Champions yet again!

U17 skipper Gal Matz on his way to an undefeated 57 in the final © Israel Cricket

Israel added the European U17 2nd Division title to the U13 and U15 championships they already hold, finishing the tournament hosted last week in Italy undefeated.

Israel originally began participating in European junior tournaments in 2001. Teams have since played in 19 games, of which 18 have been won, which is an extraordinary record by all accounts. Of all the 18 victories, few were tougher, nor sweeter than the victory over Gibraltar in the final of the U17 tournament on Thursday.

Certain cricket matches live long in the memory. The Israel - Gibraltar final was one of those games. Each player or supporter remembers those magical moments which cannot be forgotten. The Israel - Gibraltar final had plenty of those moments. The match had everything. Plenty of runs, lots of wickets, catches taken and chances spilled, brilliant run outs and many fielding errors. There was tension, atmosphere, excitement and pressure, all multiplied several times over as the threat of rain had coaches and managers putting their cell phone calculators to good use working out run rate permutations.

The final was preceded by the playing of the respective national anthems. First, G-d Save the Queen, which gave the picturesque Pianoro ground an atmosphere of Twickenham for a few fleeting moments, and then Hatikva, sung in full voice, with pride and emotion by the Israel team. Some even came close to tears.

The game started perfectly well for Israel. Gal Matz won his first toss of the week, and had no hesitation in deciding to bat, a strategy which had worked successfully for Israel all week. Israel raced to 35 for 0 in 5 overs, thanks in part to the Gibraltar bowlers who struggled to bowl a straight line (they were to eventually concede 85 runs in extras). The wickets of Raz Ben Zaken (9) and Michael Muchie (3), only brought Israel's premier batsmen together. Matz and vice captain Danny Hotz added 96 in just 15 overs, running hard between the wickets and making sure to punish the bad ball. Hotz (33) fell with the score on 157, but Matz continued to press on, finishing not out on 57.Oren Chincholkar (9*) played his part in taking the total to 195 for 4 after the allocated 35 overs.

Not many people at the ground, probably including the Gibraltar players, would have believed that any result other than an Israeli win would have been possible at the innings break. After all, Gibraltar had failed to chase a far lower score against Italy a day earlier, and Israel had yet to concede more than 100 runs in any of their previous games. However things went pear shaped for Israel in the very first over. Yaniv Razpurker, either feeling the pressure or unable to control the ball in the overcast conditions, bowled six wides. He was fortunate that a wide ball counted for 2 runs and need not be re-bowled. The plan to open with a spinner at the other end didn't work either. Gibraltar's opening batsmen took an immediate liking to the slow pace and hit a succession of boundaries, taking the score to 27 in just 4 overs. Israel struck back with a good run out from a Chincholkar throw from the square leg boundary, but the second wicket pair of John Hazell and Karan Aswani continued the good start. The pair batted excellently, and some Israel players were finding the pressure too hot to handle, with mistakes being made all too frequently. However with his score on 42 (made off just 32 balls), and then total on 86, Hazell hit Ronen Waskar straight to the mid wicket fence where Razpurker held on to the catch. Aswani continued to bat well, using his feet impressively against the spinners and showing superb placement, while Israel kept themselves in the game with two further wickets through Razpurker and Solomon Varsulkar. The left arm spinner then struck the decisive blow, getting Aswani (52) caught at point by Muchie to leave Gibraltar 144 for 5 in the 26th over. Although the game was far from over and the rain clouds were still hovering, Israel by now had the upper hand. Kabu Mirpuri (19) and Sabastian Suarez (7) ran frantically to take the score to 167, before Adiel Changawker, Israel's outstanding bowler of the tournament, returned into the attack to bowl a magnificent 31st over which yielded just 2 runs and claimed 2 wickets. Gibraltar's final batsmen had no chance against the fired up Israeli fielders, and having been 167 for 5, crashed to 171 all out, a sensational finish to a sensational match. Chandgawker (3 for 15 in 6 overs) was the hero, but Matz (2 for 18) and Varsulkar (2 for 26) both claimed valuable wickets at vital moments.

More than the skills of the batsmen, the discipline of the bowlers, or the agility of the fielders, the victory highlighted the fighting spirit and motivation to succeed that has characterized this group of players over the four years during which they have played together in Europe. There is little doubt that the future of Israel cricket is bright.