Ryukoku Cricket Club win 2 championships in a row

On August 25th, all the matches for the 2020 Kansai Student Championship were concluded at Yamasiro Comprehensive Sports Park.

This year, due to the impact of the new coronavirus, the season started late, and there were fewer matches than usual. Despite these challenges, the Ryukoku Cricket Club displayed overwhelming strength by winning all four matches and securing a remarkable championship victory.

With this win, the Ryukoku Cricket Club has achieved back-to-back championships following their victory last year.

Match Report

Ryukoku University Men emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter against Doshisha University Men in the 2020 Japan University Leagues – Kansai University Men’s match held at Taiyougaoka.

Winning the toss, Ryukoku University Men elected to bat first and got off to a cautious start. Kaichan Onodera and Togo Matsusaka opened the batting for their side but Matsusaka fell early, dismissed by Ryuichi Ashida for a duck. Onodera, however, held his ground and scored a quickfire 20 off 19 deliveries, hitting three boundaries in the process.

The real batting prowess came from Mitsuki Nakae and Akira Kuribayashi, who formed a formidable partnership in the middle overs. Nakae played a brilliant knock, scoring a well-deserved half-century off 41 deliveries, including six boundaries and two sixes. Kuribayashi matched him stroke for stroke, reaching his fifty off just 37 deliveries, with six boundaries and one six.

Despite the best efforts of Doshisha University Men’s bowlers, Ryukoku University Men managed to post a challenging total of 175 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Shoki Tanaka also contributed significantly towards the end, scoring an unbeaten 27 off just 13 deliveries, smashing four boundaries and a six.

Chasing a target of 176 runs, Doshisha University Men got off to a disastrous start as Yuto Nakagawa departed without troubling the scorers, dismissed by Akira Kuribayashi in the very first over. Yuki Mori didn’t last long either, falling to the off-spin of Irham Mohammad after scoring just seven runs.

Kenjiro Iwamoto, however, showed great determination in the face of adversity and played a stellar knock for Doshisha University Men. He scored a valuable 36 runs off 33 deliveries, including six boundaries and one six. But the rest of the batsmen struggled to get going, with only Ryuichi Ashida (19) and Wataru Uebayashi (13) managing to reach double figures.

The disciplined and consistent bowling attack of Ryukoku University Men kept the pressure on Doshisha University Men throughout the innings. Safi Luqman was the pick of the bowlers, picking up two crucial wickets for 20 runs in his three overs. Akira Kuribayashi, Mitsuki Nakae, and Kyohei Izumoto also chipped in with a wicket each.

In the end, Doshisha University Men could only manage 104 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs, falling short by 71 runs. It was a commanding performance by Ryukoku University Men, who showcased their batting depth and bowling prowess to secure a comprehensive victory.

https://cricclubs.com/cricketorjp/viewScorecard.do?matchId=1712&clubId=21278