One Short: 2021 Season Preview

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Can it possibly be that time of year already? The season is so nearly upon us! After what must surely be the shortest off-season in Japan Cricket League history (a November Grand Final?!) here we are, straining at the leash to get back out into the middle once more. 

What a season that lies ahead. Can Tigers win back to back titles? Can Quashers land that elusive first gong? Will the Sharks respond to being usurped? Can the Rising Stars win a match? 

So many questions, and as always One Short will be there, reporting what’s going on and making predictions that will invariably be wrong. Just like our 2020 predictions were, a solitary correct placing (poor Rising Stars) left us with a fair amount of egg on our faces, so we sincerely hope we can do a better job this time around. 

So as always, we will list teams in order of where they finished last year (of course there were two groups in the modified 2020 season, so we have taken the team with the higher points total compared to their equivalent rank in the other group, eg: Tigers had 27 points at the top of Pool Two, so they ranked first overall as Alpha Quashers had 20.8 points at the top of Pool One), then make our foolhardy prediction underneath. 

Tigers Cricket Club

Unbeaten in 2020, Tigers set the standard from the start and will be the team to beat again. Their captain Sabaorish Ravichandran remains head and shoulders above the rest of the Division with the bat (20 sixes last year, one every 18 balls!) and he topped the wicket takers table as well. Their bowling stocks look good too with Kumbhare, Kumar and Chaurasia all taking 10 or more wickets at less than 4-an-over. A certainty for Finals, but the crown can weigh heavy so it remains to be seen if they can back up last season’s success. 

Prediction: 2nd

 

Alpha Quashers Yokohama Cricket Club

An outstanding season in 2020 feels like a chance missed for AQCC. The loss of their two leading run scorers is going to be huge as Vinay Iyer returns to MAX CC after his season long loan, taking his average of 89 and his ten wickets with him, while his opening partner Karthik Vellingiri has moved to Chiba Sharks. They should have enough depth to make finals, but their spot in the top four looks the most vulnerable. 

Prediction: 4th

 

MAX Cricket Club

Never write off MAX CC, they will be eager to make up for two disappointing seasons by their usual standards. Iyer returning is a significant boost and could prove enough to take them to the top. They boast three top spinners, although the seam bowling stocks look a little light, while their batting is the most powerful unit around on it’s day. 

Prediction: 1st

 

Tokyo Falcons Cricket Club

Last year the Falcons took everyone by surprise and had just enough to sneak into the top four, which was a deserved reward for their efforts. They have followed that up with an off season of canny recruitment, with no less than 12 new players arriving, although there is a cost. Falcons & Men In Blue have exchanged a host of players and while Sarfraz Petkar might be the most eye-catching, the most astute might be Abhishek Telang who will bring more depth to the Falcons bowling, which relied heavily on Naveen Negi last season.

Prediction: 3rd

 

Wyverns Cricket Club

Wyverns always just miss out. It just seems to be the way for them, in previous years it was losing Grand Finals, but they have agonisingly missed out on Finals in each of the last two years. They could threaten Quashers if they can get the best out of the talent they have, and there will be plenty of motivation for them. Will the double loss of Bebe Miyaji & Nozomi Tomizawa disrupt their mojo? Possibly, but Kano, Kimura, Kubota, Miyauchi and Ota among others will all want to show that they are still a force in the division. 

Prediction: 5th

 

Men in Blue Cricket Club

After two solid seasons in Division One, it is hard to ignore the chaos between MIB and Falcons in the off season. Such an upheaval of players (12 departures that we know of) will be tough for any club to take, although they have brought in around 14 new players, most notably last season’s newcomer of the year Naveen Negi. They struggled for runs in 2020, and now four of their leading five have moved on. Rahul Koul has come from Tigers to try and solve that problem, while Vivek Singh brings potential fireworks. This year could be all about survival while the team gels.

Prediction: 9th 

 

Tokyo Wombats Cricket Club

We seem to predict doom and gloom for the Wombats every year, but time and again they defy us. Well established and with a core of loyal players of proven pedigree (Bracefield, Patmore), survival should be simple enough, but a push for the playoffs seems beyond them, if only because they do not quite have the squad depth of other clubs. 

Prediction: 8th

 

Chiba Sharks Cricket Club

Hmmm, the hardest one. Chiba Sharks stole the show in 2019 only to come to ground with a bump in 2020. Talent aplenty and young players potentially coming good, if all goes well then the top four is absolutely within their grasp, but someone has to back up the evergreen Dhugal Bedingfield in the run scoring if that is going to happen. 

