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, 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.

佐野　小学生＆社会人　大会

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　9月4日に、小学生を対象としたクリケットブラストシリーズを、企業チームを対象とした社会人リーグを開催する予定でしたが、悪天候のためにクリケットブラストシリーズは体育館にて開催となり、社会人リーグは中止となりました。

　本年度6回目となるクリケットブラストシリーズは、室内で少し窮屈に感じたかもしれませんが、選手たちは所狭しと駆け回り、好ゲームとなりました。クリケットに慣れただけではなく、大変スキルアップしており、次回で最終回となりますが、子どもたちのプレーが楽しみです。

次回のクリケットブラストシリーズは佐野市国際クリケット場にて10月4日に行われます。最終回ですのでみなさんお越しください！みんなでクリケットを楽しみましょう！

また、社会人リーグは11月5日に順位決定戦を佐野市国際クリケット場にて行います。是非、ご観戦を！！unnamed (1)

unnamed

城北小学校こどもクラブ

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8月26日に行った、城北小学校こどもクラブでのクリケット体験会の様子が下野新聞に掲載されました。
その他のこどもクラブでも体験会が行われており、今月は小学校2年生から6年生までの生徒と先生合わせて100名以上がクリケットに親しみ、楽しみました。
こどもクラブでのクリケット普及にも今後、力を注いでいく予定です。

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ジャパンカップ　白熱の地域大会決勝へ

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関東を東、西、南、北に分けて開催されたジャパンカップ地域予選もいよいよ終盤、全国大会出場を懸けた決勝戦を残すのみとなった。決勝に向けた各地域の状況を紹介します。

西関東
西関東クリケット協会の中心である昭島クリケットクラブ、創立二年目で初めて準決勝まで勝ち上がってきた。ワイバーンズとの接戦の準決勝であったが、オールラウンダー狩野選手のアグレッシブなバッティングとスピンボーリングに翻弄され惜しくも敗れ去った。

同じく準決勝で学生代表チームに敗れたビーンズも、キャプテン豆成を中心に予選共に他チームを苦しめ、来年に向けて前向きな内容であった。

学生代表対ワイバーンズの決勝戦はどちらが勝つか予想できない。

日本最高峰の選手に成長した学生代表キャプテン谷山、彼をどんな作戦で対応するかが勝負の鍵であろう。

西関東大会決勝戦　9月4日（日）13：00より　昭島市陸上競技場にて

北関東
北関東大会の決勝に進出した栃木クリケットクラブは、過去全国大会で二度の優勝経験のある強豪である。熟練されたテクニックを持つラナ選手、個性的なメンバーをまとめ上げるプラバースキャプテンと全国大会に向け隙のない布陣だ。

栃木クリケットクラブの相手は、サムライクリケットクラブと宇都宮クリケットクラブの勝者となる。

どちらも強力なパワーを持ったバッツマン陣を擁しているため、決勝での苦戦は必至である。

東関東大会決勝戦　9月18日（日）13：00より　佐野市国際クリケット場にて

東関東
千葉シャークス、ライジングスターズといったお馴染みのチームが予選で敗れ、東関東の決勝戦は、筑波クリケットクラブ対メンインブルーとなった。

筑波クリケットクラブは今年大活躍のディルシャンを中心に大量得点を狙ってくるであろう。筑波、メンインブルー共に大会初出場で決勝まで勝ち残ったチームである。どちらが全国大会に来てもニュースターが誕生するはずだ。

東関東決勝戦　8月28日（日）14：00より　さんぶの森公園にて　

南関東
拮抗した実力の中、いち早く決勝進出を決めたのはアルファQクリケットクラブだ。

しかし、決勝戦でも全く油断できない。対戦相手の候補には、いずれもセンチュリー（１００runs）を打つ実力を持つ、ビネイ、小林、カーレが名を連ねるインディアンエンジニアーズが予想されるからだ。もちろん、インディアンエンジニアーズが準決勝でタイガースに敗れる可能性もあるが、そのタイガースの力は計り知れない。

南関東大会決勝戦　9月4日（日）13：00より　YCAC横浜にて

 

近畿
近畿には日本代表選手団を輩出する上宮高校クリケットクラブや、20オーバーの試合で 229 runsを獲得する関西ブルドッグスなどのチームがある。
しかし、近畿クリケット協会では、近畿大会決勝戦は行わず、ジャパンカップ全国大会へは近畿選抜チームを派遣する。

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.

佐野小こどもクラブクリケット教室

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8月8日に佐野小こども教室の児童約40名を対象にクリケット教室を行いました。

酷暑の中でしたが、ボールリレーやラピッドファイヤーなどのゲームで盛り上がりました。

今後、クリケットをアクティビティに取り入れていただけるようです。また、その他こどもクラブにもクリケットが広がりそうです。

小山市にてクリケット体験会を行いました！

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8月2日に小山市第一小学校にて小中学生、一般、ALT教諭など41名を対象にクリケット体験会を行いました。

参加者はボールハンドリングの練習で馴染んだ後、クリケット独特の動きであるボーリングとバッティングを体験し、最後にはミニゲームで盛り上がりました。

今後も継続的にクリケット教室を開催する予定であるそうです。051全体写真.jpg を表示しています

JPLの第2節　北関東と南関東が勝利し、両地域ともに無敗を守った。

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7月31日（日）、佐野市国際クリケット場にて、日本プレミアリーグの第2戦が行われた。ホームチームである北関東ライオンズが、西関東ハリケーンズを迎え、真夏の厳しい暑さの中、合計2試合を戦った。

午前の第一試合、トスに勝利した西関東ハリケーンズのキャプテン・太田選手はバッティングファーストを選択。オープニングの小越選手・狩野選手のペアが順調な滑り出しを見せたものの、その後北関東ライオンズのボーラー陣が次々とウィケットを奪い、西関東ハリケーンズは苦戦を強いられる。後半、太田選手と山田選手のパートナーシップで立て直しを図るものの、思うようにスコアを伸ばせず、合計82ランでイニングを終える。

西関東ハリケーンズのイニングを低い得点で抑えることに成功した北関東ライオンズは、主力バッツマンであるナワラトナ選手、ロドリゴ選手、カーン選手がバウンダリーショットを量産し、わずか7.1オーバーで84ランを獲得。第一試合は北関東ライオンズが8ウィケット差で勝利した。

午後の第二試合、西関東ハリケーンズは再びトスに勝利し、今度はフィールディングファーストを選択。しかし、午前の試合の勝利で勢いに乗る北関東ライオンズの打線は止まらず、ナワラトナ選手、ロドリゴ選手、カーン選手の三選手だけで193ランを獲得し、チーム合計で216ランという、大量得点を達成した。

大きなターゲットスコアを追いかける西関東ハリケーンズは、再び小越選手・狩野選手のペアをオープニングバッツマンとして送り出す。厳しいプレッシャーの中、両選手は北関東ライオンズ顔負けのバッティングを見せ、バウンダリーを量産、逆に北関東ライオンズにプレッシャーをかける。両選手に加え、後続の谷山選手、太田選手、高田選手もアグレッシブなバッティングを披露し、追い上げを図るものの、一歩及ばず、141ランでオールアウトとなり、北関東ライオンズが75ラン差で勝利した。

第一試合のMVPは、41ランを得点し、フィールディングで4キャッチを見せた、ウィケットキーパーのナワラトナ選手が獲得。第二試合のMVPは、115点という大量得点を成し遂げたカーン選手が獲得した。

横浜のYC&ACでも南関東スーパーキングズと東関東サンライザーズの試合が2試合行われ、南関東スーパーキングズが2勝した。

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.