“Aussie Veterans” Tour Japan

Posted by

On 26th and 27th of May Sano City hosted the Veterans Cricket Victoria Association, or “Aussie Veterans” for three nights and four cricket matches.

The Australians, mainly based in and around Melbourne, ranged in age from 64 – 75 years old and were an inspiration for everyone with their enthusiasm for cricket, generosity, and ability to still be able to perform to a good standard.

On Saturday 26th they played two T20 matches against the Japan Men’s National squad, which although one-sided with the Japan team winning comfortably each time, enabled several new players to wear the Japan uniform for the first time and work on specific areas of their game.

On Sunday the newly created Japan Academy played their first match, and led by captain for the day, Marcus Thurgate who scored 52* the young team also managed a comfortable win and displayed a great deal of promise.

In the afternoon 10 players from the Japan Women’s Squad and the Women’s Academy took part in a mixed match where 5 Japanese players and 6 Aussies made up the teams and played in a fun environment which allowed everyone a good opportunity. This created a great atmosphere and provided an excellent experience for all involved.

The JCA would like to thank the Aussie Veterans, especially Derek Braidner who orgnaised the tour, and hope to see them again in the future.

Super Kings Tame Lions in JPL Season Opener

Posted by

The South Kanto Super Kings survived a scare in their opening match in Sano on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten run since 2016 in the Japan Premier League T20.

In perfect conditions at the Sano River Grounds a new look North Kanto Lions team batted first against last year’s champions the South Kanto Super Kings.

New Super Kings signing Takada was a threat

It was a slow start for the Lions, new Super Kings signing Piyush Kumbhare (1/6 off 4) denying the batsmen many scoring opportunities.

The Lions began to accelerate in the second half of their innings, captain Prabath Sankalpa (28) and former Nepal international Raj Pradhan (18*) combining to lift their team to 112/6 after 20.

The Super Kings looked comfortable in their chase but when Pradhan chimed in with three quick wickets, suddenly panic started to set in.

Debutant off spinner Lahiru Chinthana claimed three wickets of his own and 14 year old Kazumasa Takahashi added another two.

Lions leg spinner Raj Pradhan picked up the MVP award in game 1

It was left to the experienced Vinay Iyer and number 11 Kumbhare to carry their team over the line, which they did with four balls to spare.

“It was closer than we would’ve liked”, commented Lions captain Sabaorish Ravichandran. “I trusted Piyush and Vinay to do the job but to be honest I didn’t know if we would win.”

Game 2 ended up being a much more comfortable win for the Super Kings.

Batting first the Super Kings recorded 138 off their 20 overs, thanks in no small part to a brutal 38 by Richie Bracefield. The New Zealander’s innings came off just 22 balls and featured four sixes.

In reply, the Lions could never quite keep up with the required run rate, the Super Kings star-studded spin brigade making life difficult for the Lions makeshift top order.

Vinay Iyer finished with figures of 3/17 while Tsuyoshi Takada and Ravichandran finished with two apiece.

The Lions finished 40 runs short of victory but won plenty of admirers in their first match of the season.

Bracefield was awarded the MVP in game 2

The JPL continues next Sunday June 3rd when the East Kanto Sunrisers travel to Akishima to take on the West Kanto Hurricanes.

Fans Guide to the 2018 JPL

Posted by

The Japan Premier League is back with a bang in 2018. Get set for plenty of action across Kanto as the best players from North, South, East and West come together to represent their regions.

The JPL kicks off on May 27th, last years champions South Kanto Super Kings traveling to Sano to take on the North Kanto Lions. A week later on June 3rd the West Kanto Hurricanes kick start their season, hosting the East Kanto Sunrisers in Akishima.

We’ve put together a guide to help you follow all the action. As with last year, most matches will be live streamed on Abema Fresh.

Full schedule here.

South Kanto Super Kings 

Home Ground: YC&AC, Yokohama.

Colors: Blue, orange.

Manager: Manoj Bhardwaj

Captain: Alex Patmore

Summary: The Super Kings went through the JPL unbeaten last season and deserve favouritism for the 2018 season. They have superb depth, especially in the batting department which can cause headaches for their selectors and even more headaches for opposition captains.

Player to watch: Sabaorish Ravichandran. The classy Indian leg-spinner/middle order batsman was the run-away winner of the Japan Player of the Year. He will be a key player with both bat and ball and his performances will be crucial if his team is to taste success again.

