JCL Grand Final: Tigers Tame Quashers In Tense Final

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Tigers Cricket Club overcame a spirited Alpha Quashers Yokohama to win by 53 runs and claim their first Japan Cricket League title on an action packed day at the Sano International Cricket Ground. 

Winning the toss and batting first the Tigers were suddenly up against the wall as Nandha Rangasamy (2/12) knocked over both openers inside the first five overs. 

That meant captain Sabaorish Ravichnadran was in earlier than he would have liked but he set about steadying the ship in his usual unruffled manner. The Quashers stuck to their task however and grabbed wickets either side of the drinks break to leave Tigers four down with just 62 on the board and at that stage felt in control. 

A fifth wicket partnership of 31 seemed to have steadied things for the Tigers as Manoj Bhardwaj played his customary support role as Ravichandran passed 50, however the introduction of Raman Tanwar changed momentum again. 

Winning captain Ravichandran

With the score on 93/4 Tanwar produced a golden spell to remove the dangerous Ravichandran for 58, and the next two batsmen without scoring, and suddenly the score was 93/7 and the Tigers were reeling. 

With the game on a knife edge, Puneet Kumar (23) came to the aid of Bhardwaj (41) as they first dug in, and then started scoring freely in a partnership of 58 that changed the entire complexion of the match. 

As the tension mounted in the Tigers camp, Bhardwaj appeared to injure himself and was limping badly as he ran between the wickets, but battled bravely on with the title on the line. 

The pair scored at almost five-an-over and laid a platform for Piyush Kumbhare (14*) to smash two sixes late in the innings to propel the Tigers to 171/9 after 40 overs when it looked like 120 might be a stretch at one point. Tanwar’s 3/25 the pick of the bowlers for AQCC.

Quashers desperately needed their top order to fire, but momentum was well and truly with the Tigers and Puneet Kumar who duly dismissed Karthik Vellingiri with the very first ball of the second innings. 

In a final where many felt spin would be key, it was the Tigers seamers who strangled the Quashers in the early exchanges. Kumar finished with 2/18 from his seven-over opening spell, and Swapnil Chaurasia 3/11 from his seven, including Quasher captain Rohit Kesari as Tigers had their opponents two down before a run was scored. 

Alpha Quashers: Runners Up

That heaped all the pressure on Vinay Iyer who watched as wickets tumbled from the other end. At 19 for five a lesser man might have thrown in the towel, but Iyer kept battling and gradually found support. 

A 38-run partnership with Gurman Singh (26) took Quashers passed 100 in the 32nd over with three wickets still in hand, a similar situation that the Tigers had been in earlier on.

Momentum was key however, and although Iyer would go on to record a 5th half century in just seven innings this season, his unbeaten 52* was not enough as Sabaorish Ravichandran delivered his leg spin to brutal effect, grabbing three wickets including the last to seal the title and spark joyous celebrations. 

Ravichandran is certainly the jewel in the Tigers crown; leading run-scorer (449 at an average of 56 and strike rate of 126) and leading wicket-taker (17 wickets at an average of 8.06 and economy of 3.30).

While it was a disappointing day for the Alpha Quashers, that does not take away from an excellent season for them, but ultimately the Tigers depth and quality was too much. 

It proved a good weekend for the Tigers as their 2nd XI defeated Tokyo Falcons by a huge 111-run margin in the Division Two Final, becoming the first team since Sano CC in 2017 to do the Division 1 & 2 double. 

Division 2 Winners: Tigers CC

Division Three Winners: Rangers (not Tigers)

Meanwhile the Tokyo Rangers won Division Three at the first attempt, the Tokyo Falcons again missing out as Rangers chased down their score of just 102 with five wickets in hand.

As always a big thanks must go to the match officials on the day, as well as all those who have given up time to stand as umpires in games this year. Above all of course, thanks must go to the JCL Committee for their efforts in making sure the leagues have run during the most challenging of years. 

Those who wish can watch the full replay of the Division One Final on the JCA YouTube Channel. 

Well that’s almost it from One Short, we will of course be running “The Shorties” at some point before the year end, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Thanks for reading!

Tigers At The Double! Win Japan Cricket League for the First Time

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Tigers Cricket Club have won the Japan Cricket League Division 1 title for the first time in their history by defeating Alpha Quashers Yokohama by 53 runs at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Puneet Kumar takes the wicket of Karthik Vellingiri

Both teams were looking to lift the JCL shield for the first time and in a see-sawing match, in which momentum shifted several times, the Tigers finally finished on top.

Tigers captain Sabaorish Ravichandran won the toss and decided to bat. He led the way with his team with a typically aggressive 58 before being clean bowled by Raman Tanwar.

