hosts’ sensational victory with two deliveries to spare was a tribute to their resilience, and it came as a huge relief to their supporters and as an equally great disappointment to the visitors.

Which doubtless goes a long way towards explaining what happened afterwards, although it cannot be said to justify it.

The Spirit of Cricket preamble to the Laws and the Code of Conduct are there to ensure a fair and respectful contest, and it is the task of the onfield umpires to ensure that that is how the game is played.

And the match referee and the KNCB’s disciplinary procedures are there to take appropriate action should further measures prove necessary, as I remain convinced they are following those regrettable scenes.

What I do feel obliged to do, however, is to acknowledge that by initially focusing on one side of the case I gave too much emphasis to the crowd’s invasion of the ground immediately following the conclusion of the game, and too little to the tensions which had built up in the course of the day.

Edwards and Chaturvedi steer Kampong into the Topklasse

Rod Lyall 15/09/24

Kampong Utrecht will be playing Topklasse cricket next season, having won the Hoofdklasse grand final against Quick Haag on Saturday in one of the most extraordinary matches of this or any other season.

Put in to bat by Quick captain Jeroen Brand, Kampong owed their massive total of 374 for six very largely to a third-wicket stand of 215 between Scott Edwards and Vikram Chaturvedi, who came together when opener Ratha Alphonse was forced to retire after ducking into a bouncer from Nathan Crudeli.

It was a remarkable climax to the season for Chaturvedi, who had played just two Hoofdklasse matches at the start of the competition and had thereafter been consigned to the seconds until he was recalled for last week’s preliminary final against Salland.

There he batted at eight and was out first ball, but now promoted to five he produced the innings of his life, outscoring Edwards and reaching his century off just 92 balls; when he was out soon afterwards, caught by Caspar Dekeling off Brand’s bowling, his 103 had included 13 fours and three sixes.

Edwards was at this point unbeaten on 99, and there were just over eight overs left.

Having posted his century Edwards cut loose, smashing another four sixes and six fours from 19 more deliveries to race to a 119-ball 159, and Kampong were able to add 75 from their final six overs.

That should, by any reasonable calculation, have put the outcome beyond doubt, but Crudeli had other ideas.

He started the reply with a four and a six, and by the end of the initial powerplay Quick had reached an improbable 94 without loss, 60 of them from the bat of Crudeli.

He went on to reach a 77-ball century, including nine fours and seven sixes, and although his opening partner Daan Vierling had gone for 32, the momentum was still with the home side.

The turning point came in the 28^th over when Shashank Kumar, who had earlier come in for some fearful punishment from Crudeli, angled one across the Australian, who edged through to the keeper and departed for a 102-ball 133, including 12 fours and nine sixes.

That made it 206 for two, and although Lesley Stokkers hit a brisk 34-ball 57 before he was controversially run out, 79 were still required from the final ten overs.

That was too big an ask, and it was left to Chaturvedi to finish things off with two for 4 as Quick were all out for 322 with five overs remaining.

Punjab pull off a sensational victory

Rod Lyall 15/09/24

Exciting as the semi-final between Punjab-Ghausia and VRA Amsterdam a fortnight ago had been, it was surpassed by Saturday’s grand final between the same two teams, which not only went into the final over but which produced a stunning one-wicket victory for the Rotterdammers.

That had seemed very unlikely for much of the afternoon, as Punjab battled their way towards their challenging target of 271, well behind the required run-rate and losing wickets at inconvenient moments.

So it was, perhaps, unsurprising that when, with two deliveries to spare, Khurram Shahzad despatched Clayton Floyd over cover for the winning six, a substantial crowd of cheering Punjab supporters should have raced onto the field to salute their heroes.

What were deeply disappointing, however, were the scenes which followed, as VRA players were harassed and jostled before they could leave the ground.

Whatever the on-field background may have been and whoever might have initiated it, it was decidedly ugly, and it should have no place on a cricket field. The clubs and the KNCB need to make that clear, in both word and action, and they need to do so promptly.

An apology on the Punjab website and on social media would be a start, but after appropriate reflection there should also be tangible consequences from such unpleasant and unjustifiable scenes.

The cricket which preceded them, though, had certainly lived up to expectations.

Winning the toss, VRA began promisingly, Shirase Rasool immediately going onto the offensive and hitting Shahzad out of the attack with a succession of sixes.

Sulaiman Tariq, though, was as steady as ever at the other end, and he duly removed both openers, both caught by Saqib Zulfiqar, while Sajjad Kamal disposed of the dangerous Vikram Singh, who provided Saqib with yet another catch.

And when Johan Smal fell to Burhan Niaz in the next over VRA were suddenly 83 for four, and Punjab were threatening to take charge.

