Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good.
Sano 2
Outfield: bit long and wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good.
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good.
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Be careful for hot temperature and lightning.
Last weekend the three Japan National Squads returned to training for the first time this year on Japanese soil.
While many players from the National Academy had extensive experience in South Africa for the Under 19 World Cup in January and February, the men’s and women’s squad members have not come together since November 2019.
The training camps took place on Saturday (Academy), Sunday (Men) and Monday (Women) in hot temperatures which required regular breaks. All were conducting under the new COVID-19 Guidelines set out by the JCA to ensure cricket can be played in as safe an environment as possible.
We would like to thank all those who attended, as well as those who volunteered as coaches, trainers and photographers. We hope to have all the squads together again in September.
Alpha Quashers Yokohama have long been known as a team without stars, but one where everyone chips in. This has served them well in T20 cricket where back to back Japan Cup Final appearances are testament to the tactics, but in the Japan Cricket League they have often been found wanting at the key stage of the season. So the signing of 2016 Japan Player of the Year Vinay Iyer represented a big shift in strategy, but one that looks like paying off.
Iyer: Star Quality
After a half century in his first match, he backed that up with another against the defending champions the Chiba Sharks, and grabbed a five wicket haul, including a hat-trick, for good measure.
Batting first the Sharks cobbled together a below par 122 all out in just 27 overs. At 52/1 and with Under 19 World Cup starlets Marcus Thurgate (21) and Neel Date (30) at the crease things looked OK for the Sharks, but Iyer then took the match by its horns.
First he grabbed five for 25 to turn the innings around, then combined with Karthik Vellingiri (50*) in an opening stand of 108 before being dismissed for 55. The Quashers cruised home to win by nine wickets and announce themselves as genuine title contenders.
The other great pretenders in the JCL are Wyverns, who will also be thinking that 2020 could be their year as they recorded an equally thumping win over the Rising Stars. Some solid batting by Naimul Sayed (32) and Mohammad Haque (30) had laid a platform for the Rising Stars at 81/1, before another spinner took over.
Miayuchi & Kawashima: Dominating
Raheel Kano was the man doing the damage this time, his six for 28 helping shoot the stars down for just 123. It was a walk in the park for Wyverns from there, Wataru Miyauchi dominating an unbroken opening partnership of 124, striking 76* from just 50 balls, while Masaki Kawashima cruised to an unruffled 36* to give Wyverns a ten-wicket win.
One team not expecting to challenge for the title this year is Tokyo Falcons, who after a winless first season in Division One had cause to celebrate after finally breaking their duck. Bowling first against the Tokyo Wombats, they had to wait as veteran Dan Mee bludgeoned a quick 44 from 48 balls, and his team looked in control during a 45-run opening stand.
The Falcons burst to life with the introduction of Tharindu Perera, whose three for 17 precipitated an almighty collapse in which the Falcons took all ten Wombats wickets for just 48 runs. That gave the Falcons a target of just 94 to celebrate their first ever win in Division One, but they made hard work of it.
Falcons: Winners at last
Pramod Singh kept Wombats hopes alive, picking up three for 19 to leave the Falcons teetering at 48 for six, but a 35-run stand for the seventh wicket between Manish Kapil (19) and Ankit Panwar (13*) almost got them home, before two more wickets fell late on. The Falcons eventually stumbled across the line to win with two wickets remaining, and even picked up a valuable bonus point.
In an high-scoring match at the Sano International Cricket Ground, title chasing Tigers CC were given an almighty scare as 15-year-old Shotaro Takahashi became the youngest player ever to complete a half century in the top flight of the JCL.
Batting first Sano had contributions from Musashi Yamamoto (21), Prabath Dhanushka (43) and Pradeep Roshan (39), but Takahashi junior stepped out of the shadow of his older brother and struck seven boundaries on his way to 56 off 60 balls as his team made 209 for seven from their 40 overs, Puneet Kumar the pick of the bowlers with three for 40.
Takahashi: Record Breaker
Ranjith Mouli and Anil Kumar then each scored 65 in the chase, with Sabaorish Ravichandran picking up 40 as the Tigers moved easily to 190 for the loss of just two wickets, before a sudden collapse caused chaos in the ranks.
Sano took six wickets for 16 runs as TIgers slipped to 206 for eight, Shammera Pathum and Roshan with three wickets each, but Tigers top order had done enough and they squeezed home with two wickets to spare, Kumar striking the winning boundary much to the relief of his teammates.
