Neve Yonatan extend gap; winning start for Young Ashdod

Busy weekend of cricket action.

By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Cricket 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Cricket 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
In a busy weekend of local cricket league matches, Aby Daniels starred with seven wickets as Neve Yonatan extended its lead atop the Division 1 table with an 81-run victory over Sri Lanka Tel Aviv, while Young Ashdod enjoyed an impressive opening game 30-run win over Ra’anana.
As well, Lions Lod was held to a third straight draw, this time against Lod Rangers, and in Division 2, Kiryat Gat was far too strong for Lod, winning by 157 runs after declaring their innings closed on 267 for nine.
In other action, Beersheba defeated Petah Tikva by four wickets, and Lions Beersheba won a low-scoring contest away against Dimona C. In another Division 2 T20 match played on Friday, Tel Aviv beat Ra’anana 2 by 31 runs, despite a hat-trick from Anthony Harris (3 for 13).
Asked to bat in Ashdod on Friday, Young Ashdod were reduced to 38 for 4, unable to play the swing generated with the new ball by Amitabh Trehan.
However, a 61-run fifth wicket stand between Rimon Nagawker (49) and Kapila Yasaratne (13) put the innings back on track, before Yaniv Razpurker scored a patient 53 en route to being last man out with the score on 211.
Left with 37 overs to achieve its target, Ra’anana started brightly enough, Daniel Hyman (46) in particularly good form, adding 49 for the second wicket with Sandeep Hans (18).
However with the score on 98, Hyman chipped a catch to long-off, the first of a procession of Ra’anana batsmen to gift away their wickets with poor shot selection, and it was all over from there.