RL:
A lot has happened since Excelsior opened their defence of their title with a five-wicket victory over VRA in Amstelveen, but most of it has tended to suggest that the Schiedammers, whatever their imperfections, are on course for a second successive championship. For VRA, already six points behind the leaders, this game is an absolute must-win if they are to retain any faint hope of overhauling Excelsior, and there is no doubt that Peter Borren’s side has both the batting and the bowling to repeat last season’s victory at Thurlede. Motivated by the last-chance-saloon factor, they may well pull it off – and save the blushes of those who designed this year’s Topklasse, at least for another week.

BdJ:
A win for VRA is an absolute must not just for the survival of the Amsterdammers' championship hopes but for the survival of even a modicum of excitement of a competition that's looking increasingly bereft of, well, competition. Certainly VRA have the quality to save the league from the prospect of a tedious procession, especially if they elect to call upon the services of Michael Rippon, who is in the country and available owing to the Zimbabwe tour. Word is they back themselves to do it without him though, and who are we to differ?

VOC Rotterdam vs Hermes-DVS Schiedam (Hazelaarweg)

RL:
The intervening weeks have, on the other hand, brought nothing good to Hermes, and not much more to their hosts this Sunday. Will Stef Myburgh’s excellent innings against Zimbabwe on Thursday mark his return to a longer-term return to form for his club as well? If so, they could have a chance of posting their first win against a VOC who will again be without Pieter Seelaar and, it is rumoured, Ahsan Malik Jamil, and whose collapse against Punjab last week will have done nothing for their collective self-belief.

BdJ:
VOC's season has gone from bad to worse, whilst Hermes' has been trundling along at terrible throughout. A win against a struggling VOC is far from beyond them however, and would also close the gap at the bottom of the table to four points. Myburgh having seemingly broken out of his slump certainly shifts the odds in the Schiedammers' favour, as does the rumoured departure of Malik -moreover a convincing win over same opposition yesterday in the T20 competition will likely have given the sky-blues some much needed confidence.

Quick Haag vs Punjab Rotterdam (Nieuw Hanenburg)

RL:
The newcomers made a great start to their season by beating Quick at Het Zomercomplex, and have since won four more games to establish themselves in mid-table. With the return of Ahsan Masood from injury and Shoaib Minhas from his family visit to Pakistan they are capable of defeating anyone in the competition, and their demolition of VOC last week should give their rivals pause. On the other hand, Quick are tough to beat at Nieuw Hanenburg, as their victories over ACC and HBS have demonstrated, and the emergence of Mohammad Khan as a new-ball bowler has strengthened an already strong attack. And like VRA and HBS, they know that another defeat would put an end to any possible challenge for the title.

BdJ:
I'd have to pick the hosts here too, though Punjab have shown themselves more than capable of competing with the big boys, Quick Haag look to have overcome a tough start to the season and broadly look the more balanced outfit. With Wesley Barresi having played himself back into some form against Zimbabwe by way of preparation, the hosts are favourites to make it 1-1 when they take on the newcomers for the second time.

HCC vs HBS Den Haag (De Diepput)

RL:
Hoping that the leaders slip up, the chasing pack – albeit chasing at a distance – have to keep winning to prevent the gap from growing further, and HBS will need to bounce back from last week’s disappointment against Quick when they take on HCC at De Diepput. It is, on the face of it, a ground which will favour their explosive top order, and with Jaron Morgan and HCC’s Jonathan Vandiar far and away the leading run-scorers in the competition it looks as if (weather permitting), we could be in for another run feast on Sunday. Vandiar is capable of upsetting any expectations, but HBS‘s batting line-up is stronger overall, and the attack is probably the equal of the home side’s.

BdeJ:

The game looks a roughcall on paper, and certainly could go either way, the visitors simply have more to play for at this stage. HCC's overreliance on their top-order is rather more pronounced than that of HBS, and overall the visitors look the more balanced side.

ACC vs Dosti United Amsterdam (Het Loopveld West)

RL:
Another local derby with plenty of (recent) history to it, this looks like a banker for the home side barring a significant improvement from Dosti, who were another of the batting sides to crumble last week. ACC may depend heavily on the Zulfiqars and player-coach Kathrada, but that is, after all, nearly half the side. For Dosti only Taruwar Kohli and Corné Dry are making significant runs, although Rahil Ahmed is showing signs of regaining form with the bat; but that’s not really enough to give them an edge, and it would be a surprise if they were able to pull off a much-needed win here.

BdeJ:
Once again I find nothing to fault in the good professor's analysis, and this time I won''t be going out on a limb for the sake of enlivening the competition. Though one or two of the Dosti side have generally stood up alongside their overseas players, they have shown little sign of doing so as a unit. Going up against an ACC side at home laden with Zulfiqars most of whom have high-level match practice under their belts, there's only one clear favourite at het Loopveld tomorrow.

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.]

Rod Lyall’s predictions: VRA, Hermes, Quick, HBS, ACC.

Bertus de Jong’s predictions: VRA, Hermes, Quick, HBS, ACC