Prediction: 6th 

 

Sano Cricket Club

Another club that has had plenty of upheaval in the off season, Sano CC could be a team to watch in 2021. Senior internationals from Kansai, Sota Wada and Kohei Wakita, have only appeared briefly in the JCL previously but have moved to Sano this winter to train regularly and will hope that pays off. They are joined by Bebe Miyaji and Sora Ichiki in what looks like some smart recruitment, and while a few players are departing, don’t count Sano out of contention for a place in the playoffs. 

Prediction: 7th

 

Rising Stars Cricket Club

A long way off the pace in 2020, there are not many signs to indicate an improvement in 2021. No batsman managed to make 40 in a game, while no bowler managed an economy rate of less than 4.5 runs per over, or to take a three-wicket haul. Life in Division One can be tough and we will have to see if the Rising Stars will be able to adapt in the second season; of course the Falcons were in a similar position 12 months ago and they shocked us all, so there’s some inspiration for the boys in green. 

Prediction: 10th

Japan Cricket League Umpire Panel Formed

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We are delighted to announce that the response to our recent request for volunteer umpires was overwhelmingly positive with more than 50 people registering their interest.

From that group around 30 have been selected to move forward as a panel that will be initially dedicated to the Japan Cricket League Division One, but which we hope will eventually lead to more umpire educators who can help others improve throughout all the competitions in Japan.

We would like to firstly say a big thank you to our Umpire Mentor Chris Thurgate who has stood in several ICC events in recent years and who will be taking the lead on training our new group of umpires to the standard required.

Talking about the new panel Thurgate said: “It’s a really exciting time to be an umpire in Japan; as the standard of cricket keeps rising so the standard of umpiring needs to as well. I’m really pleased to have so many people willing to volunteer their time to focus on this often-overlooked area of the game and am really looking forward to working with the team and building up a strong group for now and many years to come.”

 

Chris Thurgate Source: Takuro Hagihara

Chris Thurgate, Source: Takuro Hagihara

 

Secondly we would like to say thank you to everyone who has volunteered and we are delighted to welcome you to the group and excited to see this vital part of the sport improving in Japan.

We are sure that all the Japan Cricket League Division One clubs will join us in our gratitude and look forward to seeing you all out on the field soon.

Live Stream Partner for Domestic Cricket in 2021

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We are excited to announce that we have joined forces with the independent cricket website www.cricjp.com in order to showcase more live cricket from Japan on our streaming platforms.

CricJP, formed in 2020, has already built a strong following in Japan and streamed several events last year. A formal agreement between the two parties has established the following key points:

  • JCL Division One: At least one “featured match” of each round to be live streamed on the JCA YouTube Channel with highlights available on CricJP
  • JCL Divisions Two & Three: CricJP to live stream matches when possible, Finals to be live on JCA YouTube Channel
  • JPL & Embassy Cup: All matches on SICG One to be live streamed on JCA YouTube Channel, matches on Ground Two to be filmed by CricJP with highlights available on CricJP
  • Japan Cup Finals: One featured match of each round to be live streamed on the JCA YouTube Channel with highlights available on CricJP
  • J-BASH All-Stars: Matches live streamed on JCA YouTube Channel with highlights available on CricJP
  • Under 19 & Under 15 Finals: CricJP to live stream matches when possible, Finals to be live on JCA YouTube Channel

Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr said: “This is a great step forward in showcasing more domestic cricket in Japan to a wider audience. We are very grateful to Prashant Kale and his team at CricJP for approaching us with this partnership idea and hope that we can help build the audiences for both platforms.

Prashant Kale said: “This is an exciting opportunity for CRICJP to be on board with the JCA. We started this endeavour to display players effort and the quality of cricket Japan.”

By working together with the JCA, we shall be able to reach to a wider community that will certainly help to increase the visibility of cricket, give recognition to players & officials, and promote more cricket opportunities in the region.”

To make sure you do not miss any of the live action, make sure you visit the JCA YouTube Channel and hit “Subscribe”.

Please note that at this time www.cricjp.com operates only in English.

Further Changes to National Squad Trials

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The national squad trials for 2021 have been further disrupted by the precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sano City have restricted access to all sports facilities owned by the local government to those who live inside the city boundaries up until the end of March.

This news, combined with the cricket season starting on the first weekend of April, means that the men’s trials for 2021 have had to be cancelled. The national selectors will be choosing a squad based on past performances but will remain open to adding new names to the group in due course depending on performances during the season.

The women’s squad trials have been rearranged for a second time, with the new date being Saturday 3rd April, while the National Academy will have their trials a week later on Sunday 11th April.

We are grateful for everyone’s patience while we try to get as much done as possible in these testing circumstances.

