Pentagon crushed Kailali Multiple Campus by 94 runs while Triton studded with seven national players was handed a nine-run defeat by Mahendra Namuna Higher Secondary School of Dadeldhura. [break]Pentagon will lock horns with host SPA in the semifinal. Mahendra Namuna will meet the winner among Aishwarya Vidhya Niketan of Dhangadi and NASA in another semis.
Pentagon posted the huge target of 199 runs after skipper Naresh Budhayer and Pushpa Thapa achieved successive half centuries. In the last match against Atariya, Pentagon had scored 199 runs.
Budhayer was unbeaten for 55 runs and Thapa for 51 runs. Budhayer´s 40-ball innings included seven fences and two sixes while man-of-the-match Thapa 21-ball innings included seven fours and two sixes. The duo played 78 runs unbeaten partnership for third wicket facing 39 deliveries.
Earlier, Mehboob Alam (47) and Mahesh Chhetri (37) played 76 runs partnership for first wicket before Alam was sent to pavilion. Milan Chand and Gyanendra Chhetri of Kailali bagged one wicket each.
In its run chase, Kailali could manage only 105 runs for the loss of five wickets. Opener Ramesh Balame (27), Suresh Dhami (17) and Binod Lama (13) contributed for Kailali. Budhayer of Pentagon claimed two wickets while Alam, Raj Kumar Pradhan, Binod Chhetri and Kamal Kishor Premi got one scalp each.
In another match, Roshan Nepali second half century in a row for Mahendra Namuna as it posted a total of 145/9 and restricted Triton for 136/7. Nepali collected 60 runs in his 43-ball innings that included five fours and three sixes. Dipendra Chand made 18 runs while Dilip Natch scored 15 runs.
Manjeet Shrestha of Triton bagged four wickets in his four over spell conceding 34 runs while Sunam Gautam claimed three. Ajay Rajbanshi and Ritesh Singh claimed one wicket apiece.
Triton could not make good start as it lost opener Sunny Pun in the first ball. Other opener Dipendra Chaudhary could collect seven runs from 13 deliveries. Gautam consolidated Trition innings hitting 31 off 26 while Rajesh Pulami was out without scoring.
Manjeet Shrestha (28) and Antim Thapa (31) played 66 runs partnership for the fifth wicket keeping afloat the team´s hope. But Surendra Chand, the joint man-of-the-match along with Roshan Nepali, bowled out Shrestha and Thapa in save over to dash Triton hope. Unbeaten Ajay Rajbanshi scored 22 off 16 but failed to avert the defeat.
Sunil Tamang got two scalps while Niraj Rawal and Samir Nagarkoti had share in a wicket each.
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