After his dismissal the Tigers had a sudden collapse, stumbling to 93/7, before a stubborn partnership between Manoj Bhardwaj and Puneet Kumar helped their team recover to 171/9 off their 40 overs.

The Tigers opening bowlers started in devastating fashion, Puneet Kumar and Swapnil Chaurasia taking wickets in their first overs to leave the Alpha Quashers scoreless for the loss of two wickets.

Winning captain Ravichandran

The Alpha Quashers never quite recovered and, despite a fighting half century from Vinay Iyer, they were eventually bowled out for 118, Tigers captain Ravichandran claiming the final wicket.

Not finished yet, the Tigers followed up their Division 1 title with a repeat performance in the Division 2 final, defeating Tokyo Falcons by 111 runs.

Meanwhile, in the Division 3 final Tokyo Rangers celebrated their first year in the JCL by defeating Tokyo Falcons by five wickets to clinch their first title.

One Short Special: Grand Final Preview

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JCL Division One Final Team Preview: Alpha Quashers Yokohama Cricket Club

League Position: Pool 1 – 1st

2019 Finish: League: 4th / Semi Finals: Lost

The Alpha Quashers enter their first Division One Final knowing that theirs has been a story of steady improvement since arriving in Division One in 2017. While narrowly missing out on the play-offs in their first season, they have excelled in T20 cricket while falling short in 40-overs.

The shrewd acquisition of Vinay Iyer from MAX CC in the off season leading into 2020 has added serious pedigree to their batting, and his performances have led the way alongside opening partner Karthick Vellingiri.

If there is one concern going into the Grand Final it is that the openers have scored 48% of the Quashers runs off the bat this season between them, meaning the rest of the team have not had as many batting opportunities as they might have liked. However, Rohit Kesari does have a century to his name this year and the way they dealt with pre-season favourites MAX CC in the semi-final would suggest that confidence is high.

While Iyer also chips in with some handy spin, the bowling has always had great depth. Led by seamers Gurman Singh and Nikhil Chhajed (joint leading wicket-taker in the division with 14 scalps), it is common to see a scorecard with five or more wicket-takers in the Quashers ranks, so plenty of options there.

Despite a blip in form in mid-season, AQCC will already feel this has been a breakthrough and successful season. A win on Saturday would round that all off and add to the 2017 Japan Cup title they already have; but this certainly is a club that has arrived on the Japan Cricket scene and looks set to stay. 

JCL Division One Final Team Preview: Tigers Cricket Club

League Position: Pool 2 – 1st

2019 Finish: League: 3rd / Semi Finals: Lost

The Tigers reached the Grand Final in the maiden season in Division One and have finished in the top four every year. They lost that 2016 Final and despite finishing the 2018 season top of the league, the expectations of a trophy laden future has not come to pass with a hat-trick of semi-final failures.

That run was put to bed with this year as they overcame a tricky Tokyo Falcons side and the difference with the 2020 outfit is the contributions throughout the team. While the all-round excellence of Sabaorish Ravichandran remains key to their fortunes, contributions with the bat, particularly from opener Ranjith Mouli, have given the batting line up a steadier look.

The bowling has long depended on spin and the 2018 acquisition of Piyush Kumbhare has certainly helped. His 13 wickets this year is just one behind his teammate Ravichandran and makes them a fearful pairing. With Finals being played on the Tanuma turf spin is expected to play a huge role.

Arriving at the Grand Final unbeaten is a rare achievement and the Tigers themselves will tell you that it would have been a 100% win record if not for a cancellation in Round One. Seven successive victories is serious form and makes them favourites to win their first ever JCL Division One title.

The Grand Final will be available to watch on our YouTube Channel with some basic (and impartial!) commentary.

JCA Office Relocation

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The JCA Office has been located at the former Kagesawa Clinic in Sano City since 2014. However, due to the expansion of the road next to the building, we have relocated to a temporary office at 300-1 Tochimoto-cho, Sano-shi (Sano International Cricket Ground).

We would like to thank the Kagesawa family and the former Kagesawa Clinic for allowing us to use the building as our office and accommodating us for so many years.

The former Kagesawa Clinic was built in 1911 as one of the first western style buildings in Sano. Since then, it has provided medical services to the local community for more than 100 years over four generations. It also supported the development of Cricket in Sano and across Japan as its office for six and a half years. The experience of spending time with the former Kagesawa Clinic, such as how national and local players came together to plaster the inner walls with the support of Nippon Plaster, will live strongly with many.

We were proud to have such a historical building as the home of Japan Cricket and it was always a pleasure to receive visitors from around the world.

