Quick Haag captain and seam bowler Edgar Schiferli has been voted Hoofdklasse Player of the Season by CricketEurope’s readers.

Schiferli took 24.7% of the votes, finishing 3.2% ahead of the long-time leader, Nicky Statham of Hermes-DVS Schiedam. VOC Rotterdam’s Australian coach Xavier Doherty was third, with 20.3%.

One of the features of the poll was the strong preference of voters for Dutch-based players over the professionals: in a field which featured four of each category, Doherty, the leading all-rounder in the competition with 45 wickets at 9.76 and 648 runs at 43.20, was the only coach to finish in the top five.

Schiferli undoubtedly had a fine season with the ball, taking 31 wickets at 12.81 and leading his side to the play-offs as well as to the inaugural Twenty20 title, while Statham enjoyed his best Hoofdklasse campaign for years, making 602 runs at 43.00, including five half-centuries.

Voorburg’s veteran all-rounder Tim de Leede, who was instrumental in his side’s run to the final, came fourth with 10.5%, followed by ACC wicketkeeper-batsman Scott Fraser (9.7%) and VRA coach Ryan Maron (8.8%), both of whom challenged Statham at one stage but dropped down the list in the closing weeks.

Mark Cleary (Excelsior ’20 Schiedam) and Shane Deitz (HCC) completed the list with 2.5% and 1.6% respectively.