Alexander Hendrickx returned from injury to score for Pinoké as they got their first point of 2023 from a big battle with Klein Zwitserland in the men’s Hoofdklasse. 

They did so without some key men with Pieter Sutorius and Daniel Aarts out injured and Sebastien Dockier suspended but Hendrickx was back in the line-up for the first time since the turn of the year.

They did fall behind when Nick van Trigt snuck in at the back post to put KZ in front but Hendrickx powered home a corner to level the game at 1-1.

Pinoké were stronger in the second half as the rain began to pour down. A beautiful takedown from Floren van Aubel begins a move which sees Noud Schoenaker in the right place to make it 2-1. 

But they could not build further on that advantage and KZ finished strong and, following a series of penalty corners, Aki Kaeppeler found the goal for 2-2. 

It sees them finish the weekend in fifth place on a strange weekend in which none of the sides who started in the top four winning. SV Kampong fell to a shock first defeat of the season when they went down 2-1 to 11th placed near-neighbours Schaerweijde.

Second placed Bloemendaal drew 2-2 against ninth ranked HGC and Rotterdam lost 1-0 to Oranje-Rood to a Sam Lane goal. That result for the Eindhoven club did lift them into fourth place.

KZ – Pinoké