April 6th: Pacific Cup: Kytes beat Paddy Foley's comfortably in spite of rearguard: 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 214?9 (40 overs) (A. Harvey, 48; A. Burr, 3/40; J. Flew, 3/43) 
Paddy Foley's C.C.: 160 (29.2 overs) (Zahid Khan, 46; Arbab Mohammad, 4/25) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 54 runs 
See Scoresheet HERE>> 
Neil Harrison writes: 
It was PFC day down at the ACO as the Paddy Foley's Cricketers arrived in Shizuoka for the first round of the Pacific Friendship Cup in it's shiny new 8-team straight knockout format complete with trophy - the fabled Golden Bat (read all about it here (if you're not there already): http://goldenbat.wordpress.com/).  
This time it was Kytes' turn to provide the no-shows, as several of Kytes' erstwhile finest decided to get Pissed For Christmas on the day before the match. Mark had set himself up as Dobber-in-Chief and sent his Captain sly snapshots of Kytes on the pop in the park on a merry cherry blossom Saturday. "Don't worry, I'll be done by six" he assured his Captain. His Captain naively assumed this to mean 6pm on Saturday, as opposed to 6am on Sunday. At least Mark showed up, though. We've yet to hear from Bunny or Danushka. 
Paddy's had 12 players so they sportingly offered Kytes their extra Eric. The Grand Old Man was summoned from the Scorer's Mound to make up the XI. The Captain won his second toss of the season and chose to bat under clear blue skies. 
Zahid opened the bowling from the Bridge End and bowled a good line with a "varied" length. Alphonse smacked a full toss through the covers, but the next ball was on a length outside off and cut back sharply off the pitch to take out off stump. Bit of rolling might have prevented that, Matthew. 
Toddler came out to join Arbab and these two trundled along quite confidently, taking a particular liking to the width on offer from Andrew from the Lone Tree End. Arbab was playing confidently and scoring freely before he turned a full toss from Alex straight to Neil at square-leg. Toddler played a couple of peachworthy cover drives before getting the first of four PFC (Pretty F#$%ing Clueless) LBW decisions. Don Prelis and Ashley put on a rapid, stress-free 65-run partnership to get the innings back on track and comfortably set at 118/3 at drinks. These added another 20 before Ricky re-introduced Zahid and got the breakthrough. The Captain came in and smacked a few fours before smacking Alex straight down Hassim's throat at long-on. Ashley was looking good for the first Kytes' ton since the corresponding fixture two years (two years!) ago, but on 48 (64 balls, 7x4) he got the second PFC LBW of the day and after that the innings drifted off into a succession of short thrashes before Suresh and the Grand Old Man got together to steady things up to the close on 214/9. 

Zahid (8-0-2-39) was the pick of the bowling, but didn't get the success he deserved. Andrew bowled well after a loose start, and it was odd to see he didn't get a second spell. Jeff, Alex and Neil also chipped away with wickets at regular intervals to keep the run rate down, but the 51 extras was unnecessarily generous. 

With the Paddy's openers ready to go, the Captain was wondering if his bowling attack would stretch any further than 2 this time around. The good start was there again, with Alphonse starting with a wide and a wicket and Arbab straight into bowling maidens. Neil and Suley played solidly for a while, but Neil was trapped in front by one that stayed low. Hassim smacked his first ball straight back over Arbab's head for four but got the third PFC LBW next ball. Arbab bowled two more in quick succession while at the other end Alphonse was having no luck with Chinese cuts an loopy dobs into space. After 15 overs Paddy's were 50/5 with one foot in the barbecue pit. And then there was a double bowling change. Mark replaced Alphonse for his farewell 5-fer and Toddler came on for Arbab. In the space of 5 overs, Rob and Zahid doubled Paddy's total and the score at drinks was 105/6, Rob having smacked one of Mark's many longhops straight to Ashley at midwicket. The interval saw another double bowling change, this time Suresh replaced Toddler (who, with combined figures of 5-0-0-53 in the first 2 matches of the season, announced his retirement from bowling - "Right, from now on, I'm a specialist batsman") and Ashley replaced Mark (who is off to revive cricket in Kyoto, possibly by making everybody feel good about their batting). The run rate dropped and finally Zahid fell for 46, bowled by Suresh attempting one heave too many. Ashley tidied up at the other end, bowling Alex and a hamstrung Ricky, and then benefitting from the fourth and final PFC LBW of the day.  
Paddy's were all out for 160, giving a reasonably comfortable 54-run win for the Kytes, although the margin could have been much more emphatic if 3 easy chances had been held. 

Arbab (8-4-4-25) bowled his 8 straight off and seemed to have sealed the game before Kytes' change bowlers decided to offer Paddy's a way back into the match. (Arbab's figures after 2 matches are 16-9-6-34.) Alphonse (7-0-1-32) had another good showing, but 12 wides and a no-ball spoil those figures. Ashley (4.2-0-3-14) made a good return after a bad day out against the Wombats. 

The end of the game meant the start of the festivities, with a barbecue on the Terrace in the last of the afternoon light and a fire to ward off the cold. Quite the experience. You should try it. 

Thanks again to Paddy Foley's for the match, the beer and the company; it's a pleasure every time, and this one was one of the best. We look forward to seeing you again later in the year. 
Thanks to Eric for being a Kyte for the day. 

Man of the Match: Arbab Mohammad - Another excellent spell with the new ball, and 4 more maidens to go with the 5 from last game. Shame about the butterfingers though! 

March 30th: Friendly vs. Indian Tigers CC rained out. More groundwork: 
The weather forecast proving too daunting, the game against the newest club in Japan was postponed. Drops strated falling by 11:00 and rained poure in earnest from 14:00. 
 
Neil , Suresh and Robert met at the ground hust before 11:00 
 
Two of three kinds of cherry trees on the terrace were in bloom 
 
as well as that small tree at the other extremity of the Terrace. 
Robert suggested we should start planting fruit trees. 
The three of us filled the "rut/street" with at least 12 wheelbarrowes of earth and mowed the area. The ground is looking all the more bigger with the rut slowly rising to the pitch level and the two benches we took awya last time we did some groundwork. 
Neil and Robert moreover sprayed ten bags of red loam on various spots of the ground needing maintenance, while two bags were left for game aftercare next Sunday, a practice we shall continue especially to reinforce the bowlers' runups. 
Next game is Pacific Cup first round match against Paddy Foley's CC. BBQ and beer! 

March 23rd: Wombats' firing power too much for Kytes in spite of Arbab Mohammad's heroics: 
 
