JCL: TPCC vs Wombats CCMay 31 2009

Improving Predators make it tough for Wombats

Although the result did not go in our favor, the team put up a gallant effort against a formidable opponent on Sunday in the 2nd League game for the year.

The day got off to a shocking start, when the ground was not made available for cricket due to some rather untoward softball characters. Enough said in this forum and one for the "remember when" awards. A 2hr delay resulted in a 35 over match being played. This is something which does not sit entirely well with me as I believe that games should be reduced only in the result of rain, playing conditions, etc and not through mismanagement. Regardless it was a great achievement from the umpires to organise the day so we could get as many overs in as possible - thanks Dave and Chris from the Sharks.

I lost the toss which was disappointing considering the length of the outfield (which we later would find out it would turn 4's and 3's into singles and sometimes not even that!) and forecast of rain mid afternoon. The Wombats always chase well, so we would have had to score a large target to give ourselves any chance.

Ankit who was possibly playing his last game for the club in Season 2009, opened up the innings with Graeme and both looked solid against the Wombats opening bowlers, neither doing anything major to trouble the batsmen. The tall Tasmanian from the shed end was getting some to cut back in, but his colleague struggled. If the Wombats had a genuine 2nd opening bowler it would definitely make them a more complete outfit.

Graeme departed for 16 and was replaced by Prasad. Unfortunately Prasad didn't trouble the scorers and played a soft shot to depart for 0. Kiran was looking comfortable at the crease and was starting to move the scoreboard along nicely when the Wombats did the worst possible thing and that was to antagonize him...it fired him up and he started hitting all bowlers to every part of the field. It was good old fashioned tough cricket with Kiran enjoying many pleasantries with the usual crew from the opposition. There were comments and sniggers and yelling and probably some crocodile tears from all and sundry, but in the end the Kiran scored his first century of 2009.

After Ankit was bowled (16) and the scoreline reading 3 for 55 in the 13th over, I joined Kiran and a hostile welcome out in the middle. The opposition Captain, really had my measure bowling a tight line outside off stump - in the end it was more of a frustration to him than a problem to me as the only time I managed to lay bat on ball to him, I benefited from a spilled chance behind the stumps. I did have fun listening to some of those old chestnut favourite comments from slips though...all good stuff and a nice distraction from the threatening weather.

With Kiran at the other end really starting to take to the bowlers the scoreline was gathering momentum. After a partnership of 87 (which is a shockingly superstitious number!), I departed for a hard earned and struggling 16. With 8 overs left it was crash and bash time from our big hitting batsmen Rob and Robin. Unfortunately conditions were very difficult after a rain interruption, the outfield was even slower, the ball was skidding all over the place and the momentum swung back to the fielding side after we lost several quick wickets.

We were bowled out with the score on 188 in the 35th over...not a bad effort considering the conditions. With a normal outfield, it was a 220 scoreline so we should be pretty happy with the result. It was disappointing to not get our score over the 200 and I think an extra 20-30 runs would have buoyed our mood a lot more. We had a collapse of sorts with our last 6 batsmen only contributing 9 runs. It was however in the last 7 or 8 overs and we were trying to increase the run rate in difficult conditions.

Congratulations go to Kiran for his fine innings.

The score was a reasonable one, but we needed to take any chances presented to us in order to combat the Wombats top order batsmen. I opened up with Nick and his spinners and the gamble paid off when he removed one of the openers in his 2nd over after a miscue went to me at Mid-wicket. It was a good start.

Younus then claimed the aggressive number 3 batsmen for the Wombats caught by Prasad who took a fine catch on the boundary and at 2 for 46 after 11 overs we were definitely in the hunt. The other opener Burke and the Wombats number 4 were setting themselves, but both presented 2 tough chances which if we had held may have swung the game our way. Sometimes hard catches stick and the game changes, but it was not to be.

All bowlers did a good job in bowling aggressively throughout the innings and the Wombats batsmen did not really get on top of us until after the 20 over mark. Extras were really kept to a minimum and all bowlers tried valiantly to reduce the run rate and take that crucial wicket that might have given us some momentum.

The final scoreline was a convincing win to the Wombats on paper but it was a lot closer than it suggested. Credit to the Wombats batsmen, especially Steve Burke who I think played a very controlled and measured innings giving only a half chance and playing some fine shots.

Special mention goes to Rob who in the field gave his all. Ankit bowled 7 overs straight and did very well being a little unlucky with some LBW's, and the usual suspects of Younus, Deepak and Nick all bowled to the high level we expect from them. Amit should also be congratulated on a pretty reasonable day behind the stumps as well.

I thought we performed well for most of the day and were very competitive against what is a strong side. The way we played would have beaten most other sides in the League, so well done to everyone.

Thanks go to Chris and Dave from the Ichihara Sharks for umpiring who I firmly believe are two of the best umpires going around at the moment. Congratulations to the Wombats for the victory. The Wombats have a couple of quality players who display great cricketing skills. It is also terrific to hear from the Wombats man of the match number 4 bat Chuck, openly request and hope that "what happens on the field, stays on the field which was supported by the rest of his team mates". That's the traditional way sport should be played and it's nice to hear from the opposition.

Bit of a break now between games with the next hit-out toward the end of June. There are some positive signs for the club and if we can win a couple of our next games in the JCL we still can give ourselves a chance of grabbing a place in the semi finals.

Regards

Andrew Marshall

JCL: TPCC vs Sano CCApr 11 2009

Predators throw it away against Sano - first league match of 2009

It took me a long time to work out how to write this match report...nearly every aspect of our game was positive and we dominated in nearly every department for the majority of the match. As the heading suggests though, our hard work was undone with another batting collapse of massive proportions which meant a certain victory and the 4 points slipped through our fingers.

