The 2D problem of excitation of a circular metamaterial cylinder by a filament source is numeri cally investigated. It is found that, when the relative permittivity and permeability are close to minus unity, high Q resonances occur in cylinders of an electrically small diameter. Near and far field patterns are cal culated. It is discovered that, under resonance conditions, a multilobe scattering pattern typical of superdi rective antennas is formed. The influence of loss on the resonance characteristics is investigated.