Last Sunday could scarcely have worked out better for Hoofdklasse leaders Quick Haag: not only did they complete a fairly comfortable win over VRA Amsterdam, but they saw their nearest challengers both lose in thrilling final-over climaxes.

The match at De Diepput between HCC and HBS was a desperately close, low-scoring affair.

The HBS batting again crumbled after a good start and the side was all out for 151 in 44.2 overs, the only significant contributions coming from Shane Deitz (52) and Mudassar Bukhari (36).

Bernard Loots was the chief destroyer for HCC with four for 19.

Chasing such a modest total should have been a dawdle for HCC’s batsmen, but the HBS seamers had other ideas, and home side slumped to 67 for six after 26 overs.

After an interruption for rain, 56-run partnership between Maurits Jonkman (42) and Jeroen Smits (34) got the home side back into the game, but once that stand was broken HBS again seized the initiative.

There was another frustrating break for rain with eight balls left, four runs needed, and two wickets remaining, and Deitz’s final over began with two needed and still two wickets in hand.

It should have been straightforward, but the Australian coach grabbed both wickets against his old club and HBS made it by one run.

Deitz finished with three for 30, Sjoerd Weurman had the same figures, and Rasool Abed took two for 8 in ten economical overs.

The Schiedam derby at Thurlede was hardly less thrilling, surely one of the closest in the 60-year history of the fixture.

Put in to bat, Excelsior recovered from a poor start – they were 41 for three at one point with Bakas, Van Troost and Van Bunge all back in the pavilion – thanks to a 138-run stand for the fourth wicket between Mark Cleary and Alex Holbrook.

Holbrook was eventually stumped off Pieter Seelaar’s bowling when on 75, but Cleary stayed until the final over, making 116 and seeing his side through to 225 for seven.

Ruud Nijman was the most successful of Hermes’ bowlers, with three for 26, while Eric Hartong contributed a tight spell with one for 29 off ten overs.

The Hermes reply began disastrously, Cleary picking up three wickets and then catching Nick Statham to reduce the visitors to 34 for four.

It took a fine innings of 97 from Hermes coach Antonio Mullins to give them a chance, support coming from Nils Lenstra and Bart Schilperoord, and then Nijman held things together in the final overs, getting his side to within two runs of the Excelsior total and the last pair together.

But Tommy Heggelman bowled Borg Lenstra with the third ball of the last over, and Excelsior had squeaked home.

Half-centuries from Darron Reekers (52) and Wes Thomas (59) ensured that Quick Haag made a solid total against VRA after Peter Borren won the toss, and Job van Bunge contributed an aggressive 40 in the middle order to keep the momentum up.

Wesley Barresi, released from wicketkeeping duties by the return of Danny Thampinayagam, revealed his value as a medium-pacer, taking three for 59, while young South African spinner Michael Rippon picked up two for 27.

VRA needed a good start, but with Edgar Schiferli removing Rippon and Ryan Maron by the time 43 was on the board Quick took a grip on the game which they never really relinquished.

Eric Szwarczynski, back from injury, made a solid 60, and he and Barresi gave the Amsterdam side hope with a fourth-wicket stand of 50. But with rain threatening to drive the players from the field and VRA behind the D/L par score, Barresi hit out and was caught at deep cover.

Szwarczynski departed soon after the resumption, and even a 54-ball knock of 44 from Borren could not turn things around. Borren was eventually ninth out with the score on 205 and five overs left, and the innings closed on 209 soon afterwards.

Wes Thomas took three for 36, with Geert Maarten and Henk-Jan Mol collecting two wickets each.

VOC’s victory over Voorburg was a personal triumph for Chris Smith, who not only hit a not-out 123, bringing his tally of runs in his last three innings to 303, but had earlier taken four for 40 as Voorburg were dismissed for 218.

Mohammed Rafi top-scored for Voorburg with 81, and was involved in a century stand for the sixth wicket with youngster Floris Kingma (34); Steven Nottle made 36 at the top of the innings.

Sarfaraz Gondel removed Maarten van Ierschot early when VOC replied, but Smith was unstoppable, smacking 57 out of 76 in the first twelve overs.

Daan van Everdingen supported him with 30 in a second-wicket stand of 94, and then Bas Zuiderent (50 not out) made sure that the Rotterdam side completed a comfortable eight-wicket win with more than twelve overs to spare.

In the relegation battle at Het Loopveld East, VVV Amsterdam set Sparta 1888 an imposing target of 272, and then dismissed the Capelle side for 191.

VVV got away to a great start with an opening stand of 106 between Rizwan Akram (52) and Shahrukh Akhtar (77), while Mohammed Hafeez controlled the later stages of the innings with 70 not out.

Mohammed Wasim again led the way for Sparta with 45, but his departure left the visitors on 86 for four, and even 50 from Matthew Laffey could not get them within striking distance of the VVV total.

Ejaz Butt took three for 30 for the Amsterdam side, who are now level on points with Sparta and must have a reasonable chance of escaping the drop to the Eerste Klasse.