The day got off to a good start with a winning of the toss...3 from 4 for the year. The decision almost paid off in the second over when Rob on his first delivery got the batsman cutting and slashed his shot to Kiran at point who got a hand to it but spilled the well timed shot. This is the second game in a row Rob nearly produced a wicket on his first delivery. Rob did however strike in his second over with an amazing catch by Amit at short cover and we were rolling. Celebration however, turned to concern when Rob bowled his second above waist high full toss and was taken out of the attack by the umpire just 1 ball later, his wicket taking spell just lasting 1.1 overs.

After this setback, it would have been easy to have given up...1 bowler down, a good batting lineup to face off against...it would have been an easy choice to simply roll over. We didn't though and this was probably one of the better bowling efforts I have been associated with during my time at the Predators.

Everyone chipped in and wickets were steadily taken by our committed bowlers. Ankit, Younis,Vinit and Deepak B all bowling a tight line in their maximum amount of overs. Our fielding was of a high standard with some great catches by Younus, Vinit and Graeme. It was a tough day in the field but everyone applied great pressure for the entire innings which is something we have been working on in our recent games. Apart from a couple of minor blemishes the fielding was probably the best standard we had played at for the year. I was particularly impressed at our last 10 overs in the field when we continued to take wickets and apply pressure. Few runs were scored and we certainly achieved our objective to keep their scoreline down with the 40 overs only brining Sano 205 runs.

Well done to Prasad who was thrown the ball to make up some of the overs we lost when Rob was taken out of the attack. I thought Deepak Binwal bowled particularly well also winning all the battles with the opposition batsmen.

Our batting chase was hindered in the 2nd over when Ankit was the recipient of some remarkable catching. A diving fielder snapped up a well hit cut shot and Ankit was heading back to the sheds wondering what happened. Prasad and Graeme however steadied the ship, with Graeme looking like he could score 200 hitting the boundary on several occasions. Graeme looked set when he hit a very hard shot to square leg who seemingly ended up catching the ball in his stomach, 2 for 43. Prasad was playing a very defensive and supporting role to Kiran, but unfortunately played on and our scoreline read 3 for 61. Younus joined Kiran and had a 55 run partnership which took us to drinks at the end of the 18th over in a commanding position.

At 3 for 116 after 18 overs, to say we were cruising to victory was an understatement. Younis was supporting Kiran well after he had reached his 50 just before drinks. Then the most remarkable collapse occurred. We lost Kiran for a very well played 54 and I joined Younis at the crease, 4 for 116 - the question of losing still not in the equation...plenty of batsmen and overs left. The opposition then bought on a leg spinner who our batsmen gave more respect to than if we were facing Warnie. We immediately lost Younis dabbing a shot to slips, 5 for 121. Amit lasted 4 balls with another dab to gully off the leg spinner and we were 6 for 123. Deepak Sharma and Vinit repeated the exact same shots in 2 consecutive balls and we were suddenly at 8 for 123. In the space of 3 overs our score was reduced to 8 for 123 and victory was well off the radar. In one 9 ball period, their leg spinner took 4 wickets for 0 runs with every batsmen departing in the exact same fashion with a leading edge to a gully or slip fielder. Feeling quite helpless at the non-striker's end I witnessed a very non threatening bowler clean up 4 batsmen with very non threatening deliveries. In the space of 4 overs our team lost 5 for 8 runs to turn our run chase into a shambles.

Rob and I tried valiantly to keep the scoreboard ticking along and shared a 9th wicket partnership of 43 to take the score to 166 and within reach of victory. Rob was the recipient of some good old fashion luck with one of his shots hitting his stumps without lodging the bail and another skyward shot being dropped. Rob did however bat very sensibly and up until I played on in the 32nd over, it did seem we could get over the line. Deepak Binwal tried his best but holed out not long after my departure with the final scoreline all out for 169 in the 33rd over. Rob finished with 27 not out which was a valiant effort considering the circumstances - well done Rob. Well done also to Kiran who played a great top order innings and helped set up what should have been a victory.

The result was a frustrating one. Our bowlers and fielders dug deep after the setback with Rob being taken out of the attack to keep the scoreline to a very small and easily reached target. Our top order although without luck put us in an easy position to win. We then lost the game in a 3 over spell and wasted all of the hard work we had done leading up to this period and all of the hard work we had put in over the last 3 practice games. The positive out of this game is that we were the better team in every department up until our collapse, we need to use this experience and learn from it if we want to win our 2nd League game on the 24th of May.

Regards

Andrew Marshall

Friendly: TPCC vs Paddy Foleys CCApr 04 2009

Predators sneak home against Paddy Foleys - Game 1 of the Golden Bat Series

Game 3 of the 2008 Golden Bat Series was competitive affair with over 520 runs scored between the two teams. Game 1 of the 2009 series was yet another close game which had runs and wickets galore with over 430 runs scored and 17 wickets for the day. Luckily we inched over the line and have now taken a 1-0 lead in the 3 game series and bought up our first win of 2009. It was a day of contrasts with both the weather and the performances of both teams changing throughout the match - the result being a narrow victory to the Predators, 8 wickets down in the 35th over chasing 218.

Having lost the toss for the first time in 2009, the Foley's Skipper put us into field first. Regardless of batting or bowling first, the Foley's team always lifts a gear when playing us and with each team wanting to take the first game of the series it was important for our bowlers to get off to a good start. Younis was again hitting the right spots on the pitch and kept a tight line eventually taking one of their openers. Vinit was unlucky from the other end bowling at a nice pace but again without luck, a tough chance going down in the slips and that elusive maiden wicket having to wait. Nick replaced Vinit but struggled through a couple of overs with lower back pain and was replaced by Noble who claimed his first wickets for the Predators after bowling a fine 8 over spell. Younis was replaced by Ankit and he bowled with good pace producing a wicket and a few half chances that didn't quite fall our way. Peter Gunning, a dangerous player with the bat was run out after he set himself for a big individual innings but at drinks Foleys were still scoring quite well, with plenty of wickets in hand and looking at a good 220+ score to set us. Noble and Ankit leading up to drinks bowled very well in tandem and it is an exciting prospect to have these bowlers work so well together.

