J-BASH Match Day Two played out in perfect conditions at Nagasawa Sports Ground in Kawasaki on Saturday 7^th of May.

The day began at 11am with the J-BASH Social event where 16 participating players from the Kawasaki Knight Riders and the Women in Blue practiced bowling, fielding and batting before getting into a fun but competitive game. The Kawasaki Knight Riders came out on top in a close battle with the final score reading; 128 – 108.

Following the social event, the J-BASH All-Stars game commenced as Team Pink once again played Team Yellow.

It was a day for batting as only three wickets were taken the whole match. Team Pink batted first after winning the toss and after scoring 74 runs in the last game, Haruna Iwasaki continued her hot form cleanly striking the ball around the ground scoring an impressive 85* off 65 balls.

After an 84-run opening partnership, the hitting continued with Nao Tokizawa contributing 39 to get Team Pink to a competitive score of 154 for two. Ahilya Chandel was the pick of the bowlers for Team Yellow claiming one for 17 in her four overs.

Next it was Team Yellow’s turn to bat and Captain Mai Yanagida combined with Erika Oda to put on an even better opening partnership from which their team never looked back. The stand was an incredible 94 from just 68 balls before Yanagida fell just short of a half century, scoring 46 off 39 balls. Oda was imperious however, putting on a batting masterclass in hitting eight boundaries and another eight sixes on her way to 93* off 54 balls as Team Yellow reached the target comfortably with three overs and nine wickets to spare.

Unsurprisingly it was Oda who received the game’s MVP Award and was extremely grateful to Nittoh Tea for their generous prizes.

The match can be seen on the JCA YouTube Channel by clicking here.

Thank you to all that attended, especially the umpires, scorers and those who helped to manage the day.

The East Kanto Sunrisers lifted the Japan Premier League trophy for the second time on a rain impacted final day at the Sano International Cricket Ground. 

With all teams having played four matches, the Sunrisers finished top of the table courtesy of a 28-run win over the North Kanto Lions on SICG 1, before the Final was washed out. 

The Lions, who needed results to go their way to finish top, had made a dream start by reducing the Sunrisers to 63 for five at the halfway mark. Only Sarfraz Petkar (29 from 19 balls) had made any impact as Reo Sakurano-Thomas (three for eight) and Kazumasa Hiratsuka (two for 13) stifled the top order.

A steadying 19 from Muneeb Mian-Siddique helped the Sunrisers to 111/9, and as the South Kanto Super Kings were also struggling on SICG 2, all possibilities were open going into the second innings. 

The Lions’ hopes seemed to rest largely on the 19-year-old shoulders of Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, but when Malith Neranjan sneaked one through him in the second over the Sunrisers burst back to life. 

The Sunrisers took regular wickets with Neranjan (two for 15) and Kento Ota-Dobell (one for 13) and Ibrahim Takahashi (two for 16) all causing problems to leave the Lions 67 for eight when the rain came. 

The Duckworth-Lewis par score was 95 and the match was called off half an hour later to give the Sunrisers a win by 28 runs and leave them top of the table with the forecast set for more rain in the afternoon – which proved to be the case. 

The South Kanto Super Kings will be left rueing their one-run loss on day one to the Sunrisers in another rain impacted day, which ultimately left them in second place for the tournament. 

In their match against the winless Kansai Chargers only two players made double figures as the Chargers bowlers found a new level after a tough day two. Led by Ryan Drake (two for 11) who found his best rhythm of the weekend, the Chargers reduced the Super Kings to 49 for five before 40 from Anil Kumar helped them up to 100/9 after 20 overs. 

Knowing they had to win to make the final, the Super Kings bowlers caused havoc with the new ball as Gurman Singh delivered a triple-wicket maiden and finished with figures of four for 23 to leave the Chargers five wickets down with only eight runs on the board. 

Piyush Kumbhare (one for 13) and Sabaorish Ravichandran (two for 10) were in the wickets again and the rain came with the Chargers in disarray on 62/7 after 14.5 overs with the par score at 82. That meant a 20-run win for the Super Kings and second place on the table.

There was some consolation of the Super Kings as their players took home a clean sweep of the awards with Alex Shirai-Patmore the Best Batter, Piyush Kumbhare the Best Bowler, and Sabaorish Ravichandran the tournament Most Valuable Player. 

Match Summaries: 

South Kanto Super Kings 100/9 (Kumar 40, Drake 2/11), beat

Kansai Chargers 64/7 (Khatri 23, Singh 4/23) by 20 runs (D/L Method)

East Kanto Sunrisers 111/9 (Petkar 29, Sakurano 3/8), beat

North Kanto Lions 67/8 (S.Hiratsuka 15, Neranjan 2/15) by 28 runs (D/L Method)

Final Standings: 

1. East Kanto Sunrisers
2. South Kanto Super Kings
3. North Kanto Lions
4. West Kanto Hurricanes
5. Kansai Chargers

Individual Awards: 

Best Batter: Alex Shirai-Patmore 108 runs at 36

Best Bowler: Piyush Kumbhare 10 wickets at 7.7

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran 43 runs at 21.5 & 8 wickets at 5.88

The South Kanto Super Kings responded to their day one disappointment with two crushing victories on Day Two of the Japan Premier League. 

