Israel national cricket team

Israel national cricket team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Israel

ICC membership granted 1974
ICC member status Associate member
ICC development region Europe
Captain Not known
World Cricket League division n/a
European Cricket Championship division Three
First recorded match 22 May 1979 v USA at Solihull, England
World ranking not ranked
Regional non-test ranking 12th
ICC Trophy
Appearances 7 (First in 1979)
Best result Plate competition, 1990 and 1994
As of 27 October 2007

The Israel national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Israel in international cricket matches. Despite being geographically part of the Middle East, they are members of the European Cricket Council.[1]

They regularly take part in the European Championship, and are currently ranked as the 12th best non-test team in Europe by the International Cricket Council,[2] having been an associate member of that organisation since 1974.[3]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
o 1.1 Beginnings
o 1.2 ICC Membership
o 1.3 21st Century
o 1.4 Tournament History
+ 1.4.1 ICC Trophy
+ 1.4.2 European Championship
* 2 References

History

Beginnings

As is most often the case, cricket was introduced to Israel by the British. Local enthusiasts managed to keep the game going once the British had left in 1948, but the game was struggling until the mid 1960s, when an influx of Jewish immigrants from cricket playing countries revived the game, mainly South Africa, United Kingdom, and the sub-continent.

The first national league was formed in 1966, which lead the formation of the Israel Cricket Association (ICA) in 1968. The league prospered despite conditions ill-suited to cricket. Games were played on dusty, grass-less football fields, on matting wickets. However, the enthusiasm of the players has overcome these drawbacks.

ICC Membership

Israel became an associate member of the ICC in 1974. Israel competed in the first ICC Trophy in 1979, failing to get past the first round.[5] They also failed to progress beyond the first round in the 1982 tournament and 1986 tournament

They reached the plate competition of the ICC Trophy in 1990 and 1994 and in 1996 competed in the first European Championship in Denmark, finishing eighth in the eight team tournament. The 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia gave them a brief, though unwanted, moment in the spotlight. Malaysia does not recognise the state of Israel, and they faced political demonstrations throughout the tournament from the Islamic Party of Malaysia. They were the first Israeli sports team to play in the country and finished in 21st place.

In 1998, they finished ninth in the European Championship ahead of only Gibraltar and the following year travelled to Gibraltar to take part in a quadrangular tournament also involving France and Italy, losing to France in the third place play-off.

21st Century

Israel have been playing in Division Two of the European Championships since 2000, finishing fifth in 2000, fourth in 2002 and sixth in 2004. In the 2006 tournament, the Israeli team were again met with protests, due to the then ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Their first match, against Jersey was cancelled and their remaining two group games were met by protests. Their play-off games were then moved to RAF Lossiemouth to be played under armed guard. The second of these games, against Greece was forfeited by the Greeks, who had travel problems. Israel thus finished in seventh place.

In November 2007, Israel were defeated in a relegation match against Croatia, in the first international cricket game played in Israel. The loss meant that they were relegated from the 2nd European division, to the 3rd. Their next competition will be in 2009.

Tournament History

ICC Trophy

* 1979: First round
* 1982: First round
* 1986: First round
* 1990: Plate competition
* 1994: Plate competition
* 1997: 21st place
* 2001: First round
* 2005: Did not qualify European Championship

* 1996: 8th place
* 1998: 9th place
* 2000: 5th place (Division Two)
* 2002: 4th place (Division Two)
* 2004: 6th place (Division Two)
* 2006: 7th place (Division Two)

References

1. ^ European Cricket Nations
2. ^ ICC's one-day rankings
3. ^ a b Israel at CricketArchive
4. ^ a b c d History of Israeli cricket
5. ^ a b 1979 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
6. ^ a b 1982 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
7. ^ a b 1986 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
8. ^ a b 1990 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
9. ^ a b 1994 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
10. ^ a b 1996 European Championship at CricketEurope
11. ^ a b 1997 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
12. ^ a b 1998 European Championship at CricketEurope
13. ^ Scorecard of France v Israel, 25 September 1999 at Cricinfo
14. ^ a b 2000 European Championship at CricketEurope
15. ^ a b 2002 European Championship Official Site results page
16. ^ a b 2004 European Championship second division results, European Cricket Council website
17. ^ Conflict affects sport and arts, BBC
18. ^ Protests at Israeli cricket game, BBC
19. ^ Israeli cricket match cancelled, BBC
20. ^ a b 2006 European Championship Division Two at CricketEurope
21. ^ Israel relegated to European Division 3 after narrow loss to Croatia by Israel Cricket Association, 23 September 2007
22. ^ 2001 ICC trophy at Cricinfo
23. ^ 2005 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo

Israel Norwary ; Pakistan-India Proxy War

http://awesternheart.blogspot.com/2004/12/howzat.html

This summer, the only game of the European Cricket Council championships that was jam-packed with spectators was held in Mechelen, between Norway and Israel. Neither of the teams is exactly a cricketing powerhouse, even in the ECC; so why the interest? It seems the Israeli cricketers were all of Indian origin, while the Norwegians were all of Pakistani origin.

