BdJ:
Both sides have a bit of momentum coming into this match, VRA's pace attack having delivered them two wins on the trot whilst Jonathan Vandiar, together with the ever-improving Tonny Staal, has been key for HCC. Vandiar has proved difficult to dislodge by conventional means, but will be facing a sterner test on Thursday. VRA's own top order has proved more fallible, but the strength of their middle order, with Eric Szwarczynski and Peter Borren coming in at 4 and 5, may just prove decisive.

RL:
The VRA new-ball combination of Gunning and Klaassen, supported by Haseeb Gul Mian, has indeed shown itself to be the most dangerous in the competition until now, and if they are again on song they will present a considerable challenge to the HCC top order. Ryan Ninan bowled a good spell against Hermes-DVS last week, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the short square boundaries at De Diepput. HCC have not yet settled on their optimal combination, and VRA’s well-balanced line-up may well prove stronger on the day.

ACC vs Hermes-DVS Schiedam (Het Loopveld West)

BdJ:
Hermes will be looking to turn around a tough start to the season, and have a chance to do so on Thursday against a young ACC side that has yet to settle, but with a full set of Zulfiqar brothers all looking in solid form, bolstered by the arrival of keeper-coach Zahir Kathrada and the rumoured return of Steven de Bruin, Hermes may regret the timing of their visit to het Loopveld.

RL:
As we said at the start of the season, Hermes are much too dependent on Myburgh and Statham, whose considerable efforts were insufficient against HCC last Saturday. The bowlers started well, but then crumbled under Vandiar’s onslaught, and the fielding was poor. With Asad, Saqib and now Rehmat Zulfiqar in good form and Sikander hardly needed against Punjab, ACC are likely to have too many swords (check it on the search engine of your choice) for their visitors from Schiedam.

Dosti United Amsterdam vs Punjab Rotterdam (Sportpark Drieburg)

BdJ:
Punjab have flagged rather after a dream start to their inaugural Topklasse season, and an away win against last year's runners-up is a tough ask. The Rotterdammers have shown themeselves capable of staging upsets, and Dosti are perhaps not the force they were last season – missing the stabilising influence of Colin Ackermann with bat and ball, and with a top order looking a bit rickety – but nonetheless there's plenty of quality in the Dosti line-up and Punjab's initial confidence will have been sapped by their heavy home defeat at the hands of the Zulfiqars last weekend.

RL:
Punjab’s returning player-coaches are finding the step up from Hoofdklasse to Topklasse something of a challenge, but it can only be a matter of time before they start producing match-winning performances. Whether their side has the overall ability to outgun Dosti, with Taruwar Kohli and Corné Dry both quickly establishing their credentials, must be doubted. Mohammad Hafeez is still taking wickets with impressive regularity, and on their own patch (for the first time this season) Dosti will start as clear favourites.

Excelsior ’20 Schiedam vs HBS Den Haag (Thurlede)

BdJ:
A top-table clash and a tough one to call. HBS have made waves on their return to the Topklasse and look a much-improved outfit, with skipper Toby Visée's own form epitomising the transformation. Visée's belligerent innings at the top of the order have put opponents on the back foot whilst taking pressure off the rest of the HBS batting. Containing or removing him early will be crucial for the defending champions. Yet with both sides boasting a strong top-order but long-ish tails, new ball wickets will likely be key either way, and one suspects the hosts may just be better set to find them.

RL:
Not only the lunch will be mouth-watering at Thurlede on Thursday. This contest between sides which both have an excellent balance between experience and youthful talent promises much to savour, and if Excelsior have already gained much of the former and established themselves as The Team to Beat, HBS have quickly put paid to any idea that they might be natural candidates for a quick return to the Hoofdklasse. The overseas players – Ingram and Hilditch for Excelsior, Rutgers and Morgan for HBS – contribute a great deal to both teams, but home advantage (or more probably, the lack of it) suggests that Excelsior should come out on top.

Quick Haag vs VOC Rotterdam (Nieuw Hanenburg)

BdJ:
Neither of these sides has quite lived up to pre-season expectations, with hosts Quick falling victim to a Punjab ambush and a rampant VRA pace section, and VOC similarly collapsing in the face of VRA's new-ball attack before falling just short against Excelsior. With both teams underperforming thus far one feels mental resilience may be as much a factor as anything. Quick's top-order has had an especially torrid time of it so far, and whilst pre-season favourites VOC have lacked for consistency they nonetheless head to the Hague as marginal favourites.

RL:
Perhaps the hardest of all to call, and accordingly we disagree. I’m giving it to Quick on the basis of home advantage as much as anything, combined with the lurking hazard of Jean Bredenkamp’s bowling. But I agree with m’colleague about the mental resilience thing: both sides have been shaken up recently, and the batting has in both cases underperformed. But with internationals Barresi, O’Dowd and Seelaar involved, one major batting effort could turn the game either way.

Form Guide:

[Note: These tables show the results of this fixture over the past ten seasons. ‘W’ means a win for the home side, ‘L’ a defeat, ‘T’ a tie, ‘N’ no result. Matches played on the opponent’s ground or a neutral venue are shown in square brackets.]

Bertus de Jong’s predictions:
VRA, ACC, Dosti, Excelsior, VOC

Rod Lyall’s predictions:
VRA, ACC, Dosti, Excelsior, Quick Haag