JCL Grand Final: MAX Win Back-to-Back Titles

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MAX Cricket Club secured their second consecutive Japan Cricket League title at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Saturday, defeating the Tigers by six wickets.

Opting to field first after Captain Makoto Taniyama had won the toss, he could only watch on as Tigers made a solid start to the match as an opening stand of 51 looked like setting up a challenging total for the title holders to chase.

Kakeru Ebisui was the man who made the breakthrough, taking two wickets in successive deliveries to halt any momentum being built, before he stepped aside to allow the spin twins of Taniyama and Vinay Iyer to start the strangle.

Saborish Ravichandran (18) joined Imtiaz Khan (38) and mounted a recovery after the double strike, only for the momentum to be stopped again by a piece of brilliance by the MAX Captain. Bowling to dangerman Ravichandran, Taniyama took a stunning catch, diving to his left off his own bowling to open the door for his side, which was then kicked down in style.

Tigers lost their last eight wickets for just 27 runs, setting a target of just 105 for MAX to chase. Four MAX bowlers picked up two wickets each, with two run outs also contributing to the collapse.

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ICC Regional Development Manager Kieran McMillan presented the trophy to winning captain Makoto Taniyama

The two spinners then opened the innings, and it was Iyer whose patient 31 gave a calmness to the run chase that was required, although his departure with the score on 54 left work still to do, and it was Japan National Captain Amigo Kobayashi who finished things off, hitting the winning runs in the 32nd over.

For MAX this is a creditable triumph. After losing their first two matches, and even as late as Round Nine looking like they might struggle to finish in the top four. Rounds 10 and 11 brought big wins over Wyverns and Tigers respectively, providing the momentum required to ultimately secure a 2nd place finish in the table behind Chiba Sharks before a virtuoso semi-final showing vanquished the Tokyo Wombats.

Congratulations to MAX, and also to Alex Patmore of the Wombats for finishing as leading run scorer for the season with an impressive 454 runs at an average of 50.44 including five half centuries. In the bowling charts it was spinners Prabath Sankalpa (Sano) and Raheel Kano (Wyverns) who each finish with 22 wickets for the season, which is even more impressive when you consider neither were involved in the end of season play offs.

In Division Two the Tigers also retained the title they won last year, defeating Paddy Foley’s by five wickets on Sunday, Saoborish Ravichandran starring with ball (4/16) and bat (80) as Tigers made short work of the 145/9 made by Paddy’s in their first innings.

Congratulations to both teams and well done to the Japan Cricket League Committee of Seiji Segura, Ragesh Nair and Takuya Kudo for their hard work this season.

Chuo Take Double Crown at Champions Wicket

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For the second year in a row Chuo University have achieved the glorious Champions Wicket double at Akishima as firstly their Women overcame a gritty Waseda University and then the Men overcame a star-studded Shitennoji.

Women’s Final

Chuo won the toss and batted and despite losing regular wickets were able to maintain a steady run rate throughout. Riding their luck with some aggressive running between wickets, Chuo did not let a couple of run outs deter them, compiling a competitive 117/9 off their 20 overs.

Chuo set about defending their total with some tight bowling and even tighter fielding. The Waseda girls never quite got going with the bat and despite a determined innings from Rio Endo fell 13 runs short, handing Chuo their first win of the day.

Men’s Final

Could Shitennoji become the first team from Kansai to take out the Champions Wicket? They certainly had enough talent in their line up to do so.

Batting first Chuo were in early trouble when speedster Kohei Wakita removed big hitters Nozomi Tomizawa and Makoto Taniyama. However Ken Okoshi was able to capitalize on some loose bowling, hitting 16 boundaries on his way to a match-winning 85, Chuo racking up an imposing 150/6.

On the small ground Shitennoji gave themselves every chance of reeling in the total. Opener Shinya Yagura was forced off the ground early with a leg injury but number 3 Kohei Kotani asserted himself on the contest with five boundaries and a six on the way to 36. But when he departed his team began to collapse and it was left to Japan leg spin sensation Taniyama to finish off the innings with 5/15.