(Drowning our sorrows at Yoshida!) 
Shizuoka Kytes CC: 141 (39.3 overs)P. Shackleford, 3/24  
Tokyo Wombats CC: 142/2 (25.4 overs) (G. Beath, 63; C. Jones, 34*)  
Tokyo Wombats CC won by 8 wickets  
See Scoreheet HERE>>  
Nicholas Shannon writes: 
KYTES WILT AS TODD PAYS TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR C CLARKE. 
A 10-30 start saw most of us at the ground earlier than usual. 
The pitch was rolled for the fist time in many months, and came out  reasonably flat. It was how ever ,a little soft. 
Neil chose to bat after winning the toss.A surprise to some ,but not to  
those who were around Neil when he declared he would bat given the chance!  
The start of the season and our new captain was oozing with confidence -  
not only electing to bat, but electing to bat with Todd and Matt as  
openers. Matt went hard from the get go and made a quickfire 17, including  
a big six. He was a little unlucky to be caught in the slips after a  
fumble. That saw Ashley to the crease and we were treated to cricket New  
Zealand style. Dot ball, dot ball, dot ball, dot ball, dot ball, dot ball,  
dot ball and so on. Ashley and Todd put on a combined Kiwi total of 33 in  
only 103 deliveries. A test (or should I say testing?) pace. Ashley  
snicked one to the keeper and was out. That brought Arbab to the crease to  
join our well settled Kiwi. Credit to him - after a long layoff he was  
back and batting solidly. He was playing his strokes and looking for  
chances to make runs. Alas a deft yorker by Alex saw the tired Kiwi to the  
boundary. A solid 23, and the highest Kytes score! 
It was then that it all happened. Upon arriving back at the boundary the  
Kytes players were rocked by the revelation that, quote....." I was  
conceived by that ball" ! We were confused and a little disturbed. I don't  
know if he was emotional after hearing of Arthur C Clarke's death or if it  
was really true. If it is true then it begs the question.....Has Todd been  
indulging in time travel or were the Wombats duped into using a really old  
ball? Anyway well batted and welcome back Todd. 
Arbab was joined by Suresh. Arbab was starting to find his feet while  
Suresh continued on from where Todd and Ashley had left off. Dot ,dot dot.  
Arbab edged one and was well caught at second slip. A pity as he, like  
Todd, looked as if he could make runs. Shannon joined Suresh at the crease  
and promptly ran him out. Suresh made what may be our most balls faced  
duck. 20 dots in all....................run out. Couldn't be helped.  
Nathan came in and promptly departed. A 3-ball duck. Popped one in the air  
to point after being tied up by Shackleford. Arthur came in playing his  
last game for a while as he is off to university in Osaka. He has a nice  
straight bat and strikes the ball cleanly and confidently. Nice timing,  
too. He played over a ball that stayed low and was bowled for three.  
Shannon was described as a pinch hitter by the Wombats behind the stumps  
and true to form he started by swinging. A couple of fours and a big six  
saw him finally caught deep at mid on....A recurring pattern. Gone for 15  
off 18 deliveries. That left Larry and Bunny. The prospect of more runs  
>ooked bleak...and Bunny proved this by making a 14 ball duck .You guessed  
it - RUN OUT....Credit must be given to Bunny as he went in on a hat trick  
and they couldn't penetrate his stylish defence.......(I don't think run  
out counts in a hat trick, and that is the only way Bunny goes out . Sadly  
the bowler had no hope!) however Larry has obviously been moved by the  
passing of his Sri Lankan buddy Arthur C. His RNS bat has been  
rechristened (pardon the pun) Lazarus! Back from the dead! True science  
fiction! It reads like this 14.4........1.1..1.1 Run out. Nothing  
fictional about the run out.Another recurring theme! Larry looked graceful! Morty being new didn't know Larry's strong points. Timing and an  
ability to deflect anything short and on the off to the boundry.Classy  
Larry! 13 useful runs. Neil was the last bloke in and the latest bloke to  
run out Larry. He hit a cracking four through cover on his way to making 9  
not out. The last 3 batsmen saw the score go from 105 to 141. Hardly  
enough but at least something to defend. 
And defend we did. Sharpe and Arbab bowled beautifully. Arbab was one for  
3 off six with 5 maidens!!! He finished with 2 for 9 off 8. EXCELLENT  
bowling. Sharpe was 0 for 23 off 5.4. After Sharpe and Arbab came our  
demise. We looked a chance after 10 overs but fictional it was.... Todd,  
tired as he was, found it easy to stray to leg. This kept Bunny and myself  
very busy. Bunny's fielding has improved tremendously. He saw a lot of  
action and never let one through. He even held on to the only decent  
chance Wombats offered, pouching Morty's skied hoick at long on. Morty's  
eyes lit up when Arbab sent down a full toss - the only bad ball of his  
entire 8 overs - but in racking up Wombats' own marathon duck, he'd played  
himself out of form and mistimed his pull. Kytes watched, waited and  
hoped. Bunny delivered! I wonder if he has been using performance  
enhancing drugs or is it something in the Bangladeshi water? 
Whilst on fielding. Nathan was a ball magnet. He saw a lot and fielded  
exceptionally well, too. Neil also had occasion to fall on one. Good on  
ya. 
Ashley was our other first change bowler and found it difficult to find  his line. Suresh Larry and myself were the last bowlers, but the damage  
had been done and that saw the Wombats eclipse our total of 141 after 25.4  
overs. There was only 1 dropped catch - Suresh spilled one off the bowling  
of Shannon. On the whole, we fielded well but at this point we need to  
increase the depth of our bowling attack. I guess that means practice. I'm  
sure our motivational therapist, Todd, will be sending out a mail and  
encouraging us to do just that. 
Thanks to Robert for doing a good scoring job and for preparing the  
ground. 
I'm looking forward to an exciting season. I think we can do well. 
Nick  

March 20th: 2008 Pacific Cup Golden Bat Format and Trophy announced! 
The Pacific Cup from 2008 will comprise of 8 teams particpting in the format of knock-out competition: 
The first round will oppse the following teams 
Tokyo Wombats vs. CC of Nagoya 
Shizuoka Kytes vs. Paddy Foley's 
Tokyo Giants vs. Adore CC 
Tokyo Engineers vs. British Embassy 

A trophy has been created to be awarded to the winners every year who will have their name inscribed for posterity! 
 
 

March 7th: Two more benches moved away to vreate even bigger pitch! 
Unbelievly enough we managed to gather enough people, with a big help from the Amefoot frinds to move two more benches awa and make the ground even bigger and fitter for cricket! 
 

December 15th: 2007 Batting & Bowling Figures announced! 
Check HERE 
 
November 25th: Friendly: Kytes comfortably beat Adore C.C. 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.:  238/6 (35 overs) (A. harvey, 66; L. Abbott, 53; Extras, 48) 
Adore C.C.: 152/6 (35 overs) (T. Ito, 56; Y. Terashi, 43*) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 86 runs 

November 11th: Friendly: Kytes C.C. comfortably beats MAX C.C.  
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 200 (37.5 overs) (Extras, 79; A. Harvey, 56; S. Kobayashi, 3/30) 
MAX C.C.: 159 (34.4 overs) (S. Fujimoto, 37; Extras, 57; M. Sharpe, 4/26) 
Shizuoka Kytes c.C. won by 41 runs) 

 
Tokyo Wombats C.C.: 139/8 (40 overs) (S. hashiba, 47) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 104 (29.3 overs) (I. Gason, 4/19) 
Tokyo Wombats C.C. won by 35 runs 

October 14th: Friendly: Kytes somehow squeeze past Paddy Foley's C.C, thanks to their bowlers 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 121 (20.5 overs) (N. Shannon, 37; D. Loveridge, 4/22; R. Hunt, 3/34) 
Paddy Foley's C.C.: 88 (22 overs) (Suresh Navod, 4/27; Dannushka Perera, 3/21) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 33 runs 

September 2nd: Friendly: C.C. of Nagoya crush Kytes  
C.C. of Nagoya: 268 (33.5 overs) (Ameer Afridi, 110; Hajmin, 39; A. Harvey, 3/36) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 149 (A. Harvey, 50; Saqib Khan, 7/27) 
C.C. of nagoya won by 119 runs 

August 5th: 20/Twenty: Indian Engineers' batting tto much for the Kytes  
Shizuoka Kytes: 138/6 (20 overs) (Bobby Philips, 3/28) 
Indian Engineers C.C.: 140/3 (16.1 overs) (Vimal Vikrant, 79*) 
Indian Engineers C.C. won by 7 wickets 

July 8th: KCL: YCAC Bowlers bamboozle depleted Kytes side 
YCAC: 231 (31.5 overs (Prakansh Kale, 95; Kamran Ali, 56; Arbab Mohammad, 3/20) 
Shizuoa Kytes C.C.: 45 (18.1 overs) (Sayed Imran, 3/0; R. Leelansena, 3/11; Kamran Ali, 3/25) 
YCAC won by 186 runs 
Umpire: A. McCloy 
Scorer: R-G. Martineau 

June 24th: Rain gets Kytes out of jail agaisnt very strong Tokyo Giants:  
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 103 (18.5 overs) (J. Chamberlain, 30; Kamal Ahmad, 4/9) 
Match drawn 
Umpire: Saqib Khan 

June 10th: KCL game vs. C.C. of Nagoya rained out  

May 27h: Indian Engineers' batting too good for the Kytes 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 197 (40 overs) (M. Sharpe, 45; Extras, 60) 
Tokyo Indian Engineers: 198/4 (28.5 overs) (Viswa Gosh, 82; Extras, 52) 
Tokyo Indian Engineers C.C. won by 6 wickets 
Umpire: A. McCloy 
 

22/04/2007: First game of the KCL vs. Lalazar-Dragons C.C. washed out! 