Quote: “The core team is the same as last year but we have added two spinners, Tsuyoshi Takada and Piyush Kumbhare who will be great assets. We have plenty of match winners who can come off the bench and a splendid blend of experienced and young blood. It won’t be easy but we will play to make it three in a row. If we have to pin point one team then I think the home game against the Hurricanes will be a nail-biter for sure.” Manoj Bhardwaj, Super Kings manager.

Squad: Alex Patmore, Manoj Bhardwaj, Vinay Iyer, Prashant Kale, Sabaorish Ravichandran, Masaomi Kobayashi, Pavethy Velusamy, Anuraj Singh, Rahul Koul, Devendra Dhaka, Gurman Singh, Karthik Vellingiri, Richie Bracefield, Anthony Winston, Shintaro Kanamaru, Tsuyoshi Takada, Simon Lavender, Piyush Kumbhare, Tushar Chaturvedi, Raman Tanwar.

West Kanto Hurricanes 

Home Ground: Showa Athletic Ground, Akishima

Colors: Black, pink.

Manager: Shunichi Mamenari

Captain: Tomoki Ota

Player to watch: Shogo Kimura. The former Yokohama Baystars, Hiroshima Carp and Seibu Lions pro baseball star has made a well-publicised transition to cricket. He has impressed in pre-season with his power-hitting and Hurricanes fans will be expecting some destructive batting from the left-hander.

Quote: “We have recruited two experienced Sri Lankan players this year in Buddhika and Navarathna and have also signed Shogo Kimura, who will add strength to our batting. The key for us will be catching because each team has a very strong batting lineup. Every game will be tough but if we play well we think we have a chance to win. We haven’t beaten the Super Kings yet so that will be the first challenge for us this year.” Tomoki Ota, Hurricanes captain.

Squad: Takahiro Aoki, Oshantha Buddhika, Takuro Hagihara, Raheel Kano, Shogo Kimura, Kohei Kubota, Rui Matsumura, Naotsune Miyaji, Wataru Miyauchi, Supun Navarathna, Tomoki Ota, Rinsei Sawada, Makoto Taniyama, Nozomi Tomizawa, Arata Ueda, Shodai Yamada, Ken Okoshi, Yoshitaka Uehara, Koji Iwasaki.

North Kanto Lions 

Home Ground: Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Tochigi.

Colors: Royal blue, yellow.

Manager: Mumtaz Alam

Captain: Prabath Sankalpa

Summary: There has been plenty of change within the Lions camp over the off-season with many players departing and some fresh new faces arriving. What impact this will have on the Lions is unclear. There is still plenty of talent on board but can the Lions management shape the new group into a competitive outfit?

Player to watch: Raj Pradhan. The former Nepal international is capable of deceiving even the best batsmen with his leg breaks and googlies. If he can spin his way through opposition top orders, the Lions are every chance to win.

Quote: “We think South Kanto and East Kanto are going to be very strong this year. They have such a deep pool of players to pick from. There are some very well-balanced teams in the JPL this year. We may not be the favourites but we do have some quality players such as Thirimanna. We also have some talented youngsters like Takahashi and it will be interesting to see what they can do at this level.” Mihindu Perera, Lions manager.

Squad: Pradeep Roshan, Viveknath Venkataraman, Navjeet Thakur, Ashish Neve, Avnish Kumar, Ragesh Nair, Sanchit Pruthi, Urminder Singh, Chetan Ghodasara, Abdul Salam, Shu Noguchi, Uddika Pradeep, Ishara Hasantha, Reiji Suto, Thulanidu Thirimanna, Chathura Aravinda, Kazumasa Takahashi, Prabath Sankalpa, Hamza Hassan, Raj Pradhan.

East Kanto Sunrisers 

Home Ground: Sanbu no Mori Ground, Sammu, Chiba

Colors: Green, yellow.

Manager: Kazi Murad

Captain: Dhugal Bedingfield

Summary: Cricket has taken off in East Kanto and with a strong six-team league, the Sunrisers managers have plenty of talent to pick from. After a winless season in 2017 there is plenty of motivation amongst the squad to turn things around this year. The Sunrisers lost narrowly in many games last season and will be hoping some of the new faces in the squad can help them to climb up the table this year.

Player to watch: Davian Johnson. The hard-hitting West Indian all rounder enters his first season of JPL with an imposing record in his native Jamaica. The Sunrisers will hope he can have an immediate impact in the middle order as well as influencing matches with the ball and in the field.

