Hexball Round 11: Fukagawa Pelicans to Face Hokuto — Fresh Off Its First Win, Straight Into a Match With Second Place

The Hexball league office announced Round 11 fixtures on the 2nd. Among the five clubs this paper tracks, Hokuto — which snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to the season opener with its first tracked win, previously reported on the 31st — draws second-place Fukagawa Pelicans with no breathing room in between. Hokuto captain Gaku Kashiwabara, 27, previously reported, said, "Honestly, part of me wanted an easier opponent for the next match. But getting to test the feeling of winning again so soon isn't a bad thing."

Fukagawa Pelicans captain Shu Enami, 26, previously reported, said, "Being surprised that Tokei Hex lost — that was last round's story. This round, we talked in this week's meeting about making sure we don't end up on that side ourselves." The Pelicans remain at 6-1-1, previously reported, watching the gap to the leader from a distance, and Enami reaffirmed, "Knowing Hokuto has momentum is exactly why this is no reason to let up."

League leader Tokei Hex, which slipped to 8-2 after the previously reported upset on the 31st, draws Naniwa Six (1-4-1, previously reported). Ritsu Kishiura, 24, previously reported, said, "Coming right off a loss, I want to avoid overthinking it and just get back to taking edges the usual way." Naniwa Six's captain said with determination, "This isn't a match between two bottom clubs, which is exactly why winning it could lift us right up."

Owari remains at 3-4, previously reported, with no match again this round. Across the league as a whole, the round-robin among twelve clubs is only about 60 percent complete, and the office said, "There's still plenty of room for the standings to shift heading into the new year, when the top clubs' matches bunch up."

■ The Referees' Perspective

Alongside the fixture announcement, the league's head referee said, "The 'corner' call in the Hokuto match landed almost at the buzzer, so it took the three officials longer than usual to confirm it. If more matches this close keep happening, maintaining the precision of our calls becomes the real challenge." In the previously reported Hokuto match, neither bench could make a sound for several seconds while the call was being confirmed.

■ What the Crowd Expects

A regular customer, 57, who runs a restaurant near the Fukagawa Pelicans' home arena, said with a laugh, "Now that we've seen Hokuto able to win, this next matchup is already a topic of conversation at my shop. Honestly, there's a part of me that wants to see the Pelicans get caught napping, too." As previously reported, cheering towels nearly sold out at Hokuto's home arena, and for the first time this season, rooting for Hokuto itself seems to be becoming a real option for fans.

■ Behind the Scenes on Venue Setup

Alongside this round's fixture announcement, preparations are already underway to reconsider venue setup at the Fukagawa Pelicans' home arena. A facility manager said, "Given it's the Hokuto match, there's a chance the excitement from their previously reported first win carries straight over. We're preparing to add standing space." As previously reported, Hexball has grown into a draw rivaling Wall Racing in attendance, and the league office welcomed the trend: "Crowds turning up for a bottom-table match is a good sign for the league as a whole."

Round 11 is expected to be played across the city in early November. This paper will continue following the five bayside-area clubs' matches.