WL, Sharks vs YFK and Wyverns, Jan 21 2012
By Kris Bayne & Anton Lloyd-Williams
After a long stretch of no games since mid-December we finally got back in the nets for two indoor games, YKF and newbies, the Ruman-generated Tokyo Ikashika Tigers. We again had a massive turn out of Sharks, in fact, we had to beat off punters with a stick. Always a painful experience. Nick, Dave and Kris (initially) opted to sit out. We welcomed back Navin, fresh from the hallowed cloisters of learning in England. Sumon and Vicky got their first run in the competition this year. With Chris T a late scratching we were completed with the usual suspects, Charles, Anton, Chris M, Kris B and what may well be his last games as a Shark (for a while anyway), Koji.
One change at Kashiwa is the installation of an electronic scoreboard. Great innovation and it will assist with getting a variety of scores and stats quickly.
Chiba Sharks VS YFK (Kris Bayne)
Yet again our opposition could not make a full team so Sharks Charles and Koji volunteered stepped into the breach. At least we can’t complain about getting games!
Kris B came out of the stands to captain for this game, won the toss and decided to open with ‘twin spin’ of Navin and Sumon. Inspired if I may say so myself. Kris with gloves snapped an opportunist stumping first ball, a run out soon followed. Sumon got into the act getting a nick to the ‘keeper and Navin bowled out his two overs with another catch behind off the net and a bowled. Whew! All fast and furious, and Anton bookended the first four-over rout with another runout to have YFK at 6 runs.
Next pair added some respectability to YFK by adding 41, and added to the Shark reputation as a team that puts in anytime – the pair were Charles and Koji! They started with a brace of 6-run overs off Kris & Chris M then put the foot down with 12-run and 17-run overs off Kris then Anton. Charles found his range at the end to belt a 32 and well supported by Koji (9) – neither were out.
The last YFK pair then disintegrated over their four overs. Three off Sumon (inc. a wide) was followed by a hat-trick in a Vicky over – bowled, runout, catch. They managed to nudge some singles off Chris, mainly avoiding being hit, before the last over by Vicky saw a typical Sancheti rip-snorter demolish the pegs. Both bats finished in the negatives and YFK a Shark-driven AND Shark-bitten 40 runs.
We opened the batting assault with Nav and Sumon and although they both holed out once each in their allotted overs, they rattled on 47. Eighteen in extras helped, but Sumon was very fluid in his 25 and Nav smacked a nice 7 in his 20. Next up, Kris (21) and Chris M (15) carried their bats, scoring very steady and sensibly over their four overs (one of each bowled by Koji and Charles) to take the score to 81. Anton and Vicky took the last overs. Vicky and the score benefited from some wayward bowling but he made the bowlers pay when he did get a ball to hit. For his five scoring shots, two of which were maximums+1, he made 34! Anton was left to mainly observe, taking the time to get runout once (by Charles, who was called an Arse for his efforts), but picked up his score of 8 all in the final over. Sharks 123 and as easy as ABC.
A very slick and compact effort by the boys in getting the win, with a bonus point. Great in the field, though we could do better on the wides at times. Goodness knows where YFK would have been batting without the Charles-Koji partnership. Batting, we were very steady, with the pairs adding 45, 36 and 42 respectively, and only for a few outs. Vicky was awarded MOM.
Navin 4 for -2 & 20
Sumon 1 for 6 & 25
Kris 0 for 18 & 21
Chris M 0 for 10 & 15
Anton 1 for 22 & 8
Vicky 4 for -14 & 34
Sharks vs Wyverns (Anton Lloyd-Williams)
We then played a friendly not as Sharks but as TITs (Tokyo Ikashika Tigers) against Senshu. Only one TIT had turned up, so we took it upon ourselves to fill out the places and lose the game. Following this there was plenty of confusion and crossed wires as to who we would be facing for our last match. We were supposed to play TITs but as there weren’t any, it was finally decided that we would play a friendly against Wyverns, who had forfeited to us in our previous outing due to an unforeseen wedding.
This would most likely be Koji’s last game in the Green & Red so accordingly, Kris made him Captain for the match. Anton, Charles, Chris M, Nav and Vicky made up the rest of the team while Kris B volunteered to be a Wyvern as they were a man short. However they also sported an adept player of the fairer sex, Asama, in their numbers who would be on a triple your money deal for any runs off the bat, so we’d need to keep her as quiet as possible.
