http://myrepublica.com/portal/news_rss.php MYREPUBLICA RSS en-us Sat, 18 May 2013 14:56:27 NPT Sat, 18 May 2013 14:56:27 NPT http://myrepublica.com INFO@MYREPUBLICA.COM nilesh_man@hotmail.com http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54852 NEW DELHI, May 18: The arrest of three Indian cricketers for spot-fixing has prompted new fears over the growing influence of betting mafias on the game in the subcontinent and despair about the "cancer" of corruption. Police behind the arrests say the trio were acting under orders from crime syndicates whose bosses are based in the Gulf but are well aware of the rewards if they can manipulate events on the field throughout the cricket-mad region.[break] Commentators meanwhile say administrators from across South Asia have to share some of the blame for the growing list of scandals after failing to ostracise players who have previously been fingered by investigators. "The spot-fixing cancer has spread far and wide and there is no cure unless authorities take strict action against players," leading cricket historian Boria Majumdar told AFP. "Cricketers who are found guilty should have nothing to do with the game for the rest of their lives." The three arrested Thursday, including Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, are said to have deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. It is the second such scandal to have rocked the tournament in as many years and comes only months after leading umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were caught in a TV sting being apparently willing to give favourable decisions in exchange for cash during other Twenty20 competitions in the region. Last year´s inaugural edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, another Twenty20 tournament, was also marred by corruption allegations and saw former Bangladeshi international Shariful Haque being indefinitely banned. And the biggest cricket corruption scandal of recent years ended up with the jailing of three Pakistani players, including former skipper Salman Butt, for spot-fixing during a Test match against England at Lord´s in August 2010. With the exception of Sri Lanka, betting is illegal in the cricket-playing nations of South Asia but backstreet bookmakers abound, accepting bets for everything from the outcome of matches to the runs scored each over and extras. Investigators say such an array of bets makes the game particularly vulnerable to manipulation. "It is a fact that illegal syndicates of bookies and punters are thriving across the subcontinent," one of the investigators behind Thursday´s arrests told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Cricket has become a vehicle for bookies to make pots of money. "We are still trying to trace the exact flow of the cash but our preliminary investigations show the bookies were operating under instructions of a mafia network based in Dubai", which happens to be the headquarters of the International Cricket Council. ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said after Thursday´s arrests that the sport´s governing body and its members "have collectively taken measures to tighten vigilance... as well as offering strict penalties to those found guilty of illegal conduct". But commentators point out that some of the sport´s biggest names remain very much part of the cricketing fraternity, despite being previously caught up in corruption scandals. A Pakistani judge fined the bowlers Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed and recommended that neither be allowed to captain their country after a corruption inquiry a decade ago but both men have gone on to mentor teams in the IPL. Shane Warne, the legendary Australian who accepted cash from bookmakers in return for information about the pitch, captained the Rajasthan Royals to victory in the first edition of the IPL in 2008. Like Akram, Warne is now a regular television pundit. Meanwhile the former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, who received a life ban for alleged match-fixing, was later elected as a lawmaker for the ruling Congress party. The high court struck down his life ban last year. Sharda Ugra, senior editor at ESPNcricinfo website, said administrators had missed a chance in the past to send out a clear zero-tolerance signal. "It is time the administrators show they mean business. The latest corruption scandal is a test case for the authorities," she told AFP. The litany of scandal has left fans both depressed and outraged, with an effigy of Sreesanth set alight on Thursday night in Bangalore. "We buy tickets to watch the matches and cheer on the players only to realise that some of them were just puppets in the hands of the bookies," said Ajay Diwan, a fan from New Delhi. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54851 MADRID, May 18: Atletico Madrid won their 10th Spanish Cup on Friday when they beat bitter city rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in extra-time in a match which saw both Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo sent-off. Real had been unbeaten in the previous 25 meetings between the two sides dating back 14 years and Mourinho´s men got off to the perfect start when Ronaldo headed in Luka Modric´s corner.