Johnson – Not just another Shark in a suit

Round Seven in the Japan Cricket League included significant moves for several teams, not least the Chiba Sharks, who inflicted a third successive defeat on pre-season favourites MAX CC.

The Sharks win over MAX was their fourth in a row and moved them up to second in the table, with their next match agains tthe hapless Paddy Foleys a further chance to cement their berth in the Semi Finals.

Much of their recent success has been built on a solid opening partnership between Davian Johnson and Dhugal Bedingfield which again produced an opening stand of 69. Although Bedingfield (22) did not go on this time, Johnson (60) registered his maiden half century in Japan while being aided by Arata Ueda who did the same with a well made 55 to carry the Sharks to 199 all out.

Three more wickets for Makoto Taniyama (3/25) was complemented by 3/42 from Bidyut Sarkar, but their much vaunted batting line up failed to fire. Supun Nawarathna made a typically rapid 48 and Taniyama a steady 36*, but that was too little too late as Johnson’s 3/21 completed a fine all round performance and a win by 42 runs.

The Sharks remain second as the Tigers bounced back from their surprise defeat in Round Six by easing passed Sano CC, who themselves are now almost certainly out of the Semi Finals with just a solitary win from seven matches in what has been a feeble title defence.

Dismissed for 142, Abdul Salam the pick of the Tigers bowlers with 3/27, the Tigers eased to the total thanks to yet another half century for Sabaorish Ravichandran whose 66 from 48 balls lead the team to a four wicket win.

Alpha Quashers are looking increasingly likely to make their first appearance in the last four and a comfortable win against Paddy Foleys only served to strengthen their position. Vasanthan Jayakumar led with 66 at the top of the innings, while Nandha Rangasamy (48) and Anees Thyrantakath (49) pushed them up to 271/8.

Kamran Syed made 70 in the chase as Paddy Foleys lasted their full 40 overs for the first time this season, but still came up short. A win by 71 runs for Alpha Quashers earned as five bowlers picked up wickets in a typically fine team performance.

Wombats – Moving Mountains

The Tokyo Wombats kept their outside chances of reaching the last four alive with an easy win against Wyverns, which all but ended last years finalists hopes of going one better. Rinsei Sawada’s 38 was the only score of note as Wombats rolled Wyverns over for just 120 with three wickets apiece for Augustine Jacob and Rony Taluqdar.

Contributions from all the top five meant a win by five wickets for the Wombats, Dean Abbott top scoring with 27.  

Takada – Great form in 2018

The Chiba Sharks have long waited for their youth policy to pay off and start delivering wins with outstanding individual performances, and in Tsuyoshi Takada they are starting to see the rewards.

The all round qualities that have shot Takada into the top ten leading run scorers and wicket takers this year were on display in a fine victory for the Sharks over a struggling Sano CC side who on another day might have got more reward.

Batting first another solid opening stand of 80 between Davian Johnson (28 against the side who turned him down) and Dhugal Bedingfield (35) laid the platform for an aggressive half century partnership between Takada and Arata Ueda (24).

Takada fell chasing quick runs at the end of the innings, but his 53 is reward for some promising form this year as Sharks finished 208 all out in the final over. For Sano Kazumasa Takahashi grabbed season’s best figures of 3/30 while Thulanidu Thirimanna collected 3/39.

Despite early wickets the chase looked on as a century stand between Thirimanna (60) and Thapa Bijaya (53) in quicktime looked like taking the game away. Pavethy Nath Velusamy (2/25) dismissed both of them and Takada (3/44) cleaned up the tail to complete a narrow 14-run win that was richly deserved but leaves the defending Champions struggling to make the playoffs.

Like Sano, fellow 2017 finalists Wyverns have failed to reach the heights of last season, but signs of improvement are coming and a surprise win over previously dominant Tigers CC has reignited their own top four hopes.

Miyauchi – Developing Fast

Batting first trouble was brewing as Sachin Thakur (3/38) ran amok with three quick wickets leaving Wyverns 18/3 in no time. A welcome return to form for Naotsune Miyaji (66) in a 130-run partnership with Wataru Miyauchi (61) rescued the side and a thumping 32 from 15 balls by Tomoki Ota propelled the Wyverns to 204 all out in the final over.