Quote: “We have retained eight to ten T20 specialists, including Japan national players and players, who have great cricket experience within Japan.  We’ve also added 10 new players to strengthen our squad. Experience, leadership and a strong batting Iineup will be the keys to our success. South Kanto has always been a tough team to beat but our aim is to win the JPL in 2018.” Kuldeep Bisht, Sunrisers Chairman of Selectors.

Squad: Amrik Singh, Abhishek Khattri Chhetri, Ashik Chowdhury, Dhugal Bedingfield, Kuldeep Bisht, Sameep Dawar, Tharindu Gunathilaka, Habib Ahmad, Hanif Khan, Davian Johnson, Pushkar Kaushik, Ankur Mehrotra, Mohiuddin Khan, Sandeep Singh, Muneeb Siddique, Marcus Thurgate, Bhutto Umair, Vivek Singh, Takuma Yamashita, Sanjaya Yapabandara

 

Australian Veterans Arrive in Japan

Posted by

On Saturday 19th May a touring team from Australia arrived in Japan where they hope to play several matches during a two week stay in the country.

Known as the Aussie Veterans, the team consists of players over the age of 65 who have played cricket their whole lives. They have toured many countries around the world, but this is their first visit to Japan.

They will spend one week in Tokyo before travelling to Sano for matches on the weekend of 26th and 27th May. Afterwards they will travel to Osaka and hope to be able to take part in some cricket sessions there as well.

Sunday 20th was the first match of their tour which took place at Yokohama Country and Athletic Club (YCAC), and finished in an exciting tie. With five needed from the last two balls for an Aussie Veteran win, the first was a dot before the final ball was struck straight for four. It is believed this is the first tied match for the YCAC club at their home ground in 150 years of Cricket.

The Japan Cricket Association would like to thank the Veterans for travelling to Japan and we hope they have a wonderful time both on and off the cricket pitch.

JCL Round Three: Nawarathna 160 Wallops Wombats

Posted by

Supun Nawarathna was the undoubted star of Round Three as his sublime century propelled MAX CC to a crushing win against Wombats to maintain their place at the top of the league.

The Sri Lankans 160 took just 98 balls during a partnership of 156 with Makoto Taniyama that made a mockery of the Wombats early hopes after two early strikes. For Taniyama (52) it was a first JCL half century of the season and after he fell a further 110 was added with Japan captain Masaomi Kobayashi (43).

There has only been one six-wicket haul in each of the past three seasons, so Himanshu Bugalia’s 6/60 least gave Wombats something to smile about. They certainly did not get that from their batting; Hanif Khan ripped through them grabbing 5/19 as MAX dismissed Wombats for just 88 to claim a bonus point win by a whopping 266 runs.

Tigers CC were the other unbeaten side coming into Round Three, and they maintained their record (leaving the One Short headline writers struggling to come up with something new) with a handsome win against the Chiba Sharks.

The Sharks, missing several big names, were indebted to Tsuyoshi Takada for having anything to take from the game as his 31* propped up the Sharks total of just 89/7 from 27 overs.

Sabaorish Ravichandran grabbed 3/7 from his five overs before knocking off the total himself with a third half century in as many innings. His score of 56* came off just 41 balls and 48 of those runs were in boundaries. Takada earned 2/20 with his ripping off spin, but it was not enough to deny Tigers a bonus point victory by seven wickets.

Alpha Quashers Yokohama earned a tighter win over Wyverns than the 39-run margin suggests to go third in the table, and as always there were useful contributions from several players. 39 runs apiece batting first for Sudharshan Dhanachandran and Vasanthan Jayakumar lifted AQCC to a par score of 180 all out from 37.2 overs as Raheel Kano nicked 3/22 with his floaty leg-spin.

Wataru Miyauchi was the rock in the chase, the diminutive young keeper scoring his maiden half century in the JCL. A lack of batting down the order however, meant Wyverns collapsed from 106/1 to 141 all out in just seven overs as Nikhil Chhajed (3/23) and Karthik Vellingiri (3/30) did the damage.

In the battle of the basement dwellers it was Sano CC who finally registered their first win, thanks to a superb bowling display by the burly Uddika Pradeep. The big man took 5/27, and Raj Pardam 3/30, as Sano dismissed Paddy Foley’s for 151 just inside 35 overs; Ajitesh Koushal top scored for Paddys with 35.

Sano have struggled for runs this year, but a maiden half century for Fernando Devinda (56*), well supported by Kavindu Gayashan (40), meant a win by six wickets for last years champions.

