League title challengers Manchester Maccabi went top of the Northern Jewish Cricket league as they continued their impressive season in a game that somehow escaped most of the poor weekend weather.

A depleted Leeds team featuring 2 ex-Maccabi players won the toss and surprisingly chose to bat on a damp slow wicket which produced variable bounce. After a steady start, Sullivan made a schoolboy error as he found Jake Woolfstein from a wide Josh Davies delivery to give the latter his first ever wicket in the senior league. Simon Williams proved to be the mainstay of the innings with an impressive 42 before he was beaten in the flight by maccabi skipper ray tammam's off-spin and the same fate ended the innings of opposing skipper Goldsborough for only 4.

Mark Smaje hit a brisk 19 before Davies had him caught by Marc Williams who joined Davies and Dan franks in bowling economical spells. Friedman looked dangerous before he was caught going for a big boundary by a spectacular one-handed take from Tammam as Leeds ended their innings from Franks' 2 wickets in 2 balls giving a total of 96 all out in the 28th over.

Maccabi started briskly as they knew that a minimum of 16 overs had to be bowled for a result to stand if the expected rain came, but Goldsborough and Goldberg caused regular problems with the home team's batsmen all getting in but failing to reach double figures. As the bowlers grabbed 3 wickets each, Maccabi looked vulnerable but Simon Jeffries and young all-rounder Marc Williams started to take Maccabi nearer to their target as the weather looked ominous. WIlliams in particular then attacked Friedman's bowling spraying boundaries around the field to end unbeaten on 27 but it was opener Jeffries who carried his bat and hit a six off the final ball of the 16th over as the rain started to fall to end unbeaten on 34 as Maccabi won by 4 wickets.

The teams meet again next week in the 20-20 cup in Leeds and will be hoping for a bit more sunshine.