Defending premiers remain in finals race
Although they had a five-wicket away loss to second-placed Carnegie last Sunday, they are still in fourth spot on the 10-team ladder, with nine wins, four draws, and six losses.
THE Maccabi-AJAX First XI created history last year when they won the club’s first men’s Sunday A grade Mercantile Cricket Association championship since 1983, enabling veteran spinner Mark Soffer to retire on the highest of notes.
That triumph came one year after the team lost a grand final by just one wicket.
Now with a squad that retains experienced players like Benji and Josh Jones and Simon Fisher, but also has an influx of talented younger players like Gilad Lowinger, Ari Fell and Amir Meyerowitz who have earned their place in the starting side, the Maccabi-AJAX Firsts have positioned themselves well once again for a real crack at finals cricket.
Although they had a five-wicket away loss to second-placed Carnegie last Sunday, they are still in fourth spot on the 10-team ladder, with nine wins, four draws, and six losses.
Only two regular season rounds remain, so the stakes will rise in their next match this Sunday at Gary Smorgon Oval, when they take on the fifth-placed Melbourne Cobras, who are also on 44 competition points, but have a lower net run rate.
Despite their loss last Sunday, there were some good performers for the Maccabi men, with Benji Jones (52 runs), Lowinger (41) Mendi Rosenbaum (22) and Josh Rotstein (17 not out) batting well, while the pick of their bowlers were Josh Jones (2/28), Benji Jones (2/48), and Amir Meyerowitz (0/8 with two maidens in his seven overs).
In other grades, the club’s Seconds had an important 61-run win in B south-east grade over fourth-placed Power House, moving them up to within one win behind them on the table.
Lior Meyerowitz (46 runs) and Ethan Sellyn (41) helped steer them to a total of 175, before they bowled their opponents out for just 114, with bowler Nadav Lowinger starring with figures of 4/10.
In C grade, Maccabi-AJAX remain on the bottom of the ladder after a five-wicket loss to Thornbury, and in C south grade, also against Thornbury, Maccabi lost by four wickets, but remain in fourth spot.
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