They were held up by a 97-run partnership between Elijah Eales and Shariz Ahmad, put on in 19 and a half overs, which brought their side back into the game, and after Eales was caught behind off Sikander Zulfiqar for a 61-ball 56, Shariz continued to the end, adding 61 for the eighth wicket in an unbroken stand with Luke Scully (25 not out) and finishing with 82 not out.

It was, potentially, a match-winning innings, since it set Punjab to make their highest total of the season if they were to chase successfully.

Then Ben Fletcher struck twice, dismissing first Jonathan Vandiar, brilliantly caught by Sharad Hake at short fine leg, and then his fellow-opener Shoaib Minhas by the time 21 runs were on the board, and, more worryingly for Punjab, only 23 came from the initial powerplay.

Hake replaced Eales in the attack, but after he had bowled five economical overs VRA literally suffered a damaging blow when Hake, fielding at point, was struck on the knee by a powerful cut from Musa Ahmad, and was forced to leave the field.

Almost immediately Mohsin Riaz, who had added 50 in company with Musa, fell to Hake’s successor in the attack, Vikram Singh, and although Musa and Saqib Zulfiqar were able to put on a further 83 for the fourth wicket, Punjab continued to fall behind the required rate.

With twenty overs left they needed more than seven an over, and when Saqib was caught by Smal of Shariz, departing for 39, the match was delicately poised.

Musa, who had anchored the innings since the third over, followed soon afterwards, caught behind by Scully off Shariz for 71, but Sikander Zulfiqar and Niaz contributed another half-century stand, this one coming at slightly better than a run a ball.

Even so, when Sikander was run out for 41 Punjab still required 47 from 42 deliveries, and that had become 19 from 15 when Niaz holed out to Prince at long off as he tried to hit Singh for six and departed for a vital 39.

Singh completed his over with another wicket, Fawad Shinwari magnificently caught by a diving Scully behind the stumps, and Punjab needed 11 from the last two overs.

Just four singles came from Eales’s penultimate over, so Floyd bowled the last with seven still required.

He yorked a flailing Kamal with his second ball, and so last man Tariq came to the crease with seven still needed and four deliveries to be bowled.

The next was a leg-side wide which escaped Scully’s gloves and allowed the batters to run, crucially giving Shahzad the strike.

He was content to push the next into the covers, but then he opened his shoulders to loft the ball over cover, and Punjab were champions for the second time.

Finals Day Preview

Rod Lyall & Bertus de Jong 12/09/2024

It seems a very short time ago that the Topklasse campaign got under way, and in a way it was, the T20 Cup having delayed the start of the 50-over competition until the end of May. Yet here we are, with autumn beginning to assert itself, and the final matches of an all-too-short cricket season once more with us. At this stage the forecast for Saturday is decidedly promising, so we can look forward to some excellent cricket to grace the competition’s denouement.

RL: If Punjab-Ghausia and VRA Amsterdam are able to produce a grand final anything like the semi-final they fought out a fortnight ago, neutral fans of the Topklasse could be in for a treat – and supporters of the two teams for a very tense afternoon. Whether it comes soon after 11 o’clock or at the start of the chase, the battle between VRA’s new-ball pairing of Ben Fletcher and Elijah Eales on the one hand, and Jonathan Vandiar (deployed these days as a pinch-hitting opener), Shoaib Minhas and Musa Ahmad is likely to be decisive. If those three can lay solid foundations, Punjab will be very favourably placed, with Mohsin Riaz and Saqib and Sikander Zulfiqar to follow. Then it will be up to the Amsterdammers’ spin quartet of Shariz Ahmad, Clayton Floyd, Leon Turmaine and Udit Nashier, backed up by the seam of Sharad Hake and Vikram Singh, to limit the damage.

On the other side, the Punjab attack is equally challenging, if somewhat less incisive. Khurram Shahzad has done a great job since replacing Ahmad Shafiq in the side, and his new-ball combination with veteran Sulaiman Tariq is capable of applying real pressure to VRA’s rather hit-and-miss top three of Demari Prince, Shirase Rasool and Singh. Singh, though, is capable of taking any attack apart, and VRA then have the potential trump card of Johan Smal, their leading run-scorer with 476 runs at 47.60, coming in at four. Thereafter it’s down to the allrounders: Shariz, Floyd, Eales and Nashier, and it’s a question how well they would deal with the seam of Sajjad Kamal, Sikander Zulfiqar and Burhan Niaz, not to mention Minhas’ more-than-useful spin. They did, it is true, make 265 in the semi-final, but events proved that at the Zomercomplex that is not necessarily enough.

It’s a toss-up (not, hopefully, in the sense that the toss operated in the Bos last Saturday), but if I had to call it I’d probably give the edge to Punjab – but only just!