 

JCL Semi-Finals: Tigers Roar, MAX Hit Top Speed

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The Japan Cricket League Division One Final will this year be played between defending champions MAX Cricket Club and the 2015 Division Two Champions The Tigers.

Left ruing late season slumps are the Chiba Sharks and Tokyo Wombats, the two teams who dominated for so much of the season but ran out of steam towards the business end and were left empty handed once again.

The Tigers are the surprise package of the season and have turned in some eye-catching results, and back-to-back wins against table-toppers Chiba Sharks will send them into next week’s final in confident mood.

The Sharks, missing captain Dhugal Bedingfield who was on a coaching assignment in South Korea, were rolled out for just 90 after choosing to bat first on a sluggish surface at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Joe George did the early damage for Tigers, claiming 3 wickets for just eight runs before the top five did the job with the bat, knocking the runs off in just 21 overs to claim a seven wicket victory.

A wet outfield caused the Semi-Final to be reduced to 23 overs-a-side, but that did not stop MAX delivering one of the highest scores of the season as they plundered the Wombats attack to all parts to register 263/3.

Supun Nawarathna, who has featured prominently in these reports throughout the season, was the star once again with a brutal 125 from just 67 deliveries, including nine maximums. He was supported by Vinay Iyer, whose 59 was his third half century this season.

Wombats started their chase brightly, with Alex Patmore finding a gear not regularly displayed as he hit 43 from 26 balls, putting on 73 for the first wicket with Richard Bracefield (55 from 37). Once they were dismissed it was always going to be a struggle to maintain the rate and MAX restricted them to 182/9 in the end, securing the win by 81 runs.

In Division Two the Tigers continued their excellent season as their Second XI completed a weekend double over the Chiba Sharks with a 50-run win, thanks largely to Sabaorish Ravichandran who scored a quick 50 before picking up 3/24 in the chase.

Tigers will be joined in the Division Two Final by Paddy Foleys, whose second team continue to shine in the lower league while their top flight team struggles – perhaps a play-off between the two sides could be organised?

Taking on Adore CC, Paddy’s won the toss and opted to bat, making light of two early wickets and plenty of dropped catches were Buddika Rohana (103) and Devinda Fernando (91), who put on a partnership of 202 in 27 overs before Uddika Pradeep plundered 62 from 29 deliveries, including towering sixes off the final two balls of the innings to take his side to 306/7.

Victory was never really in doubt with such a total, and while Umair Bhutto made some fun in making 58 for Adore, his side were bowled out for just 98 to give Paddy’s a huge win by 208 runs.

The Finals will be played on the weekend of 1st/2nd October at the Sano International Cricket Ground – so be sure to come and see who walks away with the titles!

JCL Final Round: Semi Final Line Up Complete

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A double dose of irony in this week’s One Short. When choosing the title of this blog we settled on One Short more by luck than judgement, and yet at the completion of 14 rounds of the Japan Cricket League there will be only 13 reports.

Round 13 was washed out as a typhoon made its merry way from Tokyo through Tochigi to wipe out all matches and leave everything in the balance coming into the final round. The matches lost were Sharks vs Wombats, MAX vs Paddy Foleys and Sano vs Wyverns so points were shared out evenly.

It was the Tigers who pulled off the biggest result in the final round, defeating top of the table Sharks – who now head into the Semi Finals without a win since July 10th. Batting first there were contributions throughout the Tigers top order with Rahul Koul (63), Sabaorish Ravichandran (48) and Manoj Bhardwaj (50) leading them to a total of 278/8 from their 40 overs.

In response only Tsuyoshi Takada showed any real spirit for a much changed side, making 41 out of a total of 108 all out with Bhardwaj taking 5/18 to seal a huge win by 170 runs and complete a great day for himself and the newly promoted Tigers, who with the bonus point secured 4th place.

