Player Placement Programme with Melbourne Academy Agreed

Posted by

The Japan Cricket Association are delighted to confirm the start of a partnership with Maribyrnong Sports Academy (MSA) in Melbourne.

17-year-old Marcus Thurgate will be the first beneficiary of the program, as he departs for a two-week placement at the Academy beginning on March 20th.

Thurgate, who has been in the Japan National Training Squad for the past two years, said: “It’s a great opportunity to see how players my age do things in Australia. Hopefully I will learn some things that I can bring back to Japan and improve my game.”

The partnership is a by-product of the longstanding relationship Japan has with Cricket Victoria, and more recently their High Performance Program, as the Head of Cricket at MSA is Leigh Holmes who came to work with the Japan squads in October last year.

Mr Holmes said: “My experience in Japan made me realise how fortunate we are in Australia to have the facilities that we do, and MSA is a brilliant example of that. It just made sense to me, having been to Japan, to try and instigate more opportunities for the Japanese players as part of the ongoing exchange with Cricket Victoria”.

MSA, situated in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne, has around 1,200 pupils aged between 11-18 with almost half of those attending on sports scholarships. Three families will be providing homestays during the exchange there will be Complete Athlete Development classes and sessions with a sports psychologist and dietician while at the Academy.

Another Cricket Victoria High Performance coach, Duncan Harrison who also visited Japan in 2017, is offering to coach for two days and the JCA would like to officially thank all those who will be hosting and helping. We hope this can be the first of many successful exchanges in the future.

Deadline for National Squad Trials 9th March

Posted by

Applications to attend the representative trials for the Japan Men’s, Women’s and Academy Squads are closing soon. The deadline is Friday 9th March.

These are open trials and we would like to encourage all Japanese players of any age to attend so you can judge where you are compared to the best players in the country.

Players who are ineligible to play for Japan are still welcome to attend the trails to gain some coaching before the start of the season.

For the women’s trials we are encouraging anyone who has a background in ball sports to come along as we look to attract new talent to cricket, so if you have friends or family who might be interested please bring them along.

For more information about the trials themselves please click on the below link. Final information will be send to all participants once the deadline has passed.

https://cricket.or.jp/en/archives/6654

Any questions about the trials, especially regarding eligibility should be directed to Alan Curr on a-curr@cricket.or.jp.

Please do not fill out the form if you do not currently live in Japan or plan to move here.

Annual General Meeting to Conclude 2017 Announced

Posted by

The Annual General Meeting for the financial year of 2017 will be held on Saturday 24th March in Tokyo. All club and regional association representatives are asked to attend.

In 2017 the JCA spent considerable time canvassing the opinions of the Cricket Community on how to improve the game in Japan. This was done through online questionnaires and many independent meetings. The results are the new JCA Strategy for the five years of 2018-2022.

The mission statement is “Building a Brighter Future” and at the AGM the JCA will be available to explain the new vision going forward and answer any questions about it. We hope that everyone in the cricket community will take this opportunity to continue the collaborative approach the JCA wishes to take with how the game is expanded in Japan.

The schedule is as follows:

12:30 – Open

12:45 – Strategy and Vision discussion

14:15 – Short Break

14:30 – Annual General Meeting

15:30 – Finish

The address is: Kotobuki  2F 1-14-5 Hamamatsu-cho, Minato-ku, 105-0013, Tokyo, which can be found on Google Maps here.

We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Kaizuka City confirmed as first “City of Cricket” in West Japan!

Posted by

Today a partnership was signed between Kaizuka City, the Japan Cricket Association and the Kinki Cricket Association confirming the aim of revitalising the City of Kaizuka through the promotion of cricket in the hope that this can improve infrastructure and tourism.

The chief goal is to make Kaizuka the primary hub for all cricket in western Japan, with specific focus on attracting touring teams to play at the proposed ground near Kansai International Airport.

Present at the signing were the Mayor of Kaizuka Mr Fujiwara Tatsuo, the President of the Japan Cricket Association Mr Makoto Yamada, and the Chair of Kinki Cricket Mrs Yasuko Yoshinaka.

This represents the first step in the new five year strategy for Japan Cricket which states its aims to grow cricket outside the traditional home of the Kanto region and look for more places where the game can thrive. Through this project the city hopes to catch the attention of new groups of people and rejuvenate the city by attracting players both foreign and domestic.

