National cricket league starts today
Posted by Prabin the सोभित on शुक्रवार, मार्च 28, 2008
BY UJJWAL ACHARYA, The Kathmandu Post 2008-03-28
The inter-region format introduced in 2001 as Birendra Memorial National League will be played under round-robin league format and the top two teams in the standings will compete for the final on April 6.
The event will serve as the selection tournament for the national team scheduled to participate in two important events. Nepal will continue its fight for the World Cup 2011 qualification with World Cricket League Division V in Jersey in May while ACC Trophy in Malaysia will select two teams to play for the Asia Cup.
Region No 1 Biratnagar, with four titles in six editions, Bhairahawa, the four-time finalists, and Region No 3 Kathmandu, the three-time runner-up, are all looking forward to the title. Region No 2 Birgunj, the 2006 champion, will be the dark horse as always with the ability to knock out any team but not likely to play well consistently. Region No 5 Nepalgunj, with three wins in 27 matches so far, looks to erase the image of minnow along with Region No 6 Baitadi, which failed to register a win in the last two outings.
“We are not the favorites, our batting doesn’t look at par but with our strong bowling and favorable conditions, we are counting on reaching the final,” national captain Binod Das, who will lead Birgunj, said. Three grounds — TU, Lab and IOE — will host matches and Binod believes all will be bowler friendly.
Shakti Gauchan will lead Bhairahawa hoping for the second straight title. Always a strong team at the national level, Bhairahawa has a team of youngsters with six players from the under-19 team that competed in the Youth World Cup in Malaysia.
“We are the last year’s champions and we need to defend the title,” Shakti said after reaching Kathmandu Thursday evening. “We have prepared well and I am confident that we can defend the title.”
The team has a lot of experience in it despite being youthful and Shakti is banking on that experience. “We have a team of experienced players, and we are strong and balanced,” he added. “It’s the event that will decide which team is the best, and we want to be best.”
For Shakti, Kathmandu, the team he defeated last year to win the title, is the strong opponent along with Biratnagar. Kathmandu has been into the finals for three times and lost all three times. “This year, we need to win,” Kathmandu captain Paresh Lohani said. “We can’t always be runner-up.” Paresh believed with most of the national players and five players from Youth World Cup, Kathmandu is the team to watch.
Biratnagar wants to regain the lost glory. After winning the first four titles — two of them without playing as rain in 2002 and walkout in 2004 gave it the title, it failed to reach even the final in the next two editions. “Overall, we are a good team,” captain Manoj Katuwal, who is resuming his career after a break, said. “We have a good combination of experienced and new players and I am confident we will reach the final.”
Biratnagar will miss services of Dipendra Chaudhary, who decided to play from Kathmandu two years ago, after leading the team to titles in the earlier editions. But, it can count on Mehboob Alam, the two time man-of-the-series along with a best batsman and a best bowler award, and Raj Kumar Pradhan and a few other popular names.
“We have completed the preparation for the tournament and all grounds are ready,” Upendra Bhattarai, the co-ordinator of the organizing committee, said. The winner of the event receives a cash prize of Rs 75,000 while the runner-up pockets Rs 40,000.
A Nepali passion for cricket 
Prabin the सोभित said
NATIONAL CRICKET : Bhairahawa batters Biratnagar, breakthrough for Baitadi
THE KATHMANDU POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, March 28 – Region No 4 Bhairahawa registered yet another thumping win in the Springwood National League Cricket Tournament at the TU Ground on Saturday while Region No 6 Baitadi bounced back from the hiding it suffered at the hands of Bhairahawa to beat region No 5 Nepalgunj at the Lab Ground for its first ever victory in the event’s history.
Bhairahawa thumped Region No 4 Biratnagar by nine wickets riding on its superb bowling. Amrit Bhattarai and Faizal Khan both took three wickets each for the defending champion to bowl Biratnagar out for just 75 runs 35.1 overs. Yashwant Subedi was the only batsman for Biratnagar to reach the double figure while 14 runs came via extras.
Yashwant returned to the pavilion, scoring 32, falling leg before to Bhairahawa skipper Shakti Gauchan. Yashwant’s 57-ball innings included four boundaries. Biratnagar captain Manoj Katuwal was unbeaten on four when his side got packed up. Amrit bowled Mehboob Alam, Laxman Shrestha and Santosh Baral to return figures of 3/18 in 5.1 overs. while man-of-the-match Faizal trapped the batsmen in front while giving away just 10 runs.
Rahul BK sent two Biratnagar batsemen back to the pavilion, giving away 10 runs while the other wicket fell to Basanta Regmi. Three Biratnagar batsmen got out without opening their account.
Basanta then took charge with the bat guiding his side to the 76-run target in 15 overs. Basanta stood unbeaten on 32 and shared an opening stand of 54 with Manoj Baishya. Manoj contributed 21 before falling out to Pushpa Thapa.
