Be'er Sheva A win the derby

Lions Be'er Sheva, who swept all before them to win Division 3 last season, came unstuck in their first game in Division 2, losing to city rivals Be'er Sheva A by 4 wickets. Neve Yonatan were far too strong for a weakened Diamonds team, and Dimona C comfortably defeated Lod in the other first round fixtures in Division 2.

Winning the toss and batting first, Lions Be'er Sheva made an excellent start to their innings with top order batsman Saroja Sakin (55) and Samson Ashtamkar (56) posting half centuries in a total of 191 for 5 in their 40 overs. Although the highest score by a Be'er Sheva A batsman was just 30, scored by opener Naor Gudker, there were contributions all round as Be'er Sheva A reached their target with 4 overs and 4 wickets to spare.

A poor batting performance by Diamonds left them no chance against Neve Yonatan. Benzie Kehimkar (3 for 6) was the best of the bowlers as Diamonds collapsed to 65 all out. Neve Yonatan captain Aby Daniels (30*) led his team to the easiest of victories, needing just 11 overs to record an 8 wicket win.

The match between Lod and Dimona C was another low scoring encounter, as Lod were dismissed for just 101. Although Ravi Khanna (3 for 28) picked up a few late wickets for Lod, Dimona C wrapped up the win with 4 wickets in hand.