Japanese Non-league Football News

Championship favourites V Varen Nagasaki triumphed in their local derby match against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki on Sunday, but still find themselves in third place in the Kyu league table. Although V Varen do have a game in hand on some of their rivals, Volca Kagoshima and Nippon Steel Oita have maintained their 100% records and thus hold the top two positions. It was outsiders New Wave Kitakyushu's turn for a week off in the nine-team fixture list, but they return to action next week with a crunch match aganst Volca which, if they lose, more or less confirms the league as a three-horse race for 2006. At the bottom, the ex-Fukuoka University students of Nanakuma Tombies were beaten 5-1 at home by an ecstatic Osumi NIFS United - which means that Nanakuma, Mitsubishi and Kaiho Bank SC have yet to get off the mark.



Kyu League Merchandise Special, pt 1 - a V Varen Nagasaki flag

Sun 23 Apr: Kaiho Bank SC 1-3 Volca Kagoshima
Sun 23 Apr: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0-3 V Varen Nagasaki
Sun 23 Apr: Nanakuma Tombies 1-5 Osumi NIFS United
Sun 23 Apr: Okinawa Kariyushi 2-3 Nippon Steel Oita

1 Volca Kagoshima 12 (+10)
2 Nippon Steel Oita 12 (+8)
3 V Varen Nagasaki 9 (+12)
4 New Wave Kitakyushu 6 (+3)
5 Okinawa Kariyushi 6 (-1)
6 Osumi NIFS United 3 (-5)
7 Kaiho Bank SC 0 (-8)
8 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0 (-9)
9 Nanakuma Tombies 0 (-10)



Nanakuma Tombies, Osumi NIFS and a linesman all run around