Sharks to bowl first and Navin got us underway with a well delivered over of something approaching off spin. His persistent good length kept Onishi and Takahashi honest and Charles’ terrier like deftness behind the stumps made sure we didn’t leak anything silly. Anton took the next and kept the ball on the stumps but there were no breakthroughs until the 3rd over when Chris M, recovering well from a couple of wides, had Takahashi stumped after leaving his crease to flail in vain at a gorgeous outswinger. A fine Chris M. catch on the back wall in the next over meant that the the first pair were seen off for a modest 25 runs.
Next up were Asama and national team stumper Chino. Vicky bowled quickly and the field moved in close to effectively cut off Asama’s poked singles but there was little we could do next over as Chino opened his shoulders and belted 3 maximums plus runs off Koji, who took more punishment than his bowling deserved. A runout and a Sancheti Special through Asama’s gate slowed the scoreboard’s progress but good running from jabs into the nets saw the second pair push the score on to 69.
Kiminami and Kris B strutted out to see the Wyverns innings home and played sensibly, milking singles and doubles along the way, until Chris took another crucial catch in the deep during a frugal over from Charles. The Wyverns innings ended without further incident on a respectable 94. We felt that this was well within our range but as we know too well, if Shakespeare had included a Sharks batting performance in one of his plays he’d have put it in either a Tragedy or a Comedy.
Charles and Koji lead the reply and got off to an ominous start when Charles was caught 2nd ball. Charles is sometimes accused of having only one shot. Actually, he’s got two as he ably demonstrated with a deft flick to leg the very next ball. Shot #1 was brought out of the hamper next over and Charles unleashed his cross-batted überswat to awesome effect as he took Onishi to the cleaners. The battering included a monster 8 (first time ever?) as Charles and Koji ran two while the leatherette ricocheted around the far end like a pinball. Koji, not wishing to be upstaged, pulled out some masterful drives to the back wall that would have had cricket textbook writers nodding wildly while wiping foam from their mouths. The plunder continued until the 4th over when both batsmen, probably a bit worn out, decided to consolidate the foundation they had set and nudged their way along to finish at 49. A stunning spectacle gents and a great way for Koji to sign off. Well, as you might expect, things could only get worse. Not wishing to let our dear readers down, we ensured that they did.
Navin and Chris took the reins only to find Kiminami bowling like a man who needed to be home soon. Genuine pace allied with a testing line meant that both batsmen struggled to do any more than edge and block him into the nets. They did a great job soaking up the Wyverns standout bowler and took their chances with Takahashi, no easy ride himself. English coaches seemed to have failed to stifle the fluency of Navin’s sumptuous strokeplay and Chris also showed a good arsenal of attacking and defensive shots. The Wyverns fielders were as nimble indoors as they are out and only one boundary was to be pinched. All was sedate until a mix up between the wickets (unusual when batting with Navin n’est ce pas?) brought a frustrating run out which gave us 69 as they left the field.
25 to get off 4 overs – Walk in the park….. Walk in the dark more like. Anton and Vicky were all set to pilot the good ship Shark into port but we soon ran aground. It started OK with the batsmen sharing tidbits off of Kris B’s canny bowling but Anton was first to give in to temptation, knocking one high into the middle nets where the ever ready Chino was waiting to snap up the ball. He took his catch well meaning that the final pairing would now need to motor on a bit to reach the finish line. Unfortunately, this new found urgency manifested itself in some suicidal running when Anton called Vicky through with the ball already on its way to the fielder at the stumps. Vicky then took a walk up the track unannounced leaving Anton stranded a mile from shore to add to our woes. For every 5 we made, we gave away 5 needlessly. This is not to say that there wasn’t plenty of effort. Vicky launched a cracker to the back wall and Anton completed the extra run by going headlong into the stairwell nets, ending up in a pile of pain and bad news. We just could not break the shackles. Chino bowled a horribly stingy line and length when all we needed was a couple of loose balls to see us home. Ladies of the night, we now know something of how you feel. Alas it was not to be. We needed big shots in the final over and these were denied us courtesy of some wides until we needed 12 off the last ball. Vicky gamely banged a 3 and the Sharks innings came to an end at 83.
Well, we only had ourselves to blame. Indoor Cricket is like a trip to India. You either get the runs or you don’t. We didn’t, but we learned some important lessons on the way, particularly the importance of not giving up wickets needlessly in order to get an improbable extra point on the board. Man of the Match was Koji – his best batting performance thus far and a straight bat player we could’ve really used in the middle order outdoor this coming season. Good luck in Australia Koji and get some cricket there mate. You are a pretty decent player all told.