BdJ: With so little separating the two finalists across the season, it is indeed hard to look past home advantage as a potentially decisive factor for the climactic fixture of the 2024 season. With its short boundaries and lush outfield there’s sometimes a tendency for games at the Zomercomplex to devolve into slogging contests, though Shoaib Minhas showed last week the value of getting your eye in before teeing off (not recklessly). Batting against his favoured opposition (having made at least 50 every time he’s faced VRA this season) Minhas saw off 20-odd deliveries before striking his first boundary on the way to what proved a decisive run-a-ball ton, a notable contrast to the more ebullient Vikram Singh, who went hard from the get go, hitting as many sixes as Minhas on the day but precious little else.

Singh remains a potential match-winner of course, but the visitors will likely need him to spend longer in the middle (and ideally arrive there a little later) if they’re to get to a winning score. What exactly a winning total might be be is hard to know what might be enough at the Zomercomplex of course, though Punjab have only been asked to chase 260+ twice on their home ground this season and both times it was a near-run thing.

One intriguing sub-plot for the day will will be the goings on back at VRA’s home-ground, where the two clubs’ second teams will meet in the Eersteklasse final as their respective first XIs contend for the Topklasse title. The Amstelveen faithful will doubtless recall that the last time the VRA 2s won promotion was back in 2011, the same season as first team were last crowned Topklasse Champions. A chance then either for history to repeat itself, or for Punjab to claim that rare double success.

RL: There’s another re-match, of course, in the Hoofdklasse, though this time with a change of venue, Quick Haag having earned the right to host the grand final with their surprise semi-final win over Kampong Utrecht. Kampong have revealed an unwanted vulnerability with the bat in the past couple of weeks, not only with their dismissal for 155 by Quick but also by slumping from 116 for two to 150 for eight against Salland last Saturday. The fact remains, though, that their top four of Max O’Dowd, Ratha Alphonse, Damien van den Berg and Scott Edwards, Kampong have an enviable line-up, while Shashank Kumar, Alex Roy and Co. demonstrated against Salland that they will take advantage of any sign of weakness in opposing batters. Quick, through, looked firmly in command chasing a modest target in the semi-final, Daan Vierling guiding his side to victory, and this time they will have the advantage of playing on their all-astroturf home ground at Nieuw Hanenburg. Their overseas, Nathan Crudeli and Regan Sheahan, are likely to again play a key role, but you have to think that with a place in next year’s Topklasse at stake, Kampong’s superiority on paper will this time be transferred onto the field.

BdJ: A showdown with Quick Haag may be becoming something of a rite of passage for aspiring promotees to the Topklasse, and even if Jeroen Brand’s veterans had no stated ambition to win their way back to the top flight this season they’ll doubtless be delighted to spoil Kampong’s expected ascension and go mix it with the big boys for another season or two. At least three factors will be playing in their favour on Saturday; the first of course is experience, the second home advantage, and the third the comparative lack of pressure on a side for most of whom another stint back in the Topklasse would likely be something of a last hurrah regardless.

Conversely the pressure on Kampong seemed to translate directly into nerves last week, especially for the younger members of a side for whom promotion was very much part of the plan this season. With Edwards and O’Dowd in the top order Kampong hardly lack for experienced big game players of course, and the fact remains that on paper they remain the stronger side. Yet it’s worth noting that both of Kampong’s wins over Quick this season were set up by big scores from either O’Dowd or Edwards, and if either or both were to fail on Saturday Quick still have the resources to pile on some serious pressure.

While Brand, Vierling, Stokkers, Mol and van Gigch may have more collective years under their belts than the TK team combined, there’s little sign that any of them are interested in a dignified retirement just yet. They’ve provided consistent support with the bat for Crudeli and Sheahan, and it’s really in the bowling department that Quick look outgunned in this match-up. In Kumar, Jacon, Swanepoel and Roy Kampong have four bowlers collectively averaging less than 13, while Crudeli and Brand are the only frontline Quick bowlers averaging under 20. In short, Quick will be counting in part on pressure to do the job of taking wickets for them, and the Hoofklasse title still looks like it’s Kampong’s to lose.

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

VRA ease into the grand final

Rod Lyall 08/09/24

VRA Amsterdam overpowered defending champions Voorburg in a rain-shortened preliminary final in the Amsterdamse Bos on Saturday, setting up a grand final against Punjab-Ghausia in Rotterdam next week.

Leakage through the covers following overnight rain had left the pitch so wet that a start could not be made until 3 o’clock, cutting the match to 33 per overs a side.

Put in to bat, Noah Croes’s team never really got out of first gear on a pitch which favoured the bowlers, the new-ball pairing of Ben Fletcher and Elijah Eales picking up three wickets in the first nine overs for just 25 runs.

Croes himself and Ryan Klein managed to add 21 for the fourth wicket, but it took them more than seven overs, and when Shariz Ahmad removed them both in successive overs, adding the wicket of Tom de Leede into the bargain, Voorburg were in serious trouble.

