Scotland came within two wickets of completing an innings victory over The Netherlands in their Intercontinental Cup match in Deventer on Saturday, but were just unable to finish it off as Peter Borren and Pieter Seelaar batted out six consecutive maiden overs to ensure the sides would have to return for the final morning.

The Scots dominated the third day almost without interruption from beginning to end, apart from a short period before tea when Eric Szwarczynski and Borren took on the spinners and threatened to get their side back into the game.

A tired and jaded Dutch side had come in for some severe punishment in the pre-lunch session, as the Scots piled on 118 runs in less than two hours before they were all out ten minutes before the interval for 391.

Debutant Matt Parker was again the star for Scotland, adding a measured 65 to his four wickets until he was eventually last out, caught on the leg side boundary attempting a big heave off Pieter Seelaar.

Seelaar captured all three wickets which fell, although he again struggled with his control and came in for some heavy stick as well. But that was true of most of the Dutch bowling, with only Peter Borren and – in his first spell – Adeel Raja able to stem the flow of boundaries.

Majid Haq leant Parker good support early on, reaching 30 before he became Seelaar’s first victim, and after Gordon Drummond came and went last man Gordon Goudie played an enterprising knock, making a not-out 44 off just 50 deliveries and hoisting a Raja full toss over midwicket for the first six of the match.

He and Parker rubbed in the Scots’ superiority by adding 61 for the last wicket, the second time in the game that the last pair had contributed a half-century stand, and it was a dispirited Dutch side which appeared to have no answer to the onslaught.

Parker’s 65 came from 139 balls and included six boundaries, while Goudie hit five fours and that six.

So Scotland went back into the field with a lead of 181, and the Dutch knew that they would need to bat with greater resolution than they were able to muster on Thursday if they were to have a chance of saving the game.

They suffered an early setback when Tom de Grooth was caught at midwicket off Parker in the second over, and with the pitch revealing increasing inconsistency the home side clearly faced an uphill battle. When Richie Berrington removed first Steven de Bruin and then Wesley Barresi it was 52 for three, and the task had become even greater.

But Szwarczynski was batting confidently, and when Gordon Drummond introduced spin into the attack he went onto the offensive, taking 18 off four deliveries from Gregor Maiden and reaching his second first-class half-century. Borren joined the attack, and the Dutch went to tea in better spirits on 107 for three.

Drummond replaced Maiden after the interval, and struck back immediately by removing Szwarczynski for a splendid 62. The Dutch hero of the first innings, Wilfred Diepeveen, now joined his captain, and they fought through a very tight spell from Drummond and Majid Haq, adding 34 hard-won runs in 21 overs.

They seemed increasingly comfortable, but then Diepeveen failed to respond to Borren’s call for a run, and became the first of three victims of disastrous run-outs which torpedoed the Dutch resistance. Jonkman followed, and then Raja as the side subsided from 143 for four to 168 for eight, Berrington returning to claim a third wicket as he trapped Ruud Nijman leg-before.

Borren, who had reached a valiant half-century, and Seelaar held on until six o’clock, doing well enough to persuade the umpires to deline Drummond’s request for the extra half-hour to finish off the game. So hostilities will resume on Sunday morning, with The Netherlands needing 13 more to make Scotland bat again, and the Scots needing two quick wickets to secure an innings victory.