Japan fall at final hurdle to Thailand

Japan faced Thailand in the final of the Singapore Cricket Association International Women's Cricket Challenge at Kallang Cricket Ground in Singapore yesterday in a 15 over game.

Japan secured their spot in the final after a close victory that morning over Cricket without Borders - an Australian invitational side.

Captain Shizuka Miyaji won the toss and elected to bat first, in hopes of carrying the momentum from the first game of the day.

Japan started off promisingly, with a 39 run stand for the second wicket between Ayako Nakayama and Kurumi Ota. After Nakayama was dismissed Japan struggled to rotate the strike regularly and scraped their way through to 69/5 from their 15 overs.

The bowling got off to a rocky start for Japan, with opening pace bowler Kurumi Ota bowling a wide the first ball of the over. However, on the first legitimate ball of the innings, she cleaned bowled the Thailand opener. Two balls later she instigated a direct hit run out and had Thailand struggling at 2-1 after the first over.

Mai Yanagida kept the pressure on when she claimed the scalp of Thailand's captain Boochatham. However the other bowlers were unable to keep their end of the bargain, allowing the Thailand batsmen to chase down the target with one over to spare.

While the side didn't win the tournament, head coach Chris Ferguson said it was a good learning experience for all the players.

"We are pretty disappointed to have lost the final as we certainly didn't play to our potential, but the point of this trip for us wasn't about winning or losing, it was about developing new players and giving new opportunities for established players," he said. "The way we've played in the tournament shows we have achieved this."

Earlier in the afternoon, the women played a 10 over match against Cricket without Borders, after their morning match against Hong Kong was washed out. It was a nail biting finish for the Japanese team, with the game coming down to a bowl off.

Shizuka Miyaji won the toss and elected to bat. From the start the Australian girls showed they have some exciting young talent, keeping their fielding and bowling tight. Japanese opener Ayako Nakayama anchored the innings with 25 from 26 balls, which included a 31 run stand for the second wicket with Japanese all-rounder Kurumi Ota. The Australians were able to restrict Japan to 64/4 off their 10 overs.

The Japanese team looked to have the game under control, but some dynamic hitting from Alicia King at the end of the innings kept Cricket Without Borders in the hunt.

On the last ball of the innings, Cricket without Boarders required three runs to win, however they only managed two, sending the game into a bowl-off.

It was the first time the Japanese have participated in a bowl-off, however they are well accustomed to the pressure of tight games, after playing a super over against PNG at the recent ICC EAP women's trophy in Vanuatu.

Atsuko Kitamura, Miho Asama, Miho Kanno, Kurumi Ota and Shizuka Miyaji were chosen as the bowlers. Each bowler had one ball, and the object was to hit the stumps. Kitamura stepped up first for Japan, and clipped the leg stump, causing the bails to fly. Next up was Asama, who cleaned out middle stump, giving Japan a 2-0 advantage after two balls. Cricket without Borders snuck back, knocking over the stumps and the pressure was on for the other Japanese bowlers to perform. Unfortunately, no one else was able to replicate the good start, but Japan eventually won the bowl-off 2-1.

At the closing ceremony, which was full of fantastic food, fun and laughter, the Japanese girls accepted their silver medals with grace and cheered on Thailand when they received their gold medals. Cultural displays were also part of the evening and many of the players from other teams were keen to learn Japanese dancing. Everyone also did the Macarena and the time warp, showing language and different cultures were not an issue.

At the prize giving, pace bowler Kurumi Ota was named as the bowler of the tournament with 6 wickets at an RPO of 3.77 and an average of 8.17. All-rounder Ayako Nakayama was crowed the player of the tournament with 80 runs at an average of 20 and a strike rate of 80.81. She also contributed significantly with the ball picking up 3 wickets at an RPO of 4.09 and an average of 15.

Japan manager Zoe George said it was an enjoyable evening had by all.

"The girls got stuck in and danced and laughed. It was wonderful to see everyone having a good time and enjoying each other's company," she said. "It truly reflected what the tournament was all about. We would like to thank everyone at the SCA, especially Saktti Hammond, for all their hard work. Hopefully this will become an annual fixture on the women's cricket calendar."

SHORT SCORECARD

Japan vs Cricket Without Borders
Japan 64/4 (10 overs)
A. Nakayama 25 (26)
K. Ota 12 (15)

Cricket Without Borders 64
A. King 30 (23)
S. Miyaji 2/14 (2)
A. Nakayama 1/10 (2)
K. Ota 1/11 (2)

Match tied. Japan won bowl off by 2-1.

SHORT SCORECARD (FINAL)

Japan vs Thailand
Japan 69/5 (15)
S. Miyaji 16 (19)
A. Nakayama 15 (24)

Thailand 72/6 (14)
N. Boochatham 19 (19)
S. Tippoch 18 (20)
A. Nakayama 1/12 (3)
K. Ota 1/17 (3)
M. Yanagida 1/16 (2)

Thailand won by 4 wickets