Eales returned to dismiss Michael Molenaar, and although Laurens Boissevain and Mees van Vliet stayed together long enough to contribute 22 for the eighth wicket, the innings closed on 106 for nine, Shariz finishing with four for 17.

Voorburg may have felt that they had the ghost of a chance when they had both openers out with just 24 on the board, but this brought together Vikram Singh and Johan Smal, and they proceeded to settle the issue, cautiously at first but then with increasing confidence.

As the target grew nearer Singh went onto the attack, finishing the game with two sixes to reach 58 not out, while Smal made an unbeaten 28.

In the Hoofdklasse, Kampong Utrecht’s victory over Salland turned out to be if anything even more emphatic, though not before they had slumped from a solid 116 for two to 178 all out, at one stage losing five wickets for 16 runs.

Max O’Dowd’s 34, Ratha Alphonse’s 24 and Damien van den Berg’s 44 had given them a great start, but spinners Akhil Gopinath, Elam Bharathi and Acelan Pruss got them in a tangle, Gopinath again the most successful with four for 37, and it took an enterprising little ninth-wicket stand between Tushar Sharma and Kertan Nana to get them to a relatively decent total.

Salland started their reply confidently enough, but once Pierra Jacod had removed Venkat Ganesan it all fell apart, as the Overijssel side collapsed from 28 for one to 37 for six in the space of 23 deliveries.

There was no way back from there, and although Gopinath and Sahir Malikzai staged a minor recovery as well, putting on 23 for the ninth wicket, the cause was lost, and the innings ended on 94.

Shashank Kumar did much of the damage, claiming four for 34 to bring his tally for the season to 40 (second only to Gopinath’s 44), while skipper Alex Roy took two for 8 in six extremely economical overs as Kampong turned the screw.

Kampong will now take on Quick Haag at Nieuw Hanenburg next Saturday to determine which side plays in the Topklasse next season.

A piece of history will be made that day when the same two clubs are involved in the grand finals of the Topklasse and the Eerste Klasse, Punjab-Ghausia 2 having beaten HCC 2 by 37 runs on Saturday to set up a meeting with VRA 2 in what is in effect the third division.

Qualifying Finals Preview

Bertus de Jong and Rod Lyall 07/09/2024

Just two games to go in this year’s Topklasse, three teams still in the running to claim the title. Punjab Rotterdam, having looked increasingly dominant all season, were tested to the limit by VRA last week but clung on for a one-wicket win to claim their place in next week’s Grand Final, along with hosting rights at the Zomercomplex. VRA will have to bounce back quickly from that disappointment if they’re to see off defending champions Voorburg at the Amsterdamse Bos on Sunday in this week’s eliminator semi-final and book a place in the final at the second attempt.

Meanwhile at the business end of the Hoofklasse champions-presumptive Kampong suffered a shock defeat to Quick Haag in the first semi-final, and will now have to face off against a resurgent Salland in the second to book a place in the final at Nieuw Hanenburg.

BdJ: League phase runners-up VRA owe their double shot at a place in the final in large part to the strength of their bench, with sometime second-teamers such as Luke Scully, Leon Turmaine, and Thomas Iles stepping up more than ably when injury or national duty deprived the Amsterdammers of first choice players. Similarly Johan Smal has again proved an able stand-in captain with Teja Nidamanuru sidelined for most of the season. Their most significant challenge on Saturday may simply be coming back from such an agonising loss at the Zomercomplex, having come so close to earning a week off and a home final. VRA have not lost a game at home since mid July, though it should be noted that owing to the vagaries of the schedule they’ve only played two matches at the Bos in that time. Nonetheless they’ve battled their way to the final three in impressive fashion, newcomer Ben Fletcher has proved as effective a spearhead as his new-ball predecessors at the Bos, such as Fred Klaassen and Quirijn Gunning, and one wouldn’t bet against the left arm seamer following them in donning the orange. The slow-bowling section of course already boasts a couple of current internationals, Shariz Ahmad and Clayton Floyd, along with the stalwart Turmaine and promising Udit Nashier comprising arguably the strongest spin attack in the competition. The somewhat hit-and-miss top order (Smal excepted) is perhaps also a concern as while VRA can bat as deep as 9 or 10, they often line up with just three or four players for whom batting is their primary discipline, and Smal is the only one with an average north of fifty this season.