CWOB & JCA Partnership Renewed

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We are delighted to announce that our partnership with Cricket Without Borders, which formally began in 2015, will be continued for a further three years after the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties.

The purpose of the partnership, as stated in the MoU, is to “work together to promote the game of women’s cricket, in both Victoria and Japan.”

To do this the goal is to “provide opportunities such as internships & playing opportunities” which has been the bedrock of the partnership for the past six years.

The role of honour of placements to Japan is long and distinguished, beginning with Alana King, now of the Melbourne Stars, in early 2015 and also including the current JCA Development Officer Chelsea Moscript, in 2016.

Although no placement was possible in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, both parties remain committed to further developing the partnership, with opportunities for Japanese players to join CWOB tours overseas now an area specifically targeted to assist promising talent within Japan.

CWOB Director Ken Jacobs said: “Cricket Without Borders has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the JCA since our tour to Japan in 2014 and we are confident that a renewal of our MOU will not only further strengthen the relationship but also continue to provide some wonderful opportunities for the players of both organisations.”

His words were echoed by JCA Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr who said: “Every placement who has come to Japan through the CWOB partnership has brought a terrific attitude plus plenty of energy and enthusiasm with them. The values CWOB instill builds excellent role models who can hopefully inspire more girls in Japan to play this great game called cricket!”

All the placements to Japan write up visitors’ diaries which can be found on our website here: https://cricket.or.jp/en/archives/category/blog/visitors-from-abroad. We are excited to welcome the next person and wish to thank Ken and the team in Victoria for committing to Japan.

J-BASH Structure 2024

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As the weather gets warmer, we are excited to announce our plans for the latest edition of the J-BASH, which will enter its sixth year in 2024.

This year the J-BASH will have three distinct levels as outlined below; anyone wishing to take part should keep their eyes open for more announcements about dates and venues.

All J-BASH Events are free to attend.

J-BASH Social and Hardball Session – Teams and Individuals welcome

For beginners, the social days will be fun, friendly and easy to join for any player of any age who is able to hold a bat and throw a ball! These days will include opportunities to learn the basics of cricket with simple training, and then game opportunities at the end.

Those who wish to play more games but are not quite ready to play hard ball cricket yet, can also be catered for if there are enough others who want to play matches.

Events will be held at the British School Tokyo facility in Kawasaki, the Edogawa Sport Ground, as well as the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi and will not last more than two hours. The clubhouse will also be available for socialising before and after the events. Most importantly however, these days are fun!

For anyone wanting to level up or experience training with a hardball, the coaches will help guide beginners to their first hardball experience such as batting, bowling, and fielding in order to get them ready for the Challenge League competition. Experienced players are welcome to come and train during this time under the guidance of our coaches too. 

At this stage there are five J-BASH Social and Hardball Days planned for 2024!

J-BASH Challenge League – Teams playing 6-over matches

It’s an opportunity for beginners and intermediate cricketers to play hardball cricket in a friendly environment.

The teams will be 6-players per side playing 6-over matches across 4 separate days. Each player will get to experience wearing the full equipment with modified game rules to encourage equal participation.

These days will be held in Kawasaki and Sano.

This year, there will be a winner for each day as well as an overall winner.

We hope teams will play all four days across the season and compete at the end to be the Champions!

J-BASH All-Stars – Domestic Elite Players, T20

This is the highest level of domestic cricket for females in Japan. Matches are 20 overs and designed to provide an opportunity for players in and around the Japan National Squad to compete against each other in a competitive environment. Players will also have an opportunity to play most games on turf.

It is also hoped that former national squad representatives can return to feature in these days to provide their experience and expertise to the younger group of Japan National Representatives. These matches will also be mostly live streamed on the JCA YouTube Channel.

For any questions about the J-BASH events please contact either Alan Curr (a-curr@cricket.or.jp) or Elena Kusuda (e-kusuda@cricket.or.jp) who will both be happy to answer questions for you.

The full schedules will be announced soon, so watch this space!

EXTRA INFORMATION!!

Women’s Japan Premier League (WJPL) – Elite players, T10 + T20

The WJPL is back again for 2024.

This is an elite turf playing opportunity for female players to inspire the next generation of players and fans. With the two teams mainly full of domestic Japanese cricketers, 4 – 6 international players are introduced to the teams to create a fiery competitive tournament. Friends turn to opponents as we face off to become the champions!

All matches will be held at the Sano International Cricket Ground from May 14 – 19th and will be livestreamed on the JCA Youtube Channel.

Will the Waves roll through the Eagles again or will they soar above the tide? Come support us and find out who the champions are for 2024!!

