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Updated: September 14, 2013
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ADO Lakers, Twins open Promotion/Relegation Series on Sunday
Nederlands
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - The best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Play-Off between ADO Lakers and Twins will now begin on Sunday, September 15 after the cancellation of the first game on Saturday. That game was scheduled to be played at the Leen Volkerijk Stadium in The Hague, the home field of ADO Lakers, but rained out. The game is re-scheduled for Monday-evening, starting at 7:30 PM, also in The Hague. And so, Sunday's game in Oosterhout will now be the opener. The winner of the 5-game series will play in the Dutch big league next season, while the loser will play in the second highest league, the 'overgangsklasse'.

ADO Lakers has had a tough season in the big league, finishing in last place, winning only two of the 42 games played. The team started the season well, as it defeated L&D Amsterdam Pirates 3-1 on April 13 after having lost the opening game two days before. But the team had to wait until May 23 for the next victory, winning 5-3 vs. Corendon Kinheim. With that, ADO Lakers had won from both the 2011 (Pirates) and 2012 (Kinheim) champion. But it also would their lone wins in the regular season.

In the following Play-Downs, ADO Lakers won three of its nine games played. With that, it would have secured a spot in next years big league, while Mr. Cocker HCAW would have finished in last place and therefore should have played in the Promotion/Relegation Play-Off instead. However, things turned very differently. ADO Lakers used Eugene Henson as a player in four of its first five games, one of which was won. But Henson was ineligible to play and for using him, the team got eight points subtracted (two for each game he played in), while the game that was won was declared invalid. According to the rules, this game should have been replayed, but it was never re-scheduled, as ADO Lakers could not leave last place anymore due to the subtracted points. And therefore, HCAW secured a big league-spot, while ADO Lakers had to play in the Promotion/Relegation Series.

Twins captured the championship-title in the 'Overgangsklasse' and therefore qualified for the Series against the last placed team from the big league. In the first half of the 10-team league, Twins finished in a tie for second place with Orioles with a 13-5 record. The league was then split with the top-4 meeting each other for the championship. Each team would face each other six more times for a total of 18 games. Twins finished with a 14-4 record in the second half. With that, the team from Oosterhout finished with an overall record of 27-9, two points ahead of DSS, which was 26-10. The championship was decided last weekend, in the final games of the regular season. On Saturday, Twins nipped fourth placed RCH-Pinguïns 4-3 and on Sunday shut them out 8-0 to claim the title.

Twins last played in the Dutch big league in 2004. In that season, it ended in ninth and last place with a 6-34 record and relegated.

A year later, in 2005, a new format was introduced for the relegation-procedure. In 2005 and in 2007-2009, the team that finished in last place in the big league had to face the champion of the second highest league in a best-of-five. There was no relegation from the big league in 2006. In these four years, three of the four big league-teams secured their spot in the highest division for the following year.

In 2010, another formula was used. Like the top-4, the bottom-4 would meet in a Play-Off Series with the number 5 team facing the number 8 and nr. 6 played vs. nr. 7 of the season. The two losing teams then would in a new series, with the loser of that series meeting the champion from the lower league. That year, the big league-team also remained in the highest division.

In 2011, the Play-Downs were introduced with the bottom-4 teams of the regular season meeting each other in a new competition, just like the Play-Offs for the top-4. The team in last place then faced the champion from the second highest league. In 2011, ADO played in that series, but remained in the big league. Last year, Sparta-Feyenoord ended in last place and lost the series against Mampaey The Hawks, which therefore promoted.

Since the new relegation-formats in 2005, ADO played in a Promotion/Relegation Play-Off two times before and each time secured a spot in the big league of the following season. In 2008 and 2011, it faced Euro Stars in both years and won the series. In 2010, ADO lost its Play-Off against Sparta-Feyenoord, then faced Almere '90 in the next series and won to secure its spot, while Almere '90 had to face the championship-team.



Game Officials
...Left to right: Rob Has, René Ras, Edwin Louisa & Rudsel Schoobaar...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen)
The games in the Promotion/Relegation Series will be officiated by a 3-man umpire-crew. All crews will be headed behind the plate by umpires, who have gained experience in the Dutch big league the last two seasons, being Rob Has, René Ras, Edwin Louisa and Rudsel Schoobaar. The Home Plate Umpire for Game 4 has yet to be named.

René Fischer, Antoine Loock and Rob Visser complete the umpire crews. Loock and Visser have been assigned to four of the five games.

Eight different Official Scorers have been assigned for the 5-game series. Included therein are four veterans with at least 15 seasons in the Dutch big league, being Feiko Drost (37th season), Huub Nelissen (24th season), Brigitta Zaal (22nd season) and Leo van den Brun (15th season). Feiko Drost is one of the four senior scorers, together with Ben Goorts and Marco Stoovelaar, who also are in their 37th season, and Harry Wedemeijer, who is in his 36th season.

#DateGameUmpiresOfficial ScorersCommissioner
1Sun., Sep. 15Twins vs. ADO Lakers HP-Rob Has
1B-René Fischer
3B-Antoine Loock
Marijke v.d. Berge
Jeanette van Drunen
Henk van der Linde
2Mon., Sep. 16ADO Lakers vs. Twins HP-René Ras
1B-Antoine Loock
3B-Rob Visser
Huub Nelissen
Rienette Hamers
Fred van Groningen Schinkel
3Sat., Sep. 21ADO Lakers vs. Twins HP-Edwin Louisa
1B-Rob Visser
3B-René Fischer
Leo van den Brun
Harumi Ueda
Gerben Hardeveld
4Sun., Sep. 22Twins vs. ADO Lakers HP-to be announced
1B-Antoine Loock
3B-Rob Visser
Sven van Eijk
Brigitta Zaal
Gerben Hardeveld
5Sat., Sep. 28ADO Lakers vs. Twins HP-Rudsel Schoobaar
1B-Rob Visser
3B-Antoine Loock
Jeanette van Drunen
Feiko Drost
Paul Bokern

(September 14)


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