Once again, we would like to thank and congratulate Kagesawa Clinic, which is ending its historical innings.

*Please see a photo album on our Facebook page here.

Sendai University CC Win J-BASH Challenge Tournament

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On Saturday 31st October the first ever J-BASH Challenge tournament was held at the Sano International Cricket Ground with three teams taking part.

This continued the expansion of the J-BASH brand, the new name given for women’s cricket in Japan, after the success of the J-BASH All Stars and J-BASH Social days earlier in the year.

Two of the teams, Sano CC and Tigers CC, were playing their first ever competitive matches and while Sendai University have been around for a few years, this was a rare match playing opportunity for them.

The tournament was played with 6 players per team and with six overs, but with rules closer to full cricket rather than the social formats.

We would like to thank all the teams for taking part and hope that the competition sees more teams joining in 2021 where the plan is for teams of 11 players to play matches of 10 overs per team.

Congratulations to Sendai and please head to our Facebook page to see a selection of photos from the day.

A summary of results is below:

  • Match 1: Sendai Uni CC: 48 runs, Sano CC 43 runs. Sendai win by 5 runs
  • Match 2: Sano CC: 61 Runs, Tigers CC 24 runs. Sano win by 37 runs
  • Match 3: Sendai Uni CC: 64 runs, Tigers CC 16 runs. Sendai win by 48 runs
  • Final: Sendai Uni CC: 72 runs, Sano CC: 56 runs. Sendai win by 16 runs

More Photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4821675644539104&type=3 

Mitsuyuki Takada Appointed Ambassador of Albania

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All of us at the Japan Cricket Association would like to congratulate Mitsuyuki Takada on his appointment as the new Japanese Ambassador to Albania.

Takada-San has been a member on the JCA Board for the last two and a half years, bringing more than 40 years of business experience with the Mitsubishi Corporation.

CEO Naoki Miyaji said: “We have been lucky to have Takada-san as a member of our Board, who fell in love with Cricket when he was based in Melbourne as Managing Director of Mitsubishi Australia and New Zealand. Although it will be a great loss to us, we congratulate him on his new appointment, wish him all the best, and hope to welcome him back when he returns.”

Semi Final Report: A New Champion Awaits!

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The Japan Cricket League is guaranteed a new Champion in 2020 after the two form teams of the season duly booked their places in the 7th November Final. 

The Tigers will go into the showdown with an unbeaten record after being made to work by the surprise package of the season, Tokyo Falcons.

Predictably the Tigers were indebted to Sabaorish Ravichandran, who is now the leading run scorer and wicket-taker in the division. His run-a-ball 42 may have been less than he is used to this year, but was enough to push the Tigers to 152 all out after an early onslaught from Naveen Negi. 

Negi took wickets in each of his first three overs and ended with a career best 4/44 before Ankit Chawla (3/28) took care of the middle order. 

On a sticky wicket the Falcons never got going in the chase, Puneet Kumar following up his success in Round Seven by knocking over the top order (3/8) before Ravichandran mopped up the tail with his own best haul of the season (4/8).

A win by 67 runs puts the Tigers into their second ever final, and first since 2016 as they search for that elusive crown. 

For the Alpha Quashers of Yokohama this will be their first ever final after they marked a real return to form with a thorough dismantling of MAX Cricket Club.

Bowling first the Quashers were on top right away as Nandha Rangasamy (2/11)dismissed the dangerous duo of Makoto Taniyama and Ali Raza, while Gurman Singh (2/17) made the initial breakthrough to ensure there was no Hanif Niazi special. 

Despite a defiant 49 from Supun Nawarathna, wickets kept falling and Quashers had all ten wickets in just 23.2 overs with a meagre total of just 78 on the board. As ever for the Quashers, six different bowlers chipped in with wickets. 

A recurring feature of this season has been the dominating opening partnership between Vinay Iyer and Karthik Vellingiri, and they were at their best again knocking off the target in just 16.1 overs with all ten wickets to spare. Iyer and Vellingiri finished 28* and 41* respectively. 

The Tigers will also play their first Division Two Final since 2016 after their Second XI knocked over AQCC to book a place against Tokyo Falcons Second XI, who in turn saw off the Tokyo Rangers – that match takes place on November 8th. 

Division Three will also have a new Champion as the Tigers were denied an unprecedented three finals by the Tokyo Falcons and Tokyo Rangers got home against AQCC to see who can lift that trophy on November 7th. 

Round Seven: Top Four Confirmed!

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Tigers Cricket Club will head into the JCL Division One Semi-Finals this weekend the overwhelming favourites to win a first league title after completing the league season unbeaten. 

