North London Raiders boosted their double hopes after edging past Glenthorne United A thanks to a strike from Tony Plaskow.
The 1-0 victory means the final of the Henry Swerner Maccabi Masters League Cup will be a repeat of last season’s showpiece, earning them a place against London Maccabi Lions at Wingate Stadium on May 4.
Raiders’ talisman, Richard Sacks, was predictably delighted at the result, and is determined to add to their recently-confirmed Masters League Division One title by making amends for a poor showing in last season’s Cup Final.
Sacks said: "We lost out on both trophies last season by the narrowest of margins, but our performance in the Cup Final was especially disappointing. We didn’t play well enough, and got what we deserved.
"Every player knows it, and we have spoken about it collectively. So this time around, whether we win or not, we’d like to turn in a performance we can be proud of."
Lions will also contest the Nathan Horwitz MMFL Division 2 Cup Final, against EDRS, who cruised into the final with a 7-2 demolition of Hendon Harriers thanks to goals from Mark Kingston (2), Marc Schneiderman (2), Martin Seifert, Phil Silver and Ian Sassoon. Adam Keizner and Richard Reubin replied for Harriers.
This weekend also saw the opening group stage matches in a brand new Invitation Cup competition contested by teams from both the MGBSFL and the MMFL.
Waldaf Town got off to a winning start, beating Jewdinese 3-2, with an opener direct from a corner by Richard Davis, a volley from Marc Radzan and the winner from Jeremy Leigh after Jewdinese had twice equalised through Zack Collins.
Brady A drew 3-3 with Scrabble Harmen, with goals from Gideon Barnett, Simon Davidson and Dan Sugarman, while Charlie Bernstein, Alex Bourne and Lloyd Becker replied for Scrabble Harmen.
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RESULTS
Henry Swerner Maccabi Masters League Cup Semi-Final
North London Raiders 1 Glenthorne United A 0
Nathan Horwitz Maccabi Masters League Division 2 Cup Semi-Final (sponsored by Atlantis Travel)
Hendon Harriers 2 EDRS Stonegrove 7
MGBSFL/MMFL Invitation Cup
Brady Maccabi A 3 Scrabble Harmen 3
Waldaf Town 3 Jewdinese 2
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TABLES
DIVISION ONE
1. North London Raiders Pl. 12, W. 7, D. 2, L. 3, F. 40, A. 25, Pts. 16 (CHAMPIONS)
2. Waldaf Town Pl. 12, W. 6, D. 2, L. 4, F. 30, A. 27, Pts. 14
3. Southgate Harmen Pl. 12, W. 5, D. 1, L. 6, F. 27, A. 24, Pts. 11
4. Scrabble Pl. 12, W. 5, D. 1, L. 4, F. 29, A. 35, Pts. 11
5. Brady Maccabi A Pl. 12, W. 3, D. 0, L. 8, F. 28, A. 43, Pts. 8
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DIVISION TWO
1. London Maccabi Lions Pl. 15, W. 13, D. 0, L. 2, F. 75, A. 13, Pts. 26
2. EDRS Stonegrove Pl. 16, W. 10, D. 2, L. 4, F. 61, A. 22, Pts. 22
3. Glenthorne United A Pl. 11, W. 10, D. 1, L. 0, F. 56, A. 3, Pts. 21
4. Brady Maccabi B Pl. 15, W. 7, D. 3, L. 5, F. 34, A. 36, Pts. 17
5. St John's Wood Tigers Pl. 14, W. 6, D. 3, L. 5, F. 39, A. 29, Pts. 15
6. Glenthorne United B Pl. 16, W. 4, D. 1, L. 11, F. 20, A. 67, Pts. 9
8. Temple Fortune Pl. 15, W. 3, D. 2, L. 10, F. 19, A. 42, Pts. 8
9. Marshside Pl. 14, W. 4, D. 0, L. 10, F. 19, A. 69, Pts. 8
10. Hendon Harriers Pl. 15, W. 3, D. 0, L. 12, F. 19, A. 59, Pts. 6
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