Jason playing his second game for the Predators bowled after the break from the "Shed End" and after a couple of wobbly warm up delivers allowed the Predators to take the upper hand by taking the prize wicket of Sule, Paddy Foley's best batsmen who had bought his half century up in quick time prior to the break. Vinit took a great catch at Fine leg and a well deserved maiden wicket for the club was taken. Jason was not finished though and again claimed another big wicket with a nice looping delivery that beat the opposition's Captain knocking over middle stump. It was a great 5 over spell by Jason eventually finishing with 5 for 28 off 5 overs. Tim was bought on to replicate the wicket taking but had the case of the yips and couldn't find his line. Openers Vinit and Younis closed out the innings after another run out in the latter stages and Foley's eventually finished at 9 for 218 off their 40 overs.

Overall it was an improved performance in the field with only a couple of tough chances spilled and a few minor misfields. The extras total was 66 for the 40 overs which is not satisfactory at all. There were a couple of big overs of extras (no names mentioned!) but even with those taken off the total, there were too many runs handed to the opposition in this area and this is a focus area now for our bowlers for the upcoming matches.

Deepak Sharma was promoted up the order to open the innings with Ankit and things got off to a flyer with 12 runs coming off the first over. Peter the Foley's opening bowler had a well placed bouncer heading towards Ankit' temple, but he dealt with it appropriately with a cracking hook shot to the boundary. Sule however took the advantage back from us in the second over by bowling Deepak for a duck. Amit joined Ankit and steadied the ship with some nice stroke-play and he and Ankit raced the score along but in the 8th over and the score at 61, Amit played around a Sule delivery and the Predators were 2 for 61. Kiran joined Ankit and played a backseat role in a 40 run partnership scoring 5 before being adjudged plumb LBW off Jeff Flew' first delivery of his spell - 3 for 101 in the 13th over. Tim and Ankit then had a 52 run partnership with Tim having a couple of cracking 4's but again Ankit was taking the lead in the partnerships and scoring freely bringing up his 50 in 45 balls before the break.

After 20 overs and the score-line 3 for 153 we were placed to win the game easily and with the rain coming down steadily at the drinks break it would have been nice to have finished off the total, get back in the warmth of a car and head on back up the freeway. To Paddy Foleys credit though, they came back after drinks with new found vigor, running out Tim in the first over after drinks and then taking 2 quick wickets to plant an element of doubt. Ankit was removed for a fine 75, the score-line 5 for 156, then Noble for 1 and signs of a fight back victory from our opposition were evident - 6 for 163. Younis contributed 16 before being bowled by leg spinner Des who bowled a great line and length and I joined Nick at the crease, 7 for 196 and the pressure really on. Nick's solid 14 took us closer to the total but Des yet again bowled a superb delivery bowling him cleanly. Vinit joined me at the crease and with only a half dozen runs to get and 2 wickets at hand it looked like a formality. Vinit survived a very close LBW appeal which would have made things interesting, however we eventually got the runs with 5 overs to spare.

It was a very close game in the end, but one I am very glad to have won. It has prepared us nicely for the first League game of the season on the 11th of this month and should put us in a relatively confident mood with some fine individual performances and great teamwork over the past 3 games. The Extras we gave away are a concern and we do need to be tighter in this department. We also need to again keep our focus, this time we lost our way in our batting after drinks and this caused a minor concern on the day.

So, our first victory for 2009 is under our belts but we now need to keep the momentum up and keep the winning way as habit. This victory also means the first leg of our series for the Golden Bat puts us in the driving seat to claim this trophy back.

A big thanks to Paddy Foleys who again showed us that a bit of fighting spirit means a lot on the cricket field - they yet again played well, in the spirit of cricket and were great competitors. On behalf of the club we wish them well for their 2009 campaign.

Regards

Andrew Marshall

Bowler	Overs	Wickets	Runs
Rob	8	4	36
Vinit	7	0	44
Ankit	3	0	33
Nick	8	2	51
Deepak B	7	3	48
Jason	3	0	39
Prasad	2	1	12

Friendly: TPCC vs Wombats, 2009 Season OpenerMar 15 2009

Predators lose to big hitting Wombats

Game 1 of the year for the Predators was a terrific day out at Fuji, played in glorious sunshine and great conditions. The result was not a favorable one for the Predators losing eventually by 7 wickets, however there were some very positive signs for the club and it was a good first hit out for the season.

After some morning formalities and introductions I presented Younis with his awards for his tremendous 2008 season. Making their debuts for the Predators were Vinit, Ankit, Amit, Tim and Noble. It was a great opportunity for these players to demonstrate their abilities in a practice match before the season proper.

I won the toss and elected to Bat with Ankit and Graeme to open up the innings. We talked as a team about keeping our wickets and building our innings. Too many times the Predators have been bowled out cheaply and this game was soon to highlight our weakness in this department. Graeme was judged LBW in the first over, with Ankit and Amit soon following. At 3 for 7 we were in a lot of trouble. The frustrating thing about this start was the Wombats bowlers were far from strong. If our top order batsmen had seen them out, their 1st and 2nd change bowlers could have been taken advantage of.

Kiran and Ranjan put on 29 before Ranjan holed out for 9. Younis entered the middle and continued his form from last season having a 64 run partnership with Kiran. Right on drinks Kiran holed out for 47 and again we were in trouble at 5 for 100 off 18 overs. Younis and Tim consolidated and developed a grinding 46 run partnership. Tim hitting a couple of big shots for a well earned 15. The second collapse of the innings then occurred with our next 4 wickets falling for 5 runs in as many overs. The innings rebuild stopped dead in its tracks and at 9 for 151 a chance of victory was well off the radar.

Noble and I put on a last wicket stand of 44 and got us through to the last over before I was stumped for 31 (28) trying to get some last over runs. I want to congratulate Noble who remained unbeaten on 0, and yes this is unique in a 44 run stand. What he did do was protect his wicket and gave no chances to the bowlers - this allowed us to stay at the crease, make the Wombats earn the last wicket and allowed us to set a competitive score, well done Noble.