That win kept Tigers on course for a Semi Final berth, along with MAX CC who were grateful to Hanif Niazi who finally found some form with the bat. His 53-ball 66 included seven maximums in a partnership worth 101 in 14 overs with Supun Nawarathna (38).
MAX: Hitting Hard
Men in Blue had plenty to celebrate however, Prashanth Manvi taking five for 24 and Abhipray Dewan four for 25 as MAX only managed to bat 27.5 overs before being all out for 145. Unfortunately for MIB there was nobody able to stay with Dewan long enough in the chase.
Despite his battling 50, the three for 21 from Shubham Shukla was enough for MAX to run through the MIB batting order for 116 to earn a 29-run win, although they were denied the bonus point.
Outfield: bit long,dry. Pitch: good
Sano 2
Outfield: bit long and wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: short,bit wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: short,bit wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Outfield: short,dry. Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Every grounds are ok to play finally.
Outfield: We will mow tomorrow morning. Pitch: good
Sano 2
Outfield: short,very wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: long,very wet. Pitch: wet
Outfield: long,wet. Pitch: good
Outfield: short,wet . Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Outfield: short,wet. Pitch: good. JCA staff will open the gate both days.
Sano 1 is OK to play now.Sano 4 is too wet to play.
All of us at the Japan Cricket Association are delighted to have won the 2019 Cricket 4 Good Initiative of the Year award.
The award, which “is for a project where cricket is used as a vehicle for social change or development” was given to the JCA after the work done by all of the cricket community following the impact the super typhoon had on the city of Sano last year.
JCA CEO Naoki Miyaji said: “This is not an award for the JCA, but for the whole community who gave up their time and energy to help Sano when the city really needed it.”
One unique supporter of the operation was a gambling site not on GamStop, which recognized the volunteers’ dedication and provided an additional donation. Overall, more than 300 volunteers from the cricket community across Japan participated in the relief efforts and also contributed more than JPY 500,000, along with cleaning supplies and tools.
The human effort totalled a combined 38 days of work, while the communication networks that were set up in English and Japanese helped reach volunteers from all sorts of walks of life.
Mary Valentine was one of the volunteers from outside of the community who has since joined the JCA team a Business Development Coordinator. She said:
“I was looking to be a part of an organization who really was focused on helping and providing for people and their communities. When I was volunteering alongside the JCA I felt that I had found just that kind of organization and wanted to continue to be a part of these sorts of efforts.”
Once again the JCA would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who got tired and muddy, the clubs, players, parents and friends all helped Sano return to its former self and get back to doing what it does best; which is hosting cricket matches!
The other award winners were:
Congratulations to all the winners!
The 2020 Japan Premier League will be remembered as much for the horrendous weather as the action that took place in the middle. So bad were the July rains that even the reserve day was washed out.
South Kanto Super Kings earned their fourth title courtesy of winning the three matches they were able to play.
Captain Sabaorish Ravichandran, who took home the Most Valuable Player award, said: “We were very motivated after a terrible year in 2019. We were missing some players but everyone pulled together and we are very happy to have the trophy back.”
East Kanto Sunrisers, winners in 2019, ended as Runners Up with West Kanto Hurricanes in third place.
Tournament Director Alan Curr said: “It’s pretty unlucky to lose almost three full days to rain at this time of year. We catered for the occasional shower by having the reserve day but have been left cursing our luck.
“Despite the rain the players stayed in good spirits and were willing to help out, so we must thank them for their patience and desire to play.”
The JCA would also like to thank Rob Newman, who gave up four days to umpire the event, and Agustine Jacob, Masaki Kawashima and Morito Kimura who also gave up their time to stand in games.
Full Standings and Award Winners are below:
Winners: South Kanto Super Kings
Runners Up: East Kanto Sunrisers
Third Place: West Kanto Hurricanes
Most Valuable Player: Sabaorish Ravichandran
Best Batsman: Abhipray Dewan
Best Bowler: Kohei Kubota
Heavy overnight rain and persistent drizzle throughout Sathe day meant that no play was possible on Saturday 25th July, despite the best efforts of all at the Sano International Cricket Ground.
Round Five, which was due to start at 10:30am, has now been postponed to the same time on Sunday morning, while Round Two (already postponed from Thursday afternoon) is now abandoned with points shared.
