About Us
- In the beginning...
- The facilities
- Club Organization
- Membership
- Think you're good enough?
- A Case Study
In the beginning...
...there was no cricket in Chiba, or if there was, we didn't know anything about it. In 2003, team founder, patron and club captain Hasib decided to start a team based in Chiba, named after the area where he lives- Ichihara City, Chiba. Slowly the team took shape and we entered the now defunct KCL competition in 2003- playing three and losing three. Not really an auspicious start, but you have to start somewhere. Our second season in 2004 was much more successful (we reached the semi-finals in one of the competitions we played in), and the team has slowly grown, with an emphasis on playing cricket and enjoying ourselves. At the end of 2004, we added the Sharks moniker to our official name, so from 2005, we're now the mighty 'Ichihara Sharks'.
The facilities
We train at some of the finest cricket facilities in Chiba (there isn't a whole heap to compare them with, so we're pretty confident about this claim). Hasib has built a proper indoor cricket net on the grounds of his factory and we've also got use of a bowling machine. Practices are usually every second Sunday, and as it is indoors we can train rain, hail or shine. The nearest station is Goi, on the JR Uchibo Line (about 1 hour on a rapid train from Tokyo Station, much closer if you live in Chiba).
Club Organization
Roles with various responsibilities have been set up for 2008.
| Executive Committee | |
| Patron: | Hasib Rehman |
| Club Captain: | Chris Thurgate |
| Vice Captain: | David Lollback |
| Treasurer: | Mark Adams |
| Coach/Player Development: | |
| JCA Liaison/First Contact: | Iain Lambert |
| JGC/KCL Liaison: | Chris Thurgate |
| Team Selection: | Levi Thurlow , Mark Adams, Iain Lambert |
| Public Relations | |
| Web Master: | Brett Walters |
| Videography: | Levi Thurlow |
| Photography: | Mark Adams |
| Reports: | Alexis Coovre |
| Grounds Procurement: | Takayuki Morimoto |
| Player Relations | |
| Match Day Manager: | David Lollback |
| Kit Manager: | Mark Adams |
| Scoring/Statistics: | Iain Lambert |
| Social: | Nick Creece |
| International Relations | |
| Australia/New Zealand: | David Pennycook |
| Canada: | Cam Mulla/Jason Waugh |
| Britain: | Ian Astley/Ben Parker |
Membership
The Club has diversified membership options and no player will pay more than ¥16,000 in a season. Whilst we have some kit to share, players are required to provide their own including essentials such as; a helmet, a protector, and gloves. Fees and conditions (2008) are listed HERE in PDF format. If you have any further questions please direct them to the treasurer through the forums initially.
*Please note: match day expenses to consider include your own food and drink as well as train fares. Generally speaking, the train ride costs less than ¥4000 for the day.
Think you're good enough?
If this all sounds a bit intimidating, well rest assured... our team caters to your ability. We currently have players from Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka and South Africa and we welcome all players who can hold a bat and/or ball of any nationality. Whilst we play for the pure enjoyment of it, obviously we endeavor to win as many games as we can. We are proud to say that we have the BEST facilities and administration and are looking forward to becoming the best team in the near future and beyond.
If you want to find out more about us, or are interested in joining the team, email us at:
info@ichiharasharks.com