08/04/2007: Angus Liley and Benjamin Tomlinson's half centuries ensure Kytes victory over a plucky Paddy Foley's XI: 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 234/8 (35 overs) (A. Liley, 68; B. Tomlinson, 52; A. Burr, 3/24) 
Paddy Foley's C.C.: 176 (30.5 overs) (Suleiman Rana, 65; B. Tomlinson, 4/17 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 58 runs 
Read Scoresheet HERE>> 
Nicholas Shannon writes: 
It was a fine morning that found us eagerly awaiting the PF team and two  
scheduled twenty twenty games. Alas they only had nine men, so we gave  
them Arthur and Friendsoir and switched to a single 35-over match. Owing  
to circumstances beyond any control we found ourselves left with 10 men.  
A great start..... 
I won the toss an elected to bat. Larry and Topper were slated to open  
in the twenty twenty game so I stuck with them. A fine start saw Larry  
at the crease for about ten overs and he departed with us on 50. Topper  
hung around and made some fine strokeplay. A well deserved 52 for the  
Jeff Thompson lookalike....Ashley came and went, bringing Angus to the  
crease. Some power 
play saw him again get over 50. A wonderful innings, and runs scored  
when we really needed them! 
Matt Ryan was yorked. Shannon came in and smacked a quick 24. Suresh,  
playing his first game made 7. Bunny did as was needed, going cheaply  
but getting Angus on strike to up the score. Well done Bunny! Finally we  
saw our innings close with Nathan Maber, also playing his first game and  
Jamie Douglas at the crease. Overall a good effort considering we were  
missing our 2 best batsmen on the day. 
A short lunch and we were back into it. Unfortunately we lost Larry to a  
business deal in Ibaraki so we were down to 9 men! Luckily for us Brian  
McClure (just over from Santa Monica) could be persuaded to help out and  
he took to the field. Not sure of what to do, he still had a go! Good on  
ya, mate. You saved some runs in the deep. 
We opened with Topper and Ashley. Topper was in top form and blasted  
through the top order with a solid display of fast bowling. Ashley also  
had to leave early so again we were down a man. Luckily Arthur could be  
persuaded to join in. He fielded very well! So happy to see you playing  
again Arthur. 
PF were looking in real trouble until after the drinks break, when Sully  
and Alex came after the bowlers. Alex was hitting the ball very hard  
indeed. Things were not looking good for us. Suddenly PF had a whiff.  
What to do? Finally Alex was caught in the deep by Angus. A bowling  
change saw Angus get a wicket. Sully was still having a go but was  
eventually caught at long on by 
Shannon. Bunny wrapped up the innings with a dodgy L.B.W. 
A win however! Our first for the season. 
Man of the match goes to Angus for his excellent batting, fielding,  
bowling and for his positive approach to the game. 
Special mentions to Topper for his batting and bowling. 
Nathan Maber for a very good job behind the stumps. 
Also thanks to Brian McClure and Arthur for helping out when we needed  
players to field. 

01/04/2007: Kytes lose to gritty Tokyo Indian Engineers C.C. in spite of record-breaking partnership:: 
Shizuoka Kytes C,C.: 217/7 (35 overs) (M. Shaarpe, 73; A. Liley, 55; Ritesh Kakar, 3/36) 
Tokyo Indian Engneers c.C.: 218/6 (30.5 overs) (Vimal Vikrant, 52; Sanjeeb Sahoo, 45) 
Tokyo Indian Engineers c.C. won by 4 wickets 
Read Scoresheet HERE>> 

24/03/2007: Wombats too strong for the Kytes in 2007 opener 
Tokyo Wombats C.C.: 296/6 (40 overs) (J. Shearer, 106; B. Pederson, 57; R. France, 52) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 151 (37.5 overs) 
Tokyo Wombats C.C. won by 145 runs 
Read Scoresheet HERE>> 
Matthew Sharpe writes: 
Well it was the first hitout of the year between two friendly rivals, Kytes and Wombats. 

The weather was a bit chilly and the blood was pumping. Probably due to us digging and moving one of the benches prior to the start of play!!!  
Needless to say the two captains came together and a coin was tossed and  
maybe that result should've been the writing on the wall for the Kytes!!  
The Wombats started strong but it was Topper to draw first blood when he  had Burke out, chopping one down onto his stumps for 6. In came Pederson  
and he and Shearer took it to the Kytes attack. At times surviving some  
close decisions!!! He was next to go, caught by Matty Ryan off Mark,  
straight after drinks for a well hit 57. Then Frenchy came in(not our  
Frenchman), well Ryan France and he also put in a fine display of  
sensible hitting and when he retired on 52 and along with him,Shearer,  
who made a good season starter century, the writing was definitely  
getting ready for printing on the said wall!!! Topper and Sharpe came  
back on to pick up a wicket each but at the end of the innings Wombats  
had made a decent 296. 
  
Lunch was enjoyed by all thanks to a superb curry by our very own Shoaib  
"Bunny" Aziz. Perfect for the weather conditions!!! 
  
Ryan and Sharpe opened up the Kytes innings and let's say that's about  
that! With a mix up due to Ryan's wax in his ears or Sharpe's inability  
to run, Ryan was run out for 1. Score 1 for 5. With Ryan back on the  
sidelines chanting satanic verses to will Sharpey out, his wish  
was granted! Sharpe out caught behind for 6! A very Giilchristesque type  
of dismissal, walking before the umpire (who didn't hear the edge, nor  
did the bowler), raised his finger. Harvey and Arbab went cheaply by  
their standards and with really only THE DON, Prelis, scoring runs (or  
is that runs scored?), making the day a good one for practise in the  
middle. Nice backup from Bunny (8 n.o) and Shannon, who was on a hot  
streak of 8 ducks from last season chimed in with a lusty hit 13 off 12  
balls...must've been the bat or Pup's juicy full tossers!!! The Kytes  
all out for a mere 151 off 31.5 overs. 
  
A special thanks to the Wombats guys who helped out with the moving of  
the last bench and generous support with regards to our Mower raffle.  
Much appreciated fella's, thanks again. Good luck with the season! 

24/02/2007: Shizuoka Kytes C.C. AGM 
Neil Harrison reports: 
Posts - 
++++Captain - Matt Sharpe 
Unopposed 
++++Vice-Captain - Joel Chamberlain 
Unopposed - Joel is vice-captain for all matches. 
++++Treasurer - Robert-Gilles Martineau 
Unopposed  
++++Fundraiser - None 
After debate, it was decided to do without this post and instead encourage  
all members to come up with ideas to help the club financially. 
Ashley made us 8,500 yen with a raffle at the party, Neil is running a  
fantasy cricket comp which you will of course all enter, Matt and Nick  have bught cricket gear to raffle off, Wombats have donated 6 bottles of  
Hardy's wine. 
******************************* 
We voted to continue paying the Kytes Membership Fee. This is unchanged at 5,000 at the beginning of the year, descending by 1,000 per month as the  
season progresses (5,000 till the end of April, 4,000 till the end of May,  
3,000 till the end of June, 2,000 till the end of July, 1,000 for the rest  
of the year). 
RGM reported that, despite charging membership fees for the first time  
last year, we still finished 30,000 in the red (which is the same as  
previous years). The main reasons for that were the cost of repairing the  
old mower (30,000+) and the 1500 yen per player we had to pay for sports  
insurance in the old KCL. (Match fees were not debated, which means they  
remain a flat 1500 yen match fee for all games - unless there is a BBQ or  
suchlike). 
************************************ 
The fines system will remain pretty much as it is, but with a new fine for  
unsporting behaviour, proposed by Mark (see the Spirit of Cricket below -  
yes, it still exists). 
As before, by agreeing to play for Kytes, you agree to this fines system.  
Which is to say: 
1. Late at the ground (players having to give lifts to opposition, do the  
shopping or coming from long distances exempted within 
limits) 
If game starts at 11:00 a.m.: 100 yen for coming after 10:00, 500 yen for  
coming after 10:30, 1000 yen for coming after 11:00. 
2. 100 yen for arriving for a match with an obvious hangover 
3. 100 yen for conceding 15 or more runs in an over (only once per  innings) 
4. 100 yen for a duck 5. 100 yen for a dropped catch or bad fielding mistake (in all cases, Captain decides whether or not a fine is due) 
5. 100 yen for unsporting behaviour (Captain decides whether or not a fine  
is due, unless, heaven forbid, the Captain is the culprit, in which case  
the vice-captain decides) 
Neil pointed out that the batting, bowling and fielding fines are intended  
to be lighthearted. 
******************************** 
The match day duties system seems to be working and will be kept on. It is  
the Captain's job to allocate these duties, preferably fairly, and to make  
sure that they are carried out. Note that, if you are allocated a job,  
such as sorting the gear into a box, this doesn't mean you don't have to  
do anything else - there is always plenty to do. The less you do, the more  
somebody else has to do. 
******************************* 
The trip to Sri Lanka is on hold. RGM announced that KCL is planning a  
cricketing trip to Kyushu. 
******************************* 
We will not enter a Second XI in KCL this year. 
********************************* 
It was decided not to buy practice nets. Players are to come up with their  
own ad hoc arrangements when (if) they ever get round to practicing. 
********************************* 
RGM gave a brief report of his (cricket) activities with small children.  
He welcomes any help, particularly for events at the ground. 
********************************* 
Kytes' March schedule: 
March 11th: Friendly vs. Tokyo Indian Engineers C.C. 
March 17th: Robb McKenna's stag/buck's night in Shizuoka - all invited. 
March 18th: Friendly vs. Tokyo Wombats C.C. 
March 25th: Friendly vs. Paddy Foley's C.C. 