At the Lab Ground, Padam KC put up 68* to steer Baitadi to a four-wicket win over Region No 5 Nepalgunj in the 37th over. Padam shared partnerships of 84 and 61 runs with Dhirendra Chand and Binod Bhandari respectively in helping Baitadi get past Nepalgunj’s total of 215. Padam, who came in when his team was faltering at 54/3, smashed nine boundaries and a six. Dhirendra scored a run-a-ball 36, firing five fours and a six while Binod contributed 32 with five fours.
Opening batsmen Nabin Chand played a steady 24-run knock off 40 balls before getting run out at the hands of Sandeep Shrestha. Sandeep also took 2/37 while Miraj Ansari also claimed a couple of wickets and Ajay Rasaili took the other.
Earlier, opening batsmen Mahesh Chhetri scored 58 to help Nepalgunj reach 215 before being cleaned up. One-down Anupam Singh supported Mahesh well and both entertained fans with a 112-run stand. Anupam fell four runs short of his half century. He was the first victim of Dhirendra who returned figure of 7-4-15-2.
Chandra Saud and Sher Singh Chhetri were the main destroyers claiming three wickets each. Sher provided the vital breakthrough for Baitadi by dismissing Mahesh and also sent back Nabin Shahi and Sanjog Giri. Meanwhile, Chandra cleaned up the tail taking the final three wickets and ended with 3/33 in 6.4 overs. Nirmal KC remained not out on 27 and Sandeep scored 30 off 40 balls for the losing side.
Today’s Match
Birgunj vs Kathmandu at TU Cricket Ground
Prabin the सोभित said
Bhairahawa rout Region No 1; Baitadi triumph
Himalayan Times, Kathmandu, March 29:
Region No 4 (Bhairahawa) cruised to a nine-wicket win over Region No 1 (Biratnagar) and Region No 6 (Baitidi) defeated Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) by four wickets in the Springwood Senior One Day National Cricket League here today.
At TU Stadium, Biratnagar were bowled out for 75 runs in 35.1 overs after skipper Manoj Katuwal elected to bat first. Bhairahawa surpassed the total losing one wicket in 15 overs. Bhairahawa won their first match against Baitadi on Friday. Yashwant Subedi top-scored with 57-ball 32 for Biratnagar. No other batsmen could score in double figures. Biratnagar had sumped to 21-6 by the eighth over before Subedi gave some respectibility to the total. Man of the match Faizal Khan took 3-10, while Amrit Bhattarai claimed 3-18 for Bhairahawa. Rahul Kumar BK pocketed two while skipper Shakti Gauchan and Basanta Regmi bagged one wicket each.
In reply, Bhairahawa openers Basanta Regmi and Manoj Baishya put on 54-run stand before Puspa Thapa trapped Baishya leg before in the 11th over. Regmi remained unbeaten on 32 and Baishya made 21. Regmi struck four boundaries and a six in his 40-ball knock while Baishya hit three fours in his 34-ball innings. Amit Shrestha scored unbeaten 13 runs off 16 deliveries.
At the Lab School, Nepalgunj scored 215 before being bowled out in 49.4 overs. Baitadi overcame the total losing six wickets in 36.1 overs. Nepalgunj skipper Mahesh Chhetri led from the front to score a half century while Anupam Singh made 46 and Sandeep Shrestha 30.
Chhetri slammed eight fours in his 102-ball 58 and Singh fell four runs short of his half century. Nirmal KC also contributed not out 27. Chandra Saud (3-33) and Sher Singh Khatri (3-21) claimed three wickets each for Baitadi. Dhirendra Chand took 2-15 and Binod Chhetri claimed one.
Baitadi lost three wickets in regular intervals in their run chase. Struggling at 54-3 by the 11th over, the fourth-wicket stand of 61 between Binod Bhandari and Padam KC rescued their team from trouble taking the score to 115-4 when Bhandari was dismissed for 32 runs. Rabindra Chand joined KC but he was dismissed for a duck at 130-5. KC and skipper Dhirendra Chand then partnered to win the match. The duo put on 84 runs for the sixth wicket before skipper Chand was dismissed with just two runs to win. KC remained unbeaten on 68, hitting nine fours and a six from 85 balls while Chand scored run-a-ball 36. Miraj Ansari and Sandeep Shrestha took two wickets each and Ajay Rasaili claimed one for Nepalgunj.
On Sunday. Region No 2 (Birgunj) will take on Region No 3 (Kathmandu) at the TU Stadium.
Prabin the सोभित said
Thanx for writing.
Actually, it’s my interest on cricket which is driving to move around here and there. Being outside country, it is very hard to get involve physically but have strong enough interest to carry on to gothrough internet.
I usually go through all the sporting event in nepal, which I want to share with all u guys. It is not necessary that who is more crazy, the most important thing is your love to Nepali Cricket which I have.
anyway, if u want to contact me, then here is my email id: sobhit_man@hotmail.com
nishchal said
Dear friend
Thanks a lot for the response. I think u are crazy more than me in cricket. Thanks for the comment. I didn’t know about fanclub. Because of u I am its member. I am also curious about national league. I have read the article posted in your blog. They are superb. Carry on further your nice work.All the best for your blog. If u like to contact me.My mail id is published. That would be great if i get your id.
