The Japan Cricket Podcast (Reo Sakurano-Thomas)

After a bit of a hiatus, the pod is BACK!

In this episode, we talk to Jake Kusuda-Nairn, who has temporarily moved to Japan this year to develop his cricket while helping out part-time at the JCA.

We also chatted to Jake about his early life in Japan/Australia, how he has found the move to Japan, how his cricket has gone this season, and much more!

Lastly, I talk about how this year's standings are shaping up in all our domestic leagues from the JCL T20 to the Junior U15 and U19 leagues.

Jenny Thompson is the envy of most cricket fans right now, as she travels the globe playing cricket in as many countries as she can possibly get to. She visited in Japan in late April and took in the surroundings of Sano and the SICG, as well as travelled to Nagasawa to play a match in the Japan Women's Cricket League.

On this episode I catch up with Jenny a couple of months after her visit to Japan, find out where she is now, why she's on this mission and what she is learning along the way. Jenny and I go back a long way and there's a shameless plug for my book in here too!

If you'd like to follow Jenny on Her World Cricket Tour then check out her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Apologies for the audio quality on this, my old laptop exploded recently (seriously, it actually exploded) and I've lost all my editing software so this is raw, unedited and slightly echoey. Hopefully you can make it all the way through and don't mind me telling staff halfway through to stop rustling so much!

A bonus episode of the Japan Cricket Podcast as host turns interviewee for the YouTube Channel Cricket Spectacle. On this episode I'll talk a bit about how I ended up working for the JCA, what the landscape was like when I arrived and what it looks like now as well as the challenges of getting cricket into Japanese schools.  

This is not the only place I have popped up lately however, you can also here me witter on if you check out the Tokyo Living Podcast with former Karate Champion turned Club 360 owner Sam Gilbert. Do have a listen and subscribe for further insight on life and sport in Japan. 

Thank you to everyone who completed the Season One Feedback Form, it will remain open until the end of March if anyone else would like to add their thoughts and help shape the direction of the podcast.

Please also remember to rate / review the show on whichever platform you get your podcasts, and give us a follow on Instagram as well, which is also the best place to communicate directly with me. 

Day Two in PNG and on the eve of Match One I have Reo Sakurano-Thomas to tell us how the team has trained, but not before the great Makoto Taniyama tells us a bit about how he became a leg spinner.

I am honoured to welcome my first Japanese guest onto the podcast, and it is The Number One Groundsman in Japan himself: Yoshitaka Uehara! Listen to Yoshi talk about how he began his cricket by playing in the Japanese two-day league(!), the time he nearly missed the plane home when touring England with the Japan team and what he learned by playing club cricket in Melboure, Australia.

Yoshi also tells me the best place to visit in Japan is Yamadera Temple, and you can find some information on that place by clicking here.

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

On this episode of the Japan Cricket Podcast, some special guests join me to cover the very busy month of exciting tournaments that concluded at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Some topics include:

- Josh Brown's explosive batting in the Japan Premier League (literally breaking windows)

- New debutants and milestones in the Japan Vs Mongolia Series (Tani #50)

- The Western Eagles getting revenge on the Eastern Waves

- Nikhil Pol making the Futures League look easy

The sakura is out and the new cricket season is almost upon us! The Japan Cricket League will kick things off this Saturday and I am joined by Commuhnity Cricket Manager and regular guest on the show Dhugal Bedingfield to make a few wild predictions which will inevitably be horribly wide of the mark. We'll also chat briefly about Dhugal's other role as Head Coach of the Men's Japan National Squad and the busy nature of the year ahead for them. Feel free to follow the show on Instgram as well as the Japan Cricket Assoication on all of our platforms, but especially YouTube where you can watch plenty of the action throughout the season.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming and Dhugal Bedingfield talk about the World Cup qualifier as a whole, and the future of Japan Cricket.

