Asides

Sparta’s lead short-lived as the seamers run riot

Rod Lyall 25/06/18

There cannot have been many more extraordinary afternoons in the recent history of Dutch top division cricket than Sunday’s – in particular there was an hour in which wickets were tumbling all around the country as top orders fell apart and seam bowlers had a field day.

Nowhere was the mayhem more spectacular than at De Diepput, where after coming back well to restrict hosts HCC to a relatively modest 189, Sparta 1888 saw their hopes of consolidating their position at the top of the table torn apart by a concentrated burst of well-directed hostility from Ali Ahmed Qasim.

He took six for 18 in the space of just 38 deliveries as Sparta slumped to 21 for six, and although they managed to prolong the innings long enough to reach 65 they never seemed remotely likely to mount an effective challenge.

Earlier, Sparta’s bowlers had done well to get their side back into the game after HCC had reached 132 for three, stand-in captain Tonny Staal making 49 and Bryce Street 56, with support from Boris Gorlee (25).

HCC squandered that good start, however, the last five wickets producing just 27 runs as Mudassar Bukhari, who had begun by removing both openers, came back to clean up the tail and finish with season’s best figures of five for 32.

It all proved in vain as 40 minutes of lively pace from Qasim, who had similarly demolished HBS earlier in the season, tore the heart out of Sparta’s response.

The chief beneficiaries of the Sparta collapse were new leaders VOC Rotterdam, who themselves needed to recover from 41 for four batting first against Dosti United Amsterdam at Hazelaarweg and eventually reached 177 before bowling their opponents out for 128.

They owed their total to a useful partnership of 44 between Pieter Seelaar and Scott Edwards, but even more to the contribution of Bobby Hanif, whose unbeaten 36 held the tail together and frustrated the Dosti bowlers, for whom Anees Davids and Mohammad Hafeez had led the way with three for 22 and three for 31 respectively.

Then Pierce Fletcher quickly removed the in-form Vinoo Tewarie and the talismanic Taruwar Kohli, who again failed to score, and Dosti never really recovered from these twin setbacks, despite a dogged 30 from Hafeez and some late aggression from Asief Hoseinbaks and Wahid Masood.

Hanif followed up his heroics with the bat with two for 9, while Fletcher finished with two for 14 and skipper Pieter Seelaar took two for 38.

The closest encounter of the day was, a little surprisingly, at Thurlede, where relegation-threatened Punjab Rotterdam made a decent fist of chasing Excelsior ‘20’s 219 for seven, eventually falling just 19 runs short.

Although Lorenzo Ingram went cheaply, significant contributions from opener Tim Etman (37), Roel Verhagen (38 on his return from injury), Sandeep Shankar (36) and David Woutersen (36) enabled the defending champions to reach a competitive total, sufficient at least to give their attack something to work with.

Stef Myburgh gave his side a rapid start with a 47-ball 48 when Punjab replied, but wickets were falling at the other end, and despite 34 from Mamoon Latif it was again left to Ahsan Bamunusinghe to hold the middle and lower order together.

43 were still needed when the ninth wicket fell, but in company with last man Mubashar Hussain Bamunusinghe gradually worked his way to a well-deserved half-century and reduced the target in the process.

But it was Ingram who had the last word, eventually bowling Hussain to seal the victory for Excelsior and keep them well in the hunt for a third successive title.

Just behind the three leaders, HBS Den Haag also maintained their challenge with a comprehensive victory over ACC, another team to implode during Sunday’s Hour of Death.

Given a great platform by a second-wicket stand of 136 between Wessel Coster (64) and the remarkably consistent Sharn Gomes (66), HBS assembled a challenging total of 235, helped by a 41-ball knock of 48 from Wesley Barresi.

Sikander Zulfiqar, deputising as captain for his injured brother Saqib, kept his side in the game by removing both Coster and Gomes and finishing with three for 51, while Dewald Botha claimed three for 41.

ACC’s batting has fared much better in recent weeks, but form deserted them this time, as they were bundled out for just 62, Berend Westdijk taking five for 35 after Coster had removed both Richardt Frenz and Rehmat Zulfiqar by the time 28 runs were on the board.

Across Amstelveen in the Amsterdamse Bos, VRA Amsterdam took full advantage of playing on the own ground against Quick Haag, running up the highest total of the day with 238 for seven and then dismissing their opponents for 127.

VRA were given a solid start by Vikram Singh (27), Dan ter Braak (49) and Ben Cooper (45) as this trio took them to 129 for three, and Peter Borren built on this with 42, supported by Leon Turmaine, who in turn shared a useful partnership with Mitch Lees.

Quirijn Gunning then joined the national seamers’ bonanza by ripping through the Quick top and middle order, his career-best five for 36 reducing the notional home side on 52 for six and 73 for eight.

Only some enterprising resistance from Daan Vierling and Imran Khan, each of whom made 30, got Quick past the hundred mark, but when Dan ter Braak finished things off by removing both of them the score was still 101 short.

Not the least remarkable feature of a remarkable day was the fact that of the five winning sides four had started the season by losing to the same opponents, only Excelsior making it a double by again prevailing over Punjab – and even that proved to be hard work. Such are the glorious uncertainties of this season’s Topklasse.

Round 10 Preview

Rod Lyall and Bertus de Jong 21/06/18

As the Topklasse moves beyond the halfway point the first round of matches this Sunday pits each of the current top five against a team from the lower half of the table, with the former jockeying for advantage and the latter keen to stay clear of the relegation zone.

