Thomas in top form for Tel Aviv; Gupta reaches three figures for a third time

Paul Thomas took 5 for 11, and then made 33, as Tel Aviv opened up a eight point gap at the top of Division 2 with a comfortable 4-wicket win over Lod. In Division 3, Sanjay Gupta struck his third century of the season, easing Dimona A to an easy 8-wicket win over Kiryat Gat with a score of 125*. The Diamonds also continued their winning streak, scoring a crucial 8-wicket win over Lions Be'er Sheva.

Winning the toss and electing to bat at Hadar Yosef on Friday, Lod saw their innings undone by a wonderful spell of bowling by Tel Aviv swing bowler Paul Thomas. Bowling an eight over spell, Thomas conceded just 11 runs and took 5 wickets. D'Silva scored 53 for Lod, and Shamir Borgarkar contributed 21 not out, but no other batsman reached double figures as Lod were dismissed for 132.

Tel Aviv lost Steve Leigh (6) early, but Thomas and Frank Auger essentially secured the game with a good 2nd wicket stand, before Thomas was out to Akiva Mashilkar for 33. Auger (46) continued to play steadily, whilst Stanley Perlman (22) was in typically aggressive mood as Tel Aviv marched towards victory. Although Avner Waskar (3 for 29) picked up late wickets, the result was never in doubt.

Sanjay Gupta celebrated his selection to the Israel national team in the way he knows best; by taking wickets and scoring runs in Dimona on Saturday. Avshalom Sankar (34) and Avi Dighorkar (24) gave the visitors a good start, with Yaakov Maygawker (41) playing well in the middle order to take Kiryat Gat to 193 all out. Gupta was the pick of the hosts bowlers, returning figures of 3 for 39.

Trading ball for bat, Gupta strode in at number three for Dimona A and batted like a man in a rush to return to his home in Eilat. He scored 125 not out, out of a total of 197, as Dimona A reached their target in just 21 overs.

Harsh Joutani starred for Diamonds, as they easily overcame the challenge from Lions Be'er Sheva in Ashdod on Saturday. He ran through the Lions' tail, grabbing 4 for 22 as Lions Be'er Sheva were dismissed for just 128. Shmuel Jawlekar top scored with 19. The Diamond bowlers were once again guilty of conceding too many extras, this week contributing 56 to their visitors score. Dinesh (46) and Joutani (33) had no fuss in chasing the score, as the Diamonds won by 8-wickets.