Elsewhere Wombats, the early season pacesetters, came up against a resurgent MAX in a replay of last season’s Grand Final, and the result was the same. Batting first MAX managed a competitive 186 all out, with Vinay Iyer top-scoring with a run-a-ball 41.

The Wombats were cruising after an opening partnership of 96, but the surprise introduction of Supun Nawarathna into the attack caused havoc as he dismissed first Richard Bracefield for an entertaining 64 from just 55 balls, and then dismantled the middle order to finish with figures of 5/17 as Wombats succumbed to 171 all out.

The win for MAX by 15 runs means they leapfrog Wombats into second place in the table, the first time all season the latter have been outside of the top two places.

The second dose of irony is that all these results mean the Semi Finals will be an exact repeat of the Round 14 matches as 1st placed Chiba Sharks look to bounce back against The Tigers, and MAX will hope to repeat the trick on the Tokyo Wombats.

All this meant that Sano CC, despite a tight three wicket win over Paddy Foleys, miss out on a place in the Semi Final by a whisker. Paddy’s, who had the rain to thank for earning them their only two points this season, posted 129 all out in their final outing, which Sano chased down thanks to Munir Ahmad anchoring the innings with 39*.

In Division Two The Tigers 2nds showed their strength in depth by topping the table, and their reward is…you guessed it…yet another match against Chiba Sharks 2nds, who finished 4th ahead of Wyverns thanks to defeating them earlier in the season. The other Semi Final will be contested by Paddy Foley’s 2nds and Adore CC, who finished second and third respectively.

The Semi Finals of both divisions will take place this weekend.

Japan Cup Heats Up As Regional Finals Begin

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August has brought with it some sweltering conditions and as the hottest month of the Japanese calendar draws to a close we enter the business stage of the Japan Cup season as teams from five regions battle it out for a place in the national finals.

West Kanto

Akishima fought hard but were edged out by Wyverns in the first semi final thanks to an awesome all-round display by Raheel Kano. The Uni XI were too strong for Beans in the other semi final although captain Mamenari will draw plenty of positives from Beans’ season.

It should be a very tight final. Uni XI will be slight favourites given the outstanding form of their captain Makoto Taniyama but can Uehara’s Wyverns create an upset?

Final: September 4th, Showa Athletic Ground, Akishima, 13:00. Uni XI v Wyverns.

North Kanto

Two time national champions Tochigi have unsurpringly wrapped up top spot and will progress to the North Kanto final. Rashid Rana has proved an inspired signing and Prabath Sankalpa’s captaincy has been as shrewd as ever.

Samurai and Utsunomiya will play off in a semi final for the right to play Tochigi. It promises to be a fiery affair. If Utsunomiya’s bowlers can contain the powerful Chula Rodrigo they may just scrape through to the final.

Final: September 18th, Sano International Cricket Ground, 13:00. Tochigi v Samurai/Utsunomiya.

East Kanto

It has been a Japan Cup season to forget for the once fancied Chiba Sharks, who finished dead last in the group. Rising stars also fell agonisingly short, meaning the two new teams to the group, Tsukuba and Men In Blue, will face off in the final.

Tsukuba, led by the explosive Dilshan Jayarathna, have been a revelation this year, winning each of their first five matches before losing a close one to M.I.B. in the final round. After a slow start Men In Blue have gradually improved throughout the year, Gurdeep Dua having marshalled his team into a tight unit. If M.I.B. can stop Jayarathna they are every chance of beating Tsukuba in the final.

Final: August 28th, Sanbu no Mori Ground, Sanmu, 14:00. Tsukuba v Men In Blue.

South Kanto

South Kanto is perhaps the most intriguing of the Japan Cup regions. Alpha Q have confirmed their status as the team to beat in the South by finishing the season undefeated. They will be looking to go one step better than last year when they were well beaten in the final.