The final score was a respectable score of 10/195 off 39.3 overs. Against a batting lineup the Wombats have it was a good 50 runs short. There were however, some positives with 3 good solid partnerships in the middle and lower order. Without checking the books, the last wicket partnership would almost be a record for the club and helped the scoreline get to a respectable level. Noble showed how to defend his wicket and the runs built closer to the psychological 200 mark.

We did not lose our confidence before taking the field and everyone held the belief that we could claim victory. The Wombats have some very good experienced batsmen, so we needed to maintain pressure early on. Younis opened the bowling and again was in control and put pressure on immediately. Vinit from the other end took a couple of overs to find his line but he settled in quite nicely and produced some sharp deliveries.

The Wombats opening pair put on 46 before Younis claimed a wicket with a very sharp caught behind by Deepak who was standing up to the stumps.

Congratulations go to Gavin from the Wombats who walked, a very respectful thing to do considering it was the faintest of edges that was barely audible. One hopes that this type of sportsmanship is replicated by other players (including the Predator players) and other teams throughout the season.

Ankit was the first change bowler and produced a fine spell claiming the other opening batsmen bowling him with a great in-swinger. Throughout the innings, a couple of close LBW's did not go our way and there were a few edges that fell short of the slips as well as a couple of hard dropped catches. With some of these chances falling our way the scoreline of 2/104 at the drinks break (20 overs) may have been more in our favor. I had 1 awful over leading up to the drinks break which did not help the cause. The Wombats needed a further 81 runs off the last 20 overs - certainly something they had to work for. This was however soon completed with 5 overs of big hitting. Noble and Tim who were quite effective in the first spell, unfortunately bore the brunt of some big shots and the Wombats got the total in the 26th over. The last 70 runs coming in only 5 overs.

The fielding of our side was impressive, Noble seemed to be a ball magnet in covers and did not let anything pass, and misfields could have been counted on the one hand which is a vast improvement on some previous games. The intensity was there for most of the game, however we still need to maintain this for the entire game even when we are copping some big hits from the opposition. A 1-day game can turn around with quick wickets and therefore we need to maintain our intensity. Deepak continued his form behind the stumps and generally the fielding was of a very good standard.

As this is a first game of the season, we should all be very happy with the performance. We do have a few kinks to iron out, but with these addressed we should be competitive against stronger sides like the Wombats. We were in trouble twice in this game and we got ourselves out of it and built a respectable score. Overall the new players all performed well and it should be understood that it take a good 2 or 3 games to get use to the conditions of the pitch and grounds. I am very confident that our squad can remain very competitive and claim a semi final berth in the JCL. In addition, it was the first time we had played a lot of the Wombats players so it was good to see some of their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone needs to remember, the game that counts comes up in the League match against them later in the year.

The drive back was a very long one due to an accident that happened in Yokohama. The 1.5 - 2 hour journey ended up taking 3.5 hours which would have no doubt made everyone tired for Monday morning. A big thank you goes to Graeme for driving the hire car and for everyone who persevered with the traffic - it is definitely not the norm but accidents do happen on roads.

Thanks to all for everyone's efforts yesterday, I personally enjoyed the day out. Thanks to Jarrad from the Wombats for organizing the game and to the Wombats players who as always makes a game against them very challenging.

Regards

Andrew Marshall

Friendly: TPCC vs PFCC, 2008 Golden Bat DeciderOct 13 2008

Run feast has Predators fall just short of victory - lose "Golden Bat" series 2-1

Result:  Paddy Foleys won by 16 runs

The perfect conditions for cricket on Saturday produced a thrilling game between two friendly rivals, with the Predators losing their second game in a row to Paddy Foleys. It was a game full of records for both teams with centuries, dropped catches aplenty and debutants claiming their first wickets for the club and was a fitting conclusion to the first Golden Bat series between the Predators and Paddy Foleys Cricket Clubs.

I lost the toss and Paddy's elected to bat on the basis they had a strong batting lineup and our bowling lineup was not as deep as we are use to. The Predators were also without regular keeper Deepak and opening bowler Younis, so we knew things would be tough in both the batting and bowling departments. I opted to throw Nick into the opening bowling spot with Rob in order to confuse the Paddy's openers with spin and we would have got off to a perfect start when he produced an edge on his first delivery, but the chance was unfortunately spilled.

It was to be a sign of things to come, when we our team dropped and fumbled their way through the first half of the match without producing a wicket and the opposition scoring at around 5 per over.Predators debutant Henri, took a wicket in the 19th over when his consistent line produced the first wicket of the match when he bowled Tony Moore. The damage was already done though and at 1-97 with lots of batsmen to come, Paddy's were on the front foot. After Nick and myself could not clinch any wickets and a few more chances were missed, Rob stepped up with another fine bowling display adding to his semi and grand final performances, taking 3 wickets in 3 overs. Rob finished his spell at 3 for 38 (off 8 overs) which was his best figures for the season.

Rob was supported by some good bowling from Nagai-san (who along with Shun was on loan to us from the Adore Cricket Club making them the first Japanese nationals to play for the Predators) who was cutting and swinging the ball with dramatic effects. Asanka also took 2 wickets in our innings and finished with 2-40 for the day.

It really was an innings of "ifs and buts" with many chances and a range of catches going to ground - the final total of 270 for 7 by Paddy Foleys was probably 30-40 runs over what we should have restricted them to.

Chasing 270 is going to be a reality for our club come the 2009 Season. We have had the luxury of bowling out the opposition cheaply and there has not been much practice for our batsmen chasing big scores. When we play teams like the Wombats, Wyverns, Ichihara, etc, the fact is we will be bowling to strong and capable batsmen and reality is we will be chasing big scores more often than not.Unfortunately the days of rolling the opposition for less than 130 and having the luxury of chasing that down with a gentle run rate is over.Division 1 looms and so do big run chases and the requirement to set big scores. Saturdays run chase of 270 was going to be the perfect practice for what lies ahead.

