With the sun shining everywhere and the temperatures climbing over 20 degrees, you might have expected Sunday’s Hoofdklasse matches to be dominated by the batsmen.

Instead of which, three of the sides batting first failed to make 100, while only one got past 150. So, the matches having started an hour earlier than usual, three were completed almost absurdly quickly.

The shortest game of all was in Schiedam, where Excelsior demolished last year’s finalists Voorburg in 23.2 overs for a measly 87, and then took just 63 balls to knock off the runs without losing a wicket.

The match was a personal triumph for coach Mark Cleary, who took five for 11 in an unchanged ten-over spell, and then belted 63 off 34 balls, hitting two fours and seven sixes in the process.

His partners in the mayhem were Malik Hussain, with four for 33 in his ten overs, and Rifaiz Bakas, who contributed 21 not out as Cleary tried to hit the cover off the ball at the other end.

It might have been even worse for Voorburg, who were 51 for nine at one stage and only managed to stagger to 87 (that Australian nightmare score) thanks to a defiant not-out 20 from Ehtesham Chaudry Mohammed. Mohammed Rafi and Johan Claassens were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

It took only a few overs more for HBS Den Haag to dispose of VVV Amsterdam in Amstelveen, the home side collapsing to 72 all out in 18.1 overs.

The wickets were shared between Mudassar Bukhari, who celebrated his return to his old club with three for 26, Australian exchange player Patrick Jolly (three for 28) and Sjoerd Weurman (three for 7).

HBS then took nine more balls to reach their target for the loss of three wickets, coach Shane Deitz top-scoring with 22.

And the game at De Diepput followed a similar pattern, with the exception that visitors Hermes-DVS took 33.4 overs to grind their way to 77 all out. Again only three batsmen reached double figures, and again things might have been a good deal worse but for a dogged ninth-wicket stand between coach Antonio Mullins and veteran Gavin McRae.

The wickets were shared between the HCC bowlers, with Maurits Jonkman, Bernard Loots and Andrew Murphy picking up two each, and a couple of run-outs towards the end contributing to the Schiedam side’s misery.

But the tempo accelerated after the interval, with opener Tom de Grooth smashing a rapid 52 not out as HCC raced to an eight-wicket victory in just 14 overs.

At VRA’s ground in Amstelveen, Quick Haag recorded a comfortable win over Sparta 1888, dismissing their opponents for 149 and then knocking off the runs for the loss of three wickets.

Sparta’s total owed a great deal to coach Mohammad Wasim, who batted almost throughout the innings in making 65 before he was ninth out. He faced 126 balls and hit three boundaries.

He was offered valuable support by Matthew Laffey, who shared in a half-century partnership for the third wicket, but in general the Sparta batsmen struggled against a fine Quick attack.

Brothers Henk-Jan and Geert Maarten Mol were the most successful wicket-takers for Quick, the former taking three for 15 and the latter three for 29.

And Henk-Jan then confirmed his value as an allrounder, making 57 in a 129-run partnership for the third wicket with coach Wes Thomas before he went with his side just a couple of runs short of their target. He faced 102 balls, and hit four boundaries.

Thomas remained not out on 61, made off 107 balls with six fours.

The only place where the batsmen were on top was Rotterdam, where VRA Amsterdam ran out winners over VOC by 37 runs in a day of fluctuating fortunes.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, VRA were given a great start by coach Ryan Maron, who made a 47-ball 53, with seven fours and a six, as the Amsterdam side raced to 70 for two in 13 overs.

Eric Szwarczynski (45) and Peter Borren (48) then added 88 for the third wicket, but the innings faltered as Ernst van Giezen claimed both in the space of five overs.

Chris Haak and Zaheer Butt steadied the ship, however, with a 65-run stand, and Haak stayed to the end, making 43 not out off 65 balls as VRA reached 255 for six.

VOC were soon in trouble at 15 for two, and when Sohail Bhatti had Bas Zuiderent caught behind by Danny Thampinayagam it was 43 for three.

Coach Ben Williams and Chris Smith fought back with a stand of 52 for the fifth wicket, and after Williams was bowled by Peter Borren for 44 Smith continued the battle, reaching 48, made off 74 balls, before he gave a return catch.

That made it 183 for eight, but the home side’s fading hopes were restored by a defiant knock from Jelte Schoonheim, who hit five sixes in a 35-ball innings of 59 not out. With ten an over required off the last five, however, the task was too great, and he ran out of partners with the total on 218.

Bhatti was the most successful of the VRA bowlers with three for 29.