Six wins from seven matches is championship form and although their Round Seven win over Men In Blue was no stroll, a tough game at this time of year has its advantages. 

Batting first MIB made 161 all out thanks to a stubborn 43 from Vasanthakumar Rajendran, while three wickets apiece for Puneet Kumar (3/27) Joe George (3/30) did the damage for the Tigers. 

In the chase the wannabe champions had to work hard after both opening batsmen failed to score. Sabaorish Ravichandran played a different game to everyone else on the day, making 49 from 36 balls. 

Ravichandran was ably supported by Anil Kumar (43) but the latter’s run-out preceded quick wickets for Abhishek Telang (3/27) as MIB took five wickets for 20 runs.

With the Tigers teetering at 148/8 Piyush Kumbhare became the hero as he struck two maximums in a cameo 16* from four deliveries to see his team over the line by two wickets. 

That MIB defeat meant that MAX CC qualified for the play-offs regardless of their result against Tokyo Wombats, which was just as well since that game was washed out without a ball being bowled. 

The same fate befell the Rising Stars in their bid to derail the Tokyo Falcons, who needed only to avoid defeat in order to guarantee a play-off place; the weather made sure of that. 

That washout meant there was to be no lifeline for Wyverns Cricket Club, who once again narrowly missed out on finals. This time it was the Alpha Quashers of Yokohama who caused their downfall, rather than rain. 

Batting first Wyverns never really got going, despite Shogo Kimura laying a good foundation at the top of the order with his first half century of the season (54). Rama Tanwar eventually dismissed the former baseball pro on his way to figures of 3/23 and AQCC bowled Wyverns all out for 161.

The chase was a cakewalk for the Quashers; Vinay Iyer (75*) passed fifty for the fourth time in five innings and Karthik Vellingiri made 46 to break the back of the chase and ease to victory by nine wickets with seven overs to spare. 

In the only other completed match of the round, two teams with seasons to forget put on a decent display at the Sano International Cricket Ground. 

Newly promoted Sano CC earned their first win of the season, knocking over dethroned Champions Chiba Sharks thanks to a pugnacious knock by Pradeep Roshan. The Sharks had started well as captain Dhugal Bedingfield (51) brought up his third fifty of the campaign. However the tail failed to wag and Yuki Ohtorii ran amok taking 4/11 in just 17 balls as Sano bowled Sharks all out for 214. 

At 89/4 the Sharks were back in the game, but Roshan and Munir Ahmed (35*) put on 111 for the fifth wicket and eventually passed the Sharks total with four wickets to spare. 

What all that means is that the Tigers will play the Falcons and Alpha Quashers take on MAX CC in the two semi-finals, which will be played side-by-side at the Sano International Cricket Ground this Saturday 24th October with a place in the final on November 7th at stake. Good luck everyone! 

J-BASH Social Popular Playing Opportunity for Ladies

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On Sunday 18th October the 2nd J-BASH Social day took place at the Nagasawa Sports ground in Kawasaki, with numbers more than double that of the first event.

On a warm day the players, most newcomers to cricket, were able to enjoy an hour of training and learning the basics of cricket before trying out their new skills in a game.

With more than 30 players the groups were split into two groups for the practice and then four teams where everyone had an even opportunity in the match scenario.

The feedback from everyone who took part was extremely positive and we look forward to providing more opportunities like this in the future.

A big thank you once again to Kawasaki Knight Riders for providing volunteers, Tigers Cricket Club for bringing many players, and Kenny Matsumura for also bringing many cricket supporters for their first experience.

A photo album is up on our Facebook page so please visit that to see the fun that was on display!

Japan Cup Finals Washed Out Again

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We are extremely disappointed to confirm that the Japan Cup Finals have been cancelled for the second successive year after another typhoon rendered the grounds unplayable.

The tournament, already reduced to two days for 2020 due to the moving of the normal October National Holiday for the Olympics, lost Saturday to rain before Sunday was also cancelled because of the ground conditions.

This year 12 teams were ready to fight for the prestigious title of Japan Cup Champions, in the 10th year of the tournaments existence. Teams had qualified from across seven regions of Japan with many travelling long distances.

Tournament Director Dhugal Bedingfield said: “I’m extremely disappointed we could not hold the tournament. The team managers did a great job in organising their players while JCA staff and Sano City officials worked really hard to prepare a great event. It would have been an exciting tournament; but we were badly let down by the weather.”

With the 2020 season already severely disrupted and due to run later than normal because of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, there is no reserve weekend possible as winter approaches and the daylight fades.

We hope all teams will regroup and come back ready again to fight for the title in 2021.