Rana heads amateur pack at even par 67

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 21 – Pradeep Bikram Rana head the leader board of the fourth Carlsberg Open Golf tournament which began at Royal Nepal Golf Club on Friday.

The first of the two-day event, organised by Gorkha Brewery Ltd in association with RNGC and Nepal Professional Golfers’ Association, featured a total of 38 amateur golfers.

Rana, secretary of RNGC, playing with 10 handicap completed the front nine at 5 over 38 and back nine at 6 over 39 to tally the gross score of 77.

One stroke behind is the runner-up of Carlsberg Nepal PGA Championship, Mani Rai, who finished his round with the net score of 1 over 68. Rai, starting with 5-handicap, played the front nine at 9 over 40 while he completed the second nine at 1 under 33 for the gross figure of 73.

A lady golfer, Ritu Lumba, joined Rai at 1 over 68 to share
the first day’s second position. Playing with 23-handicap, Lumba finished her round at a gross score of 91.

To finish the day at third, Raj Pradhan playing with 3-handicap, completed the round at the net score 5 over par 72. He carded the front nine at 4 over 37 and 5 over 38 at back nine with the help of ‘hole in one’ at the par three 8th to manage a gross score of 75.

Maj Krishna Kumar Ale, Hari Saran Nepali and Bishnu Bikram Shahi are placed at fourth, fifth and sixth positions with respective net score of 73, 74 and 76.

Meanwhile, Spandan Lama leads the junior ranks with a net score of 11 over 78. Lama, with 18-handicap, played the first nine at 51 while completing the second at 45.

Forty-eight other amateurs complete their round on the final day of the event Saturday under the fourth Carlsberg Golf Tournament 2001. The winner of the event will earn a fabulous opportunity to witness the Malaysian Open Golf 2002 and be part of a one-day play with professionals of the Asian PGA tour with Gorkha Brewery Ltd bearing all the expenses related to travel and accomodation.

British Army advance to quarters

DHARAN, Dec 21 (PR)- Chandra Limbu’s brilliant performance guided British Army Team to 3-2 win over Pokhara-11 securing a quarterfinal spot in the 4th Budha Subba Gold Cup invitational football tournament on Friday.

In the tournament’s last pre-quarterfinal, Limbu, showing his class, scored a goal and set the other goals. The British Army took the lead as early as in the 6th minute. Ganesh Limbu took the cross off Chandra and connected a brilliant header to put his team 1-0 up.

But Pokhara-11 levelled the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute - thanks to the goal from Drabya Jung Rana. Rana buried the ball inside the opponent’s net using the corner kick off Anil Gurung. The score remained at 1-1 in the first half.

Limbu came back in action immediately after the break as he was the man behind the suicide goal in the 51st minute. As luck had it, in his desperate attempt to clear Limbu’s powerful shot, Pokhara’s Tilak Gurung guided the ball inside his own post. Pokhara goalie Suryaman Gurung reached to the ball, he could not prevent it from rolling inside his own net.

In the 65th minute, Limbu confirmed the win when he collected a cross off Kendra Limbu inside the 18-yard area and fired a powerful shot rounding off Pokhara’s goalkeeper. It was Limbu’s first and British Army’s third goal of the match.

However, Pokhara boys reduced the deficit in the injury time, it was too late to score another as referee Binod KC blew the final whistle just after the goal off Bill Tamang. Despite loosing the match, the Pokhara team was more disciplined as none of their players were booked in comparison to British Army’s three yellow cards.

The quarterfinals will start from Saturday. Friends’ Club of Katmandu will take on the local Dharan (Blue) in the quarterfinal opener.

Infrastructure imperative for Nepal’s graduation to ODIs: Experts

By Somesh Verma

KATHMANDU, Dec 21 – There were talks that Nepal should be awarded the status to play One Day International matches since some time. The Nepali Under-19 cricket team’s triumph in the Youth Asia cup 2001 only raised the decibel.

And one could not simply ignore the voices when they come from those at the game’s governing bodies.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) development officers, on their visit to this tiny Himalayan Kingdom, have expressed optimism over Nepal’s prospects of becoming a One Day International playing nation sooner than later.

Impressed with the Nepali cricketers, Sultan Rana, one of the ACC development officers and tournament director for the Youth Asia Cup 2001, said Nepal could receive permission from the ICC to play One Day Internationals (ODI).

"I think in next five years or so, Nepal should be able to play the ODIs," Rana had said prior to Nepali win in the championship.

Rana is not alone to make this assessment. Rumesh Ratnayake, another ACC development officer in charge of the region comprising Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong and Maldives, also shares the same thought: Nepal is one of the nations who might be graduating to ODI status in near future.

"Given the way Nepal has been playing in recent times, it is likely that Nepal will be one of the countries from Asia to enter the One Day arena," says Ratnayake.

Kenya is the only non-Test playing nation which is permitted by the ICC to play One Day Internationals.

However, to be playing at that level, Nepal would require a good Feeder system under which the junior players from the age-group of Under-13, Under-15 and Under-19 would graduate to the senior team, he pointed out.

According to him, building up of basic infrastructure like cricket academies, cricket stadia should precede the Nepali claim to the ICC for such a status.

Ratnayake’s view of infrastructure development is echoed by Binay Raj Pandey, Honourary Secretary of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). He says it may be quite a while before Nepal is selected for the One Day playing nation status.

"Before claiming for the One-Day status, we have to be able to qualify at least for the World Cup," says Pandey. Three countries: Netherlands, Namibia and Canada have qualified for the 2003 World Cup by grabbing first three places in the ICC trophy held earlier this year.

In the ICC assessment for the year 2000-01, Nepal has fared better than its other Asian counterparts such as Malaysia and Hong Kong. The ICC assessment is based on affiliated associations’ manpower, infrastructure, book keeping and their plans for the development of game in their respective countries.

According to cricket officials, Nepal, in terms of ICC assessment, have done remarkably well considering the fact that the country played its first international tournament only in the year 1996.

Along with Nepal, Papua New Guinea from East Asia Pacific; Namibia, Kenya and West Africa from the African Continent; United States of America and Canada from the Americas; Holland, Denmark and Ireland from Europe have received high praise in the ICC assessment.

National Sports Council (NSC) has provided land plots to CAN in four cities Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Birgunj and Biratnagar for the establishment of regional cricket centers apart from Kathmandu. CAN also plans to organise a Level-1 training for coaches under the auspices of ACC by the end of February next year.