The big countdown has begun in the Tulip big league. Next weekend the 21st round of play is already on the menu. The weekend in which the Wagener Stadium will battle for the lead and Huizen will probably finally raise the white flag. All duels are – the recipe is by now familiar – to be seen live on Viaplay.
It will take some getting used to this weekend. Because the games are divided slightly differently than usual. On Saturday all men’s teams play in the big league and all games start at 16.30 hours. In short: a great zap afternoon on the couch. We highlight one game in particular on the field hockey.nl channels.
That is Amsterdam-Bloemendaal, the only true field hockey classic. One with stakes, moreover. The big league dinosaurs are fighting for the lead in the league. Bloemendaal now holds it, owning a point more than Amsterdam. The team that finishes the regular league as number one will – regardless of the outcome of the playoffs – seize an EHL ticket. If Bloemendaal wins Saturday against Amsterdam, the Sparrowhawks are sure of a new European adventure.
The farewell of Huizen and the double in Kralingen
A day later we are guests at the Oosterplas. There Den Bosch already knows for a long time that they will play play-offs. It will be a special day for Huizen, which is in the final weeks of its big league adventure. Formally they can still play safe, but that is only possible if they themselves win (big) from Den Bosch and Amsterdam. Moreover, number eleven Rotterdam has to lose its last two games. Long story a little shorter: if no gigantic miracle happens, Huizen will be relegated on Sunday. Den Bosch-Huizen starts, like all other women’s matches, at the unusual time of 14.45 hours.
At that time in the Promotion League, the men’s teams of Victoria and Almere also knock off. ‘Vic’ is in fourth place and is still in the race for promotion. Almere is trying to avert relegation. The number ten of the rankings, that spot leads to the play-outs, recently drafted good-old Alex Verga to get out of trouble. The preview in Rotterdam may also be there: the ladies of Victoria host Ring Pass and both teams have their sights set on a playoff spot. With field hockey.nl, we are along the line to watch the double in Kralingen.
by Hockey.nl