A quick chat with two of the Women's Japan National Squad members, Ahilya Chandel made her debut in 2022 while Elena Kusuda-Nairn played for the first time earlier this year. Both have joined a number of players flying into Japan from across the world to take part in the inaugural Women's Japan Premier League (WJPL). We discuss the tournament happening this weekend as well as their upbringings and family background and the impact that being involved with Japan Cricket is having on them.

A shocking break from tradition and all previous rules thrown out of the window as I have not one but two guests on the podcast today and release the episode 24 hours earlier than normal with the Japan Cricket League Grand Final taking place this Saturday. 

In this episode I give a very brief explainer of the JCL before inviting on the captains of the two clubs who are participating. Firstly Sameep Dewar discusses the Tokyo Falcons rise from winless in 2019 to final favourites in 2021, how the club has developed and the key players who have carried them to the brink of glory this year. 

Following that I am finally able to welcome Dhugal Bedingfield onto the pod to discuss the Chiba Sharks season, how their run to the final of the Japan Cup has given the club a confidence boost and why the decision to invest in youth has paid off so spectacularly as they go into their third final in four years. We also get an update on his "exploding" hamstring...

Catch the match live on the JCA YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/JapanCricket, you may even be able to hear me commentate if I can escape from quarantine.

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Welcome to another episode of the Japan Cricket Podcast! This week I am joined again by Dhugal Bedingfield, this time to discuss the recently completed Japan Futures League as well as the upcoming Japan Premier League which starts this Friday, 29th April.  

There's also news of a career best score from one of Japan's finest in the JCL Division One, albeit in a losing cause, and a first win in five years for the club ranked at the foot of the Japan Cup rankings. 

Don't forget that you can watch the JPL matches live on YouTube, we are trying to stream all matches so you can follow your favourite players and there will be plenty of updates on our social media platforms as well.  

For those who might want to hear specific parts of the show only, here's the breakdown:  

• Start: Competition Round Up 
• 5:00: Futures League Review 
• 26:40: Japan Premier League Preview

It's the Grand Finale of Season One...who thought it would have this many episodes? After an extraordinary year we wrap up with a bumper episode, the longest yet, so you can take all winter to listen to it if that's what's required. 

The bulk of the show is spent discussing all the JCA run competitions, not just the winners and top performers but also how they are structured. We start with the various regions of the Japan Cup and how that leads into Japan Cup Finals then we go over the Women's J-BASH, the Under 15, Under 19 and University Leagues, before getting into all three divisions of the Japan Cricket League and ending at the Japan Premier League. 

Before all that we get to hear Dhugal's origin story (any true superhero needs one) and to wrap up Dhugal has a brief glance ahead to what 2022 holds and then gives his take on the traditional questions that I like to ask all guests on the show. 

If you have never done so then now really is the time to rate the show on whatever platform you get your podcasts, and should you have the energy then a review would be just lovely too!

You can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast to tell me what you think of each episode, and of course you can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

By popular demand, Ibby and Sabaorish join me on the podcast, recorded around two hours before the final game at the EAP Regional Final in Papua New Guinea.

A special episode as I am joined on the pod by current Panasonic Wild Knights Head of Rugby, Robbie Deans. 

In this chat Robbie and I discuss all sorts, starting off with his upbringing in rural Canterbury and the importance that gave to community sport, being part of something bigger than yourself and the value of being in a team environment, all the way through to his time with the Wallabies, why he took that role and what he learnt by doing it. 

Robbie also shares some incredible insights into how he as become one of the most successful rugby coaches of the modern era. He talks about the importance of players owning their own circumstances, how the brain is the most important muscle for any sportsperson as well as the importance of failure in ones development. 

This was a really special chat, please do share it around on social media as I feel there is a lot here that people can learn from. 

If you have time please give a rating or even write a review on wherever you get your podcasts, and of course you can follow the show on the instagram page.

Thanks to BRB Munde for the musical accompaniment, and to Nick McCorriston for his help with production. 

