RCT struggle for win over Boys Sports Club

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KATHMANDU, June 5 : Suk Bahadur Tamang’s solitary goal steered three times National League champions Rani Pokhari Corner Team (RCT) to a 1-0 win over Boys Sports Club (BSC) on Thursday.

In the ANFA Sanmiguel National League held at the Dashrath Stadium, Tamang broke the ice in the 73rd minute to ensure three points for RCT. Rajkumar Shrestha created the goal supplying a beautiful cross from the left to unmarked Tamang who rammed home the decisive blow to start their league campaign with a deserving win.

Though RCT walked away with all three points in the match, they were given a good run for their money by stubborn BSC defence and goalkeeper Rajiv Shrestha. BSC included half of the ANFA Academy players after the club hired them for a year in Rs 300,000. Most of the players were not the regular starter for ANFA Academy.

"There was no training at all," said BSC coach Manoj Maharjan. "We got just two-days for the training so misunderstanding was evident at the field," he added. He also declared that the team would play a lot better in their next match of the league after nine days. Maharjan also admired his young goalkeeper Rajiv Shrestha for demonstrating string of saves in the match.

RCT produced the first real threat as early as in the 9th minute when Harihar Thapa missed a header after goal scorer Gurung supplied him from the right. Ramesh Gyawali’s header off a cross from Gurung, in the 29th minute, missed the crossbar by a whisker.

The story of the match would have been different had powerful rightfooter from BSC’s Deepak Khawas found the net in the 44th minute. BSC’s Birat Thapa tried a volley but failed to time it perfectly as RCT rookie goalie Dilip Chettri demonstrated an easy save in the first half injury time. The match was balanced at 0-0 in the first half.

RCT created strings of chances in the second half but their poor co-ordination at the front forced them to wait for 28 minutes into the second half.

"I am not happy at all with our performance today," RCT coach Baiju Kapali told The Kathmandu Post after the match. "Squandering chances against a team like Boys Sports is a bit scary," Kapali added. Kapali not only fumed over his players but also accused the club for not managing proper training ground for the league. "We are practising at the local Tundikhel and all know the problem of Tundikhel where exhibitions and fairs hamper our training," he lamented.

Harihar Thapa, who missed many chances on Thursday, connected a powerful shot only to see Shrestha block it in the 61st minute of the match. Two minutes later the ball ultimately kissed the net when Rajkumar Shrestha headed a cross set by veteran Gyawali but referee Shreeram Ranjeetkar ruled it offside.

RCT were a bit unlucky after Shrestha’s powerful shot from the edge of the 18-yard area hit the cross bar and went outside the field in the 65th minute. But Gurung ultimately confirmed victory for RCT firing home the decisive blow in the 73rd minute to start their league campaign on a bright note. RCT had entered the semifinals of the recently concluded Khukuri Cup Football tournament.

Today’s match

MMC vs Boys Union (4:00PM)

Nat’l Open Men’s Basketball Championship from June 7

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KATHMANDU, June 5 : The Nepal Basketball Association (NBA) will organise a National Open Men’s Basketball Championship from June 7 at Prime College, it was announced at a press conference today.

A total of 12 teams with players of 18-30 years of age will participate in the nine-day event. The teams are equally divided into four pools with top two finishers in their respective groups qualifying to the quarterfinals. The final will be played on June 15.

According to NBA, eighteen best players will be selected through the competition and they will be put into a three-week-long special training. And a 12-member final national squad will take part in the Asian Basketball Championship Middle Asia Zone qualifier that is being held in New Delhi from July 10-12.

Addressing the press meet, NBA general-secretary Sita Pandey said that much of the estimated cost of Rs. 200,000 for the team’s participation would be borne by sponsors that include Kanishka International Marketing, Nepal Cooperative Ltd., Prime College, Himalayan White House College.

She also expressed hope that different courses on coaching and referee clinics, which NBA had organised in conjunction with various national and international sports bodies at recent times, would give leg up to the country’s basketball in the days ahead.

Of the total 13 countries in the zone, apart from Nepal and the hosts India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ujbekistan, Kyrgystan, Afghanistan have so far confirmed their participation in the competition. This is the first occasion that Nepal is playing in the competition at this level.

Nepal had earlier secured third position at the first SAARC Basketball Championships held in Guwahati, India in 2001 and the country’s teams participated in two other club championships held respectively in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Kolkata, India last year.

The top two qualifiers from each of the five Asia Zone Championships will compete in the 22nd Asian Basketball Championship slated for September 3-12 in Haerbin, China. The competition will determine Asia’s representatives to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

President of NBA Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, representatives of companies sponsoring the event were among those present on the occasion.

Participating teams:

Pool A: Brigade Boys Club, Prime College, Himalayan White House College;

Pool B: Public Youth Campus, Dharan Basketball Team, Gyanodaya Club;

Pool C: Nepal Commerce Campus, Malpi International School, Naya Bazaar Club;

Pool D: Gyan Niketan Tigers, Mid Town Sports, 10er’s.