We got off to a decent start with Nick and Chanaka looking comfortable in the middle, but a ball that jumped a little on Nick saw him lifting an easy chance to square leg. At 1 for 15, Graeme entered the middle and from the first ball he faced he looked comfortable. Chanaka and Graeme took the score to 61 in the 13th over, when Chanaka who played very sensibly was caught for 12.

The run rate was healthy and Graeme was attracting some good old fashion luck being the recipient of some dropped chances, so a victory was always on the radar. Shun and Graeme then had a 112 run partnership in 17 overs taking the score to 173. Shun was bowled after reaching his 50 but throughout his innings showed some great batting skills by rotating the strike and batting very sensibly.Robin entered the pitch and we needed 98 in 10 overs which was extremely achievable, but then we lost our way a little. Its not the first time that Tony Moore, a "slow" loopy bowler has tricked us into trying to hit him and again we fell for the trap of trying to hit the wrong ball. Robin could have had two swings at a very slow delivery and was through his shot before the ball reached him and the very next ball Rob fell in the exact same way. Tony was on a hat-trick and it was me to face the music which fortunately I managed to avoid repeating the same mistake. This is the second time that Tony has undone our batting. In a game last year (although we went on to score 340 and win by 200 runs) he took Robin and myself with two very slow balls and was again on a hat-trick. That time Rob hit the hatrick ball for 6 and created the famous "Rob jig celebration".

Graeme and I had a 36 run partnership and took the score to 225 before I hit across the line to a straight ball. Asanka was then run out after a valuable 10 run contribution. We needed 20 off the last over but that proved to be too much and we fell 16 runs short.

Graeme was superb for his 118 not out and demonstrated why he is one of the best batsmen in Japan. Yes, he did get lucky on occasion, but he also went on to get 118 runs and take advantage of the opposition's mistakes. Well done Graeme.

So, a loss to bring up what is probably going to be our last game of the season. There may be a game in November when we can redeem ourselves, however the weather and when the sun sets will determine if this game goes ahead. Even though we did fall short, it was a very good run chase. Yes, we did spill some chances in the field, but we also only had 10 players and not all of our regular bowlers. Yes, Paddy Foleys in theory should be the "weaker" side who we should easily beat, but they actually played extremely well and put a lot of pressure on us in the field which we did not handle that well.

From a personal perspective it was great to be part of a game where we were under pressure for the entire day. This is reality come next year in Division 1 and we are going to have to get use to chasing and setting big targets. Our bowlers will are also going to have to learn how to respond to being hit for 4's and 6's as again this will be reality come 2009.

A big thanks goes to Shun and Nagai who come to our side for the day from the Adore Cricket Club, to Henri who was debuting for the Predators (hopefully the first of many games to come) and to Helena who cheered our club from the stands and helped in the scoring for most of the day.

The game was ended and almost the entire 2 teams ended back up at Paddy Foleys for the Golden Bat presentation and an evening of festivities. It is fantastic that two clubs who are very competitive on the field can then go and have a great evening together off the field and celebrate was indeed a classic match. Paddy Foleys Cricket Club are now the proud owners of the Golden Bat which will be hung on the walls of their clubhouse in Roppongi. Well done to them, and I hope for the Predators that we can win this trophy back during the 3 match series planned in 2009.

Regards

Andrew Marshall

Japan Cup: TPCC vs PFCC, Japan Cup Round 1Sep 15 2008

The Tokyo Predators were outclassed by PFCC in the first round of the inaugral Japan Cup knowckout competition.

Full report to follow

League: TPCC vs Fuji Far East CC, J1C Division II FinalSep 14 2008

The Tokyo Predators go undefeated in 2008 with a vicory in the final vs FFECC

Full report to follow

League: TPCC vs University XI, J1C Division II Semi-finalSep 2008

The Tokyo Predators beat University XI to advance to the J1C league final.

The Predators won their Semi Final against Uni in convincing style on Sunday with a 90 run win. There were moments throughout the game which showed some worries for the Predators, however we will take this win and enter the Grand Final against Fuji Far East this Sunday as firm favourites.

Uni won the toss and elected to field first which proved to be a good decision when they took their first wicket (Graeme) with only 11 runs down. Graeme caught in two minds about hitting out or using soft hands, lobbed a shot to mid-off which was held well by Y Sano. Things got even better for Uni when Robin was run out for 9 after looking solid with his strokeplay, the score at an evenly poised 2 for 35. Vishal was then cleaned bowled in the 9th over and a promising partnership between himself and Kiran was finished - Uni were starting to get on top at 3 for 56. The not out batsmen Kiran and myself, needed to consolidate and ensure that the Predators got back on track and set up their innings.

From the 10th to 13th over the partnership rocketed ahead with a 38 run stand and some good attacking shots. Unfortunately it was all undone when I edged a ball to the wicket keeper - the score was 4 for 94 and the all too familiar 'batting wobbles' for the Predators were showing signs of appearing. We then lost our next 4 wickets for only 24 runs and the fielding side sensed that an upset could be on the cards. With the scoreline reading 8 for 119, and Kiran, Rob, Younis and Nick all back in the sheds the Predators bowlers were starting to think about how to defend a low score. Deepak's Sharma then steadied the ship with a very patient and well controlled 13 not out. He was supported extremely well by Siby and Deepak Binwall, and the three of them took the score to 163 runs. The Predators could defend 163 but if it wasn't for the last 2 wicket stands contributing 44 runs to the total, the overall result could have been extremely different. Well done to Deepak S, Siby and Deepak B for digging in and helping the team to get a reasonable total.

The Predators bowlers needed to be up to the task of defending a small total, and after 6 overs and Uni at 0-30, it looked like it was going to be a long day in the field. We are use to taking early wickets and keeping the opposition score low in the first half dozen overs, but against the Uni batsmen it was starting to develop into a different story. Siby who opened the innings was replaced by Rob early on, and he managed to hold down one end extremely well whilst Younis continued the pressure on the Uni bowlers. Younis got things underway with the first of his 2 wickets with some good accurate bowling and at 2 for 40 the game was still in the balance.

