Japan win cricket cup, RI finishes fifth

Japan win cricket cup, RI finishes fifth

SYDNEY, Australia: Japan claimed their first ICC cricket title with a six-run victory over the Cook Islands in the final of the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Cricket Cup tournament in Vanuatu, the ICC reported on Saturday.

Indonesia's team finished fifth in the six-team contest.

Japan, sent into bat, scored 161 off 48 overs with opening batsmen Tetsuro Chino topscoring with 51. The Cook Islands fell just short, dismissed for 155.

Japan and the Cook Islands, by finishing first and second, qualified for the EAP Cricket Trophy to be played in mid-2006 to claim a place in the World Cricket League in early 2007. -- AFP

World Cup opening moved up a day

FIFA announced on Friday that the opening ceremony of the 2006 World Cup would be moved forward by a day to June 7 instead of June 8 as originally planned.

The decision was taken to make sure that the pitch at Berlin's Olympic Stadium is in top condition for the tournament. The tournament's 11th match, scheduled to take place in Berlin on June 12 and a match in Kaiserslautern on June 13, will also be a played a day earlier.

"The decisions will ensure that there is sufficient time for restoration work on the pitch," said a FIFA statement. -- AFP