[break] However, Diego Costa levelled for Atletico 10 minutes before half-time and Los Rojiblancos rode their luck as Mesut Ozil, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo all hit the post for Real. Mourinho, expected to be back in charge at Chelsea next season, was then sent from the touchline 13 minutes from the end of normal time before Miranda headed Atletico in front eight minutes into extra time. There was even more drama to come as Ronaldo was shown a straight red card for reacting angrily to a late challenge from Gabi with six minutes remaining. "We had two clear chances on goal, we hit the post three times -- this is why I think it is unfair," said Mourinho. But Gabim who was also sent-off, insisted his side were worthy winners. "This team has worked hard, to be here with the fans," Gabi told TVE. "We deserve it, this victory is for them, for those people that have waited 14 years to see Atletico beat Madrid." Real captain Sergio Ramos was left to rue their missed chances throughout the 120 minutes. "After the first goal we maybe relaxed and they pushed us back," he said. "We have four or five clear chances and when you don´t take them, then you regret it. It is clear that this is the reality and we have to accept it." Mourinho, who could well have sat on the Real bench for the last time as he is now likely to receive a four-game touchline ban, continued to controversially freeze out Pepe after his outspoken comments against the coach. Raul Albiol was preferred alongside Ramos in central defence. However, buoyed by the confidence that they had won all eight derbies during Mourinho´s reign, Real took just 13 minutes to make the breakthrough as Ronaldo was given far too much room by Diego Godin and Radamel Falcao to register his 55th goal of the season with a precise header. Gabi responded for Atletico with their first shot on goal moments later that flew over the bar, but despite enjoying a decent spell of possession, Diego Simeone´s men were finding it difficult to create a clear-cut opening. However, when it did arrive on 35 minutes they took full advantage. Falcao called Mourinho´s decision to field Albiol into question as he turned the Spanish international and released Costa to fire in his eighth goal in the competition with a low drive past Diego Lopez. The equaliser sparked Real into life in the final throws of the opening half as Modric drilled a low shot just wide from the edge of the area before Ozil struck the inside of the post with a half-volley. Real ought to have been back in front on the hour mark as Ronaldo burst down the left and his cut back was fired against the post by Benzema. Real then struck the post for the third time as a Ronaldo free-kick came back off the upright. Mourinho was then sent from the touchline for protesting after a number of marginal decisions went against his side. Atletico had the first chance in extra-time as Costa was released clean through on goal, but his effort was too close to Lopez. From the resulting corner they did take their chance as Koke´s second attempt at a cross from the right was flicked in at the near post by Miranda. Atletico´s task in the final minutes was made easier when Ronaldo kicked out at Gabi and saw a straight red card. Gabi was also sent off but Simeone´s team held on to seal their third trophy in little over a year. My worst ever season, says Mourinho MADRID, May 18:  Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho described his side´s season as the worst of his trophy-laden, colourful career after Atletico Madrid edged a 2-1 extra-time Spanish Cup triumph. Real have already surrendered their La Liga title to Barcelona and were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals, leaving the former Chelsea boss to lament a return of just the Spanish Supercup in terms of silverware. "A career is made up of many years, not just one. I don´t know anyone who always has fantastic seasons, winning important titles," said Mourinho, whose desperation was illustrated when he was sent to the stands on Friday. "This is the worst season of my career with a title that is not sufficient to satisfy Real Madrid and therefore it is a bad season. "With a final, a semi-final, second place in the league and the Supercup, what for many would be a good season, for me is the worst." Mourinho, who is widely expected to be back in charge at Chelsea next season, refused to speculate on whether or not he would be in the Real hot-seat for a fourth year. "I have a contract for three more years and I have still not sat down with the president to talk about my future," he said. "It is normal to me that they talk about (Carlo) Ancelotti or someone else. Also that they speak about me going to Chelsea, or here or there. "I have to be honest. Until the day that the president sits down with me and the club does something official it has to be like this." Mourinho insisted Atletico had not been deserving winners. After goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa had the scores level at 1-1 just before half-time, Real went on to hit the post three times before Miranda scored the winning goal for Atletico eight minutes into extra time. Mourinho´s men still went on to miss two glorious chances to level through Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil before their awful night was compounded when Ronaldo saw a straight red card for reacting to a late challenge from Gabi. "The result is 1-1 and it is not normal to hit the post three times," added Mourinho. "You don´t have to be a magician of football to think that the result is not fair, that Atletico are not the deserved winners of the final. "In extra-time we had two opportunities, one for Higuain and the other for Ozil. The result is not deserved, but in football everything is forgotten. "The refereeing is forgotten, the shots off the post are forgotten, all that remains is that the winner is Atletico." Atletico boss Diego Simeone lauded his players as they followed up their Europa League success of last season with their first Copa del Rey title in 17 years. "It was an incredible game. We had the luck you need to have to be champions," he said. "Then we had two chances, but what these players have done in a year and a half is incredible. I don´t have words for it." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54829 KATHMANDU, May 17: Gurkha Cup, the first top-flight knockout football tournament of the season, will feature a total of 16 teams as ANFA has included three additional teams in the event scheduled to be held in the capital from May 23 to June 12. The tournament will feature all the A division teams, except NRT, as well as the winners of the A and B division district leagues and the runner-up of the Martyrs Memorial B division League. All A division clubs had competed in the last two editions of the tournament. [break] The tournament was known as British Gurkha Cup until the last edition, the third edition. Issuing a press statement on Friday, ANFA said it has included Munal Club of Jhapa and Deshbhakta Youth Club of Nawalparasi as A and B division district league champions. Tusal Youth Club, the runner-up of Martyrs Memorial B Division League, is the third team to be included in the tournament. Meanwhile, ANFA has also eased restrictions on players recruitment for the three teams -- Munal, Deshbhakta and Tusal -- for the event. "The three teams can enroll any player who has not joined any A division team so far. Such players will be free to join any team after completion of the tournament," said Indraman Tuladhar, the CEO of ANFA. Meanwhile, ANFA said the draw for the tournament was made at its headquarters on Friday in the presence of all the participating teams. The participating teams have been divided into four groups. The winners and runners-up of each group in the round-robin league will progress to the quarterfinals. Munal Club, Nepal Police Club, Saraswati Club and Machhindra Club have been drawn in Group A, while Group B comprises Deshbhakta, Three Star Club, Armed Police Force (APF) and Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT). Similarly, Tusal, Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC), Nepal Army Club and Sankata are in Group C while Himalayan Sherpa, Friends, Jawalakhel and Boys Union are in Group D. Nepal Police Club will take on Munal Club in the inaugural match. Two matches will be held every day during the round robin league while only one match will take place from the quarterfinal round. The event carries a total cash prize of Rs 2 million, of which the winner will take home Rs 1 million while the runner-up will get Rs 500,000. It is the second biggest knockout tournament in Nepal in terms of prize money after Ncell Cup. The best player of the tournament will be given a motorbike, while the best players in four different positions -- goalkeeping, defense, midfield and forward -- and the best coach will be awarded Rs 50,000 each. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54824 KATHMANDU, May 17: Himalayan Expedition on Friday briefed participants about the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon, the highest marathon in the world, a day before they fly to Lukla to compete in the event. The marathon to be held on May 29 will start from the Everest Base Camp I, situated at an altitude of 5,300 meters, and will end at Namche Bazar (3,450 meters). The marathon will pass through Gorakseph (5,160 meters), Lobuche (4,928 meters), Thukla (4,611 meters), Bibre (4,492 meters), Pyangboche (3,995 meters), Tyangboche (3,890 meters), Lobisasa (3,495 meters), Kangjuma (3,592 meters) and Chortern (3,560 meters). [break] The marathon is being organized every year on May 29 for the past 10 years to commemorate the day Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillay conquered Everest for the first time. The organizer has arranged for medical teams as well as helicopter in case of emergency during the race. "The highest marathon in the world is fully safe," claimed Shikhar Pandey, the event manager, during the briefing. The event is recognized by the Government of Nepal, the Nepal Tourism Board and the Sagarmatha National Park. Meanwhile, a 60-km ultra race has also been included in the current edition to celebrate the diamond jubilee (60 years) of the first ascent of Everest. The ultra race will begin from Upper Pyangboche (4,010 meters) and will pass through Fortse (3,895 meters), Nyahala (4,397 meters), Morchema (4,395 meters), Dole (4,030 meters), Fortse Tenga (3,642 meters), Mongla (4,395 meters), Kangjuma (3,592 meters) and Chorten before concluding at Namche. According to event manager Pandey, the event will feature competition in open category as well as separate competitions for men, women and foreigners. Altogether 107 runners from 17 foreign countries and more than 30 runners from Nepal have already confirmed participation in the event. Meanwhile, eight runners from six different countries have registered their names for the 60-km ultra race. "We started the marathon with the objective of developing Nepal as a tourism destination, and the last 10 editions have been a grand success," said Pandey, adding, "Everest has been a center of attraction for adventure sports lovers all across the globe." The winners of the open marathon and the ultra race will both bag Rs 100,000, while the runners-up and the second runners-up will get Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 each respectively. Similarly, the top three finishers in the open half marathon as well the women´s and foreigners´ categories will receive Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54823 KATHMANDU, May 17: Higher Secondary School´s Association-Nepal (HISSAN), Private and Boarding School´s Organization, Nepal (PABSON) and National-PABSON published the calendar for the First National School Sports (Junior Championship) on Friday. The three organizations are jointly organizing the First National School Sports in Kathmandu from June 10 to 14 under the initiative of National Sports Council (NSC). School Sports Development Board (SSDB) will coordinate the technical aspects of the event. [break] The organizers published the full calendar of the event amidst a press conference held in the capital on Friday. As per the