Nick was bought on after Rob's spell and threatened the Uni batsmen with his finger spinners. It looked like Nick would have to retire "kicked in the head by our 12th man" after both he and Chanaka had a "play fight" for a ball at mid-on. It was a display of the teams commitment in the field, but I don't want to have to issue helmets to the fielders outside of silly mid on and silly midoff!

After Younis's spell Nick and Deepak Binwal then dominated the batsmen and did their job by taking wickets regularly. The Predators took 8 for 33 runs in 16 overs to win by 90 runs and show their future opposition that scoring runs against the Predator's bowlers is a difficult thing to do. Robin and Vishal and I were not required, and Siby was used sparingly. It shows that there is a great depth to the lineup with our attack. Deepak Binwall took 4 for 8 runs off 6 overs in what was a great display of bowling. The fielding of the Predators was the best all year with no dropped catches and some sharp chances taken.

Some highlights:

• A big thank you to Chanaka who conducted 12th man duties for the day - it was a great commitment to our club and all the players are very appreciative
• Deepak Binwal's bowling performance...4 for 8 runs off 6 overs is a great effort
• Deepak Sharma scoring his highest total of the season with a 13 not out and really saving our season!
• Deepak Binwal and Siby who played a pivotal part in the club reaching a defendable total
• Graeme taking an impressive catch at short mid on - great reflexes
• Rob holding a spinning catch in Gully
• Deepak Sharma's keeping behind the stumps was again impressive

Some lowlights:

• Another case of getting us to a strong position with the bat but nearly throwing it away (we went from 3/93 to 8/119 in just 8 overs
• 2 ducks this week in our batting lineup
• Although fewer wides and extras to normal weeks, 18 extras in 27 overs is still a touch too high
• Robin's car cleaning bill after Rob 'snorted' an energy drink after Nick told a joke at the wrong time on the trip down!

Friendly (Golden Bat): TPCC vs Paddy Foleys Cricket ClubAug 16 2008

Result:  Tokyo Predators won by 6 wickets

The Predators took their 2008 season to 7 wins from 9 games by beating Paddy Foleys on Saturday. It was a hard fought victory against a side that continues to improve against us and pushes us to get the win.

Unfortunately Paddy Foleys only had 9 players but with the late withdrawal of one of our players we only had 10. In order to even the numbers up, David switched sides to play for Paddys. We were down to9 men but we took to the field with the assistance of a rotating fieldsman from the Paddys team. It was a good hitout for us with one fielder down and the practice was really beneficial - even if it was just a touch too hot to do anything but sit under an air-conditioning unit and dream of snow and ice!

After winning the toss I sent the Paddy's team into bat which meant our boys would run around and get some good conditioning in the heat.Paddy' started well against our opening combination of Younis and Rob and got the score to 25 before Younis trapped Simon for LBW. Whilst it was a close decision, the batsman thought he might have done enough for a benefit of the doubt decision - but alas the finger was raised and he was back with his team mates looking for shade on the boundary.

Rob and Younis continued to bowl a good line and length and trouble the batsmen regularly. Our fielders had a case of the butterfingers as we were dropping more than we should. The pleasing thing was though, the nagging line outside off stump troubled the batsmen and created chances - a good habit for our bowlers to get use to!

Deepak Binwal returning from the cricketing wilderness and Nick allowed us to apply some more pressure on the Paddy's batsmen by taking more wickets at regular intervals and we had the opposition at7 for 95. Shock horror when I say this, but our mentality of letting things slip then kicked in and we allowed a 71 run partnership happen when really we should have finished them off for less than 120. Few chances were dropped in this period though and again our fielding reverted to something akin to Under 12's...balls were being thrown around all over the place, people were trying to field with their feet and generally our concentration levels dropped. Stronger opposition will really punish us during these overs if we keep on doing this, so again...we have to keep the pressure on and take all the wickets before we take a rest! It was hot on Saturday so self preservation was priority - but I figure lets take wickets quickly and then we can have a longer rest!

Sule and Eric batted well for the partnership of 71 giving few chances. Eric removed the title of "batting bunny" by playing some really nice shots through square leg and showing that a good solid defence is a nice way to build a partnership. We eventually took the last 3 wickets in 8 deliveries for 1 run and had Paddy Foleys all out for 165.

Sukhesh and the newly promoted opener of Vishal went to the crease in a positive fashion knowing that a good platform would set us up for victory. The first few overs both openers looked solid in defence and not all that troubled. Sule and Jeff Flew bowled well and contained runs off the bat, but helped the scoreline along with some extras which did not aid Paddy's efforts. David coming on at first change was wayward early but settled down a little after getting use to the run up and conditions.

At around 0-40, controversy struck with what appeared an outside edge off David's bowling to Sukhesh and a very big appeal went up - it looked like Paddy's had got the breakthrough they desperately needed.Nick who was umpiring at the time was not convinced of an edge as the bails were removed at the non-strikers end during the delivery and therefore noises masked what Paddys were appealing for. Sukhesh not wanting to miss out on spending some more time in middle facing our team-mate David went with what the umpire said which was not out and therefore it was play on.

Sukhesh went on to score his highest total for the club finishing on27 which included 4 fours. I think he will remember this innings as helping set up the victory and showing everyone what he can do with the bat - you will be missed mate and we look forward to one day again taking the field with you in Predators colours!

I am a superstitious kind when it comes to Cricket and it was no surprise to me when we lost our first wicket (Sukhesh) with the score on 87. As mentioned though, the opening partnership really did set us up quite well and even when we lost Vishal (caught behind for 36) we were still in the driving seat for the victory at 2 for 95. Rob hit a quick fire 23 with some big swings and big 4's but lost his wicket to David who was on for his second spell. Younis (19 not out) and I (13 not out) steered us home with the last few runs to get and in the end we were comfortable winners by 6 wickets.

