The Quarter-Final round of the JCL T20 had players and viewers on the edge of their seats as many games came down to the wire. Eight teams were battling it out to try to reach the final four in nail-biting finishes.

The Falcons scraped their way past a hard-fighting Titans team to reach the semi-finals. The Titans were in trouble early, as they were down 56 for five after eight overs. Falcon’s bowler Dev Mistra took all the wickets up top ending with figures of three for 27. A fightback 44-run partnership between Rasika Chandimal (43) and Rahul Khedkar (22) saved what was going to be a low-scoring innings as the team scampered onto a total of 155 for nine. Was this going to be enough against the Falcon’s big-hitting lineup?

It was the Falcon’s middle and lower-order batsmen that got the job done in the chase. Losing three wickets in the powerplay for not many, Manish Kapil (33) and Sanket Pandhari (20) steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership. However, when the pair fell, there were still a lot of runs to be scored needing 66 off seven overs. It came down to Sameep Dawar (30*) and Abhi Telang (27*) with a 57-run match-winning partnership. Dawar and Telang hit the winning runs in the last over securing their team’s place in the semi-finals.

Paddy’s Foleys had a big upset win over the unbeaten Alpha Quashers in an impressive bowling performance. Khawaja Salman was the highlight of Paddy’s batting innings scoring a steady 40 up top to set the platform. Despite the start, the Quashers did a great job of limiting runs and taking consistent wickets not allowing any batting partnerships to form. Paddys managed to scrape their way to a total of 120 for nine which was going to be a difficult target to defend after the Quashers had scored 219 and 196 the previous two weeks.

It was a dream start for the Paddys taking 5 wickets within the first eight overs. Zohail Khan the main accomplice taking figures of three for 22. A near 50-run partnership between Nandhakumar Rangasamy (21) and Gurman Singh (24) dug the team out of a big hole but when both their wickets fell, it was down to two new batsmen to score 13 off the last over.  Bowler Waseem Javed delivered for his team not allowing more than a run a ball in his over thus leading to the Paddys winning by eight runs.

The Chiba Sharks won in a nailbiter against the Tigers in a low-scoring affair, On a slow grass wicket, the slower bowlers found success as they were able to limit the strong batting lineup of the Tigers. Ashley Thurgate dismissed both openers cheaply to open the floodgates of wickets taking figures of 2 for 23 off four. Only captain Sabaorish Ravichandran (27) was able to score over 20 as runs were hard to come by scoring 103 eight down.

The Sharks got off to an ideal start with Ibrahim Takahashi and Tduyoshi Takada putting on a 52-run opening stand. Sharks were cruising through the chase but all trouble came after the 11th over. The sharks made it difficult for themselves with a mini-collapse being 75 for two to being 90 for six putting them in a niggly situation needing 14 off the last two overs. It was up to Hamid Bacha and Mian Muneeb Siddique to keep their cool coming through and hitting the winning runs off the second to last ball, thus winning by four wickets and securing their spot in the semis.

The Rising Stars’ opening bowlers were lethal in their upset win over the Men in Blue. Opening bowler Naveen Negi was dangerous as he has been in every round getting Rising Stars’ top-order batsmen out cheaply. Rising Stars’ middle-order batsmen controlled the collapse with Ac Chowdury and Ubaidus Sobhan Sayeed scoring 27 and 26 respectively. Negi finished with figures of three wickets off a very economical 14 runs also contributing to a run-out. Batsmen Mohibul Hasan came in hitting at the end to help raise their team total to 135.

In what seemed to be around a par score, the opening bowling pair of Arman Bhuiyan and Abuhasnat Alam did everything to make the chase impossible. The destructive pair took three wickets each for a total of 23 runs off their eight overs to rise the Men in Blue’s required run rate. Ankit Panwar did everything for his team scoring a quickfire 41 but no one around him batted on to build any constructive partnership, ultimately falling short of the target losing by 24 runs.

In our last round of group matches, many games decided our teams’ outcomes on whether they would make the Quarter-Finals coming up this week. 

Group A

The Alpha Quashers obliterated a depleted Sano side to secure their place on top of Group A. Quashers’ Leo Joseph scored 47 not out, anchoring the Quasher’s side when he was put in early. This allowed batsmen such as Noor Mohammed Ibrahim to play freely, scoring 53 off just 22 balls. The innings was capped off by Inderjeet Singh,  he hit sixes on the last four balls to set up an impressive score of 196 after 20.

