No surprises in Cup as Lod teams advance

Lions Lod, with the league title secured, began their chase for the double with a thumping win by 199 runs over Lions Be'er Sheva as the first round of ICA Cup action got underway over the weekend. Lod were also too strong for their lower division opponents Kiryat Gat, winning by 77 runs.

Lions Be'er Sheva have enjoyed an excellent season, winning Division 3 in style. However the huge gulf between Division 3 and Lions Lod was graphically exposed as Lions Lod amassed 342 for 6 in their 35 overs, and then restricted their hosts to 143. Yefet Nagavkar and Shalom Rubin both found the Be'er Sheva bowling to their liking, adding 192 for the wicket. Nagavkar was first to go for 93, Eshkol Solomon (1) fell cheaply, and Rubin was third man out, run out for 87 with the score on 266. But the carnage didn't stop there as Janeth D'Silva (50*) and Anim Solomon (29*) took the score well above the 300-mark.

Lions Be'er Sheva lost their first wicket without a run on the board and never recovered. David Massil (3 for 25) tore through the top order, and although eight batsman reached double figures, the highest partnership was just 33, and that was for the 9th wicket. To their credit they managed to bat out their allotted overs, finishing on 143 for 9.

Lod Cricket Club had little trouble advancing over their first hurdle, putting in a steady team performance to sweep aside Kiryat Gat. Opening batsman Shamir Borgarkar top scored with 43 for Lod and Abraham Penkar added 27 in the middle order, but it was Mr. Extras who really gave the Lod innings a boost, totaling 59 and taking the Lod total to 193.

Kiryat Gat were never really in the game, bowled out for 116. Joel Varsulkar (3 for 32) and Avner Waskar (3 for 11) did most of the damage, with Siyon Sankar and Jacob Levy picking up 2 wickets a piece.