Japanese Non-league Football News

Sun 18 May: Dezzolla Shimane 1-2 Renofa Yamaguchi
Sun 18 May: FC Ube Yahhh-man 3-1 Mazda SC
Sun 18 May: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 0-3 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku
Sun 18 May: NTN Okayama 1-0 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama

Sun 25 May: Dezzolla Shimane 1-0 Mazda SC
Sun 25 May: Renofa Yamaguchi 2-1 Hiroshima Fujita SC
Sun 25 May: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 3-1 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama

Sun 01 Jun: FC Ube Yahhh-man 2-0 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado
Sun 01 Jun: Hiroshima Fujita SC 4-1 Dezzolla Shimane
Sun 01 Jun: JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 3-1 Mazda SC
Sun 01 Jun: NTN Okayama 3-2 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku

Sun 08 Jun: Hiroshima Fujita SC 1-2 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama
Sun 08 Jun: Mazda SC 3-1 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado
Sun 08 Jun: NTN Okayama 1-2 FC Ube Yahhh-man
Sun 08 Jun: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 0-1 Renofa Yamaguchi

1. Renofa Yamaguchi 20 (+10)
2. FC Ube Yahhh-man 17 (+11)
3. Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 13 (+10)
4. NTN Okayama 13 (+3)
5. Dezzolla Shimane 11 (-2)
6. Hiroshima Fujita SC 6 (-1)
7. Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 6 (-9)
8. JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 6 (-10)
9. Mazda SC 6 (-12)

It was draws all round for the top teams in the Chugoku League. Renofa Yamaguchi were surprisingly held at home by NTN Okayama, but they're still three points clear as Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku and Dezzolla Shimane finished their match goalless... now second on goal difference are last season's Yamaguchi Prefectural League champions FC Ube Yahhh-man after they won at Hiroshima Fujita SC...

Sun 11 May: Hiroshima Fujita SC 1-2 FC Ube Yahhh-man
Sun 11 May: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 4-2 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama
Sun 11 May: Renofa Yamaguchi 2-2 NTN Okayama
Sun 11 May: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 0-0 Dezzolla Shimane

1. Renofa Yamaguchi 11 (+6)
2. FC Ube Yahhh-man 8 (+6)
3. Dezzolla Shimane 8 (+1)
4. Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 7 (+7)
5. NTN Okayama 7 (+2)
6. Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 6 (-2)
7. Hiroshima Fujita SC 3 (-2)
8. Mazda SC 3 (-8)
9. JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 0 (-10)

There was a double-header of fixtures over Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend in the Chugoku League. Previous front-runners Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku were without a game and Renofa Yamaguchi took full advantage to move top, following wins over Mazda SC and Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado... Dezzolla Shimane - the former FC Central Chugoku - are second, despite having only drawn with newcomers FC Ube Yahhh-man... in fact Yamaguchi's Ube and the other team promoted from the Prefectural Leagues, NTN Okayama, are both putting up a good showing in their first ever Regional League campaign...

Sat 03 May: FC Ube Yahhh-man 5-0 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama
Sat 03 May: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 1-2 Dezzolla Shimane
Sat 03 May: Mazda SC 1-2 Renofa Yamaguchi
Sat 03 May: NTN Okayama 1-0 Hiroshima Fujita SC

Sun 04 May: FC Ube Yahhh-man 1-1 Dezzolla Shimane
Sun 04 May: Hiroshima Fujita SC 3-0 Mazda SC
Sun 04 May: Renofa Yamaguchi 6-2 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado

1. Renofa Yamaguchi 10 (+6)
2. Dezzolla Shimane 7 (+1)
3. Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 6 (+7)
4. NTN Okayama 6 (+2)
5. FC Ube Yahhh-man 5 (+5)
6. Hiroshima Fujita SC 3 (-1)
7. Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 3 (-4)
8. Mazda SC 3 (-8)
9. JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 0 (-8)

There's no doubting the result of the second round of the Chugoku League campaign, as newly promoted NTN Okayama beat red-hot title favourites Dezzolla Shimane... Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku are top of the early season table after they crushed Hiroshima neighbours Mazda SC... another local side, Hiroshima Fujita SC, must have alarm bells ringing for the season ahead, after they lost to minnows Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado...

Sun 27 Apr: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 2-1 Hiroshima Fujita SC
Sun 27 Apr: JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 1-2 Renofa Yamaguchi
Sun 27 Apr: Mazda SC 0-5 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku
Sun 27 Apr: NTN Okayama 3-1 Dezzolla Shimane

1. Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 6 (+7)
2. Renofa Yamaguchi 4 (+1)
3. NTN Okayama 3 (+1)
4. Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 3 (+1)
5. Dezzolla Shimane 3 (-)
6. Mazda SC 3 (-4)
7. FC Ube Yahhh-man 1 (-)
8. JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 0 (-3)
9. Hiroshima Fujita SC 0 (-3)

Last year's runners-up FC Central Chugoku announced a change of name prior to the start of the 2008 Chugoku League campaign - they're now called Dezzolla Shimane ( デッツォーラ島根 ) and celebrated their new moniker with a 3-1 defeat of JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama... promoted side FC Ube Yahhh-man managed a creditable draw in their local derby with Renofa Yamaguchi... but the other newcomers, NTN Okayama, lost narrowly at Mazda SC...

Sun 20 Apr: Dezzolla Shimane 3-1 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama
Sun 20 Apr: Renofa Yamaguchi 1-1 FC Ube Yahhh-man
Sun 20 Apr: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 2-0 Hiroshima Fujita SC
Sun 20 Apr: Mazda SC 3-2 NTN Okayama