Voorburg by contrast boast three, though top-scorer Gavin Kaplan has now of course returned to South Africa. Compounding the loss of Kaplan, pace spearhead Viv Kingma remains in doubt owing to a heel injury, while leggie Flip Boissevain – the stand-out in VCC win over HCC in the eliminator last week – has headed back to New Zealand. VCC don’t have the depth of experience on the bench that VRA can call upon, but youngsters such as Cedric de Lange and Alejo Nota have at times played crucial roles when needed, not least in that win against HCC. Of course one might argue that Voorburg will be under extra pressure come Saturday after taking the call to prioritise the Topklasse title defense last week and call up the pair to the firsts again, leaving their weakened seconds to fend for themselves in a relegation showdown away at Dosti, which would cost them their place in the Hoofklasse. Despite the return of Michael Levitt and Ryan Klein from international commitments it’s likely VCC will be fielding a smattering of youngsters again come Saturday, though they will be more seasoned now than at the beginning of the summer. Should VCC win through to the final again this season, it will be thanks in no small part to the efforts of those youngsters. That said VRA won comfortably when last the two met, even if conditions at the Bos are unlikely to provide quite the same assistance to VRA’s spinners as that Westvliet deck, though given Boissevain’s absence and VRA’s wealth of slow-bowling options they may be tempted to prepare something similar, weather permitting.

RL: These sides last met in the 50-over finals in 2021, and such is the whirligig of time that only half-a-dozen players from that game (at most) are likely to play on either side in this one. On that occasion Voorburg won before going on to lose to Punjab in the grand final, so both sides will be hoping that there is a different outcome this year. Among the VRA top order Vikram Singh’s appearances have of course been limited by international commitments, and his 304 runs so far at 38.00, with a couple of half-centuries, represent a reasonable rather than outstanding return. He batted at three last week – now, seemingly, his normal position in the national side – to allow room for Demari Prince and Shirase Rasool to open, although it must be acknowledged that neither has had a stellar season in that role. The shaky top order is compensated, though, by the value of Shariz Ahmad, and at times Clayton Floyd, further down. For the visitors, the emergence of Ryan Klein as a middle-order batter has been one of the season’s more significant features, and what may have been at first a response to his absence from the attach has turned into a real asset, potentially for the Dutch side as well as for Voorburg. The other returnees, Levitt and Croes, could of course prove to be trump cards, and Levitt actually contributed more with the ball against HCC than he did with the bat. Both are capable of batting VRA out of the game, and the Amsterdammers will need to get them early if they are to advance to a rematch against Punjab-Ghausia.

BdJ: Down in the Hoofdklasse Kampong’s apparent procession to promotion was dramatically arrested at Maarschalkerweerd last week by the veterans of Quick Haag, the dogged efforts of national skipper Scott Edwards in vain as the rest of the Kampong batting line-up (Damien van den Berg’s entertaining early hitting excepted) wilted under pressure. To secure a rematch with Quick they’ll first have to get past Salland, who despite only managing a fourth-place finish in the league phase could be a tricky proposition should Kampong produce another such a batting performance. Yet while Salland’s bowling attack has been their principal strength this season – German left-arm spinner Akhil Gopinath currently leading the Hoofdklassse wicket-taking tally by some distance – they took a fair drubbing the last time they had to bowl at a full strength Kampong line-up. Meanwhile Salland themselves have passed 200 only once this season, and indeed have barely made 200 for 20 wickets across their two matches against Kampong. In short, both on paper and precedent Salland will be massive underdogs when they head to Maarschalkerweerd, with little but momentum in their favour. That said, pressure can do funny things, and there will only be one side under any kind of pressure on Saturday.

RL: All of the above. Further, Salland’s capacity for dramatic batting collapses extends back into their recent Topklasse experience as well: they only managed to top 200 three times in sixteen attempts in 2023, and that was with the now-departed Victor Lubbers in the side. As far as Kampong’s sub-par effort against Quick is concerned, the tone was set by the dismissal of Max O’Dowd off the third ball of the game, followed by that of Ratha Alphonse two overs later, and Salland will do extremely well to replicate that sort of start. The fact that the match is to be played at Thurlede (the football season having made Maarschalkerweerd unavailable) will doubtless encourage the bowlers on both sides, a not-insignificant factor for Kampong, who will have been disturbed by the inability of their attack to make much impression on Quick’s top order. The switch of venue means extra travelling for the side from Overijssel (and points east), but they will no doubt think that worth it if they are able to pull off another surprise and give themselves a shot at an early return to the top flight.

BdJ’s picks: VRA, Kampong

RL’s picks: Voorburg, Kampong.

HCC vs VCC at De Diepput | Topklasse Eliminator | 01.09.24

Punjab advance to grand final – but only just

Rod Lyall 02/09/24

An outstanding century by opener Shoaib Minhas was the foundation of Punjab-Ghausia’s thrilling one-wicket victory over VRA Amsterdam at the Zomercomplex on Sunday, taking his side into the grand final in a fortnight’s time.

VRA, though, fought all the way, and they will get a second chance to reach the grand final when they take on defending champions Voorburg in the Amsterdamse Bos next week.