In their first match, a reduced overs contest against the North Kanto Lions, they were indebted to a masterful display from Alex Shirai-Patmore as they chased a 14-over target of 106 with 3.3 overs to spare and eight wickets in hand. 

Shirai-Patmore, who had missed day one, struck 73 from 41 balls in a display of calm authority which oozed class, before chipping one up just before the job was complete. 

In the first innings the Lions had made a promising start as Declan Suzuki struck two sixes in his 20 off 12 balls, but the key moment came when a stunning caught and bowled by Piyush Kumbhare removed Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake which helped keep the Lions to 105/8.

The Super Kings followed that win up with an even more dominant display against the defending champions, the West Kanto Hurricanes. Kumbhare was at the forefront again, his three for 25 playing a key role in dismissing the Hurricanes for a paltry 49 in just 14.3 overs. 

Shirai-Patmore (16) played second fiddle to 15-year-old Aditya Phadke who stroked 32* to guide the Super Kings to another eight-wicket win with more than half the overs still to go to give a vital boost to their net run rate. 

Elsewhere the East Kanto Sunrisers managed to end the day as the only unbeaten side in the tournament thanks to a 75-run win against the Kansai Chargers. The win was set up by a stunning opening partnership of 112 from 77 balls between the Sunrisers captain Supun Nawarathna (64 off 44 balls) and Ibrahim Takahashi (44 off 38 balls) which helped the team to 183/6. 

That target proved to be well beyond the Chargers after Malith Neranjan took three early wickets and the Chargers were left to battle to 108/6 from their 20 overs, boosted by 29 from 24 balls from Kohei Wakita. 

That completed a tough day for the Chargers who also went down in the morning to a far better batting display from the West Kanto Hurricanes. Wataru Miyauchi’s 36 anchored the innings before 29 from Buddika Nanayakkara and 20 from Kazuma Kato-Stafford boosted the total to 152/7. 

Kakeru Ebisui then took charge with the ball as his opening spell ended with four for 20 off four overs which ultimately earned him the match MVP award. Despite 28 from Sandeep Krishnan, the Hurricanes took all ten wickets for 102 to win by 50 runs. 

Match Summaries: 

West Kanto Hurricanes 152/7 (Miyauchi 36, Yamashita 2/13), beat 
Kansai Chargers 102/10 (Krishnan 28, Ebisui 4/20) by 50 runs.

North Kanto Lions 105/8 (Suzuki 20, Ravichandran 3/16), lost to 
South Kanto Super Kings 109/2 (Shirai-Patmore 73, Suto 1/11) by 8 wickets.

East Kanto Sunrisers 183/6 (Nawarathna 64, Singh 2/30), beat
Kansai Chargers 108/6 (Wakita 29, Neranjan 3/19) by 75 runs.

West Kanto Hurricanes 49/10 (Kimura 17, Kumbhare 3/25) lost to 
South Kanto Super Kings 53/2 (Phadke 32*, Iyer 1/1) by 8 wickets.

The North Kanto Lions roared into life on Day One of the 2022 Japan Premier League as they swept aside the 2021 champions the West Kanto Hurricanes at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

The Lions first innings total of 131 all out was built on a 56-run opening stand between Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (65) and Declan Suzuki (17) before late wickets for Kazuma Kato-Stafford (three for 17) and Jisei Ando (three for 21) helped keep the target in check.

While Wataru Miyauchi (24) and Vinay Iyer (21) were at the crease the chase looked in control for the Hurricanes, but in the space of 5.2 overs the Lions took seven wickets for 21 runs to take an unassailable lead before the rain came and brought the match to a premature end. 

Shotarou Hiratsuka was the main tormentor with the ball, taking three for 10 bowling in partnership with Suzuki (two for 13) and the win was eventually sealed by 45-runs.

Across on SICG One the East Kanto Sunrisers somehow snuck home thanks to a wicket on the final ball before the rain which enabled them to edge ahead in the D/L method and win the game by a single run. 

The Super Kings made all the early running with Piyush Kumbhare to the fore, taking an excellent caught and bowled on the way to five for 15 as they knocked the Sunrisers over for just 82 in 15.5 overs. 

When Aditya Phadke (17) and Sabaorish Ravichandran (19) moved the score easily to 45/1 the result looked a foregone conclusion, only for Kento Ota-Dobell to remove both in a match-changing spell of two for 13. 

That opened the door for Sanjaya Yapabandara to wreck further havoc with the ball, including what turned out to be the final ball of the match to bowl Nandha Rangasamy and give the Sunrisers a dream start to the tournament. 

The afternoon games were lost to rain but the weather should be set fair tomorrow and Sunday and matches will start at the earlier time of 10am. All matches are available to watch on the JCA YouTube Channel. 

