The Men’s Japan Under 19 team ended an incredible year with a 107-run loss to the UAE in Asia Cup being hosted in Dubai. 

The win for UAE was enough to secure their place in the semi-finals of the event, while Japan is left to reflect on a year of high achievement that has torn up the record books.

Three players featured in all 14 matches, an appearance record for the Under 19 team, while captain Koji Hardrave-Abe with 423 runs, and Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake with 27 wickets, are both national records. 

The other player to feature in all games, Kazuma Kato-Stafford, has also been rewarded with a call up to the senior men’s team for the Asian Games earlier this year, and plenty of the players involved will be aspiring to higher honours. 

The team also won nine matches, including eight in a row, and have displayed significant growth as players across the season.

Competing at the Asia Cup represented a significant step up in the quality of opposition, but the improvement was evident as Japan took seven UAE wickets after the hosts chose to bat first and set a target of 321. Charlie Hinze was the standout bowler with two for 42 from his ten overs, while all five bowlers picked up at least one wicket.

The biggest step forward was with the bat, as Japan comfortably batted the 50 overs for the first time in Dubai, making 213 for four. Hardgrave-Abe top scored with 69 not out, while Hinze (40) and Yamamoto-Lake (31 not out) both made career best scores.

Coach Ardene Ruhode has watched all the matches and is delighted with the improvement made by his players: “We’ve seen the standard we have to reach, and we know we are not there yet, but these boys can definitely play and have shown a lot of people the talent Japan has. It’s exciting to see what they can do as they keep learning and improving.”

Regarding the game itself he said: “Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only made 220-230 against these bowlers, so we know we can hold our own with the bat. If we can take our chances in the field and keep developing our skills, we can be a match for some of these teams.”

The Under 19s will have another shot at the Asia Cup in late 2024, before participating in the East Asia Pacific Division One tournament in early 2025, with a place at the 2026 Under 19 World Cup on offer for the winners. 

All at the JCA would like to congratulate the team for their efforts and thank all the fans for their ongoing support in such a busy year.

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