Sano’s chase never looked competitive as they lost too many wickets and were not scoring at the pace to chase the massive total. Credit to the Quashers’ bowling as all bowlers had economy rates under six. Bakkiyaraj Ramaya was the best of them with three wickets off 17 runs. Ultimately, Sano fell 107 runs short making this a very convincing win for the Quashers and a team to look out for in the knockout stages ahead.

The Chiba Sharks overcame the Rhinos in a comfortable win over the weekend. The Rhinos fought their way to 141 for nine in the first innings and It was a team effort with many contributors. The Shark’s bowlers didn’t allow any of the Rhino’s batsmen to kick on as they were able to take regular wickets. Ibrahim Takahashi took three for 33 off his four overs leading his team into the chase.

In reply, it was captain and opener Tsuyoshi Takada who controlled his team’s innings. Takada scored 57 not out along with Atiq Ahmed coming in with a quick 35 not out to comfortably chase down the total in under 16 overs. This big eight-wicket win for the Sharks means they will go through to the Quarter-Finals ahead of Sano on net run rate.

Group B

Unfortunately, all of Group B’s matches were called off due to inclement weather.

Group C

The Men in Blue’s bowling attack tore through the Kawasaki Knight Riders in their game over the weekend. The Knight Riders were all bowled out for 116 even though they had gotten off to a decent start. Raman Tanwar top scored with 33 however, the bottom half of the batting lineup provided no support as four of the bowlers took two wickets plus. Naveen Negi is the standout taking three for 27.

Men in Blue did not mess about in the chase as they reached the target in just over 13 overs. Losing a couple of early wickets, Ankit Panwar was in a hurry as he scored 59 off 35 balls to top score for his team in a six-wicket victory, securing the top spot of Group C heading into the Quarter-Finals. 

The Tokyo Titans had an impressive win over the Wyverns as they secured a spot in the Quarter-Finals. Mohit Saini was the star for the Titans, scoring a not-out 62 off just 27 balls. Scoring at over a 200 strike rate, Saini hit six sixes to set up a competitive total of 171 after their 20 overs.

In what was a depleted Wyverns side, they were not able to get anything going. Many batsmen made starts but regular wickets and the high required run rate was too much for the side as they fell short and lost by 51 runs. Opener Riaz Mohammed was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets for 18 off three overs.

Group D

The Tigers made easy work of an undermanned Serendib side beating them by nine wickets. Bowling first, the Tigers tore through Serenib’s batting lineup, bowling them out for 44. Manoj Bhardwaj took two for 16 as he was the highlight bowler.

In reply, despite losing an early wicket, the Tigers comfortably chased down the total in just over five overs. The nine-wicket win secures the top spot in Group D for the team heading into the knockout stages.

In our last game, we had a tight thriller between Tokyo Rangers and Paddy Foleys. This was a very important game as the winner would likely go through and take the second spot in the group. The Rangers put up a par score of 143 in the first innings. Aloysius Chathuranga Sampath top scored 38 on just over a run a ball. Zahid Ullah the pick of Paddy’s bowlers took a pair of wickets off 17 runs.

Prashant Kale set the tone for Paddy Foley’s chase, as he fell just short of a half-century scoring 48. With him, Zahid Ullah scored 39 in a great 63-run third-wicket partnership for the side. But when they fell, they were still needing 30 off four overs. Things got very shaky losing a few wickets making it come down to the last over. Fortunately for the team, the winning runs were hit on the second to last ball, making it a tight four-wicket victory and securing their spot in the Quarter-Finals.

Round two of the JCL T20 brought a full round of exciting matches as every result will become important in setting up for the Quarter-Finals.

Max vs Rising Stars’ game brought JCL T20’s first maiden century in a Group B matchup. Winning the toss and batting first, Max’s captain Supun Navarathna had a superb innings scoring 108 off only 51 balls hitting an astonishing 13 sixes. However, The Rising Stars were able to restrict all the other batsmen to set up a chaseable total of 166.

The Rising Stars’ chase was handled comfortably as Rakibul Hasan Shimul, Ubaidus Sobhan Sayeed and Mdruhul Kabir scored 39, 43 and 43 respectively as they were the main anchors of the batting innings. All striking at or over 100, they were able to chase down Max’s score with an over left winning by five wickets.

Group A

Sano CC and the Chiba Sharks battled out in a tight affair over the weekend. Winning the toss and batting first, Sano scraped their way to a total of 148 after 20 overs. Their innings had many contributors with captain Reo Sakurano-Thomas top scoring with 45 off 29 balls. Mian Munned Siddique was the pick of the bowlers for the sharks taking two wickets for 24 at six an over.