calendar, schools should complete players´ registration process by Tuesday in their respective districts. Selection tournaments at the district level will be held from May 23 to 29 while regional selection tournaments are scheduled for May 30 to June 8. It is the first multi-event national tournament for junior athletes. According to SSDB Secretary Kul Bahadur Thapa, altogether 14 sports are included in the Junior Championship. "Table tennis, swimming, badminton and baghchal are open events while selection tournaments will be held at district and regional levels for 10 other games -- taekwondo, karate, wushu, athletics, football, volleyball, basketball, kabaddi, cricket and chess," informed Thapa. According to Thapa, only athletes aged 12 to 16 years are eligible to participate in the tournament. "Though the tournament is being organized by private schools´ organizations, government schools also can participate in the championship," said Yuvaraj Lama, member secretary of NSC. "The championship is the first step in our long-term plan of winning Olympic medals. We decided to start the championship as we realized that without developing sports at the grassroots level, we can not progress at the international level. To realize our goal, we have joined hands with the private sector," added Lama. The championship is being organized with the slogan, ´Compulsory sports, our mission´. "Though HISSAN is an association of higher secondary schools, we are supporting the Junior Championship as we know school is the foundation," said Umesh Shrestha, president of HISSAN. "Learning from the experience of the Junior Championship, we´ll soon introduce another national championship for +2 students," said Shrestha. N-PABSON President Geeta Rana and PABSON President Baburam Pokharel thanked NSC for taking the initiative to bridge sports and education for the first time. Both of them vowed to make the event a great success. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54822 KATHMANDU: National Sports Council (NSC) suspended treasurer of Nepal Taekwondo Association, Rabiraj Singh from the post on Friday. Singh, who faces allegations of involvement in smuggling of fake Indian currency, is currently in police custody. "Singh has been suspended until the investigation and legal processes are completed," said a press statement issued by NSC. GoldenGate, Prime in quarters KATHMANDU: GoldenGate and Prime College entered the quarterfinals of First University Basketball Championship on Friday. GoldenGate thrashed Kathmandu Engineering College 72-32 with 25 points from Bikash Dangol while Prime edged past Softwarica 64-47 riding on 28 points scored by Siddhartha Maharjan. Likewise, British Gurkha thumped Kantipur Engineering College 63-18 on Friday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54816 LONDON, May 17: New Zealand´s Tim Southee took two wickets in two balls as England collapsed on the second day of the first Test at Lord´s on Friday. At lunch, England, who had won the toss, were 209 for eight, having lost four wickets for nine runs in 17 balls against accurate New Zealand seam bowling in overcast conditions. [break] Jonny Bairstow, three not out overnight, was unbeaten on 29, with Steven Finn two not out. England resumed on 160 for four. Joe Root (25 not out overnight) and Yorkshire colleague Bairstow kept New Zealand at bay for more than an hour after the new ball was taken in Friday´s first over. Root came into this match, his home Test debut, on the back of making 179 for the second-string England Lions against New Zealand. But there was no similar success on Friday. Southee made the breakthrough with one of his worst deliveries of the session, a ball down the legside. Root, however, did not get enough on his glance and was caught behind by wicket-keeper BJ Watling for 40, the best individual score of the innings so far. New batsman Matt Prior had frustrated New Zealand with a superb unbeaten hundred that ensured a draw and a 0-0 result in a three-match series when the teams last met in Auckland in March. But the wicketkeeper was lbw first ball Friday to Southee, caught on the crease. He reviewed Steve Davis´s decision but the Australian umpire´s verdict was upheld. Stuart Broad survived the hat-trick, the ball whistling past his off-stump. But he was soon out for nought when plumb lbw to a full-length ball from Neil Wagner before the left-arm paceman had Graeme Swann caught behind. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54773 KATHMANDU, May 16: Locals of Singamangal, Kathmandu felicitated Nepal No 1 golfer Shiva Ram Shrestha on Thursday for his title victory in the Surya Nepal Masters 2013. Shrestha, who also hails from Sinamangal, was handed over a letter of appreciation by NC leader Gagan Thapa, chief guest of the program . During the program, the locals also honored Shrestha´s parents -- Arjun and Pyari. "Shiva Ram´s (Shrestha´s) stories of struggle and success would be an inspiration for the coming generation," said Thapa. Shrestha thanked his well-wishers and supporters and vowed to perform better in future.