So there was great interest, particularly in Israel, which has a 70,000-strong community of Jews from India. Local papers called it another India-Pakistan "proxy war". The result, however, was a bit lop-sided: Norway won by 149 runs.

The loss didn’t diminish Israeli enthusiasm for cricket: in fact, the 16-team strong professional league is adding two more teams this year. And though there are some Israelis of South African origin and British origin playing in the league, it is dominated by Indian Jews - the Lion’s Lod team, which won the Premier League championship this year, is wholly of Indian origin. As is the number two team, Ashdod (the port city in central Israel). As is the number three team, from Tel Aviv.

Take for instance Haskel Dilkolkar: today his team, from Kiryatgat, is spending today playing a limited overs match against Dimona. This city, which has a sizable population of Indian origin, is bang in the middle of the Negev desert which dominates the wedge of Israel between southern Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai peninsula and so the matches take place on pitches which are literally nothing more than sand and rocks. But when has that ever deterred an Indian? "

Sometimes we’re very serious about it, but sometimes we make it into a picnic outing," says Haskel in Marathi-ised Hindi (his grandparents came to Israel from Thane). Since the Israeli’s Saturday is like other people's Sundays, "it becomes a time for the family to enjoy". No wonder the Norwegian Pakistanis beat our Israelis.

But if it weren’t for the Marathi Jews like Haskel, Israeli cricket would be non-existent. About 30,000 Jews of Indian origin are from Maharashtra, known as the Bene Israel; the next big chunk are the Cochin Jews; then there are the Baghdadi Jews, who apparently migrated to Calcutta from Iraq about 500 years ago - the hotelier Sassoon family are its prominent members; and there are the "lost tribes" from our Northeast, the Bene Menashe from Manipur and the Shevet Menashe from Mizoram.

The Bene Israel is concentrated in the port city of Ashdod, which has two teams in the big leagues. And those who can’t actually join the team, like dock-worker Shalom Astukar, catch their cricket matches on digital cable. Ashtukar can’t play because he injured his left eye in the Yom Kippur war of 1973; he was 16, and just seven years after migrating to Israel from Byculla, he was operating a tank in the Sinai when he was caught in an explosion. No prizes for guessing who his, or any Bene Israel Jew’s favourite player is: "Sachin Tendulkar!"

As Haskel points out, though Tendulkar is the king, the Indian Jews prefer to watch the Australians on TV. "We love their team," he says. "We watched all the matches from their tour to India."

And if the grown-up players seem a bit, well, happy-go lucky, the real story is, their kids: the junior leagues are where all the Israeli cricket action is. Again they are mostly of Indian origin, with a smattering of South Africans. And they have won championships: the under-15s won a European medal in 2001, and the under-13s won the championships in 2002.

So there is hope that the Israel cricket team will play India one day in the future. At the moment, the Israel cricket association is an associate member of the ICC, and the ICA chairman, Stanley Perlman, is an executive member of the ICC. If they continue to groom their youngsters seriously,then who knows…

Cricket in Israel

Cricket in Israel

Israel is known as a land of miracles, and the survival of cricket in the Holy Land must surely rate as one of those miracles. The odds have always been heavily stacked against the game, yet cricket has endured and even flourished despite lacking adequate playing surfaces, equipment and financial backing.

Naturally enough cricket was introduced to the Middle East by the British. During the pre-state Mandate era, there were pitches in Jerusalem, Haifa and the Tel-Hashomer army camp, where British and Australian military personnel and members of the Anglo Saxon Mandatory civil service regularly partook of the game's subtle pleasures.

After the British left in 1948, their local successors somehow managed to keep the game going in the fledgling State, though little is documented. The first All Israeli match took place in 1956 in Tel-Hashomer, between teams representing Tel Aviv and the Negev desert town Be'er Sheva. This game is notable chiefly for the fact that the Be'er Sheva side comprised Ben Abrahams and his seven sons, plus three others. Bombay born Abrahams was to become the doyen of the local game, playing and umpiring up to his death in 1974 at the age of 71. The Ben Abrahams Memorial Cup remains an important fixture in the local cricket calendar.

