The penultimate round of play-off games to decide the champions of the 2001 Israel Cricket Association League will be played this weekend. Ashdod 'A' entertain Be'er Sheva with Tel Aviv playing Lions Lod on November 3.

The structure of this years competition saw the top four teams after the league stage - Lions Lod, Tel Aviv, Ashdod and Be'er Sheva - qualify for the Championship Play-offs, with the bottom four teams - Netanya, Ramle, Young Ashdod and Yeruham - participating in the Plate Play-offs. The team finishing bottom of the plate section, which on present form will be Yeruham, will be relegated to Division two next season, with Neve Yonatan, who have won Division Two, returning to the top flight after a one year absence.

Last week saw a nail biting finish, as Tel Aviv pulled off a sensational 6-run win over Ashdod 'A'. Playing on the Stadium ground at Hadar Yosef, Tel Aviv, winning the toss, elected to bat first. Opening batsman Steve Leigh contributed a scintilating 76, almost half his teams score of 155, compiled in 38 overs. No other batsman got among the runs, mainly due to some dubious umpiring decisions. Leigh's innings was truly masterful - driving and pulling with tremendous authority.

The Ashdod reply was soon in dissary, as part-time slow bolwer, Avner Greenberg, mesmorised the Ashdod top order, who crumbled to 20/5. The game was marred by a shocking display of sportsmanship as the Ashdod opening batsman, A. Sharon refused to leave the crease having been adjudged leg before wicket by umpire Ya'akov Levy. Sharon had to be convinced to leave the field.

Although the game seemed all but over as Ashdod were reeling at 60/8, they did manage to claw their way back, led by an impressive innings of 52* by tailender K. Raja. Needing 6 runs to win the Tel Aviv captain, Herschel Gutman, recalled Greenberg to the attack. He promptly bowled the Ashdod number 11 batsman with his first ball.

Leigh, who followed his 76 with a wicket and a catch in the Ashdod innings, was undoubtedly man of the match.

Tel Aviv, who won the league in both 1981 and 1991 are well set to complete a hattrick of decade wins. They are the only team to have won both their play-off games thus far. With Lod having been defeated by Ashdod, the Tel Aviv - Lod fixture will essentially be the championship decider - a Tel Aviv win and they become champions; victory for Lod means the calculators will have to be used to work out run rates.

© Israel Cricket Association