RL Having started the campaign with a home win over HCC and now sitting at the top of the table, Sparta 1888 will travel to De Diepput with a stiff breeze in their sails. With nine wickets in his last two matches Dost Muhammad has emerged as an unheralded key figure in a varied attack, while the side’s remarkable victory over ACC last week underlines what a dangerous, resilient combination the Capelle club has assembled. Michael Pollard confirmed his class with a century in that game, but his opposite number in the HCC line-up, Bryce Street, is showing signs of running into form as well. The Hagenaars certainly need him to succeed consistently, since the batting looks brittle otherwise, and the bowling fires somewhat erratically.

BdJ One imagines that Sparta’s position at the top of the table at the half-way stage likely comes as a surprise even to them, but it’s hard to call it a fluke. The two defeats they have suffered this season (at the hands of HBS and VOC) may betray a capacity for spectacular implosion, but it is remarkable how little either seems to have shaken their self-belief. Street firing either with bat or ball (or ideally both) is likely a necessary but not sufficient condition for HCC to put the brakes on the Sparta train. A return to form for Mark Jonkman might help too.

RL After starting a little shakily VOC Rotterdam have demonstrated that their strength is not just on paper, while conversely Dosti United have slumped rather since beginning the season on a high. That included, of course, an opening-day victory over Sunday’s opponents, driven by the first of Taruwar Kohli’s three hundreds so far, but he has gone cheaply in several recent innings. His side will need him to be at his best this week, even though VOC seem likely to be without international Max O’Dowd, who sustained a thigh injury during the first of the T20s against Scotland. Still, the Rotterdam side are well balanced in both batting and bowling, and with Pieter Seelaar in great form with the bat they will know that they cannot afford another slip-up if they are to maintain their challenge for the club’s first title since 1994.

BdJ O’Dowd’s addition to a sick list that already includes Ahsan Malik and possibly Corey Rutgers (bot suffering from finger trouble) does leave something of a hole in VOC’s line up, and comes as all the more bitter a blow given his recent return to form. Much will depend on skipper Pieter Seelaar, though the Dutch captain does not look a bad man to rely on just now. Averaging 93 with the bat and a shade under 11 with the ball, Seelaar looks the most valuable player in the league by a distance at the moment, certainly on a VOC pitch that has played to his strengths. Yet if Dosti are at their best Seelaar will struggle to win it on his own. Vinoo Tewarie and Rahil Ahmed stepped up admirably following Kohli’s failure last week, and despite the loss to HCC there were plenty of positives to take from the game. Mahesh Hans will doubtless also be looking forward to a trip to Hazelaarweg, and though VOC certainly start as favourites, this match looks a candidate for an upset.

RL Mention of slip-ups leads us naturally to Excelsior ‘20, whose two defeats in their last two matches have seen them knocked off the top of the table for the first time for over a year. They will have an excellent chance of getting things back on track on Sunday, when they are at home to bottom-placed Punjab Rotterdam, who may have escaped with a fine – at least for the time being – in their dispute with the KNCB over player eligibility, but who are finding life just as difficult on the field as in the committee room. With just one win in eight matches they will need to achieve a substantial turnaround in form if they are to avoid a repeat of Excelsior’s comfortable win on the opening day of the season. The champions may be overly dependent on the success of Lorenzo Ingram with the bat, but their attack remains strong, and they are likely to have too many guns for Punjab.

BdJ One suspects if Excelsior were allowed to pick their opponents next week the beleaguered Rotterdammers would likely have been near the top of the list, but arguably the reverse might just apply too. Excelsior’s vaunted discipline with the ball seemed to desert them last week when they gifted HBS some 27 extras in the innings, which can be only partly explained by apprentice wicketkeeper Woutersen’s struggles behind the sticks. Though Stephan Myburgh may only be semi-fit he will doubtless be looking forward to a return to Thurlede, and he puts on a show at the top of the order it will be interesting to seem how well Exclesior’s rattled attack hold together. Nonetheless there’s little to suggest that Punjab have the depth to really challenge the defending champions, nor, on recent showing, do they seem to have the appetite.

RL Two successive century opening stands indicate that ACC’s promotion of Richardt Frenz was an inspired move but the revival of the side’s fortunes with the bat has not been matched by the attack, and their dramatic defeat by Sparta last week will be in the backs of their minds as they take on HBS Den Haag at Het Loopveld. Nor will their cause be helped if skipper Saqib Zulfiqar’s injury, sustained during the second T20I on Wednesday, keeps him out of the side or significantly restricts his contribution. Even away from Craeyenhout the HBS top order has the firepower to cause the ACC bowlers plenty of problems, and the Amsterdammers’ win in the corresponding match at the start of the season – one of only two they have achieved so far – must now seem a very long time ago. The HBS attack, too, demonstrated against Excelsior last week that they can be an extremely effective unit.

BdJ Little argument here. ACC have looked a decent side at times, even dangerous when the Zulfiqars were all firing, and Frenz’ coming into form makes them a better team than their position on the points table suggests, but a lack of bench strength has long been an issue and they can little afford to lose even one first choice player. A key effect of Frenz taking responsibility from the top of the order has been to free the consistently underrated Rehmat Zulfiqar to pursue the sort of belligerent game which makes him arguably the most dangerous of the brothers at Topklasse level (the elder Zulfiqar has hit as many boundaries this season as his three brother combined) but even so it’s hard to see the hosts out-hitting the HBS top order.

RL Quick Haag’s defeat of VRA Amsterdam at the start of May has also proved to be a false dawn, as the Hanen have won only twice more since. They will, however, return to the scene of that success on Sunday, since the construction work at Nieuw Hanenburg means that VRA will again be playing on their own ground. VRA have problems of their own: the batting, despite some flashes of excellence, has been underwhelming overall, and with Viv Kingma on the casualty list the attack has also lacked a degree of incisiveness. Leon Turmaine has done well with both bat and ball since his return, but with Eric Szwarczynski having a miserable season the top order continues to look vulnerable. Whether Quick have the resources to make it two out of two is another question, but the game is likely to be closer than the sides’ relative positions on the table suggest.

