Eilat kick-start 2012 season with narrow win over Tel Aviv

Eilat won the opening game of the 2012 season, defeating Tel Aviv in a fixture which has become almost the traditional season opener. Tel Aviv took the short flight down to the Red Sea resort city on Sunday and although were as usual warmly welcomed by the hosts, and the two teams enjoyed a very close game, which Eilat edged by 13 runs, dismissing Tel Aviv for 239 having earlier posted 252.

The 2012 season features one additional team, a further Sri Lankan team who will participate in Division 2, bringing the total of league teams to 19. Young Ashdod will look to defend their Dudi Silbowitz trophy in the eight-team Division 1 League, whilst the 11 teams in Division 2 are divided into two groups of six and five respectively. After a couple of seasons of experimenting with a unique 'one-day test match' format which allowed for declarations and draws, the league this year reverts back to the straightforward 40 over per innings winner-takes-all format. Matches are scheduled to run through to November, with a Twenty20 tournament taking place in July and August as well.