Thanks to everyone who put in during the day - it was incredibly hot so the efforts are appreciated. We had some 'firsts' for the day worth mentioning as well...Sukhesh first over in Predators colours which included zero runs off the bat - unfortunately there were a couple of wides which ruined his figures. Sukhesh's top score for the club with 27, the first Predator to take a wicket against a Predator in a match (David caught Nick bowled Deepak for 2), and the second Predator to take a wicket against a Predator in a match, Rob bowled David after he came back in for another crack.

We have 1 more game (Fuji Far East on the 30th) before our Semi Final on the 7th with the opposition likely to be Paddy Foleys again. It was good to continue our dominance over them which may give us an edge come September. In saying that though, Paddys have some good individual players so there is no such thing as an 'easy' game against them.

Sukhesh - good luck mate! I hope you continue to play some cricket upon your return to India...I hear there might be a few teams you could join??? Lets hope India have embraced cricket as much as Japan has! Ha!

League: TPCC vs University XIJul 26 2008

Result: Tokyo Predators won by 78 runs

Predators continued their unbeaten run in the JC1 League with their 3rd straight League victory against Uni on Sunday.

Uni won the toss and elected to field first. Batting was my preferred option for the day, so it worked out nicely. Sukhesh and Graeme put on a 41 run partnership to set us up nicely and with only a couple of wickets down and our run tally in the 70's all was looking quite good. Uni then took 3 wickets in 5 balls for 0 runs and at 5 for 73 we were in all sorts of trouble. Gulzar then took control and took to the attack flaying 4's all around the park in a very short period of time. Whilst we continued to lose wickets, the scoring run was ticking along nicely with Gulzar ultimately finishing on 63 off 37 deliveries. Our total ended up on a respectable 192 runs (all out) which is a very defendable score against most teams. We were aided by lots of extras by the opposition which was a bonus. We were looking in lots of trouble of 5 for 73, but Gulzar really did save the day with some good aggressive batting.

We had a very good display of bowling with the opening 4 bowlers doing a fantastic job and then Vishal and Ranjan helping close down the match. Our named 4 bowlers took 8 wickets between them and at one stage our opening combination of Younis and Francois had Uni 5 for 35. We simply cannot ask for much more than this and it was a very good effort indeed. Younis again was Mr. Reliable with the ball, consistantly bowling outside off stump, and Francois continues to impress - his stats for the last two JC1 competition games reading 2 for 35 off 12 overs.

Similar to the Adore game, we again put ourselves in a position to close down the game very quickly having the opposition at 8 for 60, however a lapse in concentration again allowed Uni to put on 55 runs for their last 2 batsmen. Against stronger sides this will eventually cost us the game and we need to become more clinical in finishing off the opposition.

The biggest concern to come from our bowling was the amount of extra's we gave away. 54 extras is not acceptable and we need to become more disciplined with our bowling in this area. It was good that we took wickets regularly, so this negated our extras column, however bowling out Uni for 70 is far more enjoyable than 115, especially when we want an edge over them come semi final time. Earlier in the year we had reduced our extras to less than 25 for the game which is where we need to be leading into the semi finals.

Overall a great win to keep the momentum up. We held our focus a lot better in this game compared to previous matches which was pleasing.In saying that, there were times late in our fielding where we lost our concentration on the basics of the game - for example, walking in with the bowlers! We need to keep working on playing all the overs and no matter where we have the opposition, keep the foot on the accelerator with pressure! Deepak again kept very well taking a couple of good catches and stopping a lot of wides down leg stump - well done Deepak. Siby took a great catch off Francois bowling and showed good commitment in the field - good job Siby.

It also needs to be mentioned that one of the hardest working and committed team members for the Predators had his final JC1 League game on Sunday. Whilst it wasn't his last game for the club, Sukhesh finished off his JC1 career in good fashion keeping our number 3 and 4 batsman away from the early swing of the opening bowlers. Sukhesh has always supported our club whether we win or lose, whether he bats at number 1 or number 11, and his commitment to the team is a fine example of others to follow. He always puts in hard in the field and encourages others along the way. A regular when we had training, and generally a good bloke to have involved in the club. He said on Sunday that the best going away present he could have is for us to win the League this year and I think that is something we need to do!Good job Sukhesh and thanks very much for all your hard work over the past couple of years.

One more victory in our next JC1 game on the 30th of August, will put us in a great spot finishing 1st in the League and an easier road to the Grand Final. We have made the semi finals, so our first objective for the year has been achieved.

Well done again to Gulzar for his batting efforts and our bowlers for doing everything that was asked of them in this game. Cheers, Andrew

League: TPCC vs AdoreJun 24 2008

Result:  Tokyo Predators won by 33 runs

The Tokyo Predators won their 3rd consecutive game on Saturday, continuing their unbeaten 2008 season and making it 2 wins from 2 in the JC1 League after a hard fought victory against Adore.

After winning the toss I elected to bat on what was going to be an overcast and sometimes rain affected day. Humidity was low, so the usual swing of the Japanese bowlers was not going to play a part in us setting a decent score. Sukhesh was promoted to open with Graeme after a decent showing in our 2008 opening friendly and they quickly took the score on to 29 before Sukhesh fell for 6. We lost Kiran for13 after he looked to be in good form and at 2/46 we needed some steady batting to get us back on track.

The Adore bowlers gave the batsmen very little and from around the 12th - 24th overs we managed only about 2.5 runs an over. Graeme was solid again and got through this pressure, however Ranjan (6 from 30deliveries) and myself (4 from 20 deliveries) took a back-seat to consistent and straight bowling. The remainder of the innings saw Graeme take on some of the bowling with some solid stroke play. Our remaining batsmen put together some mini partnerships with Graeme with some sensible batting but we were eventually bowled out for 177 in the 38th over. Graeme unfortunately got out on 98 - another superb effort and a big score to add to his superb batting record in Japan.