As the season draws to a close I am joined by Chiba Sharks wicket-keeper and opening batter Marcus Thurgate who gives us the inside scoop on how the Sharks have managed to make three JCL Finals in the last four years, winning two of them including the 2021 edition. Marcus talks about growing up in Chiba and going through the Japanese school system, his desire to give back to the Sharks in the years to come, and his envy of Tsuyoshi Takada's big game heroics.  Apologies for the background noise during much of this episode, it turned out that my nine-month-old was pretty keen to get in on the chat, thankfully she fell asleep by the time we begin Part Two...which you can hear next week.  As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire. You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as: www.twitter.com/CricketJapan www.facebook.com/cricketjapan www.instagram.com/japan_cricket www.youtube.com/JapanCricket While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

This summer the long awaited Japan Cricket Podcast is launching! The show will feature interviews with the people who have made, and are making the world of Japan Cricket what it is today. 

Although not officially associated with the the Japan Cricket Association, the interviews will be conducted by the JCA Head of Cricket Operations; Alan Curr. The show can be followed on its own Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast where you can leave comments on episodes and requests for future guests! 

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Welcome to Season Two of the Japan Cricket Podcast! The 2022 season has arrived and we already have news of a ridiculous innings played in the Japan Cup, and it's not even April. 

In this episode I wanted to preview the Japan Cricket League (JCL) with a primary focus on Division One and so I asked Dhugal Bedingfield, the captain of the defending champions, to join me once again as we do a run down of all 12 teams in the league (including his Chiba Sharks), discuss the players to watch and then hazard a guess at what the league table will look like after 13 rounds. 

We also talk briefly about the passing of one of the greatest ever to play the sport, Shane Warne, and the impact he had on each of us as well as in Japan. 

If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated. 

For those who like to skip through shows, here's a guide to what you can find where: 

• Start - 3:20 Season Update
• 3:20 - Shane Warne Memories
• 5:55 - Japan Cricket League Introduction
• 7:45 - Chiba Sharks / Tokyo Falcons / MAX CC
• 18:30 - Sano CC / Alpha Quashers Yokohama / Wyverns Cricket Club
• 30:55 - Tigers CC / Men In Blue / Rising Stars
• 42:03 - Tokyo Wombats / Paddy Foleys / Tokyo Rangers
• 55:30 - Season Prediction Summary
• 56:42 - Glance at Division Two & Three

After a one week break for a trip back to the UK the pod returns this week with another Tokyo Wombat: Richie Bracefield. the former club president talks to us about his near perfect debut in the JCL back in 2016, the challenges of running a one-team club, his Japanese heritage and how Kane Williamson caused him to break up with his girlfriend.  If you'd like to learn about Richie's favourite place in Japan you can check it out through this link.  

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

ps - thanks to all those who reached out to check I was OK after missing a week...all zero off you. Harrumph

All the way from Brisbane, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming joins us to discuss his formative years in Japan before moving to Australia. The challenges, and privileges, around dual nationality, the Under 19 World Cup experience from a coaches perspective, and a player taking a shower in all his kit... Kendel also suggests everyone watches this video. 

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

On this episode I chat with one of the nicest people in Japan Cricket, Mai Yanagida. Listen to Mai discuss a cricket journey which has taken her to far flung places ranging from Bangladesh to Vanuatu via Scotland and most recently Sydney. We talk about her first impressions of the sport, how she balances a full time job with Hitachi and being a Japan National Squad Member. 

Start - 4:40 Domestic Round Up

04:40 - 09:05 Early Life and Career

09:05 - 21:55 Cricket Development in Japan

21:55 - 37:00 International Cricket

37:00 - 39:05 Future Goals

39:05 - 45:35 Cricket Questions

45:35 - End Japan Questions 

As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

Finally I am joined by a current international player! Erika Oda is also the first female to come on the pod, and we discuss her early success in baseball and track & field before work took her away from sport. We go on to talk about her nightmare debut, her experience playing cricket in New Zealand, how the J-BASH is filling the gaps in women's cricket in Japan, and her goals for the future. 

