On the penultimate matchday in the Tulp Hoofdklasse Men, Kampong and Rotterdam secured the play-offs after Bloemendaal and Oranje-Rood. Kampong defeated direct competitor Pinoké 5-3 on Sunday and Rotterdam left no stone unturned by HGC: 12-0. Schaerweijde is the new bottom after the 2-1 defeat against Little Switzerland and Laren’s win over Den Bosch (3-1).
With a 5-3 win in the Amsterdamse Bos, Kampong qualified for the play-offs at the expense of national and European champion Pinoké. The Steekneuzen are the fifth team in history that, as reigning national champions, fails to qualify for the play-offs. This previously happened to Bloemendaal (2000-2001, sixth), Den Bosch (2001-2002, fifth), Amsterdam (2012-2013, fifth) and Oranje Zwart (2016-2017, fifth as the new merger club Oranje-Rood). Pinoké is having a bad final phase of the major league season. Four of the last six league games were lost. Kampong, on the other hand, is in good form. Coach Tim Oudenaller’s team is undefeated in eight matches.
Disappointment for national champion Pinoké after missing out on the play-offs. Photo: Willem Vernes
Read the report of the match between Pinoké and Kampong
Pinoké’s defeat against Kampong allowed Rotterdam to qualify for the play-offs with a win over HGC. That’s what the Rotterdammers did. And how! HGC was blown off the field with a score of 12-0. It was HGC’s biggest defeat in the Tulp Hoofdklasse. Earlier this season they lost 9-0 to Oranje-Rood, which was the biggest defeat at the time. The Wassenaar team, which has not yet achieved a single victory in 2024, hardly seems to be able to avoid the play-outs. It was Rotterdam’s first home win over HGC since October 22, 2017. The score was 8-3. Sunday’s 12-0 win will go down as the Rotterdam team’s biggest victory. Jeroen Hertzberger scored four of the twelve goals.
Laren seems to have avoided direct relegation after the 3-1 win over Den Bosch. With one round to go, the Gooise team moved from last to eleventh place with a better goal difference than the new bottom group Schaerweijde. Laren recorded its first victory over Den Bosch since September 18, 2011, when the game at Oosterplas ended 1-5. It was also Laren’s first victory after a series of eight major league matches in which they did not win.
Lucas Toscani is happy after he gave Laren a 3-1 lead against Den Bosch. Photo: Koen Suyk
Due to the 2-1 defeat in The Hague against Little Switzerland, Schaerweijde is the new bottom in the Tulp Hoofdklasse Men. The Zeister formation has the same number of points as number eleven Laren, but the team from Het Gooi has a much better goal difference (-33 against -42). The loss against Little Switzerland meant the third defeat in a row for Schaerweijde. The team has been waiting for a win for ten league games. After three losses in a row, Little Switzerland finally took full advantage again.
The top match in the Tulp Hoofdklasse Men between the numbers two and one ended in a draw, just like the two previous mutual matches. The 1-1 draw ended the series of eleven victories in a row for Bloemendaal, which is now unbeaten for thirteen league matches in a row. Next week, Bloemendaal can definitively seize an EHL ticket. The lead over the Oranje-Red is three points.
Amsterdam has secured another season of Tulp Hoofdklasse after the 5-2 win over HDM. Valentin Verga, who played his last home game, scored two goals for the Amsterdam team, who recorded only the second victory in front of their own audience in the last twelve matches. HDM, which has only won one of the last ten matches and has been without a win for five away matches in a row, is almost certain of direct enforcement. HGC can still reach the same level next week, but HDM’s goal difference is much better (-20 against -40) than that of its competitor from Wassenaar.
Read the highlights of the 21st matchday in the Tulp Hoofdklasse Men below
