It was by any standards a remarkable day’s Topklasse cricket on Monday, as more than 2500 runs were scored across the five Liberation Day matches, with no fewer than 17 partnerships of 50 or more, three of them extending into three figures.

The bowlers, correspondingly, collectively had a day to forget: they went for over five an over, each wicket costing them an average of almost 34 runs.

The most remarkable runfest came at De Diepput, where HCC saw Voorburg run up 327 for seven, their second triple-century total in succession but, undaunted, chased that massive target down with 15 deliveries to spare.

The match featured two splendid centuries by Dutch-produced batters: Cedric de Lange, opening in the absence of Michael Levitt on national team duty, batted almost throughout the Voorburg innings to post a 122-ball 104, but he was more than matched by HCC captain Boris Gorlee, who followed up his 102 against Sparta on Saturday with an even more decisive 122.

Cedric de Lange

He, too, batted almost to the end, falling to his old clubmate Patrick Charumbira when only two more runs were required for victory.

Supporting roles in Voorburg’s innings were played by three of the side’s four overseas, with Peter Hatzoglou hammering a 38-ball 59, Gavin Kaplan making 46 and Henry Melville 42, while Josh Brown took advantage of hos opponents’ quest for quick runs at the death to finish with four for 76.

Tom de Leede removed both openers when HCC replied, Tonny Staal having smacked a 28-ball 46 to get them going, but then Gorlee took over, sharing a 95-run stand for the fourth wicket with Oliver White (39), and then an equally valuable partnership of 89 with Hidde Overdijk (38).

Yash Patel joined him for what was almost the winning stand, and there was time for him to reach his half-century before HCC completed the win.

Kampong matched Voorburg’s effort by running up 320 for six against Punjab-Ghausia at Maarschalkerweerd, but they were able to retain their unbeaten record as they dismissed the defending champions for 243 and won by 77 runs.

Missing Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards, the Utrecht side relied heavily on the mid-order engine-room of Lane Berry (53), Lachlan Bangs (85) and Lorenzo Ingram (68), although it was the locally-produced pair of Pierre Jacod and skipper Alex Roy who propelled the total past 300 with an unbroken stand of 56 in the final overs.

Roy then led the way in reducing Punjab to 62 for four, and even a blistering century from Jonathan Vandiar, whose 109 came from 93 balls and included no fewer than nine sixes, wasn’t enough to keep his side in the hunt.

It was Vandiar’s twelfth century and his fifth for Punjab, and while he and Sikander Zulfiqar were sharing a 128-run stand for the fifth wicket the champions were in with a chance, but once Ratha Alphonse had stumped Zulfiqar off Ingram’s bowling for 57 the writing was on the wall, and Roy picked up two more wickets to finish with five for 56, his second five-wicket haul in the top flight.

Kampong now share the lead with Hermes-DVS, who ended VRA Amsterdam’s unbeaten run at the Loopuyt Oval in the only game of the day in which the bowlers had the upper hand.

The Amsterdammers might have felt they had done well at the innings break, restricting Hermes to 219 for eight; Ben Fletcher, Peter Ruffell, Leon Turmaine and Darsh Abhinay all claimed two wickets, while Daniel Doyle-Calle was again the stand-out batter with a 75-ball 74.

Some of the limelight inevitably fell on Hermes veteran Nick Statham, who became only the second player in the 134-year history of the Dutch competition to play 500 matches in the top flight.

That resilience would have been welcome among the VRA batters, but without Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru and Shariz Ahmad the reply quickly fell apart, Ralph Elenbaas grabbing three early wickets and the rest of the bowlers working their way through the middle and lower order.

Opener Jack Cassidy made 27 and Abhinay showed some resistance before he was last out, but the side could only manage 116 as Hermes posted a 103-run victory.

At the other end of the table Excelsior ‘20 registered their first win of the season, their total of 320 for four proving enough to overcome VOC Rotterdam at the Hazelaarweg.

Batting with a hand injury he had sustained on Saturday, Raynard van Tonder was unfortunate to miss out on a maiden Topklasse century when he was bowled by Jelte Schoonheim for 97, but there was no such disappointment for Stan van Troost, whose 91-ball 107 not out was his first venture into three figures in the top flight.

He shared an unbroken stand of 120 with Sam Rahaley (43 not out) as Excelsior piled on the agony for VOC in the closing overs.

69 for three at one stage, the Bloodhounds put up a spirited battle, Monty Singh (87) and Arnav Jain (47) adding 129 for the fourth wicket, but the run rate was too great in the end, Antum Naqvi picking up three for 40 as VOC closed on 254 for nine.

Also winless after two rounds, HBS and Sparta 1888 duked it out at Craeyenhout, and it was the home side who eventually came out on top, Wesley Barresi’s 85 the key to their four-wicket victory.

Barresi had had an influential role with the ball as well, taking the new ball with fellow-spinner Jayden Rossouw and claiming three for 40; spinners bowled 34 of the 48 overs in Sparta’s innings, Tayo Walbrugh’s tactics paying off as the Capelle side were dismissed for 210.

Opener Jochem Steenbergen made 39 and Lukas Boorer top-scored with 51, but HBS maintained the pressure well to restrict their opponents to a relatively modest total.

The Crows were in early trouble at 57 for three, but Barresi steadied the ship in partnership first with Reece Mason and then with Sellin de Beer, and only five more runs were required when the former international was bowled by Juandre Scheepers.