The battle to avoid relegation heated up several more degrees on Saturday, as the bottom four slugged it out in two crucial matches.

Perhaps the bigger surprise came at Sportpark Bermweg, where Sparta 1888 completed just their second victory of the season, beating HBS Craeyenhout by 4 wickets.

It wasn’t just the fact of the win which should send a shiver down the spines of Sparta’s rivals but its manner: their bowlers recovered well after conceding 89 runs in the first eight overs, Lehan Botha launching an extraordinary onslaught which gave him a 32-ball 76, and the batters then raced to their target in 28.2 overs.

Botha’s half-century came in just 17 deliveries, and his innings included nine fours and five sixes, all but ten of his runs coming in boundaries.

He eventually fell to Juandre Scheepers, who added the scalps of Tayo Walbrugh and Wes Barresi in the space of four more deliveries, and although Elmar Boendermaker contributed a patient 47 and Reese Mason made 40 as he batted with the tail, HBS were dismissed for 203.

Scheepers finished with four for 38, and there were two wickets apiece for Khalid Ahmadi and Umar Baker. 

Sam Ferguson gave the reply a flying start with a 24-ball 39, but the key partnership was that for the fourth wicket between Lukas Boorer (87 from 73 deliveries) and Ahmadi (39 from 20), who added 95 in nine overs.

Botha struck back to remove both in the space of four deliveries, but by that point only 16 more were needed and Sparta made sure of the victory.

At Thurlede, meanwhile, Excelsior ‘20 sank further into the relegation mire, as VOC took a significant step away from it with a four-wicket victory.

Batting first, Excelsior recovered somewhat from a perilous 50 for three thanks to Antum Naqvi’s 75, and seemed to on course for a big total at 204 for five with Brett Hampton hitting three sixes in a 38-ball 46 before he was run out in a disastrous misunderstanding with Joost Kroesen.

That galvanised Kroesen, who until that point had mostly been content to give Hampton the strike, and he proceeded from 18 from 25 deliveries to 52 from 47, taking over the aggressive role and enabling his side to reach 264 all out.

Scott Janett and Christiaan Oberholzer then shared a second-wicket stand of 119 before Gijs Kroesen bowled Oberholzer for 45, and then Janett and Monty Singh added a further 60 to drive home VOC’s advantage.

Naqvi eventually had Janett caught by Hampton for 91, but Singh continued as wickets fell at the other end, finishing unbeaten on 64 as his side won with an over to spare.

Leaders Kampong were fairly untroubled in seeing off the challenge of Punjab-Ghausia at the Zomercomplex, half-centuries by Daniel van den Berg (51), Lane Berry (78) and Pierre Jacod (56 not out) seeing them to 237 for nine all out after opener Karel Vieler was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the back of the helmet by Tehzeeb Haider.

Shoaib Minhas was again the most successful of Punjab’s bowlers with three for 22, but he was then part of a dramatic batting collapse as the first four wickets fell for just 34 runs.

The rot was partially stopped by a seventh-wicket partnership of 79 between Mohsin Riaz (52) and Burhan Niaz (35).

Once they were dismissed, however, the end came fairly quickly, and Punjab were all out for 159 in 37 overs, giving Kampong a 78-run victory.

Back at the start of May HCC pulled off a remarkable chase at De Diepput to overtake Voorburg’s 327 and win by five wickets, and the sides again produced a high-scoring game in the return at Westvliet.

An opening stand of 116 between Clayton Floyd (51) and Tonny Staal (42) was the foundation of the Lions’ total of 286 for eight, and after the Voorburg attack began to assert itself, reducing the visitors to 161 for five, the lower order demonstrated the depth of the side’s batting, adding 80 in the last eight overs.

This always seemed likely to be too many for a Voorburg line-up deprived of the services of the in-form Michael Levitt, and although Gavin Kaplan made a run-a-ball 41 and there were smaller contributions from Cedric de Lange, Noah Croes and Ryan Klein, Floyd’s four for 41 and Josh Brown’s three for 42 ensured that the reply closed on 201, giving HCC a comfortable 85-run victory.

That win took the Lions past Hermes-DVS and into second place on the table, a deficit the Schiedammers were unable to reverse on Sunday, when they lost to VRA by 7 runs in the Amsterdamse Bos.

Electing to bat first, VRA reached 250 for nine, Jack Cassidy leading the way with 82, and Johan Smal (31), Shariz Ahmad (46) and Viraj Thakur (32) all chipping in usefully.

The Hermes attack was handicapped by a pulled hamstring for skipper Sebastiaan Braat, who was only able to bowl two deliveries before pulling up and taking himself out of the attack, but it was again Hikmatullah Jabarkhail who did most of the damage with three for 45.

Ash Ostling (56) and Daniel Doyle-Calle (43) gave Hermes their accustomed good start with an opening stand of 87, and at 173 for four with Asad Zulfiqar on 40 they seemed well placed for a successful chase.

There were, however, now only 13 overs left, and although Olivier Elenbaas contributed 32, keeping his side in the hunt, but when he was run out 34 were still needed off the last five overs.

By the time Ben Fletcher started the final over there were ten required with two wickets standing, but the tail could only manage two.

Shariz claimed three for 31 from his ten overs as VRA gave themselves some breathing space in mid-table and Hermes slipped a little further behind the leaders.