BdJ Whilst the visiting Ross ter Braak may provide something of a temporary solution to the gap Kingma leaves in VRA’s attack, no easy solution to the misfiring middle-order presents itself. It will be interesting to see if skipper Emile van den Burg is tempted to play with the batting order or will prefer to back his batters to come good. Quick’s attack have been on the receiving end of a battering in recent weeks, and ought not to present too much of a threat to the quality in VRA’s batting card, but then the same was true last time round. Another loss to Quick would likely see VRA slip still further behind a crowded upper table and likely be the end of their title challenge, and it’s not entirely out of the question either. The man to make it happen would be Jay Bista one suspects, he missed out on his first trip to VRA after an attractive-looking 17, and Sunday may just look like a free do-over for the mumbaikar.

Rod Lyall’s tips: Sparta, VOC, Excelsior, HBS, Quick
Bertus de Jong’s tips: Sparta, VOC, Excelsior, HBS, VRA

Scorecard | Excelsior vs HBS | 16.06.18

Excelsior 20 I Vs HBS I
1-Innings Match Played At Thurlede, Schiedam, 16-Jun-2018, Topklasse
HBS I Win by 99 runs
Round 9
Toss won by Excelsior 20 I
Umpires PGHA van Giezen – S Tovey
Scorers EM Heggelman – MAP Wiegers
Home Side Excelsior 20 I
Points Awarded HBS I 2, Excelsior 20 I 0
HBS I 1st Innings 252/6 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
TP Visée*+ c GG Kroesen b LT Ingram 25 24 3 1
FJ Vink b JR Hilditch 1 5 0 0
SP Gomes c SG Shankar b GG Kroesen 68 111 4 0
J Morgan b TJ Heggelman 11 22 1 0
W Barresi not out 89 105 7 0
A Ahmed lbw b LT Ingram 4 4 1 0
Navjit Singh run out TJ Heggelman 26 28 2 0
BA Westdijk not out 1 1 0 0
WT Coster dnb
J de Mey dnb
F Khan dnb
extras (b11 lb2 w14 nb0) 27
TOTAL 6 wickets for 252
FOW
1-2(FJ Vink) 2-30(TP Visée) 3-56(J Morgan) 4-188(SP Gomes) 5-193(A Ahmed) 6-245(Navjit Singh)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
LT Ingram 10 0 49 2 – –
JR Hilditch 7 0 24 1 – –
S Bhatti 7 0 33 0 3 –
TJ Heggelman 7 1 29 1 1 –
GG Kroesen 9 0 54 1 3 –
RWA van Troost 3 0 25 0 3 –
HA Khan 4 0 14 0 2 –
SG Shankar 3 0 11 0 – –
Excelsior 20 I 1st Innings 153/10 All Out (Overs 42.3)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
TC Etman c SP Gomes b W Barresi 30 50 0 2
SG Shankar c WT Coster b W Barresi 11 30 2 0
LT Ingram c Navjit Singh b WT Coster 21 27 1 1
JR Hilditch c W Barresi b WT Coster 1 11 0 0
J Kroesen c BA Westdijk b W Barresi 26 48 1 0
TJ Heggelman* c BA Westdijk b FJ Vink 1 6 0 0
DA Woutersen+ c WT Coster b FJ Vink 10 14 1 0
GG Kroesen c W Barresi b BA Westdijk 12 22 1 0
RWA van Troost not out 16 23 2 0
HA Khan c TP Visée b BA Westdijk 7 21 1 0
S Bhatti c&b BA Westdijk 3 5 0 0
extras (b1 lb0 w12 nb2) 15
TOTAL 10 wickets for 153
FOW
1-16(SG Shankar) 2-53(LT Ingram) 3-58(JR Hilditch) 4-85(TC Etman) 5-88(TJ Heggelman) 6-106(J Kroesen) 7-119(DA Woutersen) 8-133(GG Kroesen) 9-143(HA Khan) 10-153(S Bhatti)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
BA Westdijk 8.3 0 23 3 1 –
W Barresi 10 0 27 3 1 –
WT Coster 6 0 21 2 3 –
Navjit Singh 4 0 18 0 1 –
A Ahmed 2 0 11 0 – –
FJ Vink 6 0 28 2 2 –
J de Mey 6 0 24 0 – –