Defending a score which was probably under par, Sano did a good job of restricting boundaries. Chiba Sharks were in a tough position of being 75 for four with just over eight overs remaining but great partnership between Marcis Thurgate (38*) and Asala Wickrama Arachchige (25*)  brought them ever so close to chasing down the total falling 15 runs short. Captain Reo Sakurano-Thomas with tight economical bowling taking one wicket for 12 at just three an over.

The Alpha Quashers showed off their batting prowess against the Tokyo Rhinos. Batting first, the Quashers scored quickly as they were able to score 217 thanks to many batsmen coming in and hitting boundaries. Opening batter Rohit Kesari, got it all started scoring 59 off 36 and number six batsmen Nandhakumar Rangasamy came in at the end to score a quickfire 48* off 18.

In reply, the Rhinos got off to a great start with opener Rajan Karki scoring 67 along with Bikram Rana scoring a quifire 38. Unfortunately, this all turned when bowler Vishal Patel, took a five wicket bag including a hat trick off only 20 runs. This led to the Rhinos falling short scoring 145 for eight after their 20 overs as the Quashers total was too much, winning by 72 runs.

Group B

The Tokyo Falcons showed their batting dominance against the Tokyo Tornadoes chasing down their total with ease. Batting first, the Tornadoes opening batsmen Raseen Ahamed got the team off to a great start scoring 43 at just over a run a ball. Around Ahamed, other batsmen contributed but lost too many wickets at the end, this included a hat trick that was taken by Falcons bowler Shubham Mitthankhediwale. This resulted in a total of 146 which was going to be hard to defend against the Falcon’s powerful lineup.

And that had seemed to be the case as from the start, the Falcons started with a bang with opener Ankit Chawla on an unbeaten 54 not out. With him, usual suspect Safraz Petkar with a highlight innings of 56 striking over a 220 strike rate to easily chase down the total in under 16 overs and winning by eight wickets.

Group C

The Wyverns’ bowling was the key in their win over the Men In Blue. A couple of 30 run scorers in Ankit Panwar (33) and Akash Shastri (31) got the Men In Blue in any kind of respectable total as the bowling attack of the Wyverns shed through the team bowling them out in under 19 overs. Every bowler who bowled took a wicket and Kohei Kubota the best of the lot taking two wickets in under four an over. 

The Wyverns’ chase was a rollercoaster ride as they got off to a decent start that took a quick turn losing their number three and four batsmen for naught. Luckily for them, Takuya Ono was the saviour scoring 45 off 40. Ono was not able to stay in to finish off the chase, but he had done enough for the team to reach the total with over two overs to spare and winning by five wickets.

The Tokyo Titans overcame the Kawasaki Knight Riders in a very tight low scoring game. The Titans batting really struggled as constant wickets and nobody apart from Bhupendra Sharma (30*) kicked on and scored over 15. Credit to the Knight Riders bowling as Upesh Bhadoriya was the best of them taking three wickets off just 13 runs. The Titans battled their way to 111 for eight which was going to be hard to defend.

In the chase the Titans bowlers did an excellent job of bowling dot balls and restricting boundaries. In fact there were only eight boundaries hit the whole innings which made it tough for the Knight Riders. After their slow start, the Knight Riders made it come down to the last over thanks to Updesh Bhadoriya (30*) and Sourav Debnath (25). Needing 16 runs off the last over, Riaz Mohammed restricted the team to a nine run over, ultimately winning the game for his side by six runs.

Group D

JCL Division One’s top two teams; Tokyo Rangers and The Tigers had a last wicket thriller over the weekend. Batting first, the Rangers got off to a shaky start, but thanks to a 64 run third-wicket partnership between Md Shakib Hasan and Md Bahuddin Rubal, Rangers got back on track. Malith Neranjan had an explosive 25 off eight balls at the end of the Rangers’ innings to get the team to a total of 136.

Like the Rangers, the Tigers lost a couple early wickets in the chase. Gagan Suri, had a fightback innings scoring 45 to get the Tigers closer to the total but when he fell there was still a lot of work to be done. Sadeesha Perera, was the best of the Ranger’s bowlers taking four wickets for 28. Regular wickets meant that every run mattered as the Tigers were nine down with 13 runs needed and it was Jijo George who was the hero hitting the winning runs off the last over and claiming two wickets to take home MVP and the win for the Tigers.

Paddy Foleys were impressive in their win over Serenib in a Group D battle. Serenib’s batting got off to a slow start but a gutsy middle order batting innings from Kamal Madhu scoring 40 not out helped his team get them to a par score of 144. Zahid Ullah helped keep Serenib’s total down as he took two wickets off four overs at an economy rate of just four.