Second place is still up for grabs and is currently occupied by the dangerous Indian Engineers, boasting run machines Vinay Iyer, Amigo Kobayashi and Prashant Kale. But if Tigers can win their final round match against YC&AC they will leap-frog Engineers into second and claim a place in the final.

The stylish Sabaorish Ravichandran may be the key for the Tigers if they are to overcome YC&AC and then Alpha Q in the final.

Final: September 4th, YC&AC, Yokohama, 13:00. Alpha Q v Indian Engineers/Tigers

Kinki

In what has been a competitive league this year both Uenomiya and the University XI have played good cricket, both registering some impressive wins.

But it is the Kansai Bulldogs who are the runaway leaders in Kinki, having won all of their five matches so far. They demonstrated their dominance by compiling 229/8 against Shiga in July and will be sure to have plenty of representatives in the Kinki team to compete in the Japan Cup Finals.

There is no final in Kinki this year. Instead the champion team is decided on league standings.

No final. Kinki to enter a representative team in the Japan Cup Finals.

JCL Round 12: MAX Maintain Title Hopes

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Defending JCL Champions MAX CC took a huge step towards securing their place in the title play-offs last weekend with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sano CC.

Sano won the toss and opted to bat, but were soon in trouble as Takuro Hagihara picked up his almost obligatory early wicket. Once the door was open the Sano players struggled to close it as wickets fell frequently throughout.

Six players made double figures but a top score of just 26 meant that despite batting out their 40 overs, they mustered just 151/9 with MAX captain Makoto Taniyama the pick of the bowlers with 2/19 from his eight overs.

Taniyama, newly promoted to open for Japan in T20 cricket, decided to have see if he could take that form into a JCA season that had yielded a top score of just four up until now. The tactic paid off and some rampaging hitting launched MAX towards their target, with Taniyama the first dismissed for 55 with only 60 runs to the team total.

That pace was maintained by Supun Nawarathna who recorded a half-century of his own (53*) as MAX chased the target in just 28.2 overs to leave Sano battling with The Tigers for that last play-off spot.

While Sano have matches against the two teams occupying the bottom of the division remaining, Tigers have played a game extra and then face dominant Chiba Sharks in their final match, so they needed a strong win over Paddy Foleys, which they duly delivered.

Winning the toss and batting, as most JCL teams seem to do, Tigers were indebted to Sabaorish Ravichandran who came in at number six and prompted hammered a century from just 69 balls which included six maximums.

His innings, plus a rapid 34* from Thoppil Udayaraj led Tigers to 233/8 from their 40 overs with only Fayyaz Khan escaping serious punishment to grab 3/39 fromm his eight overs.

The Paddy Foleys chase, much like their season, never really got started and although there was some feisty striking of the ball from the lower order, 146 all out from 21.2 overs tells its own story. Wickets were shared around with GV Prasanth grabbing 4/58 and Joe George a more economical 3/16.

A win by 93 runs for the Tigers, along with a valuable bonus point, means they will be watching closely in Round 13 hoping that Wyverns can give them a helping hand.

Certainly the chances of such a result are significantly higher after Wyverns caused the biggest shock of the season so far by turning over table topping Chiba Sharks by 47 runs at the Sano International Cricket Ground to keep their minute hopes of a top four place alive by a thread.

Wyverns, who predictably opted to bat first after winning the toss, posted 204/9 from their 40 overs in an innings that was built around a third half century of the season for Tomoki Ota.

Japan’s vice captain sits third on the run scoring charts for the year and his composed 52 came just as the side was beginning to wobble at 68/3. After his dismissal there were bonus runs supplied by Satoshi Nakano, who struck 23* from 15 balls batting at nine, to lift the team above 200.

A confident Sharks set about the chase but were undone by a man intent of regaining his place in the Japan National Team. Raheel Kano ripped the heart out of the Sharks batting line up with his second five-wicket haul of the season, removing five of the top six on his way to figures of 5/28.