Nishchal(nishchal-cric.blogspot.com)
Prabin the सोभित said
Favorites make roaring start NATIONAL CRICKET
KATHMANDU POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, March 29 – Defending champion Region No 4 Bhairahawa and Region No 1 Biratnagar began the Springwood National League Cricket Tournament with thumping victories on Friday. Biratnagar defeated Region No 5 Nepalgunj by seven wickets at the Lab Ground while Bhairahawa outplayed Region No 6 Baitadi by 196 runs at the TU Cricket Ground. Bhairahawa bowled out Baitadi for 49 in 16 overs. Shakti Gauchan decided to bat first to give his batsmen some practice ahead of the big clash against Biratnagar on Saturday and his players came up with flying colors. The defending champion scored 245 in 49.3 overs with man-of-the-match Manoj Vaishya and Antim Thapa scoring half-centuries. The pair added 122 runs for the third wicket and laid the foundation for the big score. Vaishya was run out on 64 off 112 balls with just two fours while Antim got 52 in 86 deliveries hitting four boundaries. Trying to get quick runs toward the end, no other batsman could get big score. Bijay Thapa (18), last man Amrit Bhattarai (not out 13) and Akash Gupta (11) reached double figure.
Bhairahawa also benefitted from 61 extra runs given away by Baitadi bowlers. Sher Singh Khatri took three wickets as Dhirendra Chand and Chandra Saud each walked away with two wickets. Baitadi, seeking its first win in the national league, was disastrous in batting despite having the services of chief cricket coach Arun Aryal. It lost Binod Bhandari (9) in the second over. Uttam Bhatta (10) and Padam KC (7) played for 20 runs – the biggest partnership of the innings.
Once they were removed by Shakti, the Baitadi innings fell like a house of cards. Baitadi’s 49 contained 18 extra runs. Shakti led the bowling from the front taking three wickets giving nine runs. Amrit, who was wayward, also got three and Basanta Regmi claimed two wickets.
At the Lab Ground, Raj Kumar Pradhan cleaned off the tail taking four wickets to help Biratnagar bowl out lowly Nepalgunj for 66 in 22.2 overs before Mehboob Alam showed a flash of his aggressive batting hitting eight boundaries to score 35 off just 14 balls.
With Mehboob on song, Biratnagar completed the minnow-bashing in 9.1 overs losing three wickets. Sunil Bista (9) and Yashwant Subedi (9*) contributed to the total.
Earlier, Nepalgunj captain Mahesh Chhetri failed to get support from his batsmen as his team was bowled out for a lowly total despite his 43 off 36 balls. He too got eight fours while 10 other batsmen combined for 11 runs, with seven out for duck, and 12 runs coming in extras.
Prabin the सोभित said
Biratnagar, Bhairahawa register huge victories
Himalayan Times, Kathmandu, March 29
Region No 1 (Biratnagar) and Region No 4 (Bhairahawa) posted big wins in the opening day matches of the Springwood Senior National One Day Cricket League here today. Biratnagar defeated Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) by seven wickets, while Bhairahawa thrashed Region No 6 (Baitadi) by 196 runs.
Batting first, Nepalgunj was bowled out for 66 runs in 22.2 overs, while Biratnagar overcame the target losing three wickets in 9.1 overs. At TU Stadium, Bhairahawa were all out for 244 runs with three balls remaining and packed Baitadi for a paltry 49 runs in 16 overs.
At Lab School, apart from Mahesh Chhetri, others failed to reach the double-figure mark. Seven of their batsmen returned to the pavilion without opening their accounts. Chhetri’s 36-ball 43 contained eight hits to the fence.
Leg spinner Raj Kumar Pradhan was the pick of the Biratnagar bowlers returning with the figures of 2.2-1-5-4 that also earned him the man of the match award. Ajay Rajbanshi took 3-7 off two overs, while Manjeet Shrestha claimed 2-15 and Mehboob Alam 1-23.
In Biratnagar’s reply, Alam made a solid start hitting 16 runs in the first over. He then made 15 in the second and four in the third before being dismissed. Alam’s 14-ball 35 contained eight fours. Yashwant Subedi (9) and Puspa Thapa (5), who finished off the match with a four, remained unbeaten. Sunil Bista also made nine runs.
At TU Stadium, Bhairahawa piled up runs riding on half centuries from Manoj Baishya and Antim Thapa. The national team wicketkeeper Baishya
hit two fours in his 112-ball 64, while Thapa made 86-ball 52 including four fours. The second highest scorer in between these two was the sundries (61). Bijay Thapa hit three boundaries in his 20-ball 18, while Akash Gupta (11) hit the only six of the day. Sher Singh Khatri took 3-43, while Dhirendra Chand and Chandra Saud claimed two wickets each for Baitadi. In reply, Baitadi lost wickets in quick successions as they were all out below 50. Uttam Bhatta (10) was the lone batsman to score in double figures, while four batsmen were duck outs.
For Bhairahawa, skipper Shakti Gauchan and Amrit Bhattarai took three wickets apiece, while Basanta Regmi claimed two wickets and Mohan Thapa and Vijay Thapa pocketed one each.