Chasing, Paddy Foleys got off to a blinder and never looked back as opener Khawaja Salman set the tone hitting seven sixes on the way to scoring 57. From there, Zahid Ullah had himself a game scoring a not out 39 to hit the winning runs and chase Serenib’s total easily securing a seven wicket win with five overs remaining.

The Inaugural matches of the JCL T20 kicked off this past weekend but unfortunately, only two games were played due to inclement weather.

The Tokyo Rangers kicked off the competition with a win over Serendib. Batting first, Rangers opening batsmen Aqazi Mehmood Sameer Khan, got the team off to a great start scoring 76, hitting 14 boundaries at a 200 strike rate. On 137 with five overs to go, a great sixth wicket partnership between Mohiuddin Rakib and Malith Neranjan brought the team to a very competitive total of 200.

In reply and needing 10 and over, The Rangers tight bowling was too much for Serenib. Zubair Khan the pick of the Rangers bowling taking two for 15 off his two overs. In the end, Serenib fell short after their 20 overs losing by 75 runs.

The Men in Blue had a tight win over Tokyo Titans over the weekend. Men in Blue opener Naveen Negi made 40 off 27 to get his team started. Around Negi, a few other batsmen made good contributions getting the team to 147 after their 20 overs. Some nice tight bowling from Mandeep Singh with figures of two for 19 off his four overs.

In the chase, the Titans made a great effort by always staying within winning distance but unfortunately, they allowed over 40 dot balls in their innings which did not help. Credit to the Men in Blue bowling with Vikash Ranjajn taking three for 24 and an all round performance for Naveen Negi, taking one wicket for under four an over. Men in Blue winning this one by a close 10 run margin.

Round nine of the JCL brought tight games in an action packed round as we are at the back end of the JCL round-robin stage. 

Sano Cricket Club have now had centurions in back-to-back games, as they beat the Rising Stars. Batting first in a 35 over reduced game, Sano‘s young star Kazumasa Hiratsuka led their team with a spectacular innings scoring his maiden century in the JCL of 118. When Hiratsuka’s wicket fell, Sano were in a great position of 179 for four, but the Rising Star’s pulled it back nicely, bowling the team out for 207. Opening pacer Arman Bhuiyan the best of the bowlers taking four for 38 off his seven overs.

In reply, the Rising stars made the chase interesting, fighting hard with a few good partnerships, but regular wickets and two amazing one-handed diving catches turned the game into Sano’s favour resulting in a 41-run win. Adding on to his batting innings, Hiratsuka added bowling figures of three for 20 to make it one of the best overall performances in this year’s JCL.

The Tokyo Falcons continue to win, this time against the Men In Blue in a tight thriller that came down to the last ball. Losing the toss and being put in to bat first, the Falcon’s Siddharth CB and Safraz Petkar had an incredible 169-run second wicket partnership to set the platform for the team. Continuing on his hot form, Petkar notched up his first century for the season, scoring an astonishing 126 from 83 balls. During the game, there was significant buzz in the stadium about platforms offering online Wetten ohne Oasis Sperre, sparking conversations among fans about new ways to engage with live sports. In spite of the amazing start, The Men In Blue responded by bowling the Falcons out for 241.

The Men In Blue’s chase did not look very competitive as they were down 81 for seven after 17 overs. But an incredible 142 run eighth-wicket partnership between Ankit Panwar and Akshay Hedge brought the team back within winning distance before Hedge fell for 69. Needing two runs to win off two balls, Panwar was stranded on the non-striker’s end on 92* and closing bowler Manish Kapil bowled a dot followed by a wicket on the last ball to win the game for the Falcons and bring them closer to the top four. 

The Chiba Sharks notched up a much needed win over the Tokyo Wombats in Fuji. Batting first, Sharks captain Dhugal Bedingfield put his team on his back scoring his second century of the year and his highest ever JCL score with 146. Hitting 22 boundaries and nearly batting all 40 overs with a healthy strike rate of 115, it put the Sharks in a very comfortable total of 268. 

In reply, the Wombats chase had Ken Dobson (68) and Muhammad Ali (40) to thank for any total as they were all bowled out for 183 in 32 overs. Wickets were shared around amongst the Sharks as six of the seven bowlers took at least one wicket.

The Wyverns overcame the Alpha Quashers in a tight battle in an important win with both teams currently fighting to get into the top four. With the Wyverns winning the toss and electing to bat, the innings did not go according to plan as they were all bowled out for 145 using all 40 overs. Credit to the Quashers economical bowling, with four bowlers taking a pair of wickets.