07/02/2007: 
The Shizuoka Kytes CC will hold their Annual Party at WAJIN on Saturday february 10th from 20:00 to 23:00  
(all you can eat and drink fpr 5,000 yen!) 

17/12/2006: 
First ever Primary School club Match held in Shizuoka and Japan! 

12/11/2006: Friendly against Paddy Foley's C.C. for Mark Timbrell's farewell: 
Shizuoka Kytes: 277/8 (A. Harvey, 105*; A. Liley, 72; B. Tomlinson, 37; Suleiman Rana, 3/72) 
Paddy Foley's C.C.: 137 (M. Ryan, 3/43) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 140 runs 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Neil harrison writes: 
Nick Knacked and Paddy Whacked 
The Paddy Foley's Beer Bus made its annual stop in Shizuoka, bringing  
skipper Mark Timbrell down for his last game in Japan. It was a beautiful autumn day, but a strong wind from the west played spoilsport with the temperature. Paddy's turned up late and with 8 players, 6 members having found something better to do overnight. The best Kytes have ever managed is 3 unannounced no-shows on the day. This could be a sign that Paddy Foley's has truly arrived in Cricket Japan. 
Kytes had 12 players so they "generously" offered Paddy's 2 players for  
a 10-a-side match. The ex-Captain broke the good news to Mark: "We'll  
give you 2 players." Followed, naturally, by the bad news: "It's me and His Frenchness." The late (11:15) start and lack of numbers meant a single 32-over match instead of the 2 20/20 games originally intended. Matthew Alphonse Sharpe was Kytes' skipper for the day and made an admirable start by winning the toss and choosing to bat. Alphonse had an important appointment to keep in Nara and had to leave at 1 o'clock, but placed himself at no.3 and could at least look forward to a bat before leaving. 
But Alphonse had forgotten that Paddy's bowlers have a tendency to make  
Kytes' openers look good. Today it was Ashley and Angus' turn to benefit, and they did so in style.Suley opened the bowling from the Bridge End and bowled a mixed bag of puppies. JKay took the Lone Tree End and started well with big away-swing but no luck. Ashley and Angus were haymaking when Ashley gave his only chance, not quite middling a cut. The ball sailed to point at head height, all catch me and cheer, but point was having an out-of-body  
experience (where exactly were you, Robert?) and copped it full on the cheek. In an amazing display of softness, neither batsman called for the single on offer (but you'd expect that from Kiwis, wouldn't you), and even so-called Aussies Ben and Porno in their Toppers and Galexes rushed over from their umpiring positions to check on the Grand Old Man, who was down on the ground, dyeing the grass red. Shoaib kindly drove Otto to hospital for x-rays, nurses and stitches and a chance to test the new-fangled sports insurance. 
Come 12 noon, it was time for the first on-field beverage of the day,  
but the wind was chilling the bones and only the umpires and the inevitable JKay partook. Mark brought himself on to bowl, dreaming no doubt of a fairy tale farewell Michelle. Dream on. Second ball, second casualty, a twisted knee and poor old Mark had to spend the rest of the innings out of the wind, sitting and supping with 3 gorgeous Paddy Foley's groupies and the sexiest dogs in Shizuoka. Torture. 
Meanwhile, Paddy's depleted bowlers were getting nowhere fast against  
Shizuoka's sheep-fancying finest and the runrate was fast getting silly.  
Angus did the decent thing and tried to get himself out a few times, but  
Paddy's wouldn't have it, spurning 3 easy chances. Alphonse started to  
get restless down on the Terrace as his departure time neared. Ashley  
and Angus decided to retire if and when they got their ton. Angus slowed  
down but Ashley hit accelerate as Gaurav, subbing for the sub who subbed  
for Mark, was next to leave his blood on the turf, grassing a screamer from Angus at midwicket. Ashley cruised to 100, but wisely decided to add a few more runs just in case there were any scoring discrepancies.  
Not that we expect scoring discrepancies from Don Prelis, mind. By this  
time, Alphonse was halfway down the Toumei and we could still hear him  
muttering. Ashley (105 off 60, 16x4, 3x6) duly retired to polish his average on the terrace and was replaced by Gaurav. The switch reminded Paddy's that there were indeed other batsmen to be going after. Angus missed a hoick at a full toss from a galvanised Suley and was bowled for an excellent 72 (47 balls, 9x4, 2x6). Don Prelis flicked his first ball to fine leg and Gaurav called him through. Robb swooped, read The Brothers Karamazov, wrote a pointed critique and returned the ball to Suley at the bowler's end to find The Don just short. More generosity of spirit saw Don Prelis allowed a second innings which lasted marginally longer than it takes him to run a single before he scooped a drive to JKay at mid-off. Porno lost his middle stump to Suley first ball, although he did have the excuse of being four sheets to the wind as he  
matched JKay bottle for bottle. Still, one more duck to a very impressive collection. Gaurav gifted a return catch to Chris and Matt Ryan departed after one sweet boundary, then Topper came in and showed us some refined slogging, with some beautiful clean drives for six. One went straight up and came down on the bowler. Suley had ten minutes to get under it, but missed and gave Topper a shove for the fun of it (well, we enjoyed it). Now Topper's a gentle soul, but, as The Grand Old Man kindly demonstrated to us once in the soba shop, if you twat with Topper, you'll come away with something out of joint and if you're lucky it'll be your dignity. Fortunately one of the Paddy boys got to Suley before Topper did. Suley did get Topper next over, and there was just time for Shoaib to run himself out one more time for posterity. Kytes' innings closed on a mammoth 277/9, thanks mainly to an excellent opening stand of 151, some useful late hitting from Topper (37 off 14, 3x4, 3x6)  
and an identical number of extras. 

Suley (8-0-3-72) bowled some good balls but a lot of dross including 14 wides. The most memorable piece of fielding (apart from Otto using his face to prevent a boundary, of course) was when JKay showed us the correct way to collect and return the ball with stubby in one hand and fag in the other. He opens the batting as well you know - does this make him the complete cricketer? 

After a welcome beer-break from the wind between innings, JKay  
emphasised Porno's point that you can't bat pissed by also getting bowled first ball. The spirit of Corona (or was it VB?) again prevailed as JKay got a second bite and managed to trouble the scorers, but he was quickly gone for 7 and it was up to Suley and Robb to put up some resistance. Topper was taking the opportunity to remind Suley that it's not a good idea to annoy one of the quickest bowlers in Japan if he's opening the bowling and you're opening the batting, but Suley was handling Topper well enough. So it was a shame that another silly runout did for Suley and a collapse followed with Chris bowled twice by Matt Ryan in the same over. Rob and Ricky stemmed the flow for a while but then Ricky became the nth casualty of the day when he copped a low full toss on the foot (well it wouldn't be high, would it). Ashley then  
bowled both of them in the same over and, on seeing the ex-Captain  
hobbling in, took the chance to give anyone who wanted a bowl as the  
Paddy's lineup entered the XXX-rated section. The ex-Captain managed  
some proper shots in between hobbles up and down the wicket. Porno, who,  
in best Talking Head tradition had stopped making sense some time in the  
80s, came on to bowl and teased the ex-Captain with his flight and guile  
or shite and bile, something like that. Then, in an amazing sporting  
gesture (he's gone soft y'know) offered not to bowl out of the setting  
sun. As soon as Eric got down the sharp end, Porno switched to back over  
the wicket and out of the sun and bowled him first ball. Naughty. Paddy  
F's very own sugar daddy Neil Day smacked his first ever boundary during  
a brief stay. Mark batted with a runner but scored all his runs in boundaries anyway. Porno tried to bowl a third over but found himself pulled to give Angus a bowl. This set him off on a drunken rant and a Reginald Perrinesque saunter off into Abekawa that may or may not have ended some time on Monday. Otto returned from the casualty department with his cheek stitched up to post his customary measured 1 and Eric was the final beneficiary of the Corona/VB/Smirnoff spirit of the game coming in as 13th bat to post a second duck of the day as the sun disappeared behind the hills, signalling the end of the on-field activities during which a very creditable (considering the temperature) 2.5 cases of pop were dispatched. 
Paddy's + Co. all out (well, 12 out) for 131 and a comfortable 140-run  
win for the Kytes. 

Off to the soba shop, then, where Topper and Suley kissed and made up,  
for food and more drink and mutual humiliation. 