Dates and Venues Announced for National Squad Trials

Posted by

The Japan Cricket Association are pleased to be able to confirm the dates and locations for the National Squad Trials, all of which will take place in March.

For the third year running Cameron Tradell will run the trials, creating an environment where players can show off a variety of skills as well as undergo some core testing on areas which will help the selectors when finalizing each squad.

This year there will also be a small fee of JPY 1,000 to take part in the trials to help cover the costs of flying Mr Tradell to Japan from Australia. This is payable on the day (fee does not apply to 2017 National Squad members).

The dates and venues are as follows along with the application form for each. The deadline to complete all forms is Friday 9th March.

Men’s National Squad Trials:

Date: Saturday March 17th & Sunday March 18th

Venue: Sano River Grounds 3 and 4

Time: 10am – 4pm

Application Form

 

Women’s National Squad Trials:

Date: Wednesday 21st March

Venue: Showa Athletic Park, Akishima

Time: 10am – 4pm

Application Form:

 

National Academy Squad Trials:

Date: Sunday March 25th

Venue: Sano River Grounds 3 and 4

Time: 10am – 4pm

Application Form:

Note) To be eligible players must be Under 19 years old on 31st August 2018.

Please note that the women’s trials in Akishima will also act as the female academy trials, so all females are encouraged to attend, regardless of what level they have played to date. We hope to encourage players from other sports to experience what cricket can offer as well.

Only players eligible to represent Japan will be selected, although anyone is welcome to attend for the experience. If you have any questions about the selection criteria please contact Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr via email on: a-curr@cricket.or.jp.

Players who cannot attend the trials, and have a good reason, may still be considered on the grounds of their domestic performances and future potential.

Good luck to all who attend.

Sano City seeks Manager for its “Cricket Town” project!

Posted by

Sano City is looking for a manager to head its “Cricket Town” project.

Offering a healthy 12 million yen a year to the successful candidate, Sano City plans to bring new life to the regional town 80 km north of Tokyo, through developing into the home of Cricket in Japan.

Earlier this year, Sano City was awarded a national grant for the project and has already started redeveloping the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Please see the Sano City website and the application page on BizReach for more details.

Related Articles:

Season Review & “The Shorties”

Posted by

Last weekend the Japan Cricket Annual Awards were held and trophies handed out to the great and the good throughout Japan. Here in the One Short cave we felt it was only right that we acknowledged a few things and gave our own view on what 2017 served up.

Before naming some of our own personal favourites however, the Team of the Year as chosen by the Japan Cricket League Committee, is always worth publishing in full. So here they are, in batting order, and congratulations to all:

  1. Prashant Kale (Paddy Foleys)  
  2. Alex Patmore (C) (WK) (Wombats)
  3. Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers)
  4. Rashid Rana (Sano)
  5. Hanif Khan (Max)
  6. Raheel Kano (Wyverns)
  7. Bebe Miyaji (Wyverns)
  8. Buddhika Nanayakkara (Wyverns)
  9. Piyush Kumbare (Sano)
  10. Raj Pardan (Sano)
  11. Shodai Yamada (Wyverns)

All the individual award winners from the night are published on the news side of the website, and congratulations to all of the winners who took home a collection of trophies, bats, shirts and even a tea towel on the evening. Here now are the One Short awards for various categories we thought worth recognising. For good measure let’s call them “The Shorties”.

Innings of the year: Hanif Khan – 104*

With eight hundreds scored in Division One this was a tricky one to pin down, but when someone hits 104* from 46 balls with 11 sixes, it is hard to ignore. Hanif Khan (MAX) dismantled the Tigers in the first week of the season…there were even 18 dot balls as 94 of his runs came in boundaries. We can only wonder how many he might have scored if he had batted the remaining 16.3 overs.

 

Partnership of the year: Masaomi Kobayashi & Vinay Iyer – 237

There is no doubt that MAX CC had the powerhouse batting line up in Division One this year and this was demonstrated with a record opening stand between Japan captain Amigo Kobayashi (118*) and his opening partner Vinay Iyer (108). A record opening partnership back in Round Five that Paddy Foley’s could only stand and applaud, will take some beating.