Scorecard | VOC vs VRA | 16.06.18

VOC I Vs VRA I
1-Innings Match Played At Hazelaarweg, Rotterdam, 16-Jun-2018, Topklasse
VOC I Win by 3 wkts
Round 9
Toss won by VRA I
Umpires Z Hussain – JM Mulders
Scorers H Reijmer-Steens – T Jansen Schoonhov
Home Side VOC I
Points Awarded VRA I 0, VOC I 2
VRA I 1st Innings 211/9 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
BN Cooper b PM Seelaar 45 68 6 0
DJ ter Braak c BW Hanif b PM Seelaar 31 48 3 0
ES Szwarczynski c&b FJ Klaassen 7 18 0 0
PW Borren run out MP O'Dowd 22 43 1 0
E van den Burg* c CL Rutgers b BW Hanif 4 16 0 0
V Singh c FJ Klaassen b PM Seelaar 3 21 0 0
LA Turmaine lbw b PM Seelaar 24 32 3 0
QWM Gunning b ZDA van Baren 21 24 2 0
MB Lees+ c UF Baker b ZDA van Baren 19 21 3 1
RM ter Braak not out 14 8 0 1
P Rathore not out 2 2 0 0
extras (b0 lb5 w14 nb0) 19
TOTAL 9 wickets for 211
FOW
1-72(DJ ter Braak) 2-78(BN Cooper) 3-100(ES Szwarczynski) 4-120(E van den Burg) 5-121(PW Borren) 6-142(V Singh) 7-149(LA Turmaine) 8-180(MB Lees) 9-202(QWM Gunning)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
FJ Klaassen 10 1 42 1 2 –
PJ Fletcher 7 0 38 0 5 –
UF Baker 5 0 26 0 – –
BW Hanif 9 0 37 1 2 –
PM Seelaar 10 0 26 4 – –
MP O'Dowd 7 2 19 0 1 –
ZDA van Baren 2 0 18 2 – –
VOC I 1st Innings 213/7 (Overs 45)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
JD Schoonheim c MB Lees b QWM Gunning 10 12 2 0
CL Rutgers lbw b LA Turmaine 19 38 3 0
ZDA van Baren lbw b PW Borren 15 19 2 1
MP O'Dowd b LA Turmaine 9 15 1 0
PM Seelaar* not out 80 87 6 0
SA Edwards+ b PW Borren 56 87 5 1
SP van Lent b LA Turmaine 4 2 1 0
FJ Klaassen c V Singh b P Rathore 5 10 1 0
UF Baker not out 0 0 0 0
BW Hanif dnb
PJ Fletcher dnb
extras (b4 lb4 w4 nb3) 15
TOTAL 7 wickets for 213
FOW
1-26(JD Schoonheim) 2-53(ZDA van Baren) 3-53(CL Rutgers) 4-74(MP O'Dowd) 5-186(SA Edwards) 6-191(SP van Lent) 7-207(FJ Klaassen)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
QWM Gunning 7 0 30 1 – –
RM ter Braak 6 1 31 0 2 1
LA Turmaine 10 1 39 3 1 –
PW Borren 9 0 43 2 – 2
BN Cooper 2 0 9 0 – –
P Rathore 8 0 37 1 – –
DJ ter Braak 2 0 13 0 1 –
E van den Burg 1 0 3 0 – –

Scorecard | ACC vs Sparta | 16.06.18

ACC I Vs Sparta I
1-Innings Match Played At Het Loopveld West, 16-Jun-2018, Topklasse
Sparta I Win by 2 wkts
Round 9
Toss won by Sparta I
Umpires J Hilhorst – DJ Kalloe
Home Side ACC I
Points Awarded ACC I 0, Sparta I 2
ACC I 1st Innings 254/6 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
RH Frenz c WE Bell b D Muhammed 100 128 9 0
R Zulfiqar c U Saleem b TIM de Kok 79 96 8 3
AA Zulfiqar+ st AF Buurman b F Iqbal 6 14 0 0
SM Zulfiqar* c WE Bell b D Muhammed 30 35 2 1
SA Zulfiqar not out 23 15 2 0
SR Rasool b D Muhammed 5 5 0 0
MA Raza b D Muhammed 0 1 0 0
DJ Botha not out 4 6 0 0
A Kumar dnb
Ahmed Zulfiqar dnb
W Alim dnb
extras (b0 lb3 w4 nb0) 7
TOTAL 6 wickets for 254
FOW
1-140(R Zulfiqar) 2-162(AA Zulfiqar) 3-222(SM Zulfiqar) 4-222(RH Frenz) 5-234(SR Rasool) 6-234(MA Raza)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
M Bukhari 9 1 41 0 – –
WE Bell 7 0 44 0 – –
D Muhammed 8 0 36 4 – –
JM Snoep 3 0 27 0 1 –
F Iqbal 8 1 32 1 – –
MB Hoornweg 4 0 28 0 3 –
U Saleem 8 0 30 0 – –
TIM de Kok 3 0 13 1 – –
Sparta I 1st Innings 255/8 (Overs 49)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
CP Ambrose b A Kumar 1 – – –
F Iqbal c SA Zulfiqar b DJ Botha 0 – – –
TIM de Kok b Ahmed Zulfiqar 16 – – –
MA Pollard b A Kumar 108 – – –
M Bukhari run out R Zulfiqar 6 – – –
WE Bell c SM Zulfiqar b Ahmed Zulfiqar 11 – – –
AF Buurman+ c R Zulfiqar b MA Raza 72 – – –
JM Snoep* run out 13 – – –
D Muhammed not out 2 – – –
U Saleem not out 2 – – –
MB Hoornweg dnb
extras (b7 lb5 w10 nb2) 24
TOTAL 8 wickets for 255
FOW
1-1(CP Ambrose) 2-8(F Iqbal) 3-50(TIM de Kok) 4-66(M Bukhari) 5-101(WE Bell) 6-189(MA Pollard) 7-250(JM Snoep) 8-250(AF Buurman)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
DJ Botha 10 0 51 1 3 1
A Kumar 8 1 30 2 3 1
SA Zulfiqar 10 1 43 0 2 –
Ahmed Zulfiqar 10 1 56 2 1 –
MA Raza 8 0 35 1 1 –
SM Zulfiqar 2 0 18 0 – –
W Alim 1 0 10 0 – –

