MAL completed the Maccabi League treble after beating Southgate by seven wickets to win the playoff final.
September 16, 2008 16:09MAL completed the Maccabi League treble after beating Southgate by seven wickets to win the playoff final.
Southgate skipper Richard Mitchell won the toss and elected to bat first.
The batsmen struggled to exert any pressure on MAL stalwarts Charlie Sherrard (1-29) and Tony Wise (2-15) who conceded just 44 runs in 16 overs.
All-rounder Norman Bean was the only Southgate batsman to settle with a belligerent 25. There was no respite for Southgate as Grant Traub and Yoni Fidler replaced the two veterans. Traub tossed the ball up and the batsmen obliged by giving Brian Kobrin two catches.
Traub finished with 3-15 and Fidler 2-26 from eight hostile overs before Jon Begner cleaned up the tail with two wickets in five balls.
Southgate were bowled out for 104 in less than 33 overs.
MAL's reply started solidly with Mark Landau and Tali Rowe taking the score to 30-0. Bean continued his impressive display by bowling both openers. Kobrin played on to leave MAL 42-3 but Steve Braude saved his best innings of the season for the opportune moment and decided that attack was the way forward. He launched three big sixes in an unbeaten 30 as MAL eventually cruised to victory in 27.3 overs.
MAL skipper Gavriel Lebens said: "I'm proud of the team's efforts over the season. We've had a great spirit backed up some really fine displays in all departments."
Victory rounded off a fantastic season for MAL. They have maintained an unbeaten record in all competitive cricket and have remained unbeaten in all Sunday cricket since June, to build on their success in the Maccabi Sunday Cricket League and Twenty20 competitions.
MAL clinch the treble
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