After a two-week hiatus the Topklasse enters the play-off phase this week, with the second finalist and the relegation candidate still to be decided.

With a nigh-unassailable six point lead Dosti-United are already assured of a finals spot, but may yet be denied the top-spot on the table by their opponents on Sunday, Excelsior '20, who currently sit in joint second on 18 points with Quick Haag. The match at Drieburg will be the last match of the season for Excelsior's Lorenzo Ingram and Matt-Kai McGillivray, who were instrumental in Excelsior's upset victory at Drieburg three weeks ago, and the Schiedammers will hope the pair can repeat the trick before their departure. Dosti do not look quite the invincible outfit of the early season, with Stiaan van Zyl long-departed for South Africa A duties, Colin Ackermann and Robbie Frylinck also likely absent, and Mudassar Bukhari understood to be carrying an injury and unlikely to bowl. With a finals berth already secure for Dosti it's possible to imagine Excelsior grabbing another away win in what is for them a critical match.

Their rivals for the remaining finals berth Quick Haag will welcome fourth-placed ACC to Nieuw Hanenburg hoping to edge lay claim to the second spot. ACC are all-but out of contention for the championship - barring an improbable series of results including an Excelsior v Quick tie - but there's plenty of pride to play for. Both sides are reported to have retained their overseas players for the remainder of the season, JP de Villier and Mangi Mosehle for ACC and Stephen Kriel and Ryan Cartwright for Quick. With Quick likely to be missing Tim Gruijters and Wesley Barresi the following Sunday's key clash against Excelsior, the match is a must-win for last year's runners-up.

VRA meanwhile will head to Schiedam to take on Hermes-DVS, in what for the Amsterdammers also looks a crucial game. Whilst Hermes are all but safe from relegation, a depleted VRA will face a near full-strength HCC the following week before heading into what will likely be a decisive match against relegation rivals VOC, but a loss on Sunday would mean a real risk that they'd head into that match with their fate already sealed. With Hermes' Zimbabwean legspinner Julian Chitongo already gone, Stephan Myburgh is once again the key obstacle faced by the vistitors. Myburgh has had something of an all-or-nothing season thus far, but the league's lead run-scorer already has two centuries against VRA and it would be brave to bet against him bagging a record third, especially with Quirijn Gunning's injury compounding VRA's chronic availability problems. Nonetheless with Eric Szwarczynski and Peter Borren in form, Emile van der Burg suddely finding some runs, and Max O'Dowd coming into the side, a Myburgh century might not even be enough to deny VRA.

Fellow wooden spoon contenders VOC meanwhile travel to de Diepput to take on HCC, who themselves are far from safe - leading VOC and VRA by a mere 2 points. HCC will be without Werner Coetsee for the match, but second overseas Jonathan Vandiar will see out the season. VOC are likewise without one of their overseas, Curt Oliver having already returned home, but Jeandre Jumat remains available. A win for HCC would see them safe from relegation, whilst a victory for Bobby Hanif's men would drop HCC into a three-way tussle as the Topklasse nears climax.

 

Topklasse Round 15 Predictions:

Dosti-United vs Excelsior : Excelsior
Quick Haag vs ACC : Quick
Hermes vs VRA : VRA
VOC vs HCC : VOC