In Round Four MAX and Tigers will face up against Sano and Paddys respectively, giving both sides an excellent chance of maintaining that unbeaten start before their mouthwatering clash in Round Five on June 2nd at Fuji. Mark that date in your diaries folks.

 

First National Camps of 2018

Posted by

During Golden Week there were three training camps for the Japan National Squads. Coaching the groups was Tom Huf from Cricket Victoria who worked hard with each group and passed on his expertise. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Tom for his hard work and also thank everyone at Cricket Victoria who continue to make this relationship possible.

On April 28th and 29th the men had two days together which included the first session in the new nets at the Sano International Cricket Ground. With the grass still settling and unable to be used for training or playing until August, the players only had one afternoon there. We would like to thank the players for their help in maintaining the grass by pulling out weeds which are starting to grow.

The camp also enabled the players to obtain their new training wear which has been supplied by Under Armour as part of the sponsorship package from Queserser, so we would like to thank all involved with this new partnership.

The following weekend the women trained at the SICG on Saturday and also helped out maintaining the grass, so thanks to all of them.

On Sunday 6th May it was the turn of the National Academy squads, both male and female, to have a full day which was coached by Dhugal Bedingfield and Naotsune Miyaji while Tom assisted and gave them each advice on their coaching. With 35 players present on the day across the two squads the future looks bright for Japan Cricket.

Tom Huf Arrives in Japan

Posted by

At the Japan Cricket Association we are fortunate to regularly have guests from abroad working alongside us to help improve cricket in Japan. Over the years we have had people from a range of backgrounds, but especially Australia, England and New Zealand.

In this section of the website you will be able to read about why each person is visiting and what it is they are actually do here. We hope you find it interesting and if you ever have any questions about these placements please feel free to contact us.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Hi everyone, my name is Tom and I’m thrilled to be in Sano, Japan as part of the partnership between the Japan Cricket Association and Cricket Victoria. As a Regional Cricket Manager in countryside Australia, my experience in Japan is a stark contrast to life and cricket at home, and I’ve loved every minute of it so far.

Everyone who has come to Japan as part of the partnership has said what a positive and informative experience it is, but even so, I’m surprised at the impression my time here has had – what an amazing country! The food is great and at times quite challenging (thanks Alan!). In amongst the cricket I’ve had the chance to do a little bit of sight-seeing, and the scenery and history are worth the trip alone. Most of all the people have made the biggest impression. Everyone is very courteous, polite and very accommodating of me forgetting to take off my shoes or my lack of Japanese. In the 10 days so far I’ve only managed to remember about three to four phases in Japanese, and I think that’s only because they relate to ordering food!

The first thing on the agenda was a four-day training camp for the national men’s squad. I knew there would be a lot of raw talent in the squad, but for me it was pleasing to see that the players had a great awareness about the game as well. In a country where cricket is still a growing sport, it was so good to hear players talking about “Yorkers”, “googlies” and the merits of a bit of “chin music”. It shows the true appeal of cricket as a world sport and that cricket really has a place for everyone regardless of where you live or what your background is.

After a fun day trip to Nikko thanks to my wonderful host family Naoki and Callie, it was into a three-day camp with the national women’s side who were great fun and somewhat accepting of my terrible jokes. We worked on a combination of technical aspects of the game and game sense drills to keep their skills sharp. I have been impressed with the commitment and talent of both national squads – players came from all corners of the country and worked hard for multiple days which were long and hot.

My time with the national squads concluded yesterday with a fun-packed day with the male and female national academies. With the advent of Cricket Blast and junior club programs in Japan, there is a lot of talent now rising through the ranks and it was all on show yesterday. It’s exciting to think what is in store in future for the Japan national teams if those players stay in cricket as they’re not only extremely talented but also great people as well. It was fantastic to be part of the first ever academy training session.

With two weeks to look forward to in Japan, my attention now turns to schools and junior club programs in Sano, Akishima and Yokohama which I can’t wait to get stuck into. Cricket is a game loved all over the world that has a place for everyone and I look forward to seeing more and more kids playing cricket across Japan in future. With a new strategy, the redevelopment of the Sano International Cricket Ground, dedicated staff and volunteers, and cities of cricket across Japan the future definitely looks bright.

SMJ announced as Official Eyewear Supplier for the JCA

Posted by

The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) and SMJ Corporation have agreed to a three year deal that names SMJ as the JCA’s Official Eyewear Supplier.

