Saraswoti Youth Club topped the standing featuring four teams with six points scoring eleven goals and conceding seven, while United Club scored five and gave away eight. Brigade Boys Club (BBC) finished third with four points while Boudha Youth Club had to be content at fourth.

Despite claiming the title, Saraswoti failed to maintain their unbeaten run going down 3-1 against BBC in the final game of the championship held today. Aakash Chantyal, the highest goal scorer of the championship with nine goals struck twice while Diwas Gurung added one more for BBC. Yogesh Gurung, who took his goal tally to eight in the championship, was the lone scorer for Saraswoti.

The top four teams bagged Rs. 100,000, Rs. 50,000, Rs. 35,000 and Rs. 25,000 respectively in prize money.

Saraswoti wrapped the campaign in a perfect note with three of their players claiming five of the individual honours. Saraswoti’s Pankaj Lama, Yogesh Gurung and Raju Pulami bagged honours for best defender, best forward and best coach respectively while BBC’s Milan Chandra Rai was named the best mid-fielder and Dasrath Adhikari of Boudha Club the best goalkeeper.

Saraswoti became the second team to win the ‘B’ Division League in a single year (Nepali calander). Swoyambhu Youth Club won the ‘B’ Division League organised by All Nepal Football Association in September. ANFA also promoted four teams to the upper Division.

Organising a press meet on Saturday, president Keshav Stapit said the company was soon launching the sport in Kathmandu with ten paragliders, on Jan. 6, Tuesday. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to do the honours. He also added the company has insured Rs. 1,500,000 for every paraglider.

“We have launched this project to promote tourism in Nepal though air sport, which in return will benefit the people by providing new job opportunities,” said Stapit while describing his own experience of the flight. “The sport is safe for everyone,” he added.

The flight conducted by professional pilots will last half an hour to 45 minutes and will be cheaper as compared to Pokhara, the only other place where the service is available at present, claimed the company.

For a Nepali citizen, a 45-minute flight would cost Rs. 4,500 while the same duration would cost $ 85 for foreigners. Half an hour and hour-long flights are fixed at $ 120, $160 respectively for foreigners. The company has announced 20 percent discount to interested Nepali citizens for the month of January.

nepali team

Nepal registered a historical victory knocking down 46 runs in 11.5 overs losing three wickets in the finals of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-19 Women’s Championships held in Thailand on Tuesday.

Electing to bowl first after wining the toss, Nepal bowled out Malaysia in 16.2 overs for a mere 45 runs at the Prem Oval Stadium today.

Opener Maya Rawat scored 15 runs while Trishna Singh scored unbeaten nine runs.
Sita Rana Magar contributed with eight runs.

Earlier, electing to field first after winning the toss, Nepali bowler Sonu Khadka grabbed three wickets while Rekha Rawal and Sita Rana Magar claimed two wickets a piece. Likewise, Trishna Singha and Keshari Chaudary took a wicket each.

Nepal had defeated host Thailand in the semi-finals yesterday by 83 runs while Malaysia had edged Hong Kong by mere two runs to secure a berth in the finals.

Last year, Nepal came runner-up in the same tournament.

Nepal registered an easy seven-wicket victory over Malaysia in the inaugural-day match at the ACC Under-19 Women’s Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand today.

nepali team

Electing to field first after skipper Nary Thapa won the toss, Nepal bowled out Malaysia for just 51 runs in 21.2 overs and overcame the total losing three wickets in 15.2 overs. Sita Magar, Rekha Rawal and Keshari Chaudhary took two wickets apiece, while Sonu Khadka, skipper Nary Thapa and Binu Magar pocketed one wicket each as Malaysian innings folded with more than three overs remaining.

Opener Christina Baret (13) was the lone batswoman to score in double figures for Malaysia. Four players failed to open their accounts. Malaysia’s total was also boosted by 21 extra runs.
In reply, Nepal added 16 runs for the opening stand before Sarita Magar fell for four runs. Opener Maya Rawat remained unbeaten on 13 off 41 balls, while Binu Magar was the top-scorer with an unbeaten 17 off 25 balls that included two fours. Maya and woman of the match Bishnu added 25 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket stand. Trishna Singh added seven runs, while Roshani Bohara fell in the second ball she faced before she could open her accounts.
Zoe Landry, Nur Aishah and Alessandra Shunmugam took one wicket each for Malaysia. Nepal will now face Bhutan on Sunday.