Scorecard | Dosti vs HCC | 16.06.18

Dosti United I Vs HCC I
1-Innings Match Played At Sportpark Drieburg, 16-Jun-2018, Topklasse
HCC I Win by 5 runs
Round 9
Toss won by HCC I
Umpires ML Hancock – P Muthucumaru
Scorers R Seetal – K Pattiselanno
Home Side Dosti United I
Points Awarded HCC I 2, Dosti United I 0
HCC I 1st Innings 208/8 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
R Ninan lbw b A Davids 5 15 1 0
HC Overdijk b TS Kohli 7 10 1 0
AJ Staal b M Hans 12 24 1 0
BE Street c&b TS Kohli 82 98 8 1
BHG Gorlee st RI Ahmed b M Hafeez 29 65 4 0
MBS Jonkman* c Vimal Tewarie b M Hafeez 19 47 2 0
DA Trijzelaar run out RI Ahmed 1 6 0 0
DL Walhain st RI Ahmed b M Hafeez 6 10 1 0
LJF Lagas+ not out 23 21 3 0
JWA Overdijk not out 10 7 1 0
TF Peters dnb
extras (b1 lb0 w12 nb1) 14
TOTAL 8 wickets for 208
FOW
1-6(R Ninan) 2-17(HC Overdijk) 3-33(AJ Staal) 4-97(BHG Gorlee) 5-145(MBS Jonkman) 6-148(DA Trijzelaar) 7-160(DL Walhain) 8-180(BE Street)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
A Davids 10 1 47 1 – 1
TS Kohli 9 1 50 2 3 –
M Hans 9 1 29 1 – –
Asief Hoseinbaks 7 1 24 0 1 –
P Singh 4 0 19 0 3 –
VAB Tewarie 1 0 8 0 – –
M Hafeez 10 1 30 3 – –
Dosti United I 1st Innings 203/10 All Out (Overs 49.2)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
VAB Tewarie* lbw b MBS Jonkman 63 104 8 0
M Hafeez c LJF Lagas b HC Overdijk 17 14 4 0
TS Kohli c LJF Lagas b BE Street 0 2 0 0
RI Ahmed+ lbw b HC Overdijk 41 62 4 0
Vimal Tewarie lbw b BE Street 7 16 1 0
A Davids c TF Peters b JWA Overdijk 51 52 1 3
M Hans b MBS Jonkman 0 3 0 0
Asief Hoseinbaks c LJF Lagas b HC Overdijk 1 4 0 0
P Singh run out LJF Lagas 2 7 0 0
Arief Hoseinbaks lbw b MBS Jonkman 0 7 0 0
F Hoseinbaks not out 6 26 0 0
extras (b4 lb4 w7 nb0) 15
TOTAL 10 wickets for 203
FOW
1-27(M Hafeez) 2-29(TS Kohli) 3-110(RI Ahmed) 4-126(Vimal Tewarie) 5-155(VAB Tewarie) 6-155(M Hans) 7-170(Asief Hoseinbaks) 8-180(P Singh) 9-181(Arief Hoseinbaks) 10-203(A Davids)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
R Ninan 10 0 33 0 1 –
HC Overdijk 10 1 33 3 – –
BE Street 10 0 40 2 2 –
JWA Overdijk 7.2 1 35 1 1 –
MBS Jonkman 10 0 49 3 1 –
TF Peters 2 0 5 0 – –

Scorecard | Quick vs Punjab | 16.06.18

Quick Haag I Vs Punjab I
1-Innings Match Played At Sportpark Harga Schiedam, 16-Jun-2018, Topklasse
Quick Haag I Win by 53 runs
Round 9
Toss won by Quick Haag I
Umpires N Bathi – AND van den Dries
Scorers S van der Vlekken – N Mohammed
Home Side (neutral)
Points Awarded Quick Haag I 2, Punjab I 0
Quick Haag I 1st Innings 197/8 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
HJ van Gigch b Mubashar Hussain 8 12 1 0
TJB Landheer lbw b MA Saleemi 1 15 0 0
S Ekelmans b AK Bamunusinghe 19 79 0 0
JG Bista c A Khan b AK Bamunusinghe 90 88 8 2
LW Stokkers c&b AK Bamunusinghe 0 1 0 0
GMC Mol c A Raza b AK Bamunusinghe 8 15 1 0
D Vierling+ c A Khan b AK Bamunusinghe 1 8 0 0
A Gill c Y Usman b S Tariq 27 41 1 0
MB van Schelven not out 28 37 2 0
SB Davey not out 2 4 0 0
MI Khan dnb
extras (b0 lb1 w11 nb1) 13
TOTAL 8 wickets for 197
FOW
1-9(HJ van Gigch) 2-9(TJB Landheer) 3-115(S Ekelmans) 4-115(LW Stokkers) 5-121(JG Bista) 6-125(D Vierling) 7-134(GMC Mol) 8-184(A Gill)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
MA Saleemi 6 2 27 1 – –
Mubashar Hussain 5 0 19 1 – –
A Khan 10 0 48 0 3 –
S Tariq 9 1 41 1 2 –
BI Vorster 10 1 30 0 – 1
AK Bamunusinghe 10 0 31 5 5 –
Punjab I 1st Innings 144/10 All Out (Overs 47.4)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
A Khan c GMC Mol b MI Khan 2 14 0 0
SJ Myburgh c D Vierling b MI Khan 5 14 0 0
AK Bamunusinghe run out 20 86 1 0
BI Vorster lbw b GMC Mol 46 74 2 1
M Latif c JG Bista b MB van Schelven 21 31 1 0
A Raza c&b MB van Schelven 30 35 2 0
Y Usman c S Ekelmans b MB van Schelven 0 1 0 0
MA Saleemi b JG Bista 0 1 0 0
M Bajwa+ b JG Bista 3 7 0 0
S Tariq* not out 4 14 0 0
Mubashar Hussain c TJB Landheer b GMC Mol 1 9 0 0
extras (b2 lb1 w9 nb0) 12
TOTAL 10 wickets for 144
FOW
1-5(A Khan) 2-15(SJ Myburgh) 3-60(AK Bamunusinghe) 4-92(BI Vorster) 5-101(M Latif) 6-101(Y Usman) 7-104(MA Saleemi) 8-118(M Bajwa) 9-142(A Raza) 10-144(Mubashar Hussain)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
MI Khan 8 2 20 2 2 –
GMC Mol 7.4 3 22 2 1 –
TJB Landheer 1 0 5 0 1 –
LW Stokkers 10 0 22 0 1 –
MB van Schelven 10 2 34 3 1 –
JG Bista 10 0 37 2 3 –
HJ van Gigch 1 0 1 0 – –

Sparta move top as Excelsior lose to HBS

Rod Lyall 18/06/18

HBS Den Haag opened up the Topklasse competition and did their own chance of the title no harm with an impressive 99-run victory over Excelsior ‘20 at Thurlede on Saturday. With four teams within one defeat of each other at the top of the table, this season’s competition is developing into one of the most open for years.

After winning the toss Excelsior made early inroads into the HBS top order, the device of opening the bowling with Lorenzo Ingram again achieving its purpose of removing the menacing Tobias Visée before he was really into his stride.

But the champions’ progress was halted by a fine fourth-wicket partnership of 132 between Sharn Gomes, who achieved his fifth half-century of the season in making a solid 79, and Wesley Barresi, who stayed until the end and finished on 89.

Najvit Singh chipped in with a brisk 26 before being somewhat unfortunately run out by a direct hit from Tom Heggelman on the long on boundary when trying to get Barresi back on strike, and the innings closed on 252 for six.

Excelsior’s batsmen did better than they had against Sparta the previous week, but a combination of Barresi’s off-spin and the seam of Wessel Coster, Ferdi Vink and Berend Westdijk proved too effective, and they could only manage a disappointing 153. Barresi took three for 27, Westdijk cleaned up the tail to finish with three for 23, and there were two wickets apiece for Coster and Vink.

Notably, all ten Excelsior wickets fell to catches, of which Singh’s to remove Ingram and Barresi’s to account for James Hilditch were outstanding.

At Het Loopveld in Amstelveen, meanwhile, Sparta 1888 took advantage of Excelsior’s second defeat to move to the top of the table, but their victory over ACC was hard won. It gives Sparta a real chance of becoming the first newly-promoted team to win the championship since the introduction of automatic promotion in 1970.

Chasing ACC’s 254 for six, a total largely based on a 140-run opening stand between Richardt Frenz, whose 100 was his second successive century since taking over the role of opener, and Rehmat Zulfiqar (79), Sparta were in trouble at 101 for five.

Michael Pollard was still there, however, and his partnership of 88 with Atse Buurman brought their side back into the game. Pollard was eventually bowled by Aryan Kumar for 108, but Buurman continued to produce his best knock for many seasons, and by the time he was dismissed for 72 Sparta were on the brink of victory.

Dost Muhammad, who had earlier taken four for 36 in the ACC innings, and Usman Saleem made the five runs still needed, and Sparta won by two wickets with an over to spare.

There was a thrilling finish, too, a few kilometres away at Sportpark Drieburg, where home side Dosti United came within five runs of chasing down HCC’s total of 208 for eight.

Bryce Street was again amongst the runs for HCC, making a 98-ball 82, while Boris Gorlee contributed 29 and keeper Laurens Lagas 23 not out in the closing stages. Mohammad Hafeez was once more the most effective of Dosti’s bowlers with three for 30.

Skipper Vinoo Tewarie confirmed his return to form with 63 when Dosti replied, and his third-wicket stand of 81 with Rahil Ahmed (41) gave his side a real chance.

But once Tewarie was trapped in front by his opposite number Mark Jonkman it was left to Anees Davids to keep the chase going, but when he was last out for 51, made at almost a run a ball despite the regular loss of partners at the other end, the home side was still just short of their target.

Jonkman took three for 49 and Hidde Overdijk three for 33, but it was Street’s dismissal of Taruwar Kohli before he had scored which was perhaps the most decisive blow for HCC.

VOC Rotterdam maintained their challenge for the title with a three-wicket win over old rivals VRA Amsterdam in a tight match at the Hazelaarweg.

Despite another middle-order collapse by VRA after Ben Cooper (45) and Daan van Braak (31) had given them a decent start with an opening stand of 72, the visitors battled through to 211 for nine thanks to useful contributions by Leon Turmaine, Quirijn Gunning and Mitch Lees, and this looked as if it might be enough when VOC were reduced to 74 for four.

Then Scott Edwards joined Pieter Seelaar, and their partnership of 112 virtually ensured a VOC victory. Edwards was finally bowled by Peter Borren for 56, but only 26 were still needed, and although two more wickets fell quickly Seelaar was able to see his side home, finishing with an unbeaten 80 from 87 deliveries.

Turmaine took three for 39 in the losing cause.

At Hermes-DVS’s new ground at Sportpark Harga, pressed into service because Quick Haag’s ground has been dug up prior to being converted to an artificial surface, there was a game of bizarre contrasts in which Quick came out on top against relegation-threatened Punjab Rotterdam.

The highlight of Quick’s 197 for eight was a rapid 90 from Jay Bista, who completely dominated a third-wicket partnership of 106 with Stefan Ekelmans, of which his partner contributed only 19.

After Bista’s departure the Quick total was pushed towards respectability by the recalled Abhinav Gill (27) and Thijs van Schelven (28 not out), while for Punjab Ahsan Bamunusinghe had his best return with the ball with five for 31.

Punjab soon lost Awais Khan and Stef Myburgh to the bowling of Imran Khan when they replied, and thereafter the score crept upwards at a snail’s pace, despite a solid 46 from Berend Vorster.

Behind the rate, Punjab then started losing wickets as they tried to accelerate, Van Schelven picking up three for 34 as the innings closed on 144. This defeat leaves Punjab firmly anchored at the bottom of the table, below ACC and Quick.

 

Round 9 Preview

Bertus de Jong & Rod Lyall 15/06/18

Already we’re closing in on the half-way stage of the season, and the table has to a fair extent sorted itself into title contenders and relegation candidates. Excelsior’s implosion against Sparta last week keeps a few more teams in the hunt than at a similar stage last season, but at the other end of the table Punjab look to be running away with the relegation race even without the aid of the points penalty that may or may not be coming their way.