Patient Umpires
What all that means for the tournament itself is that South Kanto Super Kings are into the Final, to be played at 14:30 on Sunday, and they will face the winner of East Kanto Sunrisers and West Kanto Hurricanes. A further washout in the morning would put the Sunrisers into the Final.
Kansai Chargers and North Kanto Lions both sit on a point apiece although the Lions superior net run rate puts them ahead as things stand.
All of us at the JCA would like to thank the teams for showing great patience on a frustrating day, especially to those who were happy to get their feet wet in the efforts to clear the area in the hope of play starting.
Super Kings: Unbeaten
South Kanto Super Kings and East Kanto Sunrisers both collected two wins on the second day of the Japan Premier League to put themselves in a strong position to reach the final.
The Super Kings were twice indebted to captain Sabaorish Ravichandran for his runs, and seam bowler Kohei Kubota for his wickets.
In Round Three Ravichandran’s 44* off 34 balls enabled his team to successfully chase the a total of 111 after Kubota’s 3/15 had helped bowl the West Kanto Hurricanes all out. A win by six wickets was the perfect start to the day for the Super Kings.
Takada: Captains Innings
Over on SICG Two the Sunrisers recoverd from a major wobble against the Kansai Chargers thanks to a captains innings from Tsuyoshi Takada and a pugnacious knock from Abhipray Dewan.
The Chargers struggled in their first matches in the JPL, managing just 101/6, although they had a spring in their step when restricting the Sunrisers to 13/3 in the opening exchanges. However Takada (34) and Dewan (47*) combined to steady the Sunrisers with a partnership of 77 to take the team home by five wickets.
In Round Four Ravichandran was at it again with 52 form 33 balls to propel his team to 172/6, although it was a run-a-ball 61 from Alex Patmore anchored the innings and was the highest individual score of the tournament so far.
North Kanto: Battling
South Kanto were rampant in defending their total as Kubota’s 3/13 and 3/24 for Hiroshige Murakawa ran through the Chargers to earn a huge win by 116 runs and virtually confirm their place in the final.
The Sunrisers and North Kanto Lions then played out a tight game on SICG Two that went to the final over. The defending champions started well as Dhugal Bedingfield’s 51 laid a solid platform before the Lions came charging back. A hat-trick for Ali Raza derailed the innings and his 4/13 meant the Sunrisers were all out for 141 after just 18 overs.
In the chase Hanif Khan (28) and Prabath Dhanushka (35) put on 56 for the third wicket and the game looked in the balance. Neel Date (2/21) dismissed them both before Naveen Negi, with 14 needed off the final over, held his nerve to give his team an eight-run win.
Kansai: Learning Experience
All of that means that the South Kanto Super Kings have three wins from three and six points while the East Kanto Sunrisers have two wins from three and four points. It’s East meets West as the Sunrisers clash with the Hurricanes in Round Four tomorrow morning; West Kanto with two points after one win and one loss.
Kansai Chargers and North Kanto Lions are each on two losses and they clash first thing tomorrow morning in the streamed match on SICG One.
Just one round of shortened matches was possible on a wet day at the Sano International Cricket Ground today. Both matches were reduced to just six overs per side before the afternoon matches were postponed as the rain returned.
On SICG One the South Kanto Super Kings edged a tight contest against the defending Champions East Kanto Sunrisers. Winning the toss and batting Nikhil Chhajed struck a 12-ball 15 which included the only six of the innings as the Super Kings made 48/5, Naveen Negi collecting two wickets.
East Kanto simply could not hit boundaries, managing just two in the innings. Captain Sabaorish Ravichandran excelled with the ball bowling his two overs for just five runs and taking all three wickets that fell as the Super Kings kept the Sunrisers to 41/3 to win by seven runs.
On SICG Two North Kanto Lions won the toss and opted to bowl but the match was defined by the batting of Shogo Kimura (18 off 17) and Tomoki Ota (17 off 7) as the West Kanto Hurricanes posted 66/3, the highest score of the day. Although Hanif Khan struck 17 off 10 in the chase the solid ground fielding in wet conditions made the difference as the Hurricanes bowlers kept the total to just 54/3 to win by 12 runs.
With the afternoon games washed out Round Two will now be moved to Saturday afternoon and the Final delayed a day to Sunday morning. There is room for one further postponement in case of further bad weather, although we hope it will not come to that!