YMCB win Israel Night Cricket League Division Two title - The Jewish Chronicle

Let’s set the scene. The big rivals in Division Two have reached the final. Both Modiin based teams, Modshem have had the edge in head to head encounters during the season, while YMCB comfortably top the log. Meeting in a best of three finals, they share the first two on a Thursday evening - with Modshem winning the first by 14 runs, while YMCB take the second by 27 runs.

That leaves the teams four days to regroup for “final final”. Both teams ring the changes, Modshem bringing in star powerplay bat Yonni Raff, while losing captain Jamie Lazarus to injury. YMCN bring in all-rounder Krombein, but lose captain and star bowler Simon Levy to injury 90 minutes prior to the start of play and have no option, but to draft in Warren Wienburg as cover.

YMCB win the toss and insert Modshem. Gary Bloch and David Care start comfortably enough, putting on 18 after two overs, before Adam Finkelstein is brought on to stem the tide, and immediately strikes, with a lofted cover drive suddenly intercepted by a leaping Percy who comfortably gathers the ball. The first wicket is down, with Adam taking 1/-2 from the over.

The second pair of skipper Daniel Lange and Josh Hockley face tight overs from Adam and Percy before Ben King, hero of the first final with a massive 38, is brought on to bowl. First up, he slips in a ball known locally as a “Chopper Special”, which bounces twice on its meandering way before finally tapping the middle stump. Alan Levenson bowls the last over of the pair, Hockley tries to cut, but the ball gets big on him and flies to point, where Percy takes off, reaches, stretches and takes it. Partnership of 13, and total 32.

Modshem tend to go big in their powerplay, which is no surprise with Raff and canny Capetonian Garth Kaufmann leading the line for them. They start comfortably, milking Wienburg for 10, before lofting a catch off Robby Krombein. The Powerplay is duly called and the pair sees off the first over before looking for runs against mountain man Brett Hickson in the second over. A mix-up results in a runout before a few wides bring them to par. Then Yonni latches onto a short one smashing it the length of the court for a certain six. But lurking in the back is the 'Rabbi Who Flies'. In something approximating ABD in the IPL, Rabbi Benjy Myers took a stunning one- handed catch.

If the Final Final has a turning point, was is it. It’s a 12-run swing on one moment of genius, Brett ends with 2-10 and Modshem have 55 after 12 overs. It’s not going to be enough. Ace fast bowler and former Team GB Maccabi legend Saul Weitzman, comes in last with Martin Lange (there are only two Langes playing tonight – Modiin’s leading cricket family, the Lange clan, can put out six on a good night). Martin tries to cut Robby early on only to see it loop to gully where a leaping Percy takes catch his third catch of the evening. A runout follows, before Brett comes on for his second. A short ball is cut uppishly to backward point, a good couple of meters clear of any … but no, Percy is materialises in front of the ball, plucks his fourth from the sky, and YMC have taken every catch offered in the evening. Weitzman's score of 24 helps MSS to total of 73.

Modshem attack from the outset, bowling Garth, Yonni and Saul early in a desperate effort to take wickets, but the Rabbi comfortably demonstrates that he can play the sweep, to score an excellent 19, before Weitzman (1/-1) strikes back against Wienburg, with a delivery that slices like a katana between bat and pad to rip out middle stump. But he can only bowl two overs and Big Brett (17) sees his second over out, before Robby (20) and Alan (18) see YMCB home to victory by 31 runs.

Umpire Alan Wiggi Wigman awarded the Benjy Hockley Best Batsman medal to Wienburg, the Hillel Awasker bowling award to Brett for his 3/12 and the Richard Abelson Man of the Match is awarded to Robby Krombein for his 2/7, 20 runs and brilliant fielding.

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