 

Spell of the Season: Kazumasa Takahashi – 4/16

Since these gongs are for sentiment only we are taking the unprecedented step of looking to Division Two for our spell of the year. When 14-year-old Kazumasa Takahashi grabbed three LBWs to complete his first ever hat-trick some might question the umpiring – but since it was ICC Panel member and all round guru Chris Thurgate, those thoughts were swiftly put to rest. The fact that he then followed it up with a clean bowled to make it four wickets in four balls, and that it was in the Division Two Final against the men of Alpha Quashers, made it even more special.

 

Match of the Year: Sharks vs MAX

The Chiba Sharks had more close finishes this season than they would care to remember, especially since they came out on the wrong side of most. However, one the did edge was a true nail-biter as they overcame MAX by a single wicket in Round Two in as dramatic a finish as cricket can muster, with a 17-year-old Krishna Bhatia hitting the winning runs on debut.

 

Team of the Year: Wyverns

Rarely has such an unfancied team done so much to laugh  in the face of expectations as Wyverns CC in 2017. The led Division One for most of the season, only to miss out in the final, having finished 7th last year. Added to that they finished as runner up in the Japan Cup for good measure…they were even runner up in their qualifying group. Most of their players represent West Kanto in the Japan Premier League, who also finished as runner up, and a word for Shodai Yamada, whose Waseda University side were runner up in the Champions Wicket…making it five runner up medals this season for him. If there was a “Runner Up of the Year” award, he would come second.    

 

Newcomer of the Year: Devendra Dhaka

Alpha Quashers Yokohama were new to the JCL this year and little was known about them. After a 5th place finish in Division One and 2nd place in Division Two, plus a first ever victory in the Japan Cup, they can now consider themselves well established on the Japan Cricket scene. A team of few stars where everyone seems to chip in, Devendra Dhaka looks a player likely to trouble opponents with bat and ball for several seasons to come.

 

That concludes our Season Review for 2017. We trust you have all enjoyed stopping in to read our musings throughout the year. So, until the time comes to don the uniforms and take to the crease, here is One Short signing off for the year and wishing you all a fine festive season.

2017 Japan Cricket Award Winners

Posted by

The Japan Cricket Association Annual Awards night was held in Tokyo on Saturday December 2nd. The full list of award winners for the 2017 season is below.

Greg Chappell Cricket Centre Player of the Year (Men)

Winner: Sabaorish Ravichandran

Runner Up: Makoto Taniyama

Third Place: Raheel Kano

Greg Chappell Cricket Centre Player of the Year (Women)

Winner: Shizuka Miyaji

Runner Up: Mai Yanagida

Third Place: Miho Kanno

Japan Premier League

Champions: South Kanto Super Kings

Best Bowler: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Super Kings), 15 wickets @ 6.4

Best Batsman: Raheel Kano (Hurricanes), 160 runs @ 26.7

MVP: Bebe Miyaji (Hurricanes), 127 runs & 13 wickets

Japan Cricket League – Division 1

Champions: Sano CC

Best Bowler: Shodai Yamada (Wyverns), 24 wickets @ 11.7

Best Batsman: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 496 runs @ 49.6

