Flying Ryan downs Kenya

Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate was the star of the show

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Ryan ten Doeschate was the star as Netherlands took a step closer to playing in the ICC World Twenty20 2009 after beating Kenya by 19 runs on Saturday.

The Essex star fired a rapid 56 in his side's 153 for five before taking 3-27 as Netherlands made a perfect start in the qualifiers. He also caught Steve Tikolo on the boundary - a wicket the essentially quelled Kenyan hopes.

After a 25 minute rain delay - incredibly short considering the deluge 24 hours earlier - Kenya won the toss and asked Netherlands to bat, unsurprising with the threatening clouds overhead.

Despite the bowler friendly conditions, Thomas Odoyo's first delivery flew off a length, it was the Dutch batsmen, particularly Darron Reekers, who enjoyed the opening exchanges.

The 35-year-old took a liking to Ragheb Aga's medium pace, pulling his first ball for four and taking three more boundaries off the Sussex man's next over, the last of which was a powerful straight drive which almost decapitated the umpire.

While Reekers was the enforcer, Eric Szwarczynski took his time before joining in the fun with an uppercut off Peter Ongondo.

After helping Netherlands race to 52 in the seventh over, Reekers went for one heave too many and was stumped by Morris Ouma off Hiren Varaiya's slow left armers.

Varaiya then caught a simple return catch from Szwarczynski but only after the opener had cracked two boundaries off Ongondo the previous over to take the score to 74 for two.

The Netherlands raced to 80 for two at the halfway stage, although it should have been three down in Varaiya's next over but Ouma missed a stumping after Daan Van Bunge charged down the track and wafted at thin air.

Essex all-rounder ten Doeschate manoeuvred the bowling well and his team's hundred duly arrived at the end of the 13th over. He then swept Jimmy Kamande for four before launching him for a huge six - a show of aggression regulars at Chelmsford would be familiar with.

Van Bunge tried to match his partner's intentions but was stumped by Ouma and Peter Borren's short stay left Holland 115 for four after 14 overs.

Ten Doeschate held the key to a commanding Netherlands total, scurrying between the wickets and cracking the occasional big hit - one swipe from Tikolo cleared the ropes just in front of the pavilion.

Ten Doeschate makes a mess of Ragheb Aga's stumps

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He reached his fifty in the final over, off just 43 balls, but unfortunately his team-mates had starved him of the strike somewhat and with the returning Odoyo, who conceded just 15 from four excellent overs, Netherlands looked like falling short of the large total they threatened earlier in the morning.

Ten Doeschate took them past 150 though with a monstrous six off Aga - his third - that cleared long-on by some distance. An attempted repeat of the stroke next ball brought about his downfall but his innings was the mainstay of Netherlands' 153 for five.

The Kenyans stuttered in their reply as Edgar Schiferli dismissed both openers, albeit with some help from two fielders - Van Bunge caught Ouma on the square-leg fence before Mudassar Bukhari eclipsed that in the fifth over, diving forward at short fine-leg to catch Kennedy Obuya's attempted pull shot.

That dismissal, which left Kenya 32 for two, brought stalwart Tikolo to the crease. The 37-year-old might be in the latter stages of his career but a spanking drive off Ten Doeschate followed by a brutal pull shot proved he still has gas in the tank.

At the halfway point Kenya were 60 for two, some 20 runs behind what the Netherlands had scored at the same stage.

The decision to bring the excellent Schiferli back to bowl his last over, the 11th of the innings, proved worthwhile when he castled Alex Obanda to leave Kenya in trouble.

Kenya had a chance as long as Tikolo remained in the middle and a wonderful straight six off Pieter Seelaar in the 12th over proved he had not given up the fight. But he perished for 37 trying a repeat of the shot two overs later, Ten Doeschate gratefully accepting the lofted drive at long-off.

Odoyo went the same way, caught in the deep, and with him went any chance Kenya had of an unlikely win.

There was still time for the moment of the match - Seelaar's stunning one-handed catch on the boundary to dismiss Collins Obuya. Having looked for all the world to have misjudged it horribly, Seelaar backtracked before extending his arm to spectacularly pluck the ball out of the Stormont sky.