The key wicket was that of Dhugal Bedingfield (63) with a classic LBW dismissal that even the most one-eyed of Sharks fans could not argue with. This led to a swift collapse as the Sharks lost seven for 60 to end 157 all out from just 29 overs.

The result means Sharks retain a six point lead over Tokyo Wombats who they face next on August 27th and who will now have hopes of repeating their win earlier in the season and giving themselves a chance of finishing the league season on top.

JPL Match Day 2 Review – Lions, Super Kings Stay Unbeaten

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The North Kanto Lions and South Kanto Super Kings entered match day 2 unbeaten. Both teams were playing at home. How would they fare against the talented but erratic West Kanto Hurricanes and the battling East Kanto Sunrisers?

In game one at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club the East Kanto Sunrisers won the toss and batted against the South Kanto Super Kings. Tight bowling throughout the innings restricted the Sunrisers from forming any partnerships of note, the spin combination of Vinay Iyer (3/10) and Sabaorish Ravichandran (3/15) particularly effective on the slow pitch. Some innovative batting by Sunrisers captain Paul Grant got his team to a below-par score of 95.

Masaomi Kobayashi and Iyer got the Super Kings off to a slow but steady start and they looked very much in control of the chase until the part time off spin of Dhugal Bedingfield claimed four quick wickets to give his team a sniff of an unlikely upset. When the dangerous Prashant Kale picked out Kazi Murad at deep square leg some nerves started to enter the Super Kings’ camp. However, the calming influence of captain Iyer (54*) saw his team comfortably over the line with ten balls to spare.

In game two the Sunrisers were again asked to bat first and were able to cash in on some loose Super Kings bowling to get off to an incredible start. Dlishan Jayarathna (25 off 10) was the prime destroyer in a brief cameo. No less than 10 boundaries were struck in the first three overs but the Super Kings were able to regroup thanks to some accurate bowling from Mohan Govindasamy and Owen Morris. Frustratingly, the Sunrisers were unable to capitalise on their platform, scoring only 44 runs in their final ten overs to finish on 9/132, captain Grant again top scoring with 38.

Prashant Kale was in no mood to hang around, punishing some wayward Sunrisers bowling on his way to a quickfire 42. When he departed Vasanthan Jayakumar joined Ravichandran at the crease and the two batsmen timed the chase perfectly, rotating the strike and uleashing the occasional boundary to relieve the pressure. Rui Matsumura claimed the important wicket of Ravichandran but, with 43 needed of six overs, Jayakumar accelerated, hitting five consecutive boundaries to put the match beyond doubt, the Super Kings wrapping up the match with seven balls to spare.

The West Kanto Hurricanes got off to a disasterous start in game one at the Sano International Cricket Ground against the North Kanto Lions. The Hurricanes batting order was decimated by the pace of Arosh Perera and Buddhika Nanayakkara before captain Tomoki Ota teamed up with tail-ender Shodai Yamada to add a semblance of respect to the scorecard.

82 runs was never going to be enough though and Lions opener Supun Nawarathna (41*) did not waste any time, launching four massive sixes to quickly take the game away from the Hurricanes. A wicket each to Takuro Hagihara and Shodai Yamada did little to stem the flow of runs as the Lions finished with a comfortable 8 wicket win.

The onslaught continued in game two as the Lions compiled a JPL record 7/216 on the back of ex-Japan international Hanif Khan’s 63 ball 115, which included 9 fours and 9 sixes. The Hurricanes were left ruing missed chances, Khan’s innings effectively taking the game away from the Hurricanes. Nawarathna (42) and Chula Rodrigo (37) provided good support for Khan whilst Hagihara held his head up high for the Hurricanes returning figures of 3/34.