[break] KTM Bike Festival on Sunday KATHMANDU: Epic Events and Lalitpur District Cycling Association (LDCA) announced to host the Second Kathmandu Bike Festival on Sunday at Gyanodaya International Residential School, Khokana in Lalitpur. Epic Events and LDCA organized a press conference on Thursday and informed that the festival would feature Inter-School Cross Country Mountain Bike Race, Dirt Jump Competition as well as a fun competition called F1 Race. "Springwood is the sponsor of the cross country event while Kali helmet is the sponsor of dirt jump. The cross country is to inspire young generation for cycling while dirt jump is organized for those who want to show their cycling style," said Nirakar Yakthumba, director of Epic Events. LDCA President Upendra SJB Rana said the event is organized to promote cycling culture as well as to promote as a destination for mountain biking. Nepal Cycling Association Secretary Sanjiv Pandey opined that the festival would help in finding new and talented riders. Sankata to earn Rs 2.5m in rent KATHMANDU: CMG Club Sankata on Thursday inaugurated Sankata Bazaar at Sundhara, Kathmandu. The A division outfit will earn a profit of Rs 2.5 million per annum from the 37 shopping stalls it has rented to most of the members of the club. Though the shopping stalls are owned by Nepal Airlines Corporations, the club has taken the shopping stalls on lease for Rs 180,000 per month for a period of five years. Talking to Republica, Sankata President Indraman Tuladhar said the club earns Rs 10 million in income from different sources per annum and is planning to construct its own ground and stadium and start a football academy. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54775 (Updated) LONDON, May 17: Football megastar David Beckham announced on Thursday that he is to retire after a glittering 20-year playing career in which he became one of the most widely recognised figures in world sport. The former England captain, 38, made the announcement shortly after winning the Ligue 1 title with French giants Paris Saint-Germain, which made him the first Englishman to win league championships in four different countries.[break] He bows out from the game at the same time as his former Manchester United mentor Alex Ferguson, who handed Beckham his professional debut in 1992 and thereby launched one of the most newsworthy careers in the history of the English game. Beckham went on to play for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as PSG, and won 115 caps for England, an unprecedented feat for an outfield player. "I´m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level," Beckham said. "If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club, Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times, and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. "I´m fortunate to have realised those dreams." Blessed with an extraordinarily accurate right foot, Beckham was renowned for his dead-ball prowess and his seemingly limitless reserves of stamina. He won six league titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League with United, creating both injury-time goals as Ferguson´s side stormed back to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final. He joined Madrid in 2003, where he won the Spanish league title four years later. Beckham moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and won two MLS Cup titles with the Galaxy, but he spent two loan spells at Milan and then returned to Europe in January this year, when he signed a short-term deal with PSG. He is fondly remembered for his exploits in an England shirt, having captained his country for six years and played at three World Cups. "I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country," he said. Beckham´s global celebrity also turned him into a one-man marketing phenomenon with a glut of lucrative endorsements. He has long-standing sponsorship deals with firms including Adidas, Armani and Samsung and is believed to share a £200-million ($306-million, 237-million euro) fortune with his wife, Victoria, the pop star turned fashion designer and mother of his four children. However, he said he wanted to be remembered as a sportsman, rather than a celebrity. "I just want people to see me as a hard-working footballer, someone with passion for the game and every time I stepped onto the pitch, I´ve given everything I have, because that´s how I feel," he told Sky Sports News. "People have looked at other things that have happened in my career and sometimes that´s overshadowed what I´ve achieved on the pitch. As much as I say that doesn´t hurt me, it does." Football Association chairman David Bernstein described Beckham as "an iconic figure", while former United team-mate and close friend Gary Neville saluted his impact on English football. "He had incredible stamina and energy. He was a joy to play with," said Neville. "And when you think back on the way football has changed over the last 22 years, he has probably been the most influential player in that time out of England in terms of transforming football." England manager Roy Hodgson said he hoped Beckham would remain in the game. "I´m rather hoping we´ll be able to keep him in football because we can really benefit from his experience, we can really benefit from his charisma and we certainly benefit from the magnificent past he has had as a football player," he said. Former England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson paid tribute to "a fantastic football player, a fantastic man", while FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: "It´s the end of a chapter of an amazing story. "David grew up as a football loving child and achieved his dreams, and unquestionably inspired millions of boys and girls to try and do the same." As one of Britain´s most recognisable figures, Beckham also worked as an ambassador for last year´s London Olympics and carried the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony in a glitzy speedboat ride down the River Thames. British Olympic Association chairman Sebastian Coe said Beckham had been "a constant source of support and inspiration". He is due to play his final game for PSG at Lorient´s Stade du Moustoir on May 26. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54774 KATHMANDU, May 16: Nepali Congress on Thursday felicitated the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 champion Nepali cricket team with a cash prize of Rs 200,000 at its head office in Sanepa. Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala handed over a check worth Rs 200,000 to captain