The Netherlands will take an experienced A team to the European Championships in Jersey next month, including nine players who have appeared in the full side.

This season’s competition, which starts on 13 July, will for the first time see A sides from Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland take on the full sides of Denmark, Italy and Jersey.

One new name is that of South African-born HCC captain Bernard Loots, who will have recently completed his four-year qualification period as a Dutch resident. He will feature in a seam attack which also includes his clubmate Maurits Jonkman, Berend Westdijk of HBS Den Haag, and the allrounders Tom Heggelman (Excelsior ’20), Philip van den Brandeler (HCC), Geert Maarten Mol (Quick Haag), and Jelte Schoonheim (VOC).

The side will be led by the Warwickshire Academy’s Tim Gruijters, who also captained the Under-19 side at last year’s global qualifying tournament in Toronto. A back injury currently prevents him from bowling, but he will play in Jersey as a specialist batsman.

The top order will also include Wesley Barresi (VRA), wicketkeeper-batsman Steven de Bruin (ACC) and Voorburg’s Wilfred Diepeveen, all of whom played in last week’s Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland.

The spin department comprises experienced off-spinner Adeel Raja (VRA), who was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings against Scotland in Deventer, and the leg-spinners Lucas Brouwers (Hercules Utrecht) and Vinoo Tewarie (VRA). Like Gruijters and Van den Brandeler, Brouwers and Tewarie are both graduates of last season’s under-19 squad.

The full squad is:
Wesley Barresi (VRA), Philip van den Brandeler (HCC), Lucas Brouwers (Hercules Utrecht), Steven de Bruin (ACC), Wilfred Diepeveen (Voorburg), Tim Gruijters (Warwickshire Academy, captain), Tom Heggelman (Excelsior ’20), Maurits Jonkman, Bernard Loots (both HCC), Geert Maarten Mol (Quick Haag), Adeel Raja (VRA), Jelte Schoonheim (VOC), Vinoo Tewarie (VRA), and Berend Westdijk (HBS Den Haag).

Eight members of the squad took part in the annual match for the Ambassador’s Cup between a KNCB XI and a Pakistan Community XI at Westvliet on Wednesday, which resulted in a comfortable victory for the latter.

Batting first, the Pakistani side made 221 for seven in 40 overs, thanks to innings of 57 from Rood en Wit’s Shahbaz Bashir, 72 from Excelsior’s Usman Malik, and 39 from Voorburg’s Mohammad Rafi. Jelte Schoonheim took two for 28 for the KNCB XI, while Lucas Brouwers bowled an encouraging eight-over spell for two for 40.

The Bond side was soon in serious difficulties against an opening attack of international Mudassar Bukhari, who bowled a very hostile spell, and his ACC clubmate Mohsin Ghaznavi, who took four for 29 and earned himself the Man of the Match award.

It was only due to a fine knock of 71 from 66 deliveries by Tom Cooper, who picked up where he had left off against Scotland the previous day, that the total eventually reached 136, with Adeel Raja collecting two for 37 and Zishan Akram chipping in at the end with two for 11.

Eight of the Jersey squad will take part in the Continental Twenty20 Championships in Schiedam on 25 and 26 June, while the team will play a further warm-up match against the Free Foresters – who will play a Dutch representative side for the first time since 1983 – at Bloemendaal on 6 July.