The Amsterdammers had set Punjab a substantial target, their total of 265 built on contrasting knocks from captain Johan Smal (86) and Shariz Ahmad (83).

The pair had shared a key fifth-wicket stand of 129 after Sulaiman Tariq (three for 59) and Khurram Shahzad had combined to reduce VRA to 76 for four, and after Smal departed it was left to Shariz to hold the tail together, adding another 60 in a succession of invaluable partnerships.

When Punjab replied Minhas, scoring at a run a ball, was able to ensure that his side kept pace with the required rate, but his problem was that he kept losing partners at the other end.

Punjab’s most substantial partnership was that for the second wicket between Minhas and Musa Ahmad (30), which added 81, but with pacemen Ben Fletcher and Elijah Eales, supported by left-arm spinner Clayton Floyd, chipping away, the issue remained in doubt.

18 were still needed when Minhas, sent back looking for a single that was never there, was run out for 106, made from 107 deliveries with nine fours and three sixes, and the deficit was still seven when Fletcher struck again to claim the ninth wicket and bring last man Tariq to the crease.

Crucially, though, that wicket came from the final ball of his over, and Fawad Shinwari was able to find the two boundaries which gave Punjab the narrowest of victories.

At De Diepput, meanwhile, Voorburg, with three of their internationals back in the side, kept their title defence alive and ended HCC’s hopes with a convincing 49-run victory.

Their total of 241 was built on a solid 44 from Cedric de Lange, batting at three in order to make room for Michael Levitt, and an aggressive 67 from Ryan Klein, made from just 53 balls with six fours and three sixes.

Philippe Boissevain contributed a useful 38, while Hidde Overdijk was the mosgt successful of HCC’s bowlers with three for 51.

When Tonny Staal, batting with uncharacteristic restraint, and Boris Gorlee were together at the crease it looked as if the Lions might be in with a chance, but Voorburg’s attack made scoring difficult, and HCC gradually fell behind the required rate.

Jed Wiggins top-scored with 58, but once Mees van Vliet had returned to remove him Philippe Boissevain ran through the lower order taking four for 27 – including an outstanding one-handed return catch to dismiss Yash Patel – and HCC were all out for 192.

In the final round of Relegation Pool matches ACC made short work of ten-man Excelsior ’20, bowling them out for just 88, 60 of which came from Derek Mitchell (29) and Lorenzo Ingram (31), no-one else reaching double figures in an abject batting display.

Sahil Kothari had a field day, claiming five for 21, and ACC needed only 14.3 overs to knock off the runs, Shreyas Potdar making an unbeaten 34 to complete a third successive victory which would have been unthinkable a month ago.

There was more of a contest at the Hazelaarweg, where Sparta 1888 managed to defend a total of 200 against VOC Rotterdam and win by nine runs.

Riley Mudford (52) and Juandre Scheepers (67) were responsible for the lion’s share of Sparta’s runs, Roman Harhangi cleaning up the tail to finish with five for 33, Asief Hoseinbaks again chipping in with three for 32.

Ryan Schierhout and Pieter Recordon gave VOC a great start with an opening stand of 95, but once they had both been dismissed for 43 the Bloodhounds again suffered a middle-order collapse, slumping from 99 for two to 141 for eight.

Francois Fourie was still there, however, and he and Jelte Schoonheim added 46 for the ninth wicket, raising hopes of a remarkable recovery.

In the end, though, Manminder Singh removed Fourie, again for 43, and last man Hoseinbaks to finish with three for 22 and see Sparta home.

In the Hoofdklasse, Quick Haag pulled off a shock, subjecting leaders Kampong Utrecht to only their second 50-over defeat of the season and marching into the grand final.

Scott Edwards contributed 82 to Kampong’s modest total of 155, Damien van den Berg making 35, but with skipper Jeroen Brand taking three for 21 Quick kept firm control of the innings.

Then Daan Vierling guided his side to an eight-wicket victory with an unbeaten 80, and Kampong will need to weather a do-or-die preliminary final against Salland next week.

The Deventer side, fourth on the table, sprang another surprise on Sunday, bundling Bloemendaal out for83 and racing to a four-wicket victory with more than 33 overs to spare.

Venkat Ganesan needed only three bowlers to complete Salland’s rout of the Bloemendaal batting, Sahir Malikzai taking four for 29 and Reinder Lubbers and Akhil Gopinath picking up three for 28 and three for 24 respectively.

Salland were cruising at 70 for one in reply, but then former international Mangesh Panchal produced a remarkable spell, claiming five for 11, including one triple-wicket maiden, as Ganesan’s side slumped to 79 for six.

It came too late, however, as Saqibullah Usmanzai hit the winning boundary to keep alive Salland’s hopes of making a quick return to the Topklasse.