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

I am joined this week by Shun Hashiba, a near 20-year veteran of the Japan Cricket scene with his club, Adore. Hear how Shun spent his formative years in New Zealand (including playing alongside a genuine NZ legend), the challenges facing University cricket in Japan, his desire to bring back  two-day cricket, and his time in the Japan National Squad as Cap Number 57. 

Shun has also started his own podcast alongside another Japan Cricket stalwart, Takuro Hagihara, called Cricket Chanomibanashi, which you can enjoy...as long as you understand Japanese.

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

It started with Japan Men's first ever T20 International, was followed by a series win, and ended with a first ICC tournament trophy in our hands in fifteen years! So naturally I was pretty excited to get Dhugal Bedingfield back on the pod to talk firstly about the three-match bilateral series against Indonesia, and then dissect the 2024 ICC World T20 East Asia Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier B win. We have 11 debuts to talk about, a first ever T20 century for Japan, a five-wicket haul on debut and much else besides. We were so excited we waffled on a bit longer than we intended, but hopefully you'll all enjoy it.  Special thanks as always to (birthday boy) BRB Munde for the backing music, and of course to everyone who came out to support the team in person, and those who sent their best wishes from afar. 

This week we have four centuries and a five-fer to cover in the round up, before getting into a great conversation with Gurdeep Dua, founder of a genuine Super Club in Japan: the Men In Blue. As always I discuss where Gurdeep grew up and how his love of cricket developed, as well as how he ended up in Japan, before getting into detail about how the club was formed and then developed into the force they are today. 

If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated. 

For those who like to skip through shows, here's a guide to what you can find where (times not exact): 

• Start - 5:55 Intro and Domestic Scores Round Up 
• 5:55 - 9:10 Early life in Delhi 
• 9:10 - 11:10 First Experiences in Cricket  
• 11:10 - 15:50 Move to Japan and Cricket in Japan 
• 15:50 - 20:45 Men in Blue Origins 
• 20:45 - 28:50 Coming into JCL and Club Structures 
• 28:50 - 31:30 Developing Junior and Women's Cricket 
• 31:30 - 34:30 Coach Development 
• 34:30 - 36:45 Work/Life/Cricket Balance & Shared Responsibility in the Club 
• 36:45 - 41:10 2021 Season Review  
• 41:10 - 47:30 Cricket Questions 
• 47:30 - End Japan Questions

Join me, Alan Curr, as I chat with Kazi Murad about his journey from Dhaka in Bangladesh to playing cricket in Japan. As a founding member of the Rising Stars Cricket Club who has been on the Japan Cricket scene for more than 15 years, Kazi shares his insights on how cricket has developed and how he thinks communities can assist in growing the sport.

For those who like to skim through their podcasts, here's how the talk develops:

• Start - 04:00 Domestic Round Up
• 04:00 - 12:00 Growing up in Bangladesh
• 12:00 - 18:05  Move to Japan & Chiba Sharks
• 18:05 - 30:10 Rising Stars
• 30:10 - 34:50 Thoughts on Cricket in Japan
• 34:50 - 40:15 Cricket Questions
• 40:15 - End Japan Questions & Wrap Up

As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

My guest this week is...me! No, I am not interviewing myself, although that would be fun, I was invited to join the excellent team at Emerging Cricket to discuss the Under 19 World Cup Qualifier cancellation and the ICC decision to hand Papua New Guinea a place at the 2022 World Cup ahead of Japan, because they had a better team 10 years ago (really, that's why). A slightly longer podcast than normal, and be advised, I am a little aggreived at this decision! I  As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire. You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as: www.twitter.com/CricketJapan www.facebook.com/cricketjapan www.instagram.com/japan_cricket www.youtube.com/JapanCricket While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

