Part of the KNCB’s intention in restructuring the upper levels of its domestic competition was to produce more competitive cricket of a higher standard, and if this season’s Hoofdklasse – now in effect the Second Division – is any guide, it is likely that the first of these objectives will be achieved more readily than the second.

The battle between the top five sides was undoubtedly a spirited one, with all five losing four or five matches during the initial round-robin phase, and only four points separating first from fifth when the top four was split off. Only net run rate, indeed, separated HCC II, who finished fourth, from Voorburg, who just missed out on a place in the play-offs.

Dosti Amsterdam were deserved champions, not only because they beat all their main rivals at least once, but because they depended on their player-coaches – they lost Canadian international allrounder Eion Katchay towards the end of the season and brought in Mohammad Hafeez in his stead – rather less than most other clubs.

Their acquisitions over the winter, Mehmood Sadiq, Victor Grandia and Ehtisham Chaudhry Mohammad, all played a considerable part in their success, and in the latter stages they were further strengthened by the addition of Hamid Rana and Afzal Ahmed. They have the makings of a side that could have a real impact in next season’s Topklasse.

It will have come as a disappointment to HBS Den Haag that they were unable to get back into the top flight at their first attempt, but they were much too dependent on player-coach Anton Devcich, who made 719 runs at 59.72 and took 31 wickets at 15.23.

International seamer Berend Westdijk, whose 21 wickets cost 18.95 apiece, gave Devcich good support with the new ball, and fellow-seamers Sjoerd Weurman and Rasool Abed were as reliable as ever. But the batting continued to give cause for concern, although Taco Risselada, batting in the middle order, averaged 40.71 for his 285 runs.

Bloemendaal were another side to rely heavily on their overseas players, player-coach Andrew Robertson and his fellow New Zealander, exchange player Henry Nicholls. Nicholls’ 717 runs at 59.75 meant that he finished just behind Devcich in the averages, but Robertson was almost as prolific with 678 at 52.15.

No-one else, however, was able to average over 20 with the bat, and apart from Nicholls’ 22 wickets at 15.95 only Quirijn Gunning, with 16 at 19.50, could be said to have succeeded with the ball. Without the two New Zealanders, it seems unlikely that Bloemendaal would have made it into the play-offs.

The same might be said of HCC II, who even with the efforts of coach Stephan Myburgh (630 runs at 48.46) and exchange player Jancan Adams (379 at 47.38) just scrambled into the top four on the final day of the initial phase.

The Hagenaars’ bowling had rather more substance to it, with Pieter Reeve, Max Canters and Maurits Roodhuijzen enjoying some success with the ball, but call-ups to the first team undoubtedly took their toll, and overall the side lacked the quality necessary to offer a serious challenge to the leaders.

For Voorburg, who narrowly failed to withstand the challenge of Rood en Wit Haarlem for the final Topklasse place at the end of the 2009 season, losing out in an even tighter battle for the play-offs must have been a galling experience.

Coach Brandon Hiini was a less dominant influence than the club must have hoped, making 348 runs at 28.50 and taking 23 wickets at 16.96, respectable enough but hardly comparable with many of his fellow professionals. His efforts with the bat were surpassed by those of Mohammad Rafi, with 453 runs at 37.75.

Tim de Leede continued to show that he retains much of his old skill with both bat and ball, but he only played seven matches – not enough to have a decisive effect on the side’s fortunes. A major disappointment was the batting of Wilfred Diepeveen, who showed talent and determination on the international stage, but could only manage an average of 12.29 in the domestic competition.

Sparta 1888’s Sean Eathorne was another player-coach whose record fell short of what was needed, although it was compensated for to some degree by opener Mohammad Wasim’s 727 runs at 45.44. Phil Keukelaar made a welcome return at the age of 42, taking 29 wickets at 15.59 – only Devcich took more – and Naeem Khalid proved a valuable acquisition with 28 at 17.93.

The Capelle club almost fell victim to the random effects of the competition’s three-part structure: having beaten all four clubs which reached the play-offs, they saw those victories disappear from their record at the split, and they suddenly found themselves under threat of relegation. That would have been a travesty, but they fought their way out of trouble, winning their last two games to finish sixth on net run rate.

Like many of their rivals, Kampong Utrecht were kept afloat by their coach, South African allrounder Shaun de Kock, whose 611 runs at 47.00 and 26 wickets at 14.35 kept them just clear of a relegation play-off. Ben Collier made a difference to the batting when he was available, but he only played nine games, and Diederik Mars was another who was only intermittently able to play.

Seamer Saurabh Zalpuri confirmed his value with 21 wickets at 23.14, while Bhawik Nana and Camille van der Harten claimed 15 apiece, and suggested that Kampong may have the makings of a much stronger side in the future.

It was a sad season for VVV Amsterdam, who dropped down from the old Hoofdklasse and then, having finished last on net run rate, lost the play-off series against Hercules Utrecht and slid straight into the Erste Klasse. An exodus of players over the winter had meant a completely rebuilt side, and despite some useful contributions from allrounder Zakir Khan – their leading wicket-taker with 24 at 16.04 – Naveed Akhtar and Qammer Raza, they were frequently outclassed.

The continuing domination of many matches by the overseas players and the apparent inability of the younger talents to make a real impression are twin causes for concern; if both these factors are also evident in the Topklasse, they seem to be magnified one division down.

A strong domestic scene needs present and past Dutch Lions like Dennis and Wessel Coster, Ferdi Vink, Ollie de Geus and Tobias Visée (all HBS), Bhawik Nana, Karel Vieler and Robert van der Harten (Kampong), Quirijn Gunning and Matthijs Luten (Bloemendaal), Werner Erkelens (HCC II), and Floris and Vivian Kingma (Voorburg) to make their mark in next season’s Hoofdklasse if the strengthening of Dutch domestic cricket is to prove a success.