KATHMANDU, May 2: Ajay Dev picked up six wickets to provide Province 3 a win of eight wickets against Gandaki Province in the opening match of the Manmohan Memorial Inter-province U-16 National Cricket Tournament held at TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Wednesday.

Province 3 completed the chase of 100 runs in 16.5 overs for the loss of two wickets after bundling Gandaki for 99 runs in 27.5 overs. 

The most successful batsman Ashish Bhattarai remained unbeaten on 59 runs from 57 deliveries including six boundaries during the chase. He was supported by Abhishek Upadhayay’s unbeaten 35 runs from 35 deliveries which included four boundaries. Gandaki’s Bishow Karki picked up a wicket in his four overs conceding 22 runs.

Earlier, Gandaki won the toss and elected to bat first in a 30-over per side match. Avishek Thapa, Anil Baral and Arjun Kumal contributed 22, 17, and 16 runs, respectively. Player of the match Dev inspired Province 3 bowling with a record-breaking six-wicket-haul in 5.5 overs conceding 24 runs. Likewise, Sakriya Pratap Karki, Deepak Bohora, and Krish Karki shared a wicket each. 

The tournament has been organized by Manmohan Memorial Cricket Center in a bid to provide opportunities to young players from all the seven provinces. The seven teams, from respective provinces, will be divided into two groups and the top two teams of each group will advance into the semifinals.

The winner of the tournament will take home Rs 500,000, while the runner-up will be rewarded with Rs 250,000. The best players of different categories will also be prized.
 

 
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