My next guess is the new kid on the Japan Cricket scene. Born in Toyama but raised predominantly in New Zealand, Reo Sakurano-Thomas has been instrumental in the success Sano Cricket Club is enjoying this year, while he is also taking the game to the local community as part of his role with the Japan Cricket Association.  We discuss all that, as well as the challenges around relocating to New Zealand as a five-year-old with no English, and then doing the reverse trip as a 22-year-old. He tells me all about his first impressions of cricket in Japan, both the club scene as well as his early training sessions with the Japan National Squad as well as his ambitions for both club and country.  Before I speak to Reo I cover a fair bit in the domestic round up, wrapping the Japan Cup Regional Qualifiers as well as giving an update on the Japan Cricket League Divisions One, Two and Three. I cast my eye over the Under 19 and Under 15 leagues as well as the University Championships which concluded a short while ago.  As ever thanks to BRB Munde for the tunes, and to everyone for tuning in. You can find the show on Instagram if you'd like to contact me, and you can leave a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. 

In Part Two of my chat with Marcus Thurgate we talk about his surprise at being called into the National Squad as a 14-year-old, why he missed the last tournament that Japan won, the fateful day when Japan qualified for the Under 19 World Cup in the strangest of circumstances, and what it was like to lead his country at a World Cup in a country like South Africa. 

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Welcome to groundsman extraordinaire, Todd Luckhurst! In a quick chat in the stands at the SICG during the Men’s East Asia Qualifier back in October. It’s a short episode and I apologise for the sound quality, first show recorded by phone….probably not a long term strategy.

The in-form player in Japan joins me this week, fresh from a career-best innings in the JCL. Listen to Vinay Iyer talk about his early years in Mumbai, how he was nearly lost to cricket altogether due to his love of a different sport, the secret behind his recent performances and the two Indian superstars he came up against in his youth. 

Please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can also comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

Remember you can follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Scenic podcast alert! Coming direct from Loloata Island as the team enjoy a rest day, we here a bit about that but more about how two of the top performers at the Regional Final have performed so far.

As the bleak midwinter continues it seemed a good opportunity to look back over the conversations had during the first season of the Japan Cricket Podcast and pick out some of the best answers from my guests. Everyone who came on the show was wonderfully engaging and refreshingly open about their experiences, so if you haven't listened to all the episodes yet then I do suggest you use the off season to catch up!  I am also looking to get some feedback on the pod as I look ahead to Season Two, and I would be really grateful if listeners could take five minutes to complete this questionnaire: https://forms.gle/AKDYZKjbESi23G9PA. Finally, as always, if you could take the time to rate or review the show then now really is the time to do so!  Otsukaresama! 

The Pod is back! No more lengthy breaks in 2024 as the host mic is ceremonially handed over…you’ll have to listen to find out who is now in the hot seat.

Men’s and Women’s international tournaments, a World Record, Futures League, JPL, WJPL, and Mongolia are all discussed, along with some early performances in the JCL and the first trophy winners of 2024…who were also the last trophy winners of 2023

This week my guest is from the Alpha Quashers Yokohama Cricket Club: Vasanthan Jayakumar. You can hear all about his unusual introduction to Japan Cricket, for an expat at least, as he came through the University League with Keio Uni, and ended up being a core member of the Japan Cricket League Committee, without whom domestic cricket in Japan would struggle. He also talks about fights in the old KCL and how recent improvements are making competitions better and better.  

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

INTERNATIONAL CRICKET IS BACK IN JAPAN! We have only waited three and a half years for international cricket to resume in Japan, and almost four years for our men to take the field, so please forgive the excitement!  

In the first of a series of short, unedited episodes over the coming weeks, I chat with the Japan Men's Team Head Coach about selecting a squad for the first time in so long and then the upcoming international series with Indonesia which starts on October 9th, followed by the T20 World Cup Qualifier being held in Sano from October 15-18. There's even a throwback to the series one jingles...

If you don't already then now really is the time to follow, subscribe or whatever it is that you do on the Japan Social Media pages, here they are:  

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan 
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan 
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket 
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket 

There is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp including post match reports plus schedules, announcements etc. 

