It is the Hoofdklasse final that nobody expected, certainly that nobody would have predicted at the end of June, when Voorburg had just begun their march towards a play-off place and last weekend’s sensational semi-final against VOC.

VRA Amsterdam, of course, were widely seen as title contenders from the outset, and they were only once displaced from the top of the table, losing four times in the course of the campaign. But Voorburg’s rise and rise has been one of the stories of the season, and the defending champions certainly won’t be taking them lightly on Saturday.

Voorburg’s chances centre on five allrounders who have all played a key role in getting them to the final.

Chief among them, naturally, is Tim de Leede, whose not-out 93 against Hermes-DVS took them into the play-offs, and who not only brought them to the brink of victory against VOC last Saturday but who evidently bowled superbly in both of last weekend’s matches, taking four for 51 in twenty overs.

And then there is Ryan Le Loux, Voorburg’s Australian coach, who may not have been bowling his leg-spinners as well this year as he did last, but has nevertheless picked up 20 wickets along the way, and whose 588 runs have probably been even more important in the context of particular games than the mere figures suggest.

Safaraz Gondel’s presence in the side, opening both batting and bowling, greatly sharpens Voorburg’s cutting edge, and he is a player capable of turning a game within a few balls. Again, his half-century against VOC last Sunday was a crucial innings, although that match might not have been played at all had he not been responsible for two run-outs early in his side’s reply on Saturday.

With Mohammed Rafi lurking dangerously in the middle-order and bolstering the spin attack (he is second only to De Leede in Voorburg’s wicket-taking list this year), and with the acquisition of Ehtisham Chaudry Mohammed, the side looks much more solid now than it did early in the season.

Add in captain John Sist, an excellent foil for Gondel at the top of the order, keeper Atse Buurman, who despite having had a disappointing season with the bat is another whose hard hitting can quickly swing a game, and seamer Adriaan Kroonenberg as a sixth bowler, and it’s not hard to see how the Voorburgers have got to where they are.

They will, moreover, find the short boundaries at the ACC ground, especially square of the wicket, more to their taste than the wider expanse of a ground like VOC’s.

Having said all of that, they confront an opponent who has plenty of big guns of its own. VRA may be handicapped by the injury to Eric Szwarczynski, the unavailability of Tjade Groot and the continuing absence of Victor Grandia, but they remain the most powerful team in the competition, and even away from their own ground they present no mean challenge.

South African coach Ryan Maron, who batted down the order last year, has revelled in being asked to take on the opener’s role, and has become the leading run-scorer in the Hoofdklasse as a result, demonstrating clearly the skill and power which earned him 18 matches for Western Province back in the 1990s.

In skipper Darrin Murray and international allrounder Peter Borren VRA have two of the classiest batsmen in the competition. Murray’s innings have frequently taken the side out of tricky situations in the past, while Borren’s not-out 72 against Quick Haag in last week’s semi-final, while not chanceless, was a model of determination.

These three are backed up by wicket-keeper batsman Wesley Barresi, Garth Brown, Andy Gilder (who has had few opportunities but who showed his ability in making sure of the win against Quick last Saturday), and Adeel Raja. Neither Barresi nor Brown has been as effective this season as they were last year, but both are experienced players who are capable of contributing valuable runs.

Raja’s position is particularly interesting, since he played a season with Voorburg last year, returning to VRA over the winter. He can expect some sharp commentary from his former team-mates should he be called upon to bat.

The return of Raja and the arrival of leg-spinner Mangesh Panchal this season has made a huge difference to the VRA attack, which relied overwhelmingly on seam in 2006. Indeed, they have tended to field three spinners in most games, with Jeroen Oskam adding to Murray’s options.

The seam attack has been less affected than it might have been by Grandia’s withdrawal because of the emergence of Sohail Bhatti, who is likely to find the ACC pitch more to his liking than the wicket he bowled on against Quick. And his opening partner will again be the dependable Joost Leemhuis, whose presence in the last few games of the season has been invaluable. Should VRA win, Leemhuis will be the only member of the side to have played in all seven championship teams over the past decade.

Peter Borren, the sixth member of the attack, will have happy memories of the ACC pitch, having taken six for 24 against the home side there earlier in the season. But he, and the whole VRA side, will know that Voorburg are a very different proposition, and that any one-day final can turn on a single moment of genius or stupidity.

With the weather forecast looking promising, everything is set for what should be a terrific contest, and after all the controversy over the venue everyone in Dutch cricket will be hoping that the conditions provide us with a fitting conclusion to the season.

Teams:
VRA Amsterdam: (from) Darrin Murray (captain), Wesley Barresi, Sohail Bhatti, Peter Borren, Garth Brown, Andy Gilder, Remco de Graaff, Joost Leemhuis, Ryan Maron, Maurits van Nierop, Jeroen Oskam, Mangesh Panchal, Adeel Raja, Vinoo Tewarie.
Voorburg: John Sist (captain), Gijs Bins, Atse Buurman, Ehtisham Chaudry Mohammed, Wilfried Diepeveen, David Dormits, Safaraz Gondel, Adriaan Kroonenberg, Tim de Leede, Ryan Le Loux, Mohammed Rafi.