Young Ashdod move clear at top of Division 1; Kiryat Gat qualify for Division 2 T20 final

Young Ashdod defeated Sri Lanka Jerusalem by three wickets in the single Division 1 league match over the weekend ahead of a short break for international tournaments. The win gives the Ashdod team a healthy lead at the top of the league standings with approximately half the seasons' games complete. In Division 2 T20 action, Kiryat Gat secured their place in the final after defeating both Tel Aviv and Ra'anana 2 in their final group matches at Hadar Yosef on Friday.

Battng first in Ashdod on Saturday, Sri Lanka Jerusalem declared after batting 40 overs with their score on 220 for nine, opener Priyanka (78) and middle order batsman Manjula (63) scoring the bulk of the runs between them. Young Ashdod's two Sri Lankan overseas players caused most of the damage with the ball, Ishara Tanekoon taking four for 30 and Kapila Parera picking up three for 43. In reply almost all the home batsmen made starts, although none managed to past 50. Raymond Aston and Shmuel Moses both scored 36, Rimon Nagawker contributed 30 and Shimon Penkar chipped in with 26, allowing their team to reach their target in just 32 overs, giving them the all important ten additional bonus points.