Rayamajhi guides Jorpati to VDC Cup win

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KATHMANDU, Jan 8 : Prompted by Nirajan Rayamajhi’s hat-trick, Jorpati clinched the Pushpalal Memorial Inter-VDC Cup defeating New Naikap 8-3 in the title match played at the Dashrath Stadium on Monday.

Rayamajhi, making good use of his international exposure, netted a total of four goals in the match that had little to offer to the audience in terms of excitement. The match, more or less, seemed to be a one-sided affair for the winning team.

Jorpati boys hardly looked back after the New Naikap forwards missed the golden chance in the first minute of the match to get one-up. New Naikap forwards, as many as three of them, looked clueless even when the Jorpati ‘keeper was fumbling with the ball in the very first minute of the match.

Once New Naikap missed the chance, Jorpati players started waves of attacks against the lower-rung team. The attacks paid dividends in the 13th minute when Rayamajhi converted the chance as it came off New Naikap goalie’s block, in one of the Jorpati attacks. Rayamajhi came back again in the 27th minute to double his personal score, two minutes after Gokul Sunuwar had doubled the Jorpati lead.

Rayamajhi struck twice again in the 18th and 29th minutes of the second half. However, his best one was his second, which came in the 27th minute of the game. Receiving the pass just in front of the New Naikap penalty area, he wasted no time in adjusting himself as he rounded it off the ‘keeper at an angle which not many would be able to score at. The New Naikap goalie hardly had any time or speed and helplessly saw it flying past him.

Sunuwar also found the nets once more in the match. Ranjit Lama and Ramesh Lama also scored one goal each to be registered among the goalscorers of the match.

The match, although a loss, was far from a humiliation for New Naikap team as they scored three goals. Bijay Maharjan, Shiva Tandukar and Shailendra Thapa finished the match with one goal apiece.

Thapa’s goal, the last one for the day, was perhaps the best of the match. Thapa’s 25-yarder left-footed shot powered its way to the nets as the Jorpati ‘keeper kept gazing at it in amazement. There was hardly anything he could have done to save it.

Rayamajhi, for his 9 goals in the tournament, was awarded as the best player of the tournament. The winners trophy also carried a purse of Rs 50,000 as the runners-up collected Rs 35,000.

ECCA post 126-run win

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KATHMANDU, Jan 8 :Everest College Cricket Academy (ECCA), led by a brilliant century from Vikrant Chhetri, handed out a crushing 126-run defeat to Ratna Laxmi Cricket Club of Naxal in the opening match of the Birendra Memorial double-round triangular series that began Tuesday at the local Tundikhel ground.

The hosts, ECCA, upon winning the toss, elected to bat first and made a hesitant start to lose three wickets with only 28 runs on the board. But the strong batting performance from the middle order, especially from Chhetri took them to the winning position as they posted 270 runs for 8 wickets in the allotted 40 overs.

Chhetri hit 12 fours and a six on his way to 105 runs that came off just 98 balls. He shared two century stands – 111 and 102 runs – with Yug Basnet (45) and Ravi Thapa (37) for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively that guaranteed ECCA’s mammoth total.

Ratna Laxmi, asked to make runs well over the rate of run a ball, never looked in contention and any hopes that remained evaporated once they lost Surendra Shrestha (37) and Bipin Shrestha (42). They were soon bowled out for 144 runs in 29.3 overs as ECCA bowlers Anil Amatya picked up three wickets. Chhetri too demonstrated his skills with the ball returning with two wickets to guarantee himself man of the match award.

The two teams play again on Wednesday.

Nepal U-19 ‘A’ beat S’pore

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KATHMANDU, Jan 8 : Nepal Under 19 ‘A’ registered a convincing nine-wicket win over Singapore in their opening match under the International Invitational Cricket tournament being held in Ludhiana, India, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) said in a press release on Tuesday.

Singapore’s decision to bat first backfired as their batsmen struggled to get off the hook of Nepal bowlers, who brought the opposition innings to book in 34 overs for 97 runs. Jen Renchun (34) and E L Lee (14) showed some sporadic display of good batting against disciplined Nepali bowling attack.

Niraj Bhattarai, Krishna Kunwar and Narayan Patel all bagged two wickets apiece while Meraj Ansari and Imran Khan returned with a wicket each.

Nepali batsmen, who were given a winning platform by their bowlers, made a short work of the chase. They accumulated the required 98 runs in 14.3 runs for the loss of one wicket. Sagar Pant played a gem of an innings to complete a half-century and was unbeaten till the end. His 58 runs came off just 41 deliveries while Mahesh Chhetri also remained not out on 18 runs. Nepal will play their next match against India on January 10.