Thanks again to Paddy Foley's for the fun, games and beer; let's do it  
again next year. 
Best wishes to Mark, wherever Mitsubishi send him next. 
And get well soon all you invalids. 

Man of the Match: Ashley Harvey - A very classy innings that deserved a  
more auspicious occasion. 

15/10/2006: 
Pacific Cup: 
Indian Engineers C.C. and Tokyo Wombats C.C. qualify for Final without much of a sweat: 
Indian Engineers C.C. won over Tokyo British Embassy C.C. by walkover 

Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 154 (29overs) (J. Chamberlain, 52; A. Harvey, 51; M. Kelly, 3/20) 
Tokyo Wombats C.C.: 158/2 (18. 3 overs) (M. Ainslie, 67; J. Shearer, 51) 
Tokyo Wombats won by 8 wickets 
Umpire: N. Harrison 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Ashley Harvey writes: 
Well the day started off great with beautiful sunny weather and the ground looking in magnificent condition thanks to the efforts of Robert, Neil and some other Kytes players.   

In typical Kytes fashion the other team was all at the ground before most of our guys and also did more work than our guys.  

The wombats won the toss and sent us into bat. Robert and Matt R open the innings but didn't do to much to worry the wombats bowling. Matt R was the first to go when he was clean bowled by Ainslie for 7 (1-13)  In came the 'in form, out of form, no luck Joel' whom was playing in his last game of the season and was wanting a big innings. Robert had lasted 20 balls for his 1 before being caught by Kelly off the bowling of Shackleford. (2-26)  In came Matt S looking to continue on from last weeks game but found himself being bowled by a ball turning square for 2. (3-37)  Ashley joined Joel in the middle with a massive job on their hands but found the going quite easy and both were scoring freely. At this time you could see and hear the wombats attitudes drop as the Kytes moved from 3-37 to 4-119 before Ashley called Joel though for a tight single but like many times this year, lady luck wasn't shining down on Joel and he was 'run out' for 52 (4-119)  

Out came Gaurav who made 4 runs before being caught behind by Kelly. (5-128)  Larry was the next to come out sporting a new cricket bat, but was soon walking back for 0 when he was caught behind by another good ball from Kelly. (6-132)  Nick was next and face a couple of balls before he pulled one to square leg for 0 off Kelly again (7-132)  Mark helped move the score with his nice 8 runs but was soon walking back to the tent when he miss timed a shot and was caught by Ainslie off Mann (8-143)  Ashley was caught on the boundary for 51 (9-14)  Out came Squirrel (Douglas) to join Bunny (Shoaib) to move the score onto 154 before bunny was bowled for 7. In the end a disappointing day for the Kytes in the batting but still had something to defend.  

The wombats came out with all guns blazing. Both Ainslie and Shearer were hitting the ball nicely but they were helped with some shit bowling from the Kytes. There were chances throughout both of their innings but the Kytes couldn't take them. The first wicket came when Ainslie tried again to smash Matt S out of the ground but was bowled with a nice in-swinging ball for 67 (1-116)  Shearer was next to go when he hit Mark S straight down the throat of Matt R for 51 (2-150)  Whisker and O'carrol finished the game off and the wombats were in the final of the PFC.  

Thanks to the wombats for a good game played in good spirit and also for helping with the ground preparations. Thanks to the Kytes boys and lets hope we can finish the season with a couple of wins.  

08/10/2006: 
J1C 2007 D-1 play-offs: 
Fuji Far East C.C. squeeze past Paddy Foley's C.C. to qualify. 
Friendly: Shizuoka Kytes C.C. ease past resilient Indian Engineers C.C.: 
Indian Engineers C.C.: 148 26.5 overs) (Extras, 49; A. Harvey, 3/20) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 149/5 (20 overs) (M. Sharpe, 61) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 5 wickets 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Neil Harrison writes: 
Kytes Bite Back as Shannon Scores Run 
Perfect day for cricket saw the Indian Engineers make the trip to Shizuoka to fill in as Kytes' opponents for another ultra-friendly. Engineers got stuck in holiday traffic round Gotemba, but there was still time for 30 overs apiece. Bikash won the toss for Engineers and chose to bat under a clear, blue sky. It really was a gorgeous day. 

Matthew Alphonse Sharpe opened the bowling from the Lone Tree End and continued his recent trend of bowling well with very little in the column that counts. Pants started from the Bridge End and gave both openers problems with the steep bounce he was getting. But no wickets. Anil and Sangan looked steady and some tight wides had the score ticking along nicely. So it was rather fortunate for Kytes that Sangan decided to take on Pants' arm down at long leg. Sanjeeb strolled out fresh from a ton against Dragons. He was probably still thinking about it when he lobbed an easy return catch to Pornboy off a leading edge. Anil pretty much duplicated Sangan's dismissal, though this time Matt Ryan provided the throw. Udaya made a subdued start, while Raju quickly came and went. Udaya then looked to do business and smacked Porno for a couple of huge sixes into the riverbed before an attempt to repeat the shot against Matt Ryan ended safely in Pants' hairy hands.  
Porno had woken up at the sight of Bikash walking to the crease and stepped up to collect his bunny. Sure enough, Bikash scooped his first ball to Shoaib at fine leg, but Shoaib wasn't interested in such an easy chance and punched it away for a single. Bikash tried again, this time edging to the ex-Captain still (yes, still) at slip. No go. It wasn't in the ex-Captain's zone, so he tipped it to third man for a single. So Bikash gave up and snicked Ashley to Gaurav behind the stumps. Nitin was now playing some lovely drives, and one flick to long leg had Sandeep scouring the profanisaurus for new expletives.  
In the friendly spirit of things, Shoaib got a bowl. Shoaib took to the friendly sprit in style and gifted the Engineers a hatful of extras. He then gifted Sandeep the mother of all slow half-volleys. Sandeep jumped into it and leathered it straight back with "Wear me!" written all over it. Nitin and the umpire took evasive action but needn't have bothered as Shoaib stuck out his mitts and grabbed a stunner about 20 times harder than the 3 he'd declined to hang onto.  
Jayesh hung around long enough to smash a tasty drive into Otto's thigh at mid-on. Kytes were relieved to see the Frenchman get up in one piece (next week's grass-cutting) but somewhat dismayed that Lalith had been too busy laughing to catch the rebound.  
Sanjeeb and Raju got to bat again, there being only 9 Engineers and Kytes being suckers, but could only extend the score by 10 runs before the innings closed on an eminently gettable 148. 

Udaya (24 off 15 balls, 2x4, 2x6) provided the main entertainment, top-scoring for the Engineers with some hard-hitting that was ended by an amazing catch. Nitin looked very classy and should be good for runs in the future. A few others got starts but didn't get going. 

Kytes bowled well but again gave up too many wides (49 extras, 43 of them wides, in a total of 148 is still pretty dire, boys). 

Kytes started their innings with three batsmen eyeing their 1,000th run since detailed records were kept from four years ago. Alphonse was best placed to get there on 993, but Pants (913) and Ashley (953) both had a chance for glory. Pants took strike and put the first ball of the innings into the car park. Another sweet strike for 4 in the next over and the boy looked good and set fair to put a run of poor form and dodgy decisions behind him. Pants tried to turn the next ball to leg, but was late on the shot and flicked the ball into his pad. Some poor, misguided Engineers appealed, bless them. And the umpire, who will remain nameless (and French) gave it. Pants tarried a while (from the boundary it looked like he might be inviting the umpire out for dinner that evening) before departing with "What part of my f*@%!&g bat didn't that hit?". Normal service was resumed as Ashley joined Alphonse and put on 90 runs in very relaxed style, the boundary Kytes enjoying the stroll at 119/1. Ashley went first for 34, skying a dolly to Nitin, and Alphonse (61) and Lalith soon followed. Matt Ryan looked to have sealed the match with a safe-looking 13, but when Jayesh pinged one onto the stumps off his toes, Kytes were starting to get jittery again. Porno came in with 2 required to win, but only 1 required to beat his aggregate total from his last 6 innings. The first ball he faced was a wide, and the next one he turned to midwicket for an easy single and the winning run, but spare a thought for poor Gaurav, who was out in the middle for about 4 overs without facing a ball. 

Not much in the Kytes' batting besides the Alphonse (61 off 48, 7x4, 1x6) and Ashley (34 off 38, 3x4) show, although poor old Pants looked like he meant business in the short while he was out there. 
Engineers fielded well enough but just didn't have anyone who could break the key partnership. 

Thanks to the Engineers for another great day's cricket and good company in the soba shop. That's 1-1 for the season with another game to come in November. 

Man of the Match: Matthew Alphonse Sharpe - tight bowling and his fourth 50 of the year - gotta be time for that first Kytes ton. 
 