This week I chat with one of the founding members of the Chiba Sharks, Chris Thurgate, who takes us through his journey to Japan, years of tough losses which ended with a glorious victory, and latterly his time as an ICC Umpire. His kids get a mention too, and his pride at watching the next generation of cricketers come through and how surreal it was to watch them on TV at the Under 19 World Cup. 

Please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can also comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

Remember you can follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

It's a case of back to the future on this episode as I am joined by former Japan Under 19 captain Marcus Thurgate, and current captain Koji Hardgrave-Abe to talk about the recent World Cup Qualifier in Darwin.

Marcys relives some of his experiences and compares them to what we witnessed in the early part of June, while Koji gives us the inside view of how things came together.

At the end of the pod I do a quick two minutes on the format, more specifically why New Zealand were taking part.

Plenty of stories from one of the founding members of the Tokyo Wombats led me to split this interview into two parts. 

In this episode you can hear how a young Jarrad's fascination with secret ways of communicating led him to study Japanese, and how the Wombats were formed out of a game of Aussie Rules Football. Tales of the infamous Wombats Van and the importance of enjoying cricket, off the field as well as on, explain the cornerstones of "Wommie Culture". 

Please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can also comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

Remember you can follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

A short chat while at the gate with one of the players returning to the Japan Team, Muneeb Mian about his preparation for the World Cup Qualifier and what he’s excited about, as well as the feeling in the squad.

After a bit of a break the Japan Cricket Podcast returns with the recently appointed High Performance Coordinator, Ardene Ruhode; or Deano. 

We chat about his early life in Zimbabwe, what the cricket pathway looks like over there and why he left to find opportunities elsewhere. It's a journey that has taken him to England and Scotland before almost five years in Australia coaching in a variety of places. Now Deano is part of the Japan Cricket community we discuss his expectations and hopes as well as a little about his personal interests and why he thinks Japan is the right place for him. 

Before getting into the discussion I do a quick rundown of the JCL T20 which now has just Finals Day remaining, as well as summarise last weekend's Embassy Cup. 

As always a special thanks to BRB Munde for the backing music, and if you'd like to leave a review or follow the show on Instagram then please do so. The Instagram page is right here.

A new competition starts on Saturday 13th August, the Japan Cricket League T20! 16 teams will battle it out and so I invited podcast regular Dhugal Bedingfield to come and chat about it. We run you through all the groups as well as make some wildly unscientific predictions, which will inevitably leave us with egg on our faces. Prior to that there's the usual JCL round up as well.  As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

This week I am joined by former Wyverns CC and Japan Under 19 captain Raheel Kano. We discuss his early life split between Japan and Pakistan, how joining the Gunma Sport Speaks program aged 10 got him on the Japan Cricket pathway, and how strong leadership is so important in a club environment. 

Raheel tells us what a great player he would be now if only he had come through the current set up, and talks passionately about setting up his own club in his home town of Gunma so that the next generation can have those opportunities. We also discuss what it takes to join the Japan Cricket League. 

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Last month Shizuka Miyaji became the first professionally contracted player to make an appearance in a franchise T20 League. The FairBreak Invitational 2022 took place in Dubai and I caught up with "Zu" to hear all about her experiences, the players she played against and alongside, what she learned and that MVP performance. 

Following that we revisit how Zu got into cricket, the Bronze Medal at the 2010 Asian Games and where women's cricket in Japan goes from here. 

For those who like to skim through, here's the breakdown:

Start - 04:30: Domestic Round Up

04:30 - 22:00: FairBreak Invitational

22:00 - 25:40: Early Life

25:40 - 34:00: Cricket and Playing for Japan

34:00 - 37:47: Cricket Specific Questions

37:47 - Finish: Japan Specific Questions

As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show. 

Join me for a meandering discussion with Kris Bayne as we discuss his time as an umpire and how he came back to playing cricket at the age of fifty (50!). "KB" also talks about his early days in Japan, how he ended up here and how he has seen both the country and the cricket scene develop. 

