It’s back to normality for The Netherlands’ top cricketers this weekend after the excitement of the Sri Lankan ODIs, and for many it’s back with a vengeance as Saturday sees the first round of replayed matches from earlier in the season. Three such games will be played, together with a full round of fixtures on Sunday.

Sunday, moreover, will see one of the most important matches of the season, as leaders VOC Rotterdam travel to Amstelveen to take on VRA. Their match in Rotterdam in May brought VOC their only defeat so far, while VRA have dropped points at Hermes and HCC to find themselves a game behind their Rotterdam rivals.
And the last time these sides met in Amstelveen the match produced more than 600 runs and VOC ran out narrow winners. So everything is set up for a tremendous game of cricket.

VOC’s success has relied on the batting skills of coach Michael Dighton and the experience of Bas Zuiderent and Chris Smith, although opener Maarten van Ierschot has also played some important innings. With spinners Robbie de Widt and Mohammad Kashif backing up the medium pace of Dighton, Smith and Ernst van Giezen, and Jelte Schoonheim now back in the side, the attack is better balanced than that of VRA.

Victor Grandia, Mike Smith, Rashid Amin and Peter Borren, on the other hand, have all been bowling well, and there’s no doubt that VRA’s batting line-up has the highest potential of any in the Hoofdklasse, even if they have not so far been firing on all cylinders.

This match will have a crucial influence on the destination of this year’s title, and the home side will start out as marginal favourites. VOC, on the other hand, know that a win here will make them out-and-out favourites for their first championship since 1994. If the pitch used for the two matches against Sri Lanka is any guide, another high-scoring encounter seems certain.

The luck of the draw means that this weekend has two double-headers, with Excelsior ’20 Schiedam and Voorburg at home to HBS Den Haag and HCC respectively on Saturday and then facing the same opponents away on Sunday.

For HBS and HCC, this is an opportunity to pick up a game on their rivals, and two wins are vital if they are to maintain their challenge for the title. HCC have the easier task, since VCC have been pretty inconsistent and continue to rely heavily on skipper Tim de Leede and coach Ryan LeLoux. Adeel Raja had a good game last week, however, and Atse Buurman remains a dangerous batsman. But it seems likely that HCC will prove stronger in both batting and bowling, and VCC will do well to claim the points in either match.

The games between Excelsior and HBS are harder to call. With Mark Cleary and Daan van Bunge in the side, together with veterans Luuk van Troost, Erik Gouka, Seb Gokke and Marcel Schewe and a younger brigade including seamers Tommy Heggelman and Ali Haider, Excelsior are certainly strong enough to trouble HBS, although the back problem which forced Cleary to leave the field last week will no doubt be a worry.

The return of former international Robert van Oosterom to the HBS line-up was last week’s surprise, not least because he celebrated with a match-winning century. His presence, together with that of Grant Elliott, Alexei Kervezee and Billy Stelling, gives more solidity to the side’s sometimes fragile batting, and the seam attack is also strong.

These games could go either way, and it won’t be a huge shock if each side comes away from the weekend with two points.

Saturday’s remaining match is a key relegation battle, with Rood en Wit at home to VVV Amsterdam. VVV start with the handicap of a two-point penalty, and know that they have to beat their Haarlem opponents twice if they are to have a realistic chance of staying in the Hoofdklasse (the return fixture is scheduled for 16 July). They had the galling experience of making 256 last week, only to lose by four wickets, and will need the bowlers to do better if they are to make sure of the points this time.

Rood and Wit’s top order has been giving them reasonable starts recently, but the rest of the batting has failed to contribute, and they will need to raise their effort as a team if they are to secure a first win.

They are at home again on Sunday, this time against Quick Haag, who were strengthened last week by the arrival of coach Faiek Davids. Quick’s balance of experience and youth should prove too strong for Rood en Wit, keeping them outside candidates for the Hoofdklasse title despite the loss of Edgar Schiferli.

In the final match of the round VVV travel to Schiedam, where they face Hermes-DVS. Having collapsed again when chasing a modest total at Quick last week, Hermes will be looking to their batsmen to produce a more convincing performance against the Amsterdam side, who will see the Schiedammers as one of the sides they absolutely must defeat if they are to work their way out of the relegation zone.

This week’s tips:
Saturday: HCC, VVV, Excelsior
Sunday: Quick Haag, HCC, Hermes-DVS, HBS, VRA.