The race for the top four in the JCL took an interesting turn in Round Seven as outsiders Wyverns crushed perennial contenders Tigers in a display of genuine quality .

Miyauchi – Form

Wataru Miyauchi is having a golden season so far and registered his second successive half century to move him second in the run scoring charts. His 62 anchored Wyverns as they batted first before 44 each for Shogo Kimura and Buddika Nanayakkara, in equally aggressive fashion, propelled the total to above 200. 

The pair put on 81 in less than nine overs, and crashed seven sixes between them to pile pressure on the Tigers bowlers. Ankush Mahasaheb (3/48) grabbed three wickets at the end of the innings but 214/8 looked daunting for a struggling batting line up. 

Several Tigers batsmen made starts, but none were able to go on. Division One debutant Kushal Kamat was top scorer with 28, but more application was needed if the target was ever going to be in danger. 

Yusuke Wakuta (4/36) was the main man for Wyverns with the ball, while Raheel Kano threw up some grenades to collect 3/28 as they dismissed the Tigers for just 122 to complete a victory by 92-runs and leapfrog Tigers into fourth place, earn a valuable bonus point to boot. After three defeats in a row for Tigers last seasons table toppers will be fearing for their finals place.

Ali Raza – Century

In the clash of the top two it was MAX CC who completely overwhelmed the Alpha Quashers to stamp their authority over the rest of the division. MAX were indebted to Ali Raza’s maiden Division One century, from 97 balls, and 48* from Masaomi Kobayashi which took MAX to 208/9 in their 40 overs. 

No other MAX batsmen made 20 as Quashers showed their skills with the ball, Nikhil Chhajed the pick with 3/28 and five bowlers collecting wickets. 

Quashers made a steady start but a double blow from Prabath Sankalpa (2/22) in the 12th over changed the course of the chase with five MAX bowlers also collecting wickets. All out for 107 as Talha Tanveer and Sachin Sererath matched each other with three wickets for 13 runs. 

That victory by 101 runs earned MAX a four-point lead over the Quashers in second place, who at least stuck out their innings to the 38th over to deny their rivals a bonus point. 

The other two teams in contention for the top four are Chiba Sharks and Men in Blue and who produced a decent contest that ultimately ended in victory for the Sharks. Men in Blue were in immediate trouble as their top order was dismantled by Sharks opening tyros; Rui Matsumura (2/32)and Muneeb Siddique (3/30).

Abhi Telang (44) and Vasantha Rajendran (47) dug in to haul their team from a perilous position of 95/7 to a final total of 174/9 which gave them a fighting chance. 

Sharks – Chasing Semis

Ashish Jaiswal then had Men in Blue up and about with wickets in his first and second over and the game got increasingly spicy from then on which would later lead to some internal disciplinary sanctions. 

As Men in Blue continued to take wickets the Sharks began to look desperate but Davian “Clampa” Johnson (82*) was the huge wicket they could not earn. He eventually found partners in Neel Date (17) then Rui Matsumura (30*), with an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 54 which calmed the chase and carried the Sharks home with three overs and four-wickets to spare. The win also earned Tsuyoshi Takada his first win in as stand-in captain after eight matches spread across four years. 

Weather got the better of the match between Wombats and Falcons, which effectively ends the Wombats hopes of a surprise semi final appearance.

In just their third JCL season the Alpha Quashers are proving they are a club here to stay, having not tasted defeat since the opening weekend.

A side that is built mainly on it’s bowling attack, with three of their players in the top six wicket-takers so far this season, but in Rohit Kesari they have now added some steel to their batting. 

Jayakumar – Steady at the top

Their bowlers once again put them in a good position in Round Six as they took on Men in Blue. Raman Tanwar (3/23) took out the top order before the Quashers spinners took over. 

At 51/5 it was looking like a quick game but Sarfraz Petkar counter-punched with 49-ball 73 to lift MIB to 193 all out to give themselves a chance. 

Kesari snuffed out that whiff however, his 87* the highest Quashers score of the season and he combined well with Vasanthan Jayakumar (55) to double the team total of half centuries this season in a partnership worth 127 that all but won the match for their side. 

The Quashers coasted home to win by six wickets and lift themselves to a secure-looking second in the table, with a gap opening to the teams below. 

The reason for that gap was a stunning battle between the Sharks and the Tigers which came down to the final over. Muneeb Siddique impacted the game at key moments, finishing with 3/48, including Sabaorish Ravichandran, which helped restrict their opponents to 173/8 after 40 overs. 

Takada – Two half centuries this season

A special mention to U15 starlet Yugandhar Retharekar whose off-spin claimed 1/7 from eight overs as nobody could get him away. 

Tigers were not going to give in easily and grabbed the key wicket of Sharks skipper Dhugal Bedingfield for just three, but Davian Johnson (53) and Tsuyoshi Takada (54) proved harder to dislodge.

Their partnership of 80 in 17 overs looked to have taken Sharks to a comfortable win only for Tigers to roar back into it with six wickets for just 23 runs as 139/3 turned into 162/9, Ravichandran (2/16) in particular giving nothing away. 

It was left to Siddique to make the key intervention however, his 10* dragging Sharks over the line with just two balls and a single wicket remaining which keeps their semi-final hopes alive and brings them level on points with the Tigers. 

MAX CC remain in the driving seat after a hard fought win over a fast improving Wombats. Kazumasa Takahashi and Makoto Taniyama (both 44) provided the platform with the bat, before both getting run out, as MAX reached 188 all out in 39 overs. Dan Mee chipped in for the Wombats again with 3/31. 

MAX – Still Top

Taniyama then spun his way to 3/34 to complete a solid all-round performance to dismiss Wombats for 155 in 36.1 overs, Vignesh Bandi top scoring with 29. A win by 33 runs keeps MAX top by virtue of net run rate over the Quashers, who they face in Round Seven. 

The match between Wyverns and Tokyo Falcons ended prematurely as the rain came down, but not before a career best 97 from Wataru Miyauchi. That innings ended when he became one of three victims for Kuldeep Bisht, missing a straight one as he looked for the boundary to bring up that much sought after century.

The innings does move him second in the run-scorers list for the season and had Wyverns well placed at 247/6 after 37 overs before the rain arrived and gave Falcons their first points of the season.