03/10/2006: 
Cricket demonstration held in Tachibana Elementary School, Shizuoka Prefecture, for new School Club! 
 
Read Report HERE>> 

23~24/09/2006: Kanto Cricket League:  
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. beat Tokyo bay Distrits C.C. by walkover 

J1C: 
Tokyo Wombats CC too good for Fuji far East CC 
Tokyo Wombats C.C.: 252/7 (C. Jones, 114*; Extras, 54; 4 run-outs) 
Fuji far East C.C.: 103 (Extras, 41; G. Brady, 3/20; I. Gason, 3/21) 
Tokyo Wombats C.C. won by 149 runs 
Umpire: C. Thompson 

 J1C 
Fuji Far East CC ensure their place in play-off for 2007 D-1 play-off: by upsetting Millennium CC 
Millennium C.C.: 185/7 (Sriram Sampath, 70; T. Fuji, 40;H. Takahashi, 3/23) 
Fuji Far East C.C.: 186/5 (J. Saitou, 45; N. Tainaka,32) 
Fuji Far East C.C. won by 5 wickets 
Umpires: M. Timbrell & R. Matthews 

10/09/2006: Kanto Cricket League:  
Tokyo Giants C.C. come from behind twice to beat the Kytes in vital game: 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 214 (39.1 overs) (A. Harvey, 84; Malik Naseem, 4/27; Ahmad Kamal, 3/49) 
Tokyo giants C.C.: 217/6 (31 overs) (Mumtaz Alam, 57*; C. H. Naveed, 30) 
Tokyo Giants C.C. won by 4 wickets 
Umpires: Shafiq Ur Rehman & Khurram Pervez 
Scorer: R-G. Martineau 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Ashley Harvey writes: 
Well if you want a good read then I suggest you move on and read something else. 
that said..... 
The weather for this game was looking very hot and hot it was. most of the Kytes arrived to the game before the opposition came which is good.  
This week I won the toss and chose to bat first as it was too hot to be out in the field all day. 
Joel and Gaurav opened the inning and both where looking good until Gaurav (5) gave a simple catch to Jahangir Babar off Kamal's bowling. (1-22) Joel (25) was looking like he wanted to get a ton until he was bowled by Kamal for his 2nd wicket of the day. (2-35) Matt S joined me out in the middle and we both were going along nicely until just before the first drinks when Matt (29) got a nice ball on his pads and wasn't able to get bat on it and was bowled by Alam (3-96) Angus was next to the wicket and just like Matt and I, Angus and I kept the runs rolling over for an 81 run partnership before Angus (21) was found to be out LBW (4-177) The next 6 batsmen could only add 10 runs. I was the last to go trying to get my 100. Well that is what the boys from the side line were saying but I was further away than they were saying. Well done boys. Al was the not out batsmen with 1.  

After the lunch break the weather was still hot and wasn't looking like letting up. Both Matt S and Ben couldn't find a break through in their first spells and it was Matt R that made the first break-through with Zaheer Babar (24) caught by Joel. (1-58) Soon after that Mat R went on his own and got Ahmad (0) LBW. (2-63) I got Naseer (2) LWB (3-79) Ben had Chowdhery (31) caught by me (4-105) and then got Kamal (29) bowled and at this point in time we thought we had a very good chance of winning until Hussain and Mumtaz (57no) came out and played some intelligent cricket and worked the ball around the park. Matt S bowled Hussain (12) (6-186) and we still had a slight chance with just the tail to come, but that wasn't  to be as they were helped by some terrible bowling (if that is what you can call it) and with that the game was over.  
Well done to the Giants for a good win and hope to see you again sometime soon to return the favour. 

27/08/2006: Kanto Cricket League: 
Disappointing Kytes 1st suffer humiliating defeat off C.C. of Nagoya 
C.C. of Nagoya 248 (32.3 overs) (Khurram Pervez, 92, Extras 55, Raja Akkram, 31; Riaz Hussain, 30; A. Harvey, 3/32; A. Liley 3/48, wides, 51) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.:  99 (19.3 overs) (Atif Chaudhry, 4/17, Saqib Khan, 3/10) 
Nagoya won by 149 runs. 
Umpire: Kedar (Myoden) 
Scorer: N. Harrison 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Neil Harrison writes: 
Well it was supposed to be Kytes vs CC of Nagoya, but it played out more like Clowns vs CC of Nagoya as Kytes bungled their way to an  
embarrassingly heavy defeat against a team they were expecting to steamroller. 
Kytes' day started badly enough with Arbab's unexplained failure to appear and just seemed to carry on downhill. Saqib won the toss for  
Nagoya and chose to bat on a cloudy, cool day with the pitch looking a peach. Kytes had to field with 10 men as Porno couldn't get down to  
replace Arbab until late in the day. 
Tariq and Stewart looked comfortable enough against Topper and Mattles' opening spells, but all the runs were coming from wides. A woeful piece of calling accounted for Stewart, and Topper managed to skin Tariq in the next over. Hussein went for a duck, but then Khurram joined big  brother Saqib to steady the ship. There were airshots and chances from Khurram and not many runs coming off the bat, but the extras kept the  score ticking along and these two looked like they might be together for a while. In fact it took a duff bounce to account for Saqib with the  score on 74. Raja then pummelled 31 in no time, and when he lost his off stump to Ashley after one hoik too many, Riaz came in and kept the ball  rolling with his own quick 30. With Khurram playing some tasty drives and cuts of his own all this time, Nagoya had added 100 runs in 10  overs. Khurram got what looked like a dodgy lbw to end his innings on 92 and Kytes managed to run through the tail relatively quickly, but by this time the damage was done and Nagoya had posted a very strong total. 

Nagoya finished all out for 248 in 32.3 overs with Khurram (92 0ff 68, 15x4, 1x6) obviously the star. He offered plenty of chances, all of  which Kytes refused to accept, and in between played some lovely shots including a couple of superlative cuts. Raja (31 off 13, 1x4, 4x6)  
provided his usual one-shot entertainment, featuring three huge sixes into the river bed. Riaz (30 off 18, 4x4) made the third big contribution in the crucial middle part of the innings that took full advantage of Kytes' incompetence. 

With the exception of Mattles (6-0-0-19) and Ashley's (7-0-3-32) bowling, Kytes were awful in the field. 6 chances were put down, an easy  runout was missed, comedy fielding gave overthrows left, right and centre. Angus (6-0-3-48) got the short straw of bowling Arbab's overs,  while Topper and Matt Ryan got hammered when they weren't bowling wides.  
Now, much as I would like to spare Hairbear his blushes, he did get married without telling us, so: Matthew Crispin Ryan, 5.3-0-2-67.  
Special mention also to Mickey on debut - his single over got the treatment from Raja and went for 27 runs. 
And did I mention the wides? 51 wides in 32.3 overs. Add that to the no balls and Kytes bowled an extra 9 overs to drop catches off. 

Pants and Mattles kicked off Kytes' alleged run-chase, but Pants was having trouble locating the middle of his bat. Mattles settled quickly,  
and Raja and Afridi got no joy so Saqib turned to Atif, who bowled so well against Giants without luck the previous week. Atif made an  
immediate impact bowling Mattles off his pads for 15. Gaurav joined Pants and together they scratched around for form without success.  
Gaurav skied a drive and Pants was bowled the ball after clocking himself on the jaw. Kytes' batting looked to be going the way of their  
bowling, but The Bigamist joined Ashley and these two looked in good nick till The Bigamist left the gate open and Saqib snook one through.  
Angus and Ashley looked like they might manage a partnership, but a poor call for a single sent Ashley on his way when Stewart palmed a loose  throw onto his thigh and onto the stumps - you could tell it was one of those days when nothing went right for Kytes - and with Ashley went any hope of even getting near the Nagoya total. Matt Ryan disappeared first ball thanks to an airy swish over a straight one from Saqib. Angus drove  a couple of meaty straight sixes and almost got another over midwicket, but Khurram took a fine catch on the boundary. Mickey duplicated Matt  Ryan's dismissal and Shoaib just squeezed out Saqib's hat-trick ball. Topper was looking comfortable but wasn't getting the strike. Shoaib  tried to give it to him after slicing a drive along the ground to point. Topper declined. Several times. VERY LOUDLY! But Shoaib still kept  coming. Next week, Kytes will be teaching Shoaib the meaning of "NO! NO! NO! NO!" 
Porno joined Topper for the last rites. There were two: One was a rap on the pads and the other was cut straight to Khurram at point. Porno has  
now broken your correspondent's club record for ducks in a season.  
Cheers, mate. (Porno now has 5 ducks in 2006 - although there is some talk of presenting this duck to Arbab in recognition of his contribution  
to the game). 
That was it - all out for 99 in the 20th over, Nagoya win by 149 runs. 