Preview Round 15

And so we reach the sharp end, with four teams chasing the title, not only in the Topklasse, but in the Hoofdklasse and Eerste Klasse as well. The winner of the Hoofdklasse will, of course, be playing in the Topklasse next year, so we shall be devoting some attention to that issue as well over the next three weeks. Not forgetting entirely this Sunday’s final round in the Topklasse Relegation Pool, where ACC will be trying to bid farewell to the top flight, for now at any rate, with a third successive victory.

RL: The first semi-final has been given additional interest by the way in which VRA demolished HCC in their crucial game last Sunday. If their attack can produce that sort of form again this week they could put pressure on a Punjab top order which has been instrumental in taking their side to the top of the table and keeping them there. Despite Jonathan Vandiar’s boundary-packed knock there was a definite wobble against a depleted Voorburg attack at the Zomercomplex last week, and although Punjab proved that they bat deep, not even needing skipper Sikander Zulfiqar to come to the crease, and indeed their line-up will be strengthened by the return of his triplet brother Saqib, VRA, too, will be reinforced by Vikram Singh and Shariz Ahmad. It’s the pace attack of Ben Fletcher, Elijah Eales and perhaps Ashir Abid, however, which is capable of putting the home side under early pressure, with Shariz, Clayton Floyd and Leon Turmaine to turn the screw later on. Vandiar, however, is always a threat, not to mention Shoaib Minhas and Musa Ahmad, and Punjab’s attack, nagging rather than explosive, will make life as difficult as possible for their visitors’ talented batting.

BdJ: The shoulder niggle that kept Saqib on the bench for the Dutch is likely to mean he’ll be playing principally as a bat, though against a full strength VRA Punjab will likely be glad of the extra depth. VRA were likewise at full strength when last the two met at the Zomercomplex early in the second phase of course, notably also the occasion of the Amsterdammers’ most recent defeat. Nonetheless they do look the side most likely to test Punjab’s batting, with no obvious weak link in the attack and wicket-taking options galore. Punjab have yet to lose a game at home this season however, which in and of itself should be plenty of motivation for VRA to break the streak and secure a home final.

RL: Voorburg’s defence of their title has just about survived the loss of their internationals and outstanding overseas player Gavin Kaplan, and they will be able to welcome the former, at least, back into the side when they take on HCC at De Diepput on Sunday. The Lions will need to put up a much more convincing display with the bat than they managed in the Bos last week, especially if the Voorburg attack features Viv Kingma and/or Ryan Klein. It was the champions’ batting which suffered most in recent weeks, though, and the return of Michael Levitt, Noah Croes and batting allrounder Klein will add the solidity which has been lacking during phase two. Apart from the departure of Conor McInerney HCC do not have the excuse of physical absence to explain last Sunday’s lapse, and they will have to find a good deal more resolution if they are to see off a potentially resurgent Voorburg and keep their own title hopes alive.

BdJ: If the VCC attack does feature Kingma it’ll be a minor medical miracle – the heel issue that kept him out of the Dutch side expected to keep him on the sidelines at least until the final, should Voorburg make it that far. Similarly if Klein does bowl it’ll likely be the offspin he’s been sending down of late, admittedly with decent reward. That said the return of the international contingent will provide a welcome boost to the batting, and a timely one too as there’s a good chance the VCC seconds’ relegation showdown with Dosti will see a fair few occasional first-teamers headed to Drieburg. Whether HCC are in a position to capitalise on the defending champions’ resource-allocation dilemma is open to question though, certainly it’ll take a better showing than what they put up at VRA last week however tough the conditions.

RL: The inevitability of relegation seems to have had a liberating effect on ACC, and especially on Ben van der Merwe, whose two most significant 50-over innings have guided the side to victory in their last two games. It would be a remarkable, if ultimately fruitless, achievement were they to make it three in a row against Excelsior ’20 on Sunday, but beneath those wins is the more disquieting truth that the club’s home-grown players seem still to be out of their class in the top flight. The crop of youngsters they have been trying out in the back half of the campaign may be better able to find their feet in the Hoofdklasse, and that will be vital for the long-term future of the club. Excelsior’s local players have scarcely been more successful, even those who were in championship-winning sides not so long ago, and the Schiedammers’ dependence on Ingram, Mitchell and Ralston for such success as they have had should be giving rise to almost as much concern at Thurlede as there will (or should) be at Het Loopveld.

BdJ: Indeed it’s notable that aside from the overseas, Excelsior’s most valuable player with bat and ball this season has been the newly-arrived Victor Lubbers – a fortuitous acquisition from Salland. While the Schiedammers never looked in real danger of relegation this season, there’s certainly good reason to worry how sustainable their position in the top flight will be if their local contingent continues to regress. For ACC a stint in the Hoofdklasse may be salutary, but they need only look across the water for a reminder that even survival in the second tier is far from guaranteed.