An inspired opening stand from Ken Okoshi (22 off 15) and Raheel Kano (37 off 16) saw the Hurricanes begin their run chase at the required run rate of 11 an over. Both fell in quick succesion at the end of the power play but Makoto Taniyama (26 off 14) continued the flow of boundaries and at the half way point the Hurricanes were well and truly on target for a close finish. However, they were unable to sustain the momentum, Nanayakkara ripping through the middle order. The Hurricanes fell 75 runs short but won plenty of admirers with their fighting spirit.

Match day 3 on October 16th will feature the much anticipated clash between the Lions and the Super Kings to determine the JPL champions for 2016.

JCL Round 11: Sano Boost Semi Hopes at Wombats Expense

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Sano CC denied the Tokyo Wombats the opportunity to close the gap on Chiba Sharks at the Top of JCL Division One with a 48-run win last weekend.

Batting first, Sano were well set up thanks to a 111-run opening stand between Rashid Rana (59) and Munir Ahmad (49).

Once the breakthrough came wickets fell fairly regularly as Sano finished 214 all out in just 37.1 overs, with Dean Dowey the main architect of their downfall finishing with 5/39.

As ever the chase would seem to rely on opening batsman, captain and wicketkeeper Alex Patmore, whose form this season has been sensational, and once again he did his utmost to drag his team to victory.

His 59 anchored the innings, but without the support needed the Sano spinners ran amok, bowling Wombats out for 166 in 38 overs, Prabath Sankalpa finishing with 3/31 to seal the win. A note also to Sano’s opening bowler, Kazumasa Takahashi, a young 13-year-old who has a bright future ahead.

The win for Sano meant they were sure to move into the top four in the table as Max CC and The Tigers came up against each other. Only two out of these three can qualify for the semi-finals, unless something dramatic happens to Wombats, so this game had added spice.

With Max at close to full strength they backed their bowlers and put the Tigers into bat and were rewarded handsomely.

Some lusty swinging from Supun Nawarathna got the innings moving, but three quick wickets gave a glimmer of hope to the Tigers, before Masaomi Kobayashi (18*) and Prashant Kumar (22*) saw Max home for a bonus point win by seven wickets and a jump to third in the table.

In the final match of the round it was the two bottom clubs battling it out and, as earlier in the season, Wyverns overcame Paddy Foley’s, this time by six wickets. The win keeps alive their slim hopes of making the semi-finals, and was owed largely to another good bowling display by Shodai Yamada.

Yamada’s 3/8 prevented Paddy’s from getting any kind of momentum early on and although they batted for 37 overs, their total of 113 was always going to be tough to defend.

Wyverns opening pair of Hidehiko Matsuchika (18) and Raheel Kano (28) put on 56 before it was left to Tomoki Ota (17) guided them to their third win of the season, and first since mid-May.

Round 12 takes place on the weekend of 13th August, and Wombats, without a win in their last three, will sit out while Sano clash with Max as the battle for semi-final places continues, the Sharks return to take on Wyverns and Tigers will look to heap further misery on Paddy Foleys.

Coach Appointed for Men’s East Asia Cup

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David Reid will be the latest member from the Cricket Victoria High Performance Program to work with the Japan National teams, and more specifically coach the men for the East Asia Cup in November.

David, who has completed his Level Three coaching accreditation in Australia (the highest there is), will make his first visit to Japan to work with the teams on 30/31st July and 6/7th August before returning at the end of October.

In between that time he will also be able to see North Kanto Lions vs West Kanto Hurricanes in the JPL matches at Sano International Cricket Ground on July 31st and visit the three-day U19 League contests in Fuji from 3-5th August.

An experienced coach, David currently works with the Northcote Cricket Club in the Victorian Premier competition. As well as this he has spent two years working at the Victorian High Performance Academy running a program he designed.

This year he has done a three week placement with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, a week with the Mumbai Cricket Association and a week with the South African Development Squad before coming to Japan – so this will be his fourth country coaching in 2016.

We are all greatly looking forward to David arriving and hope his time here can be very successful.

