For HCC and Hermes-DVS Schiedam, who reached the top four last year but then lost out at the play-off stage, the new season will present the challenge of maintaining at least that level of achievement with a number of rivals breathing down their necks.

HCC, champions in 2008, will have a new player-coach in 26-year-old Canterbury allrounder Dean Brownlie. Brownlie played at under-19 level for his native Western Australia before moving to New Zealand, making his first-class debut for Canterbury in 2009-10.

His highest score is an unbeaten 153 against Auckland last season, and he played two Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan in December. He has already limbered up for the Topklasse season with a century against Voorburg in a warm-up game.

Another new face - at least at De Diepput - will be that of exchange player Patrick van Niekerk, who had a successful season in the old Hoofdklasse in 2009, when he played for Hercules Utrecht along with Rasheed Lewis, HCC's new 2nd XI coach. A leg-spinning allrounder, Van Niekerk has represented Western Province at under-19 level.

The HCC squad will also be reinforced by the return of left-hander Stephan Myburgh, who coached the Second XI last year. He made 448 runs last time he played in the top flight, in 2009, but had a much more influential part the year before, when he and brother Johan led HCC to the national title.

There will be a good deal of interest, too, in the contribution of the Jonkman twins, who have spent the winter working on their bowling actions. Mark did not bowl in the latter part of last season, after his suspension from international cricket, and stepped instead into an opening role with the bat. Maurits has, by contrast, never been reported, but he has joined his brother in the remedial programme, and Dutch supporters will be hoping that their performances this season bring them back into the reckoning for a place in the national squad.

HCC will be fielding two members of the World Cup squad in seamer Bernard Loots and batsman Tom de Grooth, while former international skipper Jeroen Smits continues behind the stumps. Of the younger brigade, the club will be looking to Philip van den Brandeler to make further progress with both bat and ball, and hoping for a more substantial contribution from batsmen Fred Bos, Thijs Fischer and Bob Entrop.

The Hagenaars have a well-balanced squad, and with plenty of experience among their reserves - and the advantage that their Second XI plays in the Hoofdklasse - they are undoubtedly capable of claiming a top four spot once again.

Hermes-DVS will welcome back player-coach Greg Todd, who stepped in as a replacement towards the end of last season when fellow-New Zealand Shanan Stewart was called up for his country's A side. Todd is no stranger to the Harga, and he will slot into a largely unchanged squad which is always there or thereabouts towards the end of the season.

Despite battling a wrist injury captain Nick Statham had a dream year in 2010, averaging 53.82 to finish fourth in the Topklasse averages, and Hermes will need him to be in his best form again this year if their sometimes brittle batting is to keep them in contention for a place in the top four.

They will also need international spinner Pieter Seelaar to display the sort of form he showed during the World Cup, when he was consistently the pick of the Dutch bowlers, while his runs in the middle order may also prove important. Elder brother Harro played some important innings last year, and there was pleasing progress by Pieter van der Hammen, who staked his claim for a more regular place in the side.
New Zealand-born Dutch passport holder Derek de Boorder will again be in the squad, and he could be a key link in a batting line-up which also includes Jasper Beijer and wicketkeeper-batsman Bart Schilperoord alongside Statham and Todd.

Brothers Nils and Borg Lenstra have yet to claim automatic places in the side, but a more significant contribution from either of them would undoubtedly give greater depth.

But it is the seam attack which is Hermes' traditional are of strength, with Erik Hartong the club's leading wicket-taker last season. International Ruud Nijman is still suffering from a severe hockey injury, but the club will be hoping that he becomes available to open the bowling later in the season.

With left-armer Ernst van Giezen to provide variety and youth international, 18-year-old Sebastiaan Braat looking to do better than his rather disappointing six wickets last season, the Hermes seam attack will doubtless continue to cause plenty of problems for opposing batsmen.

The question, though, is whether the batsmen are able to put up large enough totals to ensure the side victory, and in a league which promises to be even more competitive than last year, they will have done very well if they make the cut at the end of July.