AMSTERDAM ALONE ON TOP OF DUTCH STANDINGS

The defending champion Amsterdam Pirates have picked up where they left off last year, reeling off eight wins at the start of the 2009 season to take sole possession of first place in the Dutch Major League standings. Amsterdam had an easy time of it last weekend, sweeping ADO in a three-game series. The Pirates outscored ADO, 31-6, over the set, including wins with 13-1 and 11-3 scores before wrapping up the sweep with a 7-2 victory on April 26 as ADO fell to 0-7 for the season.

DOOR Neptunus is in second place with a solid 6-0-1 record. Neptunus came away with two wins and a tie in their series against a good Konica Minolta Pioniers team last weekend. The series opened with a 3-3 tie before Neptunus won the final two contests by scores of 6-5 and 7-3. Konica Minolta slipped to third place with a 4-2-1 record.

Corendon Kinheim is off to a streaky start in 2009, with a 4-4 mark after eight games. Kinheim lost the opening game of their series against Mr. Crocker HCAW, 8-3, before rebounding to win the next two, 12-5 and 15-14. Mr. Crocker is now 3-4, a half-game behind fourth place Kinheim.

Sparta/Feyenoord defeated MediaMonks RCH in three straight games last weekend after losing their first four games, and now hold sixth place at 3-4. MediaMonks are tied with ADO for last at 0-7.

AMSTERDAM SWEEPS KINHEIM IN DUTCH OPENING WEEKEND

Last fall saw the Amsterdam Pirates win the Dutch Major League pennant in a final series win over two-time defending champion Corendon Kinheim. While both teams qualified for the European Cup Final Four with strong performances earlier this month in Italy during Euro Cup qualifier action, the two clubs have opened their regular Dutch League schedules in decidedly-different fashion.

Amsterdam picked up where they left off last year by sweeping a three-game series over Kinheim last weekend, winning by an average score of 8-3. The broom job leaves the Pirates alone on top of the league standings at 3-0. Conversely, Kinheim is in last place with an 0-3 mark.

Elsewhere in The Netherlands, Mr. Crocker HCAW, DOOR Neptunus and the Konica Minolta Pioniers are all tied for second at 2-0. Mr. Crocker took two games from MediaMonks RCH, Neptunus won twice against ADO and Konica Minolta beat Sparta/Feyenoord in a pair of games.