Match Summaries: 

North Kanto Lions 131/10 (Yamamoto-Lake 65, Kato-Stafford 3/17) beat
West Kanto Hurricanes 64/8 (Miyauchi 24, S.Hiratsuka 3/10) by 45 runs (D/L Method)

East Kanto Sunrisers 82/10 (Neranjan 21, Kumbhare 5/15), beat
South Kanto Super Kings 74/7 (Ravichandran 19, Ota-Donbell 2/13) by 1 run (D/L Method)

The Turtles have become the first ever Champions of the Japan Futures League, defeating the Gorillas by nine wickets in the Final at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

The Gorillas won the toss and batted first with captain Lachlan Lake in aggressive mood as he made 46 off 32 balls to take the leading run scorer award for the tournament and lift his team to 123/8; Kazuma Stafford was the outstanding bowler with two for 12 off his four overs.

The chase was dominated by Declan Suzuki-McComb who had an outstanding day two which earned him the tournament Most Valuable Player award. After putting on 60 with captain Marcus Thurgate (20) he added another 68* with Stafford (17*) on his way to 78* from just 51 balls with four sixes, the last of which sealed the title in fine style.

That the Turtles made the final at all was largely thanks to an excellent bowling display in the morning as they kept the Dragons to just 80/9 with Stafford again to the fore taking 3 for 11 from his allotted four overs and Aarav Tiwari three for 15.

Suzuki-McComb (38) and Stafford (29*) showed signs of things to come in the final with a 55-run partnership which broke the back of the chase before Aditya Phadke sparked a late collapse with four wickets for just four runs, but Stafford took the Turtles home with five wickets and eight balls to spare to get their net run rate up enough to make the top two.

The Gorillas had made the final courtesy of a huge win in the morning against the previously unbeaten Vipers, inspired by a scintillating 90 from 52 balls by Lachlan Lake that was full of extravagant and enterprising stroke-play.

He was ably supported by Issa Katakura (24) in a partnership of 114 as the Gorillas made 152/8, the highest total of the tournament, despite four for 28 from Kento Ota-Dobell which ultimately earned him the Best Bowler Award for the tournament.

Kazumasa Hiratsuka then knocked the stuffing out of the Vipers chase with three wickets for eight runs and his team went on to earn a win by 81 runs which was enough to propel them into the final at the expense of the Vipers on net run rate.

Things went from bad to worse for the Vipers as they finished fourth thanks to an inspired display from the Dragons in the Third Place Playoff which earned them a first win of the tournament.

Kshitij Pathak (49) and Shotaro Hiratsuka (30) set up a respectable total of 129/6 with a partnership of 84 before a flurry of run outs cost runs which would eventually prove decisive. A couple of 30s from Jisei Ando (31) and Ashley Thurgate (32) enabled the Dragons to creep home with four wickets to spare and give them a well-deserved victory to end the weekend.

The JCA would like to thank all the coaches, umpires, scorers, volunteers and parents who supported this event and we hope it becomes a key step on the Japan Cricket pathway and a feature in the calendar for all Under 23 players to look forward to every year.

Final Standings:

• Winners: Turtles. Captain Marcus Thurgate, Coach Makoto Taniyama
• Runners Up: Gorillas. Captain Lachlan Lake, Coach Vinay Iyer
• Third Place: Dragons. Captain Muneeb Siddique Mian, Coach, Sabaorish Ravichandran
• Fourth Place: Vipers. Captain Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Coach Richie Bracefield.

Awards:

• Best Batsman: Lachlan Lake (183 runs, average: 45.8)
• Best Bowler: Kento Ota-Dobell (8 wickets, average 10.3)
• MVP: Declan Suzuki-Mccomb (140 runs, average 70, 4 wickets, average 18.3)

The Vipers made a perfect start on Day One of the inaugural Futures League for the best Under 23 cricketers in Japan as Captain Reo Sakurao-Thomas set the standard.

In game one Sakurano-Thomas scored 23* in the run chase after taking two for five when bowling the Dragons all out for 89. Aditya Phadke top sored for the team in red with 31 and Kento Ota-Dobell picked up three for 12 as well before the Vipers secured the win by five wickets.

In Game Two Sakurano-Thomas made 47 out of 118/8 as the Vipers took on the Turtles, and that after two wickets fell early before Shotaro Hiratsuka (27) joined the captain in a partnership of 75.

Hiratsuka then took centre stage with the ball, taking three for 15 in partnership with fellow spinner Masato Morita who collected three for 18 to bowl the Turtles all out for 98 and secure a 20-run win.

The Turtles had better fortunes in the morning as Marcus Thurgate made 35 to help his team post 148/4 against the Gorillas and left arm-spinner Sora Ichiki turned the game in the chase as his three for 14 made all the difference in a 16-run win.

The Gorillas also bounced-back from a morning defeat to win in the afternoon and keep their hopes of making the final alive. Openers Lachlan Lake (37) and Nikhil Pol (31) put on 74 for the first wicket to set the platform for making 148/7. Tomonoshin Oki grabbed three for 21 for the Dragons.

The Dragons fought in the chase as Ashley Thurgate made 42, but three for 20 from Kazumasa Hiratsuka ended the resistance and gave the Gorillas a win by 23 runs.

Four more games coming up on Sunday 24th April, Round Three starting at 10:30 local time before the Finals begin at 14:30. Matches can be viewed live on the JCA YouTube Channel and followed on the Japan Cricket App.