In 1958, an unofficial tripartite cricket tournament between players representing England, South Africa and Israel was held at the old Haifa Oil Refineries ground in the framework of the Maccabi Games. Local cricket struggled through the ensuing years, despite economic austerity and the draining influence of compulsory military service. By the mid sixties the game was in danger of disappearing altogether, but an influx of cricket playing Jewish immigrants from countries such as Britain, South Africa, Australia, India and Pakistan revived it's fortunes. Clubs sprung up wherever the immigrants settled and in 1966 the first national league was established, with ten clubs from as far apart as the Galilee, Haifa, Be'er Sheva and Ashdod. This league eventually led to the foundation of the Israel Cricket Association (ICA) in 1968.

Inspired by it's first President, Maxie Kahan, the new league prospered despite near impossible conditions. Cricket grounds as such were non-existent, and most matches were played on dusty, grass-less football fields using matting wickets. However the enthusiasm of Israel's cricket playing fraternity, coupled with determination and tenacity, has helped to overcome these drawbacks.

Contacts with overseas clubs have proved vital to the game's progress. The first touring side to Israel was the Bournemouth Cricket Club in 1968, led by the late test player Ken Barrington. Mowbray CC toured Israel the following year. A South African Maccabi Representative XI played in Israel in 1971, and Harrow CC toured in 1972. The 1972 Maccabi Games featured the first international cricket tournament to be held in Israel, with strong teams coming from Australia, South Africa (captained by Dennis Gamsy) and the USA. Cricket is now a regular feature in the quadrennial Games.

With its’ tremendous tourist appeal, the country has proved an enticing cricket tour prospect. Return visits followed by Bournemouth CC in 1975, and Harrow CC (including the great Basil d'Olivera) in 1976. The Harrow Cricket Club has now toured Israel a total of five times, accompanied on it's past two visits by test Umpire Don Oslear, who helped establish the Israel Cricket Umpires' Association which is aimed at improving this aspect of the local game. In 1995, Ian Robinson of Zimbabwe and the National Grid panel visited us for ten days.

The Israeli national team meanwhile also spread it's wings, with tours of England and Ireland in 1970 and 1974. Israel participated in the 1975 Datsun Wicket Competition in Johannesburg, alongside the Australian Chappel brothers, Tony Greig of England, Glen Turner of New Zealand, and Barlow and Pollock of South Africa.

On July 23rd, 1974, Israel was accepted as an Associate Member of the International Cricket Conference, now known as the International Cricket Council, with Pakistan the only cricket nation voting against our membership.

Israel cricket came of age in May 1979, when Israel was one of the 15 participants in the inaugural ICC Associate Members' trophy held in Birmingham as a prelude to the Prudential World Cup. The tour was an unqualified success in every sense. While competition results were not special, performances against strong opposition were most credible and several friendly matches against Midland club sides, on village greens or industrial town club grounds, reflected how much Israeli cricket was improving. Since then, Israel has participated in all of the seven ICC Trophy tournaments.

The most auspicious year for Israeli cricket so far was undoubtedly 1990. During the ICC Trophy in Holland, Israel recorded it's first ever win, defeating Argentina by one wicket in an exiting finish, and went one better beating Singapore in Kenya in 1994 by two wickets. On both occasions the team was captained by Stanley Perlman.

In March 1997, Israel participated in the ICC trophy in Malaysia, the first ever visit of any Israeli sports side to this country, which has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish State. Throughout the tournament the Israeli team was the target of violent political demonstrations by PAS Moslem fundamentalist movement.

The 15th Maccabi Games were a great success for the Israel team. Under the guidance of the then permanent professional coach, Dutchman Roland Lefebvre, a determined and disciplined team won the bronze medal for the first time since 1981.

In 1996, Israel, along with Denmark, Gibraltar, Holland, Ireland, Italy and Scotland, founded the European Cricket Council in Copenhagen at the inaugural ECC Championships. The Israel national team has participated in all four championships held thus far (Denmark 1996, Holland 1998, Scotland 2000 and Ireland 2002), recording six victories to date.

In September 2000 the ICA officially launched a youth development programme, with ICC CEO David Richards visiting Israel to mark the occasion. Since its' inception, the programme has had tremendous success. Junior teams have participated in three European tournaments to date, winning two gold medals (U13's in Italy, 2002 and U15's in France, 2003) and one silver medal (U15's in Germany, 2001). Israel boasts a record of having won 14 out of 15 matches played in European junior competitions. Apart from providing a new impetus to the local game by developing a new generation of Israel cricketers, the benefits of the programme has also been felt beyond the field of play. Children with particularly difficult social and economic hardships have been specifically included, giving them an opportunity to play a sport when most others are beyond their financial reach. Cricket has been successfully used as a tool for social upliftment. This was acknowledged by the International Cricket Council in March 2003 when Israel was chosen as the Global Award Winner in the inaugural ICC / Flicx Community Development Award.