Atif (4.3-0-4-17) was easily the pick of the bowlers, bowling a good line at pace and varying the length. Saqib grabbed three wickets with  
his wobbly off-spin that proved deceptively difficult to play. This time it was Afridi's turn to bowl impressively without luck. Nagoya fielded  
well, but then, they couldn't fail to look good compared to Kytes' efforts. 

Thanks to Nagoya for the game, again played in a good spirit. The best team won, without a doubt. And congratulations on a very impressive  
turnaround after the previous week's less than inspiring display against Giants. 

Thanks to Kedar Kulkarni of Myoden for a promising and resolutely fair umpiring debut. 

Man of the Match: Atif - A second impressive bowling display on consecutive Sundays. This time he got the breaks and the wickets - and a  runout to boot. 

And finally, in the interests of lightening the gloom, I give you  
Topper's joke: 

Q: How do Kiwis find sheep in long grass? 

A: Delightful. 

13/08/2006: Kanto Cricket League: 
Vimal Vikrant carries his bat to preserve Indian Engineers C.C.'s chances to D-1 promotion 
Indian Engineers c.C.: 327/8 (40 overs) (Vimal Vikrant, 154*; Sanganbaswa Kalgi , 32; Ritesh kakar, 30) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. 2nd: 130 (20 overs) (M. Sharpe, 51) 
Indian Engineers C.C. won by 197 runs 
Umpire: Babu Koshy Kannagil 
Check Soresheet HERE>> 
Check KCL Homepage HERE>> 
Neil Harrison writes: 
All was obviously well with the world as the Indian Engineers came down to Shizuoka to take on the Kytes' Second XI (the Clowns or the Crowns, depending on how you read your katakana) in another ultra-friendly. Except this was KCL Group B and the Engineers were desperate to end a 7-match losing streak and needed a win to keep themselves in the running for a slot in Division 1 next year. Clowns could only find 9 red noses for the day as a litany of lame excuses were trotted out. But what's this?  Our very own Amish came up with an original excuse - a more girlie excuse than the legendary Shirley "Thumbprint" File, currently majoring in Ovine Fetishes at the University of Somewhere in New Zealand - adds a whole new meaning to the phrase "field studies" - and, yes, they do have universities in New Zealand. But I digress, Amish was unable to join the team because he was attending a ballet performance in Tokyo. No doubt we'll be without Matthew Alphonse Sharpe next week because there's an international flower arranging festival on in Nagoya. 
On the day, as usual, the Engineers were on the ground while the majority of Kytes were still in bed dreaming up excuses for being late.  

Bobby won the toss for Engineers and chose to bat under a hazy, humid sky that threatened to rain but didn't. Captain Don Prelis came back to break the news with that "Pity you poor sods having to bowl in this" grin of his. 

Benjamin Toppington opened the bowling from the Bridge End and the Pornificator started from the Lone Tree End. Topper was aggrieved to see one ball that passed a couple of inches over middle stump called a wide, but apart from this there was little drama as Partha and Vimal worked the ball through the many gaps to bring up the 50 in double quick time. Partha then started to lead a charmed life, but Vimal looked set from ball one. The Don came on second change to show his minions how to bowl and snagged Partha lbw with the score on 65, but Ritesh came in and picked up where Partha left off, taking the score to 116 before Matthew Alphonse Sharpe beat a careless lunge. By this time, the Clowns were in serious slapstick mode, with Grand Old Otto throwing pies from the Bridge End. Sriram, one of the most stylish batsmen in Japan, couldn't take it for long and ran down the track to escape. Angus marked his debut behind the stumps with a deft one-handed stumping and Sriram's humiliation was sealed: <b>st. Liley, b. Martineau</b>. Forever. 

Engineers, obviously as shocked as the Clowns, lost their way for a few overs, which gave the Porn Star an opening to prove Shannon's Law ("Shit gets wickets") as Nisar missed a gift of a full toss and lost his leg stump. Bobby made the mistake of batting in pads made of the finest English willow. One forward defensive later and off he went, lbw to Shoaib. Bikash's honeymoon lasted two balls till he hid his bat from a straight one and off he went in the same over. Into the slog overs and Jagan and Sangan helped Vimal pile on the runs, but the Clowns kept smiling and chucking pie after pie. Topper tried to restore order but saw three edges evade the ex-Captain's wheelchair in the slips before missing a sharp return chance. Jagan sent Lalith way up and over to Alphonse at fine leg and Sangan fell to a good running catch by the Pornmeister, just giving Biju a chance to spend a few minutes under the big top before the close on 327/8. 

For the Engineers, Vimal (154 off 121 balls, 13x4, 2x6) played an excellent innings, solid and safe to start and gradually opening up. There were chances towards the end of the innings, but by then he was well out of sight. Partha, Ritesh, Nisar and Sangan all contributed in chunky partnerships of 40 or more. 

Clowns bowled well in the circumstances, but there were too many holes in the field to hold back the flood of runs. Nevertheless, Enginers looked set to pile on 400 runs when they went in for drinks after 18 overs at 186/3, so restricting them to 140 runs off the subsequent 22 overs represents a victory of sorts. The wickets were shared around quite evenly between the 6 Clowns who "bowled", though poor Topper came away empty handed with probably the best performance. 
The fielding was generally good, and Shoaib and Francois Le Suisse (in his second ever match) were excellent. 

Clowns decided to have a go at the total from the start, and some wayward bowling helped keep the runrate in sight despite Angus' inability to find his form. Alphonse was timing the ball nicely right from ball one and Clowns had a shout as long as Alphonse was in there with someone who could run. But that wasn't a very long list in this team. Angus fell lbw halfway down the track to Jagan and Topper went in first drop and displayed something looking suspiciously like technique for a few overs before slicing a drive deep into cover where Jagan took an excellent running catch. Alphonse brought up his 50 (51 runs, 39 balls, 6x4, 1x6) with some juicy drives but fell immediately after to a jumping catch by Sangan right on the long-off boundary. That was it as far as the chase was concerned, and it didn't take long for the Engineers to work through the tail (more of a stump, really), with only Otto showing any resistance before the innings ended on 130. Congratulations, anyway, to Francois, on scoring his first runs in cricket. May there be many more. 

Bobby took the opportunity to try out the bowling of 9 of his team members, so there wasn't really a chance for anyone to shine (the eight wickets on offer were all taken by different bowlers - Ritesh was the one to miss out). The fielding was good and Vimal was the only one to put down a chance. 

Thanks to the Engineers for another great day's cricket and good company in the soba shop. 

Thanks to Babu of Dragons for umpiring fairly and with a smile. 

Man of the Match: Vimal Vikrant - a class innings, and he apologised to the ex-Captain for bowling him with the mother of all grubbers. 

23/07/2006: Kanto Cricket league: 
Heavy rains ruin the day: 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. 2nd vs. Al Karam C.C.: 
Match drawn (ground waterlogged) 

16/07/2006: Kanto Cricket league: 
Depleted Kytes nonetheless booking their place in 2007 D-1 by beating old foes Friends XI for the first time! 
Friends XI C.C.: 166 (22.4 overs (Shakir Khan, 50; Umar Farooq Butt, 36; B. Tomlinson, 4/41) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 167/7 (37.11 overs) (A. Harvey, 82) 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. won by 3 wickets 
Umpire: Mumtaz Alam 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Neil Harrison writes: 
There was a time when Billy Ocean ruled the airwaves, when red light spelled danger, when the going got tough and the tough got going, and when Friends XI strolled into Shizuoka and put serious hurt on Kytes' egos. Not anymore. Because from now on, Lord William of Disco will be singing "When the going gets tough, the Kytes go shopping" and Friends have a bruised ego to be nursing. 
After the ignominy of having to concede their Second XI match vs YCAC the previous week, Shizuoka Kytes came dangerously close to having to do the same for the First XI match against Friends XI. Last minute recruiting by Don Prelis got the numbers up to 10 on the day, but it was the sight of the ex-Captain at first slip in his wheelchair that really brought home the level of desperation to which the Kytes had sunk and brought a lump to your correspondent's throat in the process. With the Grand Old Man patrolling the covers on his Zimmer frame, Friends could have been forgiven for expecting another easy win (well, "thrashing" would be a more accurate description of the past results of games between these two teams) like those mentioned on the http://rgmjapan.tripod.com/HONOURS.html. In the end, only 4 of Kytes' nominated 1st XI took the field, making the eventual result all the more impressive. 