For those who like to skip through episodes here are the timings: 

• Start - 4:15 Domestic Round Up
• 4:15 - 5:40 International News
• 5:40 - 13:10 Early Life
• 13:10 - 15:50 Arrival in Japan
• 15:50 - 21:05 Japan Cricket early days
• 21:05 - 30:00 Chiba Sharks and restarting cricket at 50
• 30:00 - 35:30 Umpiring
• 35:30 - 42:55 Development of, and getting the most out of, cricket in Japan
• 42:55 - 51:42 Cricket Questions
• 51:42 - End Japan Questions

If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated.

In part two of my chat with Raheel Kano, we discuss the progress he saw the Japan Under 19 team make across three tournaments and that first ever win (under his captaincy). He tells me about how international cricket showed him parts of the world he never expected to see, his ambition of getting back into the senior Japan squad and gives the best answer yet to the "favourite thing about Japan" question.

As always, please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

You can also follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

• www.twitter.com/CricketJapan
• www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Join me, Alan Curr, as I chat with the reigning Japan Cricket Player of the Year, Sabaorish Ravichandran of Tigers Cricket Club. Hear about how he came to Japan in 2015 without a single piece of cricket equipment, how he thrives on pressure, and how he almost ended up playing for the Alpha Quashers. Sabaorish will also discuss his ambitions for club, and more importantly country, now that he has been selected in the Japan National Training Squad. 

Please don't forget to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can also comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire. 

Remember you can follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as: 

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

Welcome to the final episode of Season Two! On this extended episode I wrap up the season, going back to competitions that finished as long ago as August such is how far behind I've got! 

To go through everything I am joined by three of the Japan Cricket Associations finest in Dhugal Bedingfield, Deano Ruhode and Reo Sakurano-Thomas. The boys give their thoughts on an array of competitions, fail miserably to pick a Team of the Year and then go head-to-head in a highly competitive quiz that may or may not have been scored correctly...

For those who like to skip through, here are the timings: 

• East Asia Cup (until around 14mins) 
• Japan Junior Leagues (until around 28mins) 
• Japan Cup Finals (until around 38mins) 
• JCL T20 Finals (until around 43mins)
• JCL (until around 54mins)
• JCL Team of the Year (until around 62mins)
• Quiz

Thanks as always to BRB Munde for the backing music, and to everyone who has listened this year. See you again in 2023!

Live from Amini Park before the clash with the Philippines I get two roommates to tell us about their PNG experience so far.

In this episode I continue my chat with Japan International cap number 065! Jarrad tells me all about what it was like to represent Japan and the sacrifices that went with it, as well as the subtle differences in touring Papua New Guinea compared to Samoa. We also touch on the Japanese governments policy on holding multiple passports as well the impact a coach can make with even a small word of encouragement. 

Please do remember to rate and review the show...if you liked it...and you can also comment on the Instagram account www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast should you so desire.

Remember you can follow the Japan Cricket Association on various social platforms such as:

www.twitter.com/CricketJapan

www.facebook.com/cricketjapan

www.instagram.com/japan_cricket

www.youtube.com/JapanCricket

While there is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp

After a short break the Japan Cricket Pod returns with a fascinating chat with Alex Shirai-Patmore who was recently recalled to the Japan National Squad after an eight-year absence. This interview was done before that recall and you can hear Alex discuss his early cricketing experiences in the UK and playing with and against some of the best English players of this current generation, as well as how he has seen Japanese cricket evolve during his ten years living and playing here. 

For those who like to skip through to various sections, here are the timings: 

• Start - 06:30 Season Round Ups
• 06:30 - 10:25 Early Life
• 10:25 - 20:20 Early Cricket in England
• 20:20 - 39:50 Cricket in Japan, Tokyo Wombats
• 39:50 - 58:45 International Career
• 58:45 - 1:15:45 Cricket Stories
• 1:15:45 - Finish Favourite things about Japan

If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated.