ByAnonymous, Anonymous
Pearl Dental and KAT Israemploy were involved in a thrilling night cricket match last week, which Pearl won, by two runs.
Batting first the KAT team scored a very competitive total of 99 with debutant Eli Rosen hitting a well-played 19 and Daniel Lange a solid 17.
Pearl, who have won the championship for the past two seasons, will need to improve on their bowling effort if they are to challenge for the trophy for the third year running.
Captain, David Wiseman will be concerned about his team leaking runs after conceding 35 runs in extras. Danny Brill with two wickets for nine runs in two overs, was the most successful Pearl bowler.
Pearl started their run chase in commanding fashion with openers David Cohen and Shua Solomon amassing 47 runs in total, thanks largely to KAT conceding 30 runs in extras in the opening four overs. The score continued to tick over and with four overs remaining, Iain Levy and Danny Brill walked to the wicket with their team needing eight runs for victory.
Daniel Lange and Garth Kaufmann bowled well to restrict the pair to 11 runs and with one over remaining, all Pearl had to do was not lose a wicket off Eli Rosen's final over to ensure victory. The first three balls yielded three runs and the fourth a vital wicket for KAT which meant that the scores were level.
The game was decided off the final ball of the match where Brill was the hero for Pearl, scoring two runs and ensuring that his team moved up to fourth on the table, one above KAT.
Captain Wiseman said: "Full credit to the KAT team for making us work hard for the win. It is a testament to how far they have come in a short space of time."
In the week's other match, log leaders, Gold Insurance Bet Shemesh Lightning continued their unbeaten season with a convincing 42-run victory over Pommeranz Juice Good Old Boys who slipped to seventh on the table.
Gold's David Kovler got his side off to the perfect start, scoring 38 runs in a 40-run partnership with Ashley Coleman. Kovler's knock included three 6's and one 4.
Gold scored a competitive 95 and then backed up their excellent batting with a thoroughly professional fielding performance, in particular, Ilan Peretz and Ashley Coleman who threw themselves all over the Modi'in court.
Pommeranz's last pair of PJ Sahor and Benji Pushett would have fancied their chances to score the 37 runs for victory in the final four overs, but some inspired bowling by Gold captain Alan Wigman (two wickets for minus two runs) and Ilan Peretz, who picked up three wickets for minus five in his two overs had the final say as PJGOB finished 42 runs short of victory.
In what is turning out to be a very competitive and unpredictable season, the upcoming fixtures dish out a local derby with the Yagod Morris Cricket 'A' playing the Yagod Morris Cricket 'B' team in what promises to be a highly enjoyable affair. A win for YMCB will take them off the bottom of the table while a win for YMCA will secure their 3rd placed position.
Dialogz Dragons will want to overcome their recent loss to YMCA, but their work will be cut out for them when they play a double-header against second placed Super Lions Lod and Modi'in Young Lions.