Chelsea’s Blog: I’m back

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Cricket Without BoardersMonday 25th July, 2016

Time flies when you’re having fun!

The past 10 days I have spent playing loads of cricket, netball, kilikiti (traditional Samoan cricket), drinking coconuts, helping with school clinics, jumping in water holes and simply soaking up the sun in Samoa.

Had an awesome time playing for CWOB in the ICC EAP World Cup Qualifier, we managed to win a few games (including our two against Japan!!) and more importantly made lots of friends!

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One highlight from the trip would have been the school visit, the smiles on the kids’ faces and the enjoyment they got from learning cricket and receiving small gifts was absolutely priceless!

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Thanks to Ken Jacobs and Clare Cannon especially for allowing me this opportunity! To Mikayla, Bryce, Lewis, all the CWOB family, Yukiko Thurgate and the rest of the Japanese Women’s team thanks for looking after me.

Safe to say… The real winner is… WOMEN’S CRICKET!

Wednesday 13th July, 2016

Wow, what a hectic week it’s been! I spent my time staying in a traditional Japanese homestay in Akishima, Tokyo which was an awesome experience. Each day was jammed packed with new exciting adventures, including running and planning a Bhukatsu (after school) program, multiple school visits and plenty of new and “interesting” foods for me to try!

20160711_181143One of the greatest things I got to try was flowing somen – a Summer Japanese tradition where, with chop sticks, you catch thin noodles, cherries, tomatoes (or anything else which is coming down) running in water down a bamboo pipe. So much FUN!

Thanks to the Morita family for taking such good care of me and allowing me to immerse myself in the Japanese culture.

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Now I head off (along with the Japanese team) to Samoa to take part in the ICC East Asia Pacific World Cup Qualifier with Cricket Without Borders. I’ll be playing against Japan – so watch this space to hear all the news from there!

Monday 4th July, 2016

This is Chelsea Moscript’s first post about her internship with the Japan Cricket Association.

Konnichiwa from Sano, Japan!

I’ve been lucky enough to be given an opportunity of a lifetime to have an internship with the Japan Cricket Association, thanks in particular to the help and funding of the Australia – Japan Foundation, along with Cricket Without Borders and JCA for making this opportunity possible. For those who know me, know writing isn’t one of my strongest points but hey following with the “CWOB way” I’m going to “be bold” and give it a shot anyway!

Here’s a bit of an update of my journey so far..

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I arrived here safely Friday morning after my flight was delayed for 1 hour in Melbourne. I didn’t get much sleep on the plane (plenty of movies were watched of course) as the excitement loomed of what could be coming in the next six weeks! After arriving in Narita, I was greeted at the airport by Naoki Kurihara and his daughter Marina where we embarked on a road trip to the cricket capital of Japan – Sano (two hours north of Tokyo). Once back in Sano we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Cricket Restaurant (BEST RAMEN AND GYOZA EVER) and then it was straight into it with my first school visit at Ishuzka.

Day two was a rest day so I did some touristy things of course! Naoki took me to Nikko – which was absolutely stunning! Temples, waterfalls, rivers and bridges were all amongst the sights to be seen. So much jam packed into a rest day – rest is probably not the word I should have used for it – totally worth it though!

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Yesterday proved to be a challenging but very rewarding experience in itself in particularly hot weather, the day began with the Sano Cricket Blast where I helped run a skill zone and then followed by the Under 15 Club training.

The Kurihara’s (Naoki, Callie, Tomoki and Marina) have been so accommodating for me thus far, introducing me to some delicious Japanese food (ramen, gyoza, yoghurt drink, bento box – the list could go on for days!), taking to me to cool places, being fun to play with and simply opening up their home for me to stay there. They really have taken me in to be a part of their family which I am truly grateful for.

Having a blast so far, looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead!

That’s all from me for now – until next time!

Chelsea Moscript

Australia-Japan Foundation

The Cricket Without Borders Exchange Program is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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