Sonam Lama, Buddha Lama and Bipin Shrestha scored for Pulchowk while Kumar Sunwar and Bhupendra Raut replied for BBC in the Group ‘B’ match. Sonam put Pulchowk ahead in the 26th but Kumar equalised in the 34th minute. Budhha restored the lead for the Lalitpur team in the 44th before Bhupendra levelled the scores in the 56th. Bipin then scored the winner for Pulchowk in the 76th minute.

In another match, Biswas Lama’s 16th-minute goal was enough for United to earn three points against Star Club. United lead the fiveteam Group ‘B’ with four points from two games. Pulchowk and Star Club both have three points but the latter have played one game more. BBC have one point while Boys Sports Club, who played one game, have yet to open their account.

Saraswoti Youth Club lead the four-team Group ‘A’ with three points. Bouddha Football Club and Gyan Bhairav have one point each but the former hold the second position on better goal difference. Mahabir Club will open the campaign against Saraswoti on Wednesday. Top two teams from both the groups will earn promotions to the ‘A’ Division.

Bhim Lama scored the only goal of the game in the second half to frustrate the other side, which lacked the cutting edge in front of goals.

Star Club played a barren first half without even creating a single attempt at the goals. Its opponent also suffered the same, playing the ball only in midfield.

Bhim Lama lit the rather dull game when goalkeeper Sailesh Karmacharya of BSC failed to clear a shot by Suresh. Lama headed the ball home from close range in the 17th minute of the second half.

The goal rejuvenated Star Club as they created a host of chances, but failed to convert them. Their next real chance came when Liza Dongol made a darting run towards the goal but fired it wide with just the keeper to beat.

At the other end, BSC had a goal disallowed for offside. Nevertheless, they came nowhere close to leveling the score again.

Star Club could have doubled their advantage in the dying minutes when Bimal Nepali’s cross found an unmarked Dhane Tamang but he missed the target by a mile in a one-on- one situation.

Earlier, United Club and Brigade Boys Club played a goalless draw.

The stalemate in the Nepali football is believed to over after the associations reached a seven-point agreement in a meeting mediated by the National Sports Council (NSC) in the presence of Minister for Youth and Sports Gopal Shakya.

Basically the two associations have agreed to draft a revised ANFA by-laws, hold elections by mid-September and hold tournaments, including the ‘A’ Division League.

Only ANFA, the internationally recognised body, would come into existence after the elections. The FAs agreed to hold the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League by mid-April.

Speaking after the meeting, ANFA president Ganesh Thapa said that the crisis was over after the “emotional unification” of the two associations. “The stalemate is over after we agreed to address NFA’s basic demands,” said Thapa.

Among the NFA’s demands were to provide respectful rights to the clubs, transparency in tournament organisation and revision of ANFA by-laws. “It is sad that it took so long to resolve the differences despite earnest efforts from various sectors but I believe that we will not come across similar crisis in future,” added the ANFA president.

The NFA president Bijay Narayan Manandhar said that the crisis was finally over. “We came to agreement as all our demands were addressed properly,” said Manandhar. “I can assure that there will be no problems in coming days,” added the NFA president.

Minister for Youth and Sports Gopal Shayka expressed delight over the latest turn of the event. “I hope Nepali football will not witness the same problem in future,” said Shakya.

President Ganesh Thapa, Vice-presidents Lalit Krishna Shrestha and Kumar Jung Thapa represented ANFA while President Bijay Narayan Manandhar, vice-president Krishna Bhakta Manandhar and General Secretary Indra Man Tuladhar represented NFA in the meeting held at the ministry. The NSC had entrusted its members Purendra Lakhe, Laxman Shrestha and treasurer Ajar Manandhar to mediate the talks between the two FAs. The three NSC members along with the NSC member secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha were also present in the meeting.

The football crisis started some two years earlier when several Kathmandu-based clubs fell out of ANFA seeking football governing body for committing grave irregularities. In course of their fight against the ANFA, the clubs formed NFA in June, thanks to the NSC who recognised the parallel body. The football row also hampered the ‘A’ Division League as ANFA failed to organise the league after several clubs took sides with NFA.

In September ANFA organised Martyrs Memorial ‘B’ Division League and promoted four clubs to upper division. The NFA is currently holding the ‘B’ Division League of its own and will promote four clubs.