It was disappointing to again lose all but one of our wickets to either bowled or LBW's. This ratio is too high and whilst I am conscious of a couple of things that went against us (Nick had one virtually roll on the ground to get bowled and there was a couple of dubious LBW decisions), we need to protect our stumps a lot more, especially against the Japanese teams who bowl stump to stump. I always thought that we were going to "scratch" out a score against this opposition as they bowl quite a tight line, so it was pleasing toget a defendable total. It is great for Graeme to again score someruns and if it wasn't for him we would have been in a little bit of trouble. Well done again Graeme.

The rain was holding off, and we took the field with the hope we could get through the 40 overs, or at least have enough time to bowl out the opposition. Younis took his first of 3 scalps in the first over(3/31) with a quick rising delivery extremely well caught by Deepak behind the stumps - this set the scene for some very solid bowling performances to come. Francois took the other end with the new ball and bowled like Glenn McGrath (or Shaun Pollock since Francois is from South Africa) - 6 overs straight, 0/10. The opposition scored only 4 runs from the bat during his spell - it was a fantastic bowling display and he more than justified my decision to give him the new ball. Both Younis and Francois put the pressure on and after 12 overs, Adore were scoring at less than 2 runs per over. When Younis took his second wicket, the score was 2/11 and the Predators were on top. Siby (0/20 off 7 overs) off a short run was very consistent and Nick bowled aggressively taking 3/23 off 8 overs. There was another good piece of glovework by Deepak with an excellent stumping off Nick's bowling. Nick lured the batsman down the wicket with some nice loopy bowling and was well rewarded for this approach. Sukhesh effected a fantastic run out just when Adore started getting on top of our bowlers before the lunch break and we again applied some pressure and put ourselves in a position of either bowling out the opposition or if the rain came down we should have been on top in a Duckworth Lewis situation.

Our fielding from about the 25 over mark become a little sloppy and we let things slip a little and Adore got back into the game. After putting ourselves in a position to bowl out the opposition we did not support some good bowling from Ranjan (1/34 off 7 overs) who held up one end bowling 7 straight and Kiran and Younis who finished things off from the other end. Our slip in focus could have lost us the game if the rain got heavy enough to stop the game, or one of 2 of their batsmen hit out a little. Adore did very well and managed to batthrough the 40 overs scoring 8/144. It was difficult conditionstowards the end of the game with the ball heavy and some slight rain, however as a club we need to keep focus for the entire 40 overs.

Overall, it was a very great day out and I felt that everyone in the team contributed to the win in some way. Well done to Graeme for scoring some runs and to all of our bowlers but especially to Nick and Younis who took 3 wickets a piece, and to Francois who opened the bowling for the first time extremely well and put great pressure on Adore's batsmen.

A big thank you to the opposition as they were again very tough and played very well. It is very encouraging to see yet another Japanese team playing a high standard of cricket. Bowling out an opposition and then batting through the 40 overs falling short by 30 runs is a great effort indeed.

Cheers,

Andrew

League: TPCC vs Paddy Foleys Cricket ClubApr 13 2008

Result:  Tokyo Predators won by 5 wickets in the 25th over
Toss Won:  PFCC (elected to bat)

The Tokyo Predators got off to a great start to their JC1 campaign by winning a tough season opening match against Paddy Foleys Cricket Club on Sunday.

After winning the toss, Paddy's elected to bat first on what was a great cricket day down at Fuji.  There was a strong breeze aiding the bowlers and the warm weather was trying to break through. Paddy's got off to a very reasonable start and showed a lot of early promise in their batting.  It was apparent that our first game was not going to be a walkover and there was a lot of pressure on the fielding side after a couple of dropped chances (yours truly) and good sensible batting.  Robin bowled well to get 2 wickets and slow the run rate down, with Francois taking a great catch to start the fight back.  Paddy's had a very good run-rate and at drinks they were over a 100 with only a few wickets down.  Kiran came on to bowl into the wind and took 3 wickets in what was a good display of disciplined bowling and we started to get into their long tail.  We felt that we could have restricted Paddy's to under 150 which would have been reasonable considering their good start, however we let things slip a little and with some hard hitting from Alex in the middle order, Paddy's posted a very respectable score of 185.  It was a good even contribution with the bowling with 5 bowlers each taking wickets - Gulzar (2/23), Younis (1/42), Francois 1/35), Robin (2/27) and Kiran 3/16.  We had some good fielding with David executing a great run-out of Sully and some good catches from Younis, Gulzar and Kiran.

Chasing 185 is not an easy task and the effort against the Paddy's bowlers had to be a good one in order to get us over the line.  We did not start well and with two of our stronger batsmen in Kiran and Ranjan back in the stands at 2/20, Paddy Foleys were on a roll.  Robin and Graeme settled things and moved the score along at a rapid 7 runs an over when Robin was unluckily given out LBW on 18 - the score was 3/70after a 50 run partnership and the pressure back on the Predators. Gulzar hit 20 off 22 and just before drinks we were 4/101 with Graeme still batting strong and myself arriving at the crease.  The last 4 partnerships Graeme and I have had, have produced no runs off the bat, so it could have easily been 5/101 based on history!  Paddy Foleys only needed another couple of wickets to really put the pressure on, however they lost their way a little and we managed to get the score to 175 before Graeme's hard hitting innings finished at 72 from 68 balls. Another top effort from Graeme - he took advantage of some sloppy fielding and batted very well throughout the innings.  The winning runs were hit in the 25th over and the Predators secured their first ever competition victory.

It was a great effort from all the players and it will be a very good platform to build on for future games.  Deepak kept very well and is an asset behind the stumps.  Under a lot of pressure, the bowlers did a fine job to restrict the score with what was some solid batting.  It was also good to chase down a large score under some good pressure. A big thank you to the Paddy's guys, who put up a real fight.  As always the game was played in good spirit and we look forward to the next time we meet. Well done to the Predators players.  The next game is this Saturday in a 50 over match against the National Team.

Andy Marshall, TPCC Captain