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 496 runs & 16 wickets

Japan Cricket League – Division 2

Champions: Sano CC

Best Bowler: Sabarivel Subramaniam (Alpha Quashers), 17 wickets @ 12.5

Best Batsman: Hasantha Ishara (Sano), 379 runs @ 54.1

MVP: Anees Thyrantakath (Alpha Quashers), 139 runs & 13 wickets

Japan Women’s Cricket League

Champions: Wyverns CC

Best Fielder: Ayako Nakayama (Wyverns), 4 catches

Best Bowler: Haruna Kakimoto (Mirandars), 5 wickets @ 12.6

Best Batsman: Miho Kanno (Adore), 178 runs @ 89.0

MVP: Mai Yanagida (Wyverns), 122 runs & 7 wickets

Japan Cup Finals Tournament

Japan Cup Champions: Alpha Quashers Yokohama CC

Best Bowler: Makoto Taniyama (Wyverns), 9 wickets @ 4.7

Best Batsman: Souta Wada (Kinki), 199 runs @ 66.3

MVP: Shodai Yamada (Wyverns), 69 runs & 10 wickets

Japan Cup T20 Regional Qualifiers

North Kanto Champions: Samurai CC

East Kanto Champions: Men In Blue CC

South Kanto Champions: Alpha Quashers Yokohama CC

West Kanto Champions: University XI

Tokai Champions: Nagoya CC

Kinki Champions: Osaka CC

Japan University Men’s Championship

Champions Wicket: Chuo University

Best Fielder: Takahiro Aoki (Waseda Uni), 3 catches

Best Bowler: Ryuichi Sato (Chuo Uni), 10 wickets @ 4.5

Best Batsman: Rui Matsumura (Waseda Uni), 89 runs @ 49.5

MVP: Nozomi Tomizawa (Chuo Uni), 35 runs & 8 wickets

Japan University Women’s Championship

Champions Wicket: Waseda University

Best Fielder: Hikari Ishiguro (Waseda Uni), 3 catches & 4 run outs

Best Bowler: Haruna Kakimoto (Showa Women’s Uni), 8 wickets @ 7.0

Best Batsman: Yukina Sugino (Showa Women’s Uni), 99 runs @ 49.5

MVP: Haruna Kakimoto (Showa Women’s Uni), 50 runs & 8 wickets

Japan Under 19 League

Champions: Chiba My Ys

Best Bowler: Krishna Bhatia (Chiba My Ys), 14 wickets @ 3.9

Best Batsman: Kazumasa Takahashi (Wild Cats), 303 runs @ 50.5

MVP: Marcus Thurgate (Chiba My Ys), 136 runs & 8 dismissals

Japan Under 15 League

Champions: North Kanto Braves

Best Bowler: Kiyo Fujikawa (Braves), 13 wickets @ 7.9

Best Batsman: Kazumasa Takahashi (Braves), 232 runs @ 116.0

MVP: Ashley Thurgate (Chiba My Ys), 156 runs, 11 wickets, 10 catches

Raheel Kano starred again in the JPL

Mai Yanagida was named Women’s League MVP

Japan Announce National Academy Formation

Posted by

The Japan Cricket Association are delighted to announce the formation of a National Academy Squad from 2018.

The formation of the squad is intended to help identify talented cricket players at a young age and prepare them for a lifelong involvement in the sport.

Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr said: “In August this year we held the first Under 15 High Performance Camp and this is a logical next step. It is a great chance for us to start working with the best male and female cricketers in Japan and provide them with playing and training opportunities that have not previously been possible.”

As the National Under 15 and Under 19 Leagues continue to expand the number of keen players eligible to represent Japan in the future grows as well, and it is hoped that bringing players together in groups from a younger age will help bring the best out of them all in the future as well as providing extra incentive to take cricket seriously.

The first step in forming the Academy will be open trials to be held in Sano on Sunday 25th March 2018. Applications to attend will be opened in the new year for players attending Junior High School and High School.

Chiba My Ys Under 19 Champions Again

Posted by

The Chiba My Ys have retained their title as Japan Under 19 Junior Olympic champions by sweeping aside the Wild Cats in a comprehensive 10 wicket victory in the final at the Sano river grounds.

Batting first in windy conditions, the Wild Cats were under immediate pressure when Neel Date took the prized wickets of Kazumasa Takahashi and Reiji Suto in the first over.

Wild Cats captain Wataru Miyauchi tried to steady the ship for his team but looked on helplessly at the non-striker’s end as young paceman Ashley Thurgate took two wickets in quick succession.

Miyauchi was one of the last to fall for 27, out to the impressive off spinner Yugandhar Retharekar, who finished with 4/11.

The Wild Cats were all out for just 47, a credit to the disciplined bowling attack of the My Ys.

In response, Neel Date (15*) and Kavin Jinasena (23*) made short work of the chase, knocking off the required 48 runs in just 6.3 overs.

The fluent front foot play of Jinasena was a highlight of the innings but it was Date who was awarded the MVP of the final for his all-round performance.

Despite a disappointing result for the Wild Cats, it was a successful season in reaching the Under 19 final in their first year in the league.

The My Ys have looked unbeatable in season 2017 but, as they add another trophy to their cabinet, plenty of other junior teams will already be plotting to turn the tables in season 2018.

Neel Date was awarded the MVP of the final for his 2 wickets, 15 not out and one run out.

Wild Cats openers Takahashi and Miyauchi