Bhairahawa elected to bat first and scored 281/7 in the limited overs match with man-of-the-match Pun hammering 144 runs. In reply, Biratnagar was bundled out for 238 runs in 43.4 overs.[break]
Bhairahawa, which collected four points from three matches, made it to the semifinals as the runner-up from Group A with a match in hand. Bhairahawa despite having equal four points as that of Region No 8 (Pokhara) advanced on the basis of head-to-head record. APF had already secured a semifinal berth as the group winner maintaining its cent percent winning record.
Opening batsman Pun´s century, the fourth of the ongoing tournament, included three sixes and 19 boundaries off 130 deliveries. Pun also became the first batsman to hit a century against Biratnagar in the national tournament. Pun fell seven runs short of equaling the record of highest score set by Raju Khadka (151 runs) of Bhairahawa.
Pun shared a 157-run partnership with Fajlur Rahman Khan (54) before being caught by Sunny Pun off Kamal Kishor Premi in 42.3 overs. It was the highest partnership for the first wicket in the ongoing tournament.
Pun scored his half-century in 50 balls and century in 108 balls. Krishna Karki (27), Subash Pradhan (14), Moinuddin Khan (25), Nischal Chaudhary (2), Antim Thapa (5) also contributed for Bhairahawa. Lal Bahadur Adhikari (4) and Amit Shrestha (0) remained unbeaten.
Biratnagar´s Pushpa Thapa claimed four wickets with figures of 8-1-45-4. Manjeet Shrestha, Amit Dahal and Kamal Kishor Premi claimed one wicket each.
Pushpa Thapa (63) was the highest scorer for four-time champion Biratnagar that crashed out of the group stage with a match to play. Thapa hit two sixes and seven fours off 52 deliveries. Opener Mehboob Alam (19), Manoj Mandal (36), Ajay Rajbanshi (4), Manjeet Shrestha (28), Sunny Pun (10), Bidhan Goswami (15), Raj Kumar Pradhan (33), Kamal Kishor Premi (6) also contributed for Biratnagar. Somesh Yadav was unbeaten on three runs.
Moinduddin Khan, Sagar Pun and Bibek Chaudhary claimed two wickets each for Bhairahawa while Lal Bahadur Adhikari and Susan Bari took a wicket each.
In the match played at the Pulchowk ground, Region No 3 (Kathmandu) achieved its first win in its second match defeating Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) by 70 runs. Electing to bat first, Kathmandu posted a huge target of 305 runs losing nine wickets and bowled out Nepalgunj for 234 runs in 43 overs.
Kathmandu´s opening batsmen Robin Joshi (38) and Niraj Bhattarai (64) shared a 112-run partnership for the first wicket. Fourth order batsman Rajesh Pulami scored 51 runs while Indra Kamal Mandal (28), Prasanna Shakya (10), Munir Kumar Shrestha (39) and Niraj Basnet (10) also contributed for Kathmandu.
Nasir Ansari, Anupan Singh and Siddhanta Raj Shahi of Nepalgunj claimed two wickets apiece while Rijwan Ansari and Sammu Khan pocketed one wicket each.
Nepalgunj made a good start in its run chase with a 79-run partnership for the first wicket. Skipper and opening batsman Mahesh Chhetri scored the highest 49 runs. Rupesh Sharma (30), Bhupendra Thapa (23), Anupan Singh (18), Amar Singh Routela (29), Saddam Khan (11) and Nasir Ansari (40) were the other batsmen to reach double figures.
Niraj Basnet of Kathmandu claimed three wickets, Niraj Bhattarai two and Munir Kumar Shrestha, Rajesh Pulami and Indra Kamal Manandhar got one scalp each.
Today´s matches
Kathmandu Vs Birgunj @ Kirtipur
Bhairahawa Vs Baitadi @ Pulchowk
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