BdJ: Two sides now barely in contention for either the title or the wooden spoon are the mid-tablers Dosti-United and HCC, who are set to meet at Drieburg tomorrow. Neither carry much momentum into the game having both gone winless in their last three matches after promising early season starts. Dosti’s fortunes have ridden largely on the performances of Taru Kohli with the bat and Mohammad Hafeez with the ball, the former looking rather out of sorts against VRA, yet despite struggling for his usual fluency he still managed to top-score with 58. It’s a safe bet that a return to familiar surroundings will be accompanied by a familiar looking score for the league’s leading run-scorer. HCC are still missing the runs of Jonathan Vandiar, but Mark Jonkman has yet to replicate his flying form from last year either. New overseas Bryce Street has stepped admirably into the breach with the bat, whilst Hidde Overdijk and Tonny Staal have also upped their games, but this remains a weaker HCC side than in years past. A test of bounce-backability for both sides at Drieburg then, though if the home crowd get behind them I’d make Dosti marginal favourites.

RL: Dosti United and HCC have both won three games, but HCC have lost twice more than their hosts over the first eight rounds. Both have been less than impressive in recent weeks, although the Hagenaars made a surprisingly good fist of chasing ACC’s 300 total last Saturday, Bryce Street having demonstrated something of his true quality in the process. Kohli’s half-century against VRA turned out to be insufficient to get his side to a more modest target, and Dosti’s dependence on his batting is starkly apparent, especially with Mohammad Hafeez not fully fit. After an outstanding start for HCC Staal’s last three innings have produced 8, 0 and 0, and he is undoubtedly due a score. But the HCC batting generally has been fragile, and unless the bowlers are able to account for Kohli (and the dangerous Davids), a Dosti win is on the cards.

BdJ: A little further up the table fourth-placed VRA head to Hazelaarweg to take one VOC Rotterdam, currently in third. A defeat for either could mean the end of their title hopes, especially if Excelsior replicate their run from last season or Sparta’s dream return season continues. For two sides with enviable batting line-ups the two have a strange habit of producing ugly, low-scoring scraps whenever they meet, and it may just come down to who wants it more on the day. VOC’s four Dutch internationals may have their minds elsewhere with two T20s against Scotland looming, but three of the four have been in fine form both for VOC and in Orange. Max O’Dowd is coming off the back of a match-winning knock against the Irish, and last week was in the runs both in the T20s and against Punjab. Fred Klaassen looks set to defend his title of leading wicket taker, whilst skipper Pieter Seelaar has plenty of recent runs and two international wins under his belt as he prepares to meet his mentor.

Peter Borren won’t be in charge for VRA of course, having passed the reigns to Emile van den Burg, but one suspects his influence will be key in galvanising and underperforming batting line-up and a bowling unit weakened by injury. On paper VOC head into the match as clear favourites on form, but the visitors have plenty to prove.

RL: The rivalry between VOC and VRA is one of the oldest in Dutch cricket, and the two clubs have had many memorable encounters over the years. This time they have both worked their way into the top half of the table, and as m’colleague observes, a win is vital for both if they are to maintain the challenge to the sides above them. VOC could even go top if Excelsior and Sparta both lost, while VRA would jump ahead of the Bloodhounds if they were to take the points. More of VOC’s key players are performing consistently at the moment than are their guests’, and that should give the home side the edge. If Borren is fit, however, he is capable of turning a game around very quickly, and it’s hard to believe that Eric Szwarczynski’s run of poor form will continue much longer.

BdJ: Equally crucial to the shape of the top of the table will be defending champions and frontrunners Excelsior ‘20’s clash with HBS Craeyenhout at Thurlede. With a remarkable battery of big guns at the top of the order, HBS have every chance of knocking over the title-holders, who will still be reeling from the ambush Sparta sprang on them at Bermweg last week. Toby Visée and Jaron Morgan especially look in dangerous form, with a partnership of 123 in 38(!) balls against Quick in the T20 last week underscoring their hitting abilities. Wesley Barresi’s knee niggle may keep him out of the side tomorrow, but HBS remain the most intimidating batting side in the competition, and Excelsior may need more than their usual discipline with the ball to contain them, especially if the pitch cooperates. Excelsior are of course top of the table for good reason, and the double failure of James Hilditch and Lorenzo Ingram last week remains something of an aberration, yet their ability to bounce back from defeat is rather untested, having rarely been called upon, and HBS are a tough side to regain your feet against.

RL: Whatever the defeat of Excelsior last week may have told us about (a) the brittleness of their batting, (b) the incisiveness of Sparta’s attack, or (c) conditions at Sportpark Bermweg, it is difficult to imagine that they will collapse so thoroughly for a second time in succession. The HBS threat comes more from the batting than the bowling, and no doubt Excelsior’s attack is better equipped to deal with that than Quick’s (or, for that matter, Dosti’s). Nor are HBS as formidable away from Craeyenhout. Still and all, this match should be a cracker, and it’s only Excelsior’s record of managing to win even when not playing at their best that leads me to plump for the home side.

BdJ: Meanwhile Excelsior’s conquerors last week, Sparta 1888, march on to Het Loopveld where they will take on an ACC side looking to turn around a poor start to the season. The Amsterdammers’ batting finally came together against HCC last week, with overseas Richardt Frenz knotching his first Topklasse century with support from Zulfiqars Rehmat and Sikander to take them to their first 300 total, but they face a Sparta attack at the top of their game, Dost Mohammad proving a fine partner for Mudassar Bukhari, and Warren Bell right back in the swing of things after his belated entrance to the season. ACC remain reliant on their top order for runs, with resistance rare after the Zulfiqars are done. Sparta are likewise rather top-heavy in their batting, but of the two attacks it is theirs that looks more likely to find early breakthroughs.

