Premiers start Mercantile cricket season with win
MEN’S CRICKET
Rain put a dampener on the previous Sunday, cancelling round one of the new Mercantile Cricket Association men’s season, but the sun shone in the second round on October 9, and it also shone on Sunday A Grade defending champions Maccabi-AJAX’s campaign.
The Maccabi-AJAX First XI got off to a great start at Gary Smorgon Oval, prevailing by 3 runs in a thrilling T20 win over Monash University, which went down to the last delivery.
Batting first, the Maccabi men reached 7/108 off their 20 overs, led by a not-out knock of 35 runs off 40 balls by Benji Jones, who was later named Man of the Match.
Eytan Epstein contributed a handy 19 runs off 19 balls before he was run out, captain Zac Fleisher chipped in with 18 runs off 19 balls, and Josh Jones finished 12 not out.
In the chase, Monash Uni needed 18 off the last 18 balls and were five wickets down, when Benji Jones bowled a cracking over that conceded just two runs, piling on the pressure.
Losing another two wickets through run outs, and needing 10 runs off their last two balls, Monash Uni kept themselves in the hunt when Anand Mavani smashed a Bailey Melzak delivery for a monster six on the second last ball.
But Melzak responded with accuracy, conceding just a single on the last delivery, to ensure a three-run win for his team.
Pick of the bowlers for Maccabi was Gilad Lowinger, whose figures were 1/12 off three overs.
In Sunday B Southeast grade, Maccabi-AJAX lost a low-scoring T20 match against Power House on a damp field by 19 runs, replying to their opponent’s total 9/84 by being bowled out for 65 in the 19th over.
Two wickets apiece were taken by Maccabi bowlers Gilad Meyerowitz, Eli Barr, Simon Fisher and Noah Goldberg, but in their chase, only Ari Fell (17) and Zak Pollack (14) reached double figures.
Matches in grades C and C South were abandoned due to wet pitches.
JUNIOR CRICKET
Meanwhile, the season also got under way last Sunday morning for Maccabi-AJAX Junior Cricket Club’s boys’ and girls’ teams.
There were many good performances, but arguably the pick of them was by U13B boys’ bowler Toby Ritterman, who took 5 wickets for 8 runs in a brilliant spell.
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