The pitch was in good nick and Aamir won the toss for Friends and chose to bat after consulting his team members. It was hazy, hot and humid with no wind - a nightmare for the fielders. 

Out in the middle, Topper opened the bowling from the Bridge End while Matthew Alphonse Sharpe started from the Lone Tree End. Both managed to keep the openers quiet until Naeem was outdone by Topper's tried and tested "Wide, Wide, Wicket" sequence. Umar was unusually subdued down the other end while Sharpey saw off Brother Asad with a peach of an inswinger. Later in the over, Brother Aamir thought he was watching a more wayward version disappear down legside, but unfortunately for him the ball clipped his back foot and just had enough on it to dislodge the leg stump bail. At 22/3, with Aamir gone without scoring, Kytes sniffed a collapse in the air but were disappointed to see a counterattack instead. A series of fierce cuts and powerful drives from Umar and Shakir Khan had Friends back on track and looking strong at 68/3. That's when Umar took a wild, wild swipe at a loose delivery from Ryan of Asia and Alphonse ran his little legs off from the third man boundary to get in, claim the ball, offer to decapitate anyone who got in his way and take a fine sliding catch.  
Porno then replaced Alphonse at the Bridge End and, unusually, his shit deliveries brought him nothing but pain. He did at least manage two class offies in consecutive balls in his 3rd over - the first luring Fayyaz Khan into an unwise pull, the second convincing Brother Jamshaid that your shot of choice, first ball, is an eyes to the skies heave for six. Minus the bat on ball contact part. 
Ashley sensed an opening and brought Topper back on at the Bridge End. Shakir Khan replied by bringing up his 50 and immediately slicing a gimme to the ex-Captain, still (in both senses of the word) at first slip. A poor shot to end a good innings. 
Daleep Singh and Abey Jawardene briefly sparkled and helped push the innings past 150, but both were bowled by Topper in consecutive overs to end the innings. 
 

166 was a poor total, especially by Friends' standards, but both teams were well aware of what happened the last time Kytes bowled Friends out cheaply (Friends steamrollered Kytes for 32). Shakir Khan (50 off 38, 4x4, 3x6) batted very well for his 50, and Umar (36 off 30, 6x4) restrained himself well after the loss of early wickets. The quick run rate of 166 in under 23 overs counted for nothing as Kytes still had 40 overs to chase down the total. 

Kytes' problem was that they were woefully short of batting. However, the low target gave them a potential way out and collectively they came up with a scheme so ostensibly sly you could pin a brush on it and call it Basil: Send in The Don and The Grand Old Man to open the innings. This would draw the sting out of Friends' attack and (hopefully) waste a few overs of Friends' better bowlers. All well and good, till Aamir sees what's going on and opens the bowling with offspin at each end.  
The Don lasted an over before missing a pull and losing a leg stump to Fayyaz Khan. Ashley joined Otto (TGOM) and the scoring sort of ebbed (Otto on strike) and flowed (Ashley on strike) for a few overs. Otto finally fell in the 13th over, run out by a hopelessly optimistic call from Ashley, and, credit to Otto, it has to be said that this was the only way Friends looked like getting him out. Alphonse now joined Ashley, and these two picked up the run rate with the key partnership of 86. But just as they had shifted the pressure on to Friends, Brother Aamir bagged Ashley lbw and bowled Alphonse in his next over. Porno went first ball to Brother Asad (to claim the unenviable stat of 3 consecutive ducks spanning 4 balls and tie the ex-Captain's record of 4 ducks in a season) and Kytes had slipped from 127/2 to 135/5. Topper hung around long enough for Ryan of Asia to smack a couple of 4s but then Topper fell to another cover-your-eyes run-out and Lucky was bowled first ball to leave Kytes all a-jitter on 154/7. But Shoaib Aziz, of all people, kept Ryan of Asia company to tie the scores and had the honour of smacking the winning runs with a beautifully placed top-edged pull over his own head and over the keeper to see Kytes home by 3 wickets. 

For Kytes, Ashley (82 off 106, 8x4, 3x6) took the honours, sharing vital partnerships of 38 with Otto and 86 with Alphonse (19 off 39, 2x4). When it looked like Friends might finally have found a way through, Ryan of Asia (24* off 19, 5x4) responded with cleanly hit drives to the boundary, usually straight back over the bowler's head. 
For Friends, Fayyaz Khan (8-2-1-13) bowled a good tight spell early on (though he was helped by having Otto at the crease for most of those overs). Brother Aamir (8-0-3-39) gave Friends hope of running through the Kytes' tail till Ryan of Asia got the better of him. Friends fielded well and, though they didn't have any catches to worry about, took both run-out chances that were on offer. 

Thanks to Friends for the game, which was played in a good spirit throughout. 

Thanks also to Mumtaz of Giants, who did an excellent job of umpiring, as usual. 

Man of the Match: Ashley for a reasonable debut behind the stumps and another excellent innings. And having a game-plan that worked.  

09/07/2006: Kanto cricket League:  
Shizuoka Kytes C.C. 2nd XI has to concede game to Yokohama C. & A.C. 

02/07/2006: Kanto cricket League:  
Kytes start with solid win over courageous newcomers Myoden C.C.: 
Shizuoka Kytes C.C.: 218/8 (A. Harvey, 60; A. Liley, 41*) 
Myoden C.C.: 128/7 Vesly Gracies, 32) 
Shizuoka Kytes won by 90 runs 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 
Ashley Harvey writes: 
Well waking up on Sunday, most of the Kytes members thought that the game would be called off by the amount of rain that was falling in the morning, but that wasn't to be. 

The rain had stopped just enough for us to lay the pitch down and to have a toss, but soon after, the rain started coming down again. We waited for a few minutes and decided to shorten the game to 25 overs a side. 

We batted first and for most of our innings we played in the rain. Anyway, Larry and Joel opened the batting and in a first, Larry didn't run himself or anyone else out before getting bowled for 0 (1-12). Joel and Arbab continued in the rain and moved the score on to 35 before Joel was bowled for 20 (2-35). Soon after, Arbab fell for 16 after dancing down the wicket and was bowled (3-63). Matt S and I (Ashley) were scoring at a nice rate before Matt was C & B for 15 (4-126). I was the next to go a few runs later when I mistimed a shot out to deep cover for 60 (5-128) Suboh and Angus were both looking good before Suboh was run out for 17 (6-176). Nick was bowled for a golden duck (7-176). Ben made a nice 10 (8-208) before he was stumped having stepped out of his crease to warn Angus about his flying bat. That left Angus 41* and Pin-up Andy 1* to finish the innings off at 8-218. Myoden bowled very well in the rain and only allowed 38 extras in their ! innings, which was good considering the ball was like a piece of soap for much of the innings. 

During the break, the rain had stopped and the ground was looking in great condition for Myoden’s innings. Toppa (who can't remember his real name) started the inning off with some very good fast bowling but it was Matt S at the other end that got the first wicket of the innings, taking Tiwari for 2 (1-3) and a few runs later at the other end Toppa bowled Kamble for 0 (2-5). Markale and Kurundakar tried hard to steady the ship but only made it to 36 before Markale was caught by Suboh off Arbab for 3 (3-36). 10 runs later, Arbab bowled Kulkarni for 1 (4-46). Kurundakar and Vesly kept the runs coming off the bat while our bowlers helped by bowling a few too many wides and it took a very good run-out by Nick to break Myoden's best partnership (Kurundakar 21, 5-82). Larry bowled Keshmukh for 1 (6-84) and Andy also bowled Vesly for 32 (7-120). The Kytes again bowled very well apart from 47 wides and let's hope we can iron those out.  

Thanks to Myoden for coming all that way and playing in the rain and good luck for future games. 

25/06/2006: Friendly:  
Kytes back into form! 
Shizuoka Kytes CC: 270/7 (35 overs) (M. Sharpe, 77; Subodha Gunawardene, 50; A. Liley, 39) 
Topkyo British Embassy CC: 182 (B. Kininmont, 33; C. Thompson, 31; A. Winston, 30) 
Shizuoka Kytes won by 88 runs 
Check Scoresheet HERE>> 

06/06/2006: First Coaching Session at Miwa Primary School (2006~7 Scholar Year):  

 

04/06/2006: Kanto Cricket League EGM:  
New League to replace old one after official dissolution: 
At the EGM called by the Kanto Crcicket League EGM following the resignation of 3 Committee members, the present League was dissolved and will be replaced by a new League of the same name to start on July 2nd. 

30/05/2006: First coaching session at Shizuhata Naka Primary School!