Rajan hat-trick steers MMC to semis

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KATHMANDU, Jan 17: Striker Rajan Rayamajhi scored four goals as Manang Marsyangdi Club (MMC) mauled New Road Team (NRT) 5-0 on Thursday to book a place in the semifinals of the Birendra Memorial Invitational football tournament on Thursday.

MMC showed no sign of long lay-off starting the match promisingly in their first venture of the tournament.

The match played at Dashrath Stadium followed the similar high scoring pattern of first and second quarterfinals of the tournament. And like two previous quarterfinals, the first half remained comparatively a hard-fought affair.

Both the teams failed to exploit attacking moves in the beginning.

First, a real chance came to MMC way in the 20th minute when Basanta Thapa hit the ball released by Nabin Neupane inches outside the second bar. NRT’s Naresh Shrestha soon failed to reach to the ball left by MMC goalkeeper Binod Dangol while collecting a powerful Hari Thakuri’s shot from the right angle of 18-yard area.

MMC’s Rayamajhi broke the ice in the 33rd minute with a brilliant goal. He dribbled past three of NRT defenders before burying a deft rightfooter for a 1-0 lead.

The goal opened the floodgate for MMC as they netted another following a well-marshaled move. Ujan Shrestha released the ball at the right angle to Basanta Thapa who, wasting no time, quickly supplied to Rayamajhi at the centre of penalty area for a simple shot at the vacant post. With the goal Rayamajhi doubled his and team’s tally.

MMC were at the driving seat in the half way with 2-0 lead.

The second half saw MMC finding their attacking rhythm as well as slackness in NRT defense. MMC scored further three goals in the second half.

Rayamajhi completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute when referee Gyani Raja Maharjan pointed to the spot for a ferocious back-tackle of Raj Kumar Thapa on Deepak Lama.

Rayamajhi was given the chance to complete his hat-trick and ultimately he did it. With the hat-trick in his name, Rayamajhi joined Friends’ Club Nirajan Rayamajhi, Galaxian Club Ritesh Khadka, Tribhuvan Club Sahila Maharjan and Rajiv Nepali of Three Star Club in the hat-trick scoring list.

And in the 75th minute Rayamajhi made it four in a row as he took Thapa’s pass into his stride and unleashed a fatal rightfooter to create havoc in NRT’s camp.

The goal placed him behind Nirajan Rayamajhi as the second highest scorer for a match. Nirajan had scored five goals against Boys’ Sports Club on Saturday, in the maximum number of scores in a match.

In the 39th minute, Thapa and Rajesh Khadgi showed brilliant move to confuse NRT goalie Prakash Vaidya to wrap-up the match at 5-0. Khadgi and Thapa, after playing one-touch pass inside the 18-yard area, brought up MMC’s last goal as Khadgi buried a powerful rightfooter into the net for their place in the semifinals.

"Lack of practice and injury to two defenders caused the disaster," said NRT coach Maheshwor Mulmi.

On the other hand, his counterpart Birat Jung Shah showed satisfaction in his team’s second half performance. "Our boys found the rhythm actually in the second half and we will continue the same setting," said Shah whose team will play against the winner of last quarterfinal on Sunday.

Friday’s QF 2PM

Kolkata-XI vs Friends’ Club

NSC issues strong instructions

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KATHMANDU, Jan 17: The National Sports Council (NSC) has authorised the sports associations to organise the District and Regional Games, National Sports Council said in a press release issued on Thursday.

A meeting of sports associations, chaired by council’s member-secretary Binod Shankar Palikhe, decided that the officials and referees, after necessary coordination with chief coaches of their respective sports, shall be entitled to determine the number of events and players’ quota for the Games. The meeting also came to conclusion that the NSC would cut-off the numbers of officials for away trip to accommodate the budget.

The NSC has set up an office to carry out works, coordinating with all the associations under its umbrella for those games.

Addressing the meeting, Palikhe said that the number of officials accompanying national contingent to the up-coming 14th Asian Games would be limited to 25 percent of the number of the players. The South Korean city of Pusan is playing host to the Games in September this year.

The meeting, issuing a six-point directive, strongly instructed all the associations to get NSC approval prior to any participation at international tournaments and for receiving any foreign financial assistance. Besides, the associations are required to take permission from the council before they call foreign instructor or expert in the respective field. The associations will have to present their report within seven days after each international participation.

According to the directives, the associations should also present the council with the half-yearly and yearly progress and audit reports while they are required to submit their annual budget programme within the month of Falgun.

AIBA reconstitutes boxing rules

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KATHMANDU, Jan 17: Boxing’s world governing body AIBA has sliced down the number of weight categories to 11 removing the super-heavy weight class, a National Sports Council press release reported Thursday.

The release, quoting Nepali chief coach Vidya Marsani, informed that AIBA has introduced the new regulation with effect from the beginning of this year. Besides, AIBA has also lifted the sanction on women’s boxing, allowing them to compete in amateur bouts.

According to the newly introduced regulations, weight categories include: light-fly weight (48kg), fly weight (51kg), bantam weight (55kg), feather weight (59kg), light weight (63kg), light-welter weight (67kg), welter weight (71kg), light-middle weight (67kg), middle weight (82kg), light-heavy weight (88kg) and heavy weight (95kg). Women’s weight categories start from fin weight (45kg).

Marsani, assuring that Nepali boxers would not be affected by the changes, said that most of the good Nepali boxers fall in lighter weight division and that they should get well-acquainted after training for a short period. Citing the increase in number of women participants in the country, he said that some 100 boxers have been undergoing regular training in Kathmandu, Dharan, Hetauda, Nawalparasi, Surkhet. He also said that a national-level competition has been planned in near future.