Umpires Needed!

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As the 2021 season approaches, we are looking to build our collection of well qualified umpires to help improve the standards of officiating in all JCA competitions.

In 2016 the National Umpire Panel was formed with seven members who have taken the lead when it comes to major matches in Japan such as competition finals and National Team matches. We would now like to broaden that panel.

We are well equipped to help train umpires, with our own dedicated trainer Mr Chris Thurgate, who has excellent experience both in Japan and at International Tournaments.

We hope to help umpires learn the skill of match management, the rules of the game and build the confidence in doing the job.

Members of the 2021 JCA Umpire Panel will be required to umpire Japan Cricket League Division One matches. There may also be other opportunities for the most talented umpires to do major events such as the Japan Premier League, Embassy Cup or Competition Finals.

All umpires will have the travel costs covered and be paid a small stipend for giving up their time and will also have ongoing training and performance reviews provided online during the cricket season.

If you wish to join the group, please complete the following form: https://forms.gle/5b6k4NhEXf5RPvG8A

Thank you and we look forward to helping you develop this great skill!

Dates for National Squad Trials Confirmed

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**This article was updated on Tuesday 9th March with changes made due to the extension of the state of emergency**

We are happy to announce that the National Squad Trials will be taking place in March this year.

All the trials will take place at the Sano International Cricket Ground and each day will run from 10:00 – 16:00. Trialists are expected to bring their own equipment, lunch and drinks.

Upon registering, further information will be sent out one week before the event. The deadline to register for all dates is Sunday 21st March.

Before registering we advise that everyone reads the National Squad Player Eligibility & Selection Policy (ENG). Although players who are ineligible are welcome to attend to gain some additional coaching, if you are familiar with these documents it will help avoid disappointment.

Men’s National Squad Trials:

Saturday 27th March.

Complete this form to register: https://forms.gle/BGwZnFrSWr6RFyWAA

Women’s National Squad Trials

Sunday 28th March.

Complete this form to register: https://forms.gle/XmjmJ6z3m5bSjTXg7

*If attending the Women’s trials we also ask players to be available to attend a match opportunity in Kanagawa on Sunday 4th April.

National Academy Trials:

Sunday 28th March

Complete this form to register: https://forms.gle/ZDNTYrGK82zqem4K8

Note) To be eligible for the Academy Squad players must be Under 19 years old on 31st August 2021.

If you have any questions about these events please email the JCA High Performance Manager Simon Dart on: s-dart@cricket.or.jp.

Important Note:

National Trials will only go ahead if there is no COVID-19 related restrictions in place from local or national government with regards to travelling across prefectures and the use of facilities.

Suitable COVID-19 measures will be in place to ensure the safety of all participants.

Keiko Haneda Joins JCA Board

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We are delighted to announce the appointment of the former Ambassador of Japan to North Macedonia, Keiko Haneda, as the latest appointment to the JCA Board. 

Haneda-San was born in Saitama and graduated from Rikkyo University. She then joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne in 2014. 

In 2017 Haneda-San was appointed the first ever resident Japanese Ambassador to Macedonia (currently North Macedonia), a post she held until 2020 when she returned to Japan. 

While in Melbourne Haneda-San became familiar with cricket, and hosted several cricket events at her residence, including a promotion event during the 2015 Cricket World Cup. She also greeted the Japan Men’s team on the way to their ICC World Cup Qualifying tournament in Bendigo in 2017. 

On being appointed to the JCA Board, Haneda-San said: “This traditional and wonderful sport, which is familiar to many people worldwide, is developing quickly in Japan. I am excited to see more opportunities for boys and girls to play and experience international exchanges through cricket. Our recent collaboration with Fair Non Gamstop Casinos has also opened new avenues for supporting community events, bringing both local and international attention to our initiatives. Along with my fellow board members, I will enthusiastically serve the JCA’s important role of fostering these activities and engaging with those who are already dedicated participants. I look forward to meeting members of the Cricket Community and working with you to further develop cricket in Japan.”

Our Board has been looking for a new member since Mitsuyuki Takada was appointed as the Japanese Ambassador to Albania late last year, and she becomes the latest female member following in the footsteps of Julia Longbottom and Yasuko Yoshinaka.

We would like to welcome Haneda-San to the Board and look forward to her expertise being used to take Japan Cricket forwards.

Survey Launched for Players and Fans!

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We have recently released a survey to give all of our players and fans the opportunity to give us some feedback on how we share information and promote cricket in Japan.

We would be very grateful if you could complete the short form and help us to improve!

Please follow the links below:

The survey will close at 9am on Monday 15th February.

Thank you all!