It’s already sweltering in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, and it’s only 10:15 a.m. This is a part of Japan that you’ll often see featured in summer news reports on record-breaking temperatures. Still, its wide-open spaces make for a great spot to construct DIY cricket pitches.
And cricket is precisely why the 22 members of the Yokohama Alpha Quashers and the Chiba Sharks have gathered today, ready to battle it out for a chance to move up the Japan Cricket League, the premier league for cricket in Japan. Run by the Japan Cricket Association, this is where the best teams compete in longer, more grueling games.
Each season, 12 teams compete for first place. Many teams in the league are from Tokyo, such as the current leaders, the Tokyo Rangers, as well as the Falcons and the Wombats.