SMJ is the distributor of SMITH, an American outdoor eyewear brand, in Japan and provides mainly eyewear products that maximises the performance for people enjoying sport or outdoor activities. Kazuo Nakajima, President of SMJ, said “We are delighted to have the opportunity to support the JCA. We have been the distributor for Smith, the No.1 brand in the snow sport industry, in Japan for 23 years and we have been expanding into other outdoor sports in the last five to six years. As a stylish sport, Cricket is a great fit for SMITH and we believe the partnership will add value to the brand. We also hope that the sport will grow in Japan.”.

JCA CEO, Naoki Alex Miyaji, said, “SMITH sunglasses will not only help protect the players eyes and improve performance, but will also help make the sport appealing to more people. The aim of our new five year strategy, “Building a Brighter Future”, is to innovate the sport to attract more participants. We are excited to have found an ideal partner to achieve this.”

SMJ Corporation is the distributor of SMITH, an American outdoor eyewear brand which is a world leader in snow goggles, in Japan. Originating from Sun Valley, Idaho, Smith was founded in 1965 with the invention of the first snow goggle featuring a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam. With 50 years of innovation and design experience, Smith is widely known today as an industry leader that pioneers advanced eyewear and helmets that incorporate dynamic technologies, optimized performance and clean styling to fuel fun beyond walls. Smith seeks to power thrilling experiences and peak performance in outdoor adventures with a comprehensive collection that exudes modern style and vibrant personality.

Japan Cup Season Kicks Off

Posted by

No fewer than 31 teams across seven regions will take part in the 2018 Japan Cup T20 tournament.

The newest region to join in on the action is Tohoku, where Sendai Cricket Club will battle it out with Far Western at the picturesque Post Office Ground in suburban Sendai. There is plenty of interest in cricket in the Tohoku region so expect some competitive matches.

There will be five teams competing in the Kinki region again this year. The Osaka Raiders are early favourites to top the group but will encounter some stiff competition from new boys Kobe Hawks. Both Kyoto and Shiga-Kyoto are more than capable of springing an upset while Uenomiya contain plenty of talent and youthful enthusiasm. Matches will take place at the Kyoto Gakuen ground in Kameoka while Kinki eagerly awaits the completion of the new playing facility in Kaizuka, Japan’s newest city of cricket.

Surely it’s South Kanto that boasts the most competitive Japan Cup group. Eight teams will again take part in the South Kanto competition at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club. Picking a winner is an impossible assignment but the Alpha Quashers carry the tag of favourites after going all the way to lift the trophy at the Japan Cup Finals series last year. Indian Engineers and Tigers will again be strong and the Wombats are as tough as old boots. British Embassy and YC&AC will try to use every ounce of their experience and expect both Keio Knights and Aoyama Gakuin to show substantial improvement from last year. Mouth-watering indeed.

East Kanto has expanded to six teams with the edition of the Nippon Tigers but matches will be played in Sano this year due to the current redevelopment of the Sammu Cricket Ground. Men In Blue are looking to make it three-in-a-row and it is hard to see who will knock them off their perch. Arch-rivals Tokyo Falcons will be nipping at their heals and Rising Stars are sure to put in some spirited perfoemances. Chiba Sharks and Tsukuba struggled to mount a challenge last year but can’t be discounted. Nippon Tigers will be an unknown quantity and might be capable of some surprises.

West Kanto often produces the most entertaining T20 cricket in Japan, spectators at the Showa Athletic Ground in Akishima regularly ducking for cover as sixes fly over the short boundaries. The Wyverns go in as favorites again but word is that the University XI will be putting out a very strong team this year. Akishima CC have a good mix of experience and youth while the Beans are more than capable of putting the wind up their opposition.

There has been plenty of drama in the off-season in North Kanto with several clubs falling off the radar, including last year’s champions Samurai. Could this mean that a youthful Sano CC return as a force in T20 cricket? They will need to get past the Ceylon XI, who will certainly be hard to beat. The two new teams to round out the North are the Tokyo Titans and Rakuten. It’s a tough assignment for a club to win a title in its first season but don’t bet against it in North Kanto this year.

Finally, Tokai will again host two teams at the beautiful Fuji Cricket Ground but there will be a slight change this year. After the mysterious disapperance of Fuji CC, the Nagoya Bengal Tigers will join Nagoya CC under the slopes of the mountain. The Bengal Tigers are a club on the rise but will have their work out against their experienced opponents.

