The last round of matches before the one-week break for the European Championship sees all four top sides facing potentially tricky away fixtures, knowing that a slip-up at this stage could have a profound influence on the final outcome of the competition.

For HCC and HBS, both two defeats behind leaders VRA and one behind VOC, winning such games is vital to their chances of staying in touch, and they will travel to Schiedam and Haarlem determined to bring away the points.

Both HCC and Hermes will be without one regular member of the side who is on national duty with the Dutch under-19 squad in Belfast: HCC will be missing Bob Entrop, while Hermes will be without Pieter Seelaar. The Haagenaars have been much more consistent than their hosts, and it seems likely that they will be too strong – but Hermes ran them close when they met in Den Haag earlier in the season, and if the batting performs as it is capable of doing they just might spring a surprise.

After winning their last two games, Rood en Wit will go into their match against HBS with much more confidence, especially since HBS’s Alexei Kervezee is another of those currently playing in the European under-19 championship. Again, HBS look the stronger side and should win, but the Haarlem side are locked in a tough battle with VVV to avoid relegation, and will be desperately keen to cause another upset.

For VOC, the priority is to bounce back from last week’s disappointment of defeat by HBS, and they take on Voorburg knowing that they cannot afford another loss. The encounter between these sides in Rotterdam at the beginning of June ended in a thrilling last-over victory for VOC, and Voorburg will be hoping that they can go one better this time. With both sides dependent on a few key players – though VOC have been consistently stronger all season – it may be another taut encounter, but common sense suggests that VOC will again prevail.

VRA’s form last week was truly impressive, but the leaders have twice slipped up on matting wickets away from home, and they will not take their match at VVV on the other side of Amstelveen lightly. Like Rood en Wit, VVV know that every game is vital to their chances of survival, and their batting makes them dangerous opponents. It is doubtful, however, whether their attack poses a serious threat to VRA’s formidable batting line-up, and VRA should win.

Quick Haag and Excelsior ’20 meet at Nieuw Hanenburg in the final match of the round. These sides, too, will be missing one of their younger players: Thijs Fischer in Quick’s case, Tommy Heggelman for Excelsior. With Daan van Bunge and Mark Cleary in terrific form, Excelsior are a tough side to beat, and Quick need to come back from a miserable weekend in which they were twice bowled out for 132. Geert-Maarten Mol returns from a two-match suspension for a second bookable offence, and home advantage may just give Quick the edge.

This week’s tips: VRA, VOC, HCC, HBS, Quick.