RL: VOC Rotterdam will top the Relegation Pool regardless of the result of their final match against Sparta 1888 at the Hazelaarweg, but they will doubtless be keen to end their season in winning vein. For their opponents, beaten by ACC last week, a final victory is perhaps even more necessary in terms of morale, and both clubs will be keen to see their overseas contingents perform effectively as they bid farewell to a disappointing season. The Bloodhounds have at least had valuable contributions from the Jain brothers, Asief Hoseinbaks and Jelte Schoonheim, while Roman Harhangi and continues to show potential, but for Sparta the only real local compensation has come from skipper Martijn Snoep, and the fact that he only bowled one over last week was undoubtedly a key factor in their defeat.

BdJ: Another season where Sparta owe their survival largely to Snoep and the foreign contingent, (be the from the other side of the globe or a little closer to home in the case of Belgium’s Khalid Ahmadi). Sint Maarten’s Shaquille Martina was the only Dutch national to pass fifty for the Spartans this season, and Umar Baker the only local bar the chairman to take ten or more wickets. For VOC the season’s highlights have mostly come in the form of successfully staging internationals rather than any on-field efforts by the first team, and while they’d doubtless like to sign off with a final home win one suspects both sides at Hazelaarweg will be happy enough to put this season behind them.

RL: With just one 50-over defeat all season (at the hands of Hercules Utrecht), Kampong Utrecht have dominated the round-robin phases, and they will be delighted to welcome back internationals Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards for the denouement. They’ve already beaten Quick Haag twice, by 111 runs and by eight wickets, and by comparison with many sides in the top divisions they have a healthy crop of locally-based younger players, led by skipper Alex Roy. But their leading run-scorer has been South African-born, Dutch-qualified 19-year-old batter Damien van den Berg, ably supported by New Zealander Ben Pomare, while the bowling has been dominated by Shashank Kumar, whose 35 wickets so far have come at an average cost of 9.60. Quick’s side still features many of those who played when the club was last in the top flight, such as Geert Maarten Mol, Lesley Stokkers, Jeroen Brand and Bobby van Gigch, but they owe their second spot on the table in large measure to Western Australian allrounder Nathan Crudeli, who has made 387 runs and taken 33 wickets so far. He is backed up by Canterbury left-hander Regan Sheahan, and these two will need to be at their best if Quick are to upset Kampong at Maarschalkerweerd on Sunday.

BdJ: Given Kampong’s dominance this season, recording just a single loss despite missing Edwards and O’Dowd for half their fixtures, it’s fair to say it would take an almighty choke for them to stumble at the penultimate hurdle on Sunday (though preferable to doing so in the final of course). They saw off Quick’s veterans easily enough in their two regular season encounters, and though age does not seem to have wearied Quick’s old guard they don’t look to have an answer to the firepower a full strength Kampong can muster these days. Even without their two Dutch internationals the roster at Maarschalkerweerd would be the envy of several Topklasse clubs, and should Quick succeed in interrupting the apparent procession to the title it would be the upset of the round.

RL: Bloemendaal haven’t featured in the top division since 1990, but third place in the league phase this season has given them an outside chance of making a surprise return. They lost at home to Salland by seven wickets in July, but had their revenge with a six-wicket victory in Deventer a fortnight later, so this could be a very interesting battle. The improved fortunes at the Donkerelaan have been achieved in large part through the contributions of three Pretoria-based South Africans, Dihan Bekker, Keagan Thiele and Luca Balducci, and well as Portugal’s – yes, you read that right – Francoise Stoman, and the side is led by another South African, Karl Marais, now living in the Netherlands. His 419 runs hat 52.88 have also made a big difference to Bloemendaal’s success this year, while veteran Masood Khan and former Dutch international Quirijn Gunning have contributed usefully with the ball. Salland, of course, played in the Topklasse in 2023, and they still rely on their contingent of German-based players, including Venkat Ganesan, Talha Ahmed Khan, Akhil Gopinath and Acelan Pruss.

BdJ: Dutch domestic cricket as a destination competition for continental European talent is one of the less remarked-upon stories of recent years, and indeed it’s increasingly rare to come across sides at the European Championships that don’t have at least a couple of players with a season or two in the Netherlands under their belts. Salland of course are an extreme example in this regard, to the point that the first team’s reliance on talent from across the eastern border ought to be a point of concern, though there’s no question the German contingent is a substantial asset on the field. With Bloemendaal likely to be understrength come Sunday, Gunning amongst those in doubt due to injury, there’s every chance Salland could leapfrog them into the semis – just two wins away from an unlikely Topklasse return.

RL’s picks: Punjab, Voorburg, Excelsior, VOC; Kampong, Bloemendaal.

BdJ’s picks: VRA, HCC, Excelsior, Sparta; Kampong, Salland.