The champions of the Kanto regions, as well as representative teams from Tokai, Kinki and Tohoku, will qualify for the Japan Cup Finals to be held, as always, in Sano. Lock in the dates of October 6th-8th to your calendars.

The Japan Cup officially kicked off on April 15th in Kameoka with the Raiders taking on the Hawks. Many more teams will be in action this weekend all across the country. Who will be the last team standing at the Sano International Cricket Ground in October? Keep up-to-date with results, news and league standings on the Japan Cup tournament page.

The Quashers were Japan champions last year but will face some stiff opposition this year.

There’s plenty of buzz around the University XI this year.

JCL Round Two: MAX & Tigers remain unbeaten

Posted by

Two rounds played and just two unbeaten teams remain in JCL Division One as both MAX and Tigers recorded victories to keep pundits guessing as to how the season will turn out.

MAX CC go top of the table thanks to earning a second bonus point of the season, this time with a comfortable 126-run win over Paddy Foleys.

Batting first there were runs throughout the order for the powerful MAX batting line up, led by Hanif Khan (56) and Salman Khawaja (67) who grabbed half centuries, and Makoto Taniyama (45) who registered his highest score in two seasons as MAX reached 273/8 in the 40 overs. For Paddy’s only Raman Tanwar went at less than a run a ball, picking up 3/46.

The Paddy’s innings never truly got going, and the fall of Prashant Kale for 39 prompted a steady fall of wickets with only Vishhal Patel contributing an earnest 33 before demolishing his own stumps. All out for 147 in 29.5 overs with three wickets for both Talha Tanveer (3/28) and Sachin Sererath (3/26) meant the bonus point and a weekend to celebrate for last years deposed champions.

Wyverns with “Bomber” – their team mascot

2017 was all about Sano and Wyverns who went head to head having both lost their opening fixture of 2018. It was happy revenge for Wyverns, thanks to a gritty career best 38* from Shodai Yamada batting at number seven. The determination of Yamada showed his more illustrious colleagues how to bat properly and hauled Wyverns to 176/8 from 40 overs with 2/12 from Prabath Sankalpa the best return for Sano.

Sano made a solid start to the chase only for Wyverns to steadily chip away and then take the last five wickets for just eight runs with Naotsune Miyaji (3/13) claiming an unofficial hat-trick (with a couple of wides punctuating the wickets). A top score of 21 by Thukanidu Thirimanna and all out for 88 in 23.3 overs illustrate the issues Sano have with their batting. A win by 88 runs for Wyverns, and much to ponder for both teams.

Tigers maintained their 100% start thanks to a tight win over Alpha Quashers. Batting first Tigers rustled up 190/4 in their allotted overs with Man of the Match Manoj Bhardwaj registering a JCL career best of 53*, typically supported by 64 from Sabaorish Ravichandran.

Manoj Bhardwaj – Career Best 53*

A cunning decision to open the bowling with Piyush Kumbhare (3/19) then gave Tigers a great start as he snagged three wickets in his first spell to leave the Quashers reeling. The ever smiling Nandhakumar Rangasamy (37), whose two wickets in the first innings made him the pick of the AQCC bowlers as well, battled hard but Ravichandran’s leg-spin (3/33) precipitated the end as Tigers bowled Quashers all out for 138 to claim a 52-run win.

The closest tie of the round took place at Fuji as the unpredictables of Chiba Sharks and Tokyo Wombats battled it out in testing conditions. Batting first the Sharks managed 169 all out in 35.5 overs, helped by a couple of 40s from Sanjay Anugula (48) and Pavethynath Velusamy (40) while Luke Eyes took a JCL best of 3/35.

The chase was always likely to focus on “Anxious” Alex Patmore, whose recent revelations about translucent hands and batting in mirrored nets gave his opposition plenty to talk about. At 77/1 with Patmore (29) and Jarrad Shearer (19) going well it looked like a straightforward win was on the cards, especially with frequent rain breaks and the Sharks quicker bowlers struggling with the wet run ups.

A Wombats collapse left them 160/9 with 10 runs still needed and Augustine Jacob (16* off 30) and Vikram Ragunathan (1* off 16) showed sheer bloody mindedness to drag the Wombats over the line for a nervy single wicket win. The Sharks were left to rue the conditions, and the 60 extras given away out of a total of 170, which was comfortably the highest scorer.

A break now until May 5th in the basement clash between Sano and Paddy Foleys, before the other six teams all play on May 12th and 13th.