For Miyauchi this was a career best score a second half century of the season which makes him one of four Japanese batsmen in the top ten leading run scorers of the season so far and bodes well for Japan’s two tournaments approaching at the end of the year.

In the chase Tigers were always going to rely on Sabaorish Ravichandran, but when he was fourth to fall for 32, dismissed by Miyaji for his first score less than 50 this season, the rest of the side was unable to rally as Wyverns romped to a comfortable 51-run win. Oshantha Nanayakkara led the way with 3/19 and Takahiro Aoki 3/44 also chipped in. With their unbeaten start gone, everyone will watch with interest at how Tigers respond.

MAX CC of course lost their unbeaten record in Round Five so there was keen interest on how they would respond when Alpha Quashers came calling. The answer is not very well.

Only nine players showed up for their match against Alpha Quashers; who may argue that only one actually turned up with the bat. Masaomi Kobayashi’s 25 was the only score in double figures as Nandha Rangasamy took 4/7 in dismissing MAX for just 60 in 27.1 overs.

The chase lasted a meagre 13.1 overs, although MAX at least took five wickets through Makoto Taniyama (2/24) and Vinay Iyer (2/22) but plenty of contributions meant a bonus-point five-wicket win for Quashers which helps them fend off the chasing pack for fourth place.

Paddy Foleys storied history in the Top Division of the Japan Cricket League must surely be under threat now. Two wins in three seasons is bad enough, but Round Six finishes up with a forfeited match against Tokyo Wombats which leaves Paddys at the foot of the table with a score in the red. As more sides fight for a place at the top table in an expanding league it looks increasingly unlikely that relegation will be fended off for a third successive year.

Ravichandran collecting awards in all formats

Five innings, four fifties and now an unbeaten century. Sabaorish Ravichandran has not even been dismissed in the JCL since 14th April, and Tigers CC are grateful to him.

In this mid-season top of the table clash, Tigers posted 248/5 in 40 overs at Mount Fuji with the country’s leading batsman finishing 120* from 99 deliveries, supported at the end by a run-a-ball 28 from Rahul Koul.

For MAX, missing a number of players with travel sickness, Daichi Motoyama earned his first JCL wickets (2/47) while only Takuro Hagihara and Makoto Taniyama offered control by not conceding more than three per over.

In the chase half centuries from Supun Nawarathna (53), Amigo Kobayashi (80*) and Taniyama (57) should have been enough, but the latter’s decision to enter the fray at number eight, despite being one of the leading run scorers this season, may have left him with too much to do as other batsmen failed to cash in.

Three Tigers bowlers grabbed a pair of wickets, with Joe George’s 2/31 being the best of them to earn his side a 10-run win. Skipper Rajeev Nair was delighted with his teams batting, but critical of the bowling which he described as “below par” – a hard man to please!

Ueda (left) and Takada celebrate a straightforward victory

In the other top four clash, Chiba Sharks leapfrogged Alpha Quashers with a comfortable win to take them third in the table. New recruit Davian “Clampa” Johnson was the pick of the bowlers as his 3/15 restricted the Quashers to 155 all out in 37.2 overs; Rohit Kumar top scoring with 34.

Johnson (40) then opened the batting with skipper Dhugal Bedingfield (54) and put on 77 for the first wicket to break the back of the chase. Bedingfield completed another half century before being plumb LBW, leaving Tsuyoshi Takada and Arata Ueda to see the team home for a seven wicket and bonus point win.

As mentioned in our previous report, Tokyo Wombats were the only side to make 200 and end up on the losing side this season, which they have managed twice, so when Sano CC posted 205 all out the Wombats held every right to believe they could chase it down.

Sano were indebted to youth for their total as a mature 40 from 14-year-old prodigy Kazumasa Takahashi set the foundations, before a rollicking 62 from 29 balls from 17-year-old Nawaz Khan took the home team passed 200. Augustine Jacob (3/46) and Narendar Madhaven (3/43) were the happiest Wombat bowlers.

Patmore – Barnacle

The chase would always depend on Alex Patmore, who proved barnacle-like as he withstood everything thrown at him. A 59-run opening stand with Jacob (18) was followed by a decisive 116 partnership with Richie Bracefield, whose 53 more than doubled his JCL tally for the season.