In the chase, the Quashers innings went very similar, many of the batsmen made starts but losing regular wickets made it difficult for the team. Wyverns’ Yusuke Wakuta the MVP of this game, took three for 13 off his eight overs at an economy rate of just 1.6, Wakuta led his team in a match turning performance, as the Wyverns bowled the Quashers out winning by a tight four-run margin.

The Tokyo Rangers continue their unbelieve unbeaten run knocking over Max 1st XI. Winning the toss and bowling first in a reduced 35 over affair, the Rangers’ bowling attack tore through Max, bowling them out and restricting them to 137. Four of the Rangers bowlers took at least two wickets to set up a nice easy chase.

With the way the Rangers’ batting has been going this season, the target of 137 looked easily accomplishable but made it a challenge by being three down early in just the seventh over. Dinesh Sandaruwan, the main accomplice taking four for 30 to make the game interesting. Luckily for the Rangers, number five batsmen Kasun Ganesh Chara Gamage steadied the ship and brought the team home with a quickfire 76 not out off just 48 balls. Winning by four wickets, the Rangers stay on top of the table, looking very healthy to be a top two team by the end of the round-robin. 

The unbeaten Tigers finally fell to Paddy Foley’s in yet another tight game. Batting first, the Tigers made a total of 210 for seven after their 40 overs. Opening batsmen Anil Kumar with a gutsy innings batting all 40 overs ending up just short of a century on 95 not out. 

Paddy Foley’s batsmen made a team effort against the Tigers’ tight bowling unit. Seven out of the nice batsmen made over double figures in the chase with Rashidrafiq Rana being the standout. Rana made 73 hitting over 100 strike rate to help accelerate the chase but when he fell, there was still a lot of work to be done. With seven overs to go and seven down, Ashiq Hussain and Khan Adbul Jabbar put on a 34 run partnership chasing the total down with one over remaining as they won by 3 wickets.

Round eight of the JCL was heavily affected by rain this week as only three games finished with results.

The Tigers remained unbeaten as they were up against the sixth place Wyverns. With the Tigers winning the toss and electing to bat first, it seemed to be a great decision as the Tigers got off to a flyer thanks to Ranjith Mouli (48) and Anil Kumar (40). Mouli and Kumar put on an opening run partnership of 88 to set a good foundation for their team. Despite the great start the Wyverns fought back taking wickets frequently bowling the Tigers out for just 176. Tomonoshin Oki the pick of the bowlers taking four for 33 off his eight overs. 

Wyverns’ run chase got off to a horrible start, losing their destructive opening pair of Shogo Kimura and Wataru Miyauchi cheaply.  Masaki Kawashima (37) and Raheel Kano (35) put on a good third wicket partnership to try to fight back but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers’ merciless fielding resulted in three run outs. Captain Sabaorish Ravichandran was the pick of the bowlers taking three for 16 and bowling out the Wyverns for 148 and winning by 28 runs.

Sano Cricket Club continued their team’s good form beating last year’s division champs the Chiba Sharks. Batting first, The Sharks put up a respectable total of 203 with everyone chipping in as seven out of 10 batsmen made over double figures with Dhugal Bedingfield top-scoring with 45. Kazumasa Hiratsuka and Makoto Taniyama the notable bowlers, each taking three wickets.

In what was just his second game in the JCL, Ardene Ruhode took on the bowling attack from ball one hitting the ball 360 degrees. Bringing up his half century in just 24 balls, Ruhode continued his dominance taking the game away from the Sharks bringing up his Maiden Century and finishing with a total of 123 off 86 balls. With Ruhode’s spectacular innings, Sano cruised to the target in just over 30 overs. Winning by five wickets plus a bonus point, Sano is now up into third place hoping to stay in the top four with three games to go.

The Tokyo Falcons continue to climb up the JCL Standings as they overcame the Tokyo Wombats in a four wicket victory. In a reduced 35 over affair, the Tokyo Wombats batted first and opening batsmen Richie Bracefield top scored with 81 smacking six sixes in his innings. Rex Kobayashi was another notable bat falling just shy of his 50 making 48 contributing to a very competitive total of 235 for the Wombats.

In reply, The Falcons took on the chase by losing a couple early wickets but then middle order batsman Safraz Petkar and Sankhet Pandhari led their team with explosive batting. Petkar top scored with 66 runs off a ridiculous 183 strike rate, and Pandhari behind him scoring 58 off 42 balls. This was enough for the Falcons to comfortably reach the Wombats target with over 5 overs to spare, winning by four wickets.