RL: Sparta 1888, having demolished the leaders, travel to Amstelveen to take on an ACC side which finally ran into decent batting form against HCC last week. If the seam quartet of Bell, Bukhari, Muhammed and Saleem bowl as well this week as they did against Excelsior ACC will find the going tough, and Het Loopveld is traditionally a ground which favours the bowlers. That said, ACC’s own attack has scarcely been a dominant force this season, and with Michael Pollard, Bell, Bukhari and Tim de Kok the visitors have a cluster of useful batsmen. ACC need to create some momentum if they are to move away from the danger zone, but Sparta are capable of making that extremely difficult for them.

BdJ: Finally at the bottom of the table Punjab Rotterdam take on their nearest wooden spoon rivals Quick Haag in what also looks a genuine four-pointer. With Quick’s home ground under renovation, the match has been relocated to Sportpark Harga. Quick will have neither home advantage nor much confidence heading into the game, having been bested twice by Hague rivals HBS last week (the latter match being the utter demolition at the hands of Visée and Morgan in the T20). Punjab’s recent record is little better, having followed their collapse in the face of VOC by losing to VCC in the T20. They will likely be bolstered by the return of Stef Myburgh however, the Netherlands opener allowed a run out to test his recovering ankle, and will be keen to prove his fitness. It’s questionable how much Myburgh will enjoy his return to Harga however, as things have changed rather since he last played for Hermes. The new turf wicket is still very much a work in progress we hear, and with the grass still bedding in (and thus uncut) in the outfield too, batting conditions will be less than ideal. That may of course serve to neutralise the threat of Quick’s Jay Bista as much as that of Myburgh, and with the conditions liable to play a major role in an already evenly-matched encounter, this looks a toss-up to me.

RL: Four-pointers at the bottom of the table can be a lot more decisive than those at the top, and for Quick Haag and Punjab this game will determine who finishes the first round of matches in relegation position – and possibly a good deal more than that. It’s only four years since Quick were champions, but retirements and transfers have taken their toll, while Punjab, too, are missing the key players who took them to fifth place last season. Quick’s efforts to rebuild from within their own resources have had only limited success so far, although Daan Vierling’s maiden Topklasse half-century against HBS is a sign of progress. Both teams, however, need their overseas players to have a more consistent impact than they have been able to achieve until now. If Myburgh is back in the side that will indeed provide a much-needed fillip for Punjab, but it’s another hard one to call. The toss may be crucial, but I’m going with Quick by a whisker for now.

BdJ’s tips: Punjab, Sparta, HBS, VRA, Dosti.

RL’s tips: Quick, Sparta, Excelsior, VOC, Dosti.

Scorecard | HCC vs ACC | 09.06.18

HCC I Vs ACC I
1-Innings Match Played At De Diepput, Den Haag, 09-Jun-2018, Topklasse
ACC I Win by 29 runs
Round 8
Toss won by HCC I
Umpires MA Din – R Kaulingfreks
Scorers K Pattiselanno
Home Side HCC I
Points Awarded ACC I 2, HCC I 0
ACC I 1st Innings 300/7 Closed (Overs 50)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
RH Frenz c MBS Jonkman b HC Overdijk 116 – – –
R Zulfiqar lbw b BE Street 67 – – –
SM Zulfiqar* c AJ Staal b HC Overdijk 80 – – –
SA Zulfiqar c R Ninan b BE Street 6 – – –
AA Zulfiqar+ run out 0 – – –
SR Rasool c R Ninan b BE Street 11 – – –
MA Raza not out 4 – – –
DJ Botha run out 2 – – –
A Kumar not out 1 – – –
Ahmed Zulfiqar dnb
W Alim dnb
extras (b0 lb1 w8 nb4) 13
TOTAL 7 wickets for 300
FOW
1-105(R Zulfiqar) 2-248(SM Zulfiqar) 3-268(SA Zulfiqar) 4-269(AA Zulfiqar) 5-283(RH Frenz) 6-294(SR Rasool) 7-297(DJ Botha)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
HC Overdijk 10 0 64 2 – –
BE Street 10 1 61 3 – –
R Ninan 10 0 55 0 – –
FH de Lange 8 2 48 0 – –
AA Qasim 10 0 53 0 – –
TF Peters 2 0 18 0 – –
HCC I 1st Innings 271/10 All Out (Overs 48)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs Bls 4s 6s
AA Qasim lbw b SA Zulfiqar 24 26 1 0
R Ninan lbw b Ahmed Zulfiqar 14 31 1 0
AJ Staal lbw b Ahmed Zulfiqar 0 2 0 0
BE Street run out 102 102 4 3
BHG Gorlee c SM Zulfiqar b SA Zulfiqar 13 27 1 0
MBS Jonkman* lbw b SA Zulfiqar 40 57 0 1
DL Walhain b MA Raza 35 13 1 4
HC Overdijk c DJ Botha b SA Zulfiqar 4 5 0 0
LJF Lagas+ run out 8 6 1 0
FH de Lange not out 9 14 0 0
TF Peters c Ahmed Zulfiqar b DJ Botha 4 5 0 0
extras (b4 lb1 w12 nb1) 18
TOTAL 10 wickets for 271
FOW
1-42(R Ninan) 2-42(AJ Staal) 3-42(AA Qasim) 4-73(BHG Gorlee) 5-195(MBS Jonkman) 6-240(DL Walhain) 7-242(BE Street) 8-250(HC Overdijk) 9-264(LJF Lagas) 10-271(BE Street)
Bowler Overs Maid Runs Wkts wd nb
DJ Botha 10 1 54 1 2 –
A Kumar 4 0 21 0 1 1
Ahmed Zulfiqar 10 0 39 2 – –
SA Zulfiqar 10 1 67 4 5 –
MA Raza 10 0 68 1 4 –
SM Zulfiqar 4 0 17 0 – –