As Wombats eased towards the victory it became all about whether Patmore could record his second JCL hundred of his career, but it was not to be as he ended 97* in a fine seven wicket win for his team.

In the one predictable match of the round Wyverns picked up their second win of the season as Paddy Foley’s remain rooted to the foot of the table with five successive losses. The total of 243/8 was built on contributions from all down the order, with Buddika Nanayakkara top scoring with 56 and Wataru Miyauchi next with 37. Saurabh Tiwari was the only bowler to experience much joy as he collectd 3/19.

It is a worry for any side when their number 10 is the top scorer; which Abhijith Sasikumar managed in scoring 17 at the end of the Paddy’s chase. Early wickets made life difficult, and then Raheel Kano destroyed the lower order; his 6/30 becoming the best figures of the season so far.

Wyverns rolled Paddys over for just 92 to earn a handsome 151-run win and the customary bonus point that comes with playing the pub team this season.

Tigers and MAX will go into their head-to-head in Round Five both carrying impressive unbeaten records after each recorded yet another comfortable victory.

More on those two in a moment however, as the most intriguing match of Round Four came at Fuji last Saturday where the Yokohama Quashers took on the Tokyo Wombats.

Quashers have impressed so far this season, with a solitary loss to the Tigers the only blight on their copybook, yet they were pushed to the limit by a Wombats side desperate to make amends for their previous showing.

Patmore and Madhaven with the partnership of the round; but in vain

Batting first the Wombats innings was built around another half century from Alex Patmore (53) and a wonderfully composed 76 from Narendar Madhavan. Their partnership of 149 came after an early slump to 27/3 and took them to 206/6 from their 40 overs.

Wombats are the only side this season to have posted 200 and lost, unfortunately they have now done it twice. Three early wickets fell and at 5/3 looked in all sorts of strife, but 40s from Vasanthan Jayakumar (41), Devendra Dhaka (43) and Gurman Singh (41) plus a patient 33 from Karthik Vellingiri helped the Quashers over the line with three wickets and two overs to spare, solidifying third place in the table.

In the other fixture not involving the top two, the Chiba Sharks also bounced back from a disappointing Round Three with a strong win over Wyverns. Again there was a captains half century at the top by Dhugal Bedingfield (52) before he was cut in half by Koji Iwasaki to become one of his three victims of the afternoon.

A score of 186 all out was imposing for Wyverns, who have not threatened those heights at all this season, and promptly fell in a heap as the decision to open the bowling with Tsuyoshi Takada accounted for Shogo Kimura first ball and then six bowlers combined to roll Wyverns over for just 99. A win by 87 runs brings bite back to the Sharks as they fight for a top four finish.

MAX = Maximum Points

At the top it was all rather predictable as MAX blew away defending champions Sano CC, winning by 96 runs despite only mustering 140 in a below par batting display. Hanif Khan (53) continued the trend of openers registering half centuries, and a patient 41 from Makoto Taniyama continued his fine form with the bat. Raj Pardan grabbed 4/22 for Sano, but that was as good as their day got.

With the ball Vinay Iyer was destroyer in chief, taking 5/17 with his loopy grenades, while Taniyama also grabbed three wickets for just four runs – which makes him lead wicket-taker for the season so far. A paltry 44 all out for Sano means another bonus point for MAX and confidence remains high in their camp, while Sano are in a desperate struggle.

Maximum batting points for MAX is keeping them clear at the top by a single point, but the Tigers continue to push hard and they tore the doors off Paddy Foley’s in no time at all to ensure they did not lose more ground before the Round Five showdown.

Tigers; still roaring in their delicious uniforms

115 all out from Paddy’s was never going to be enough, despite a battling 36 from captain Kamran Syed. Piyush Kumbare was an astute signing in the off season and proved his worth with 3/11.

It was that man Sabaorish Ravichandran again with the bat for Tigers, as his fourth successive half century of the season (54*) led his side to victory in just 22 overs with six wickets to spare. Vishnu Shekhawat (4/21) grabbed all grabbed all four scalps to fall to at least give Paddy’s something to cling to at the end of a trying day.

June 2nd is the date for the big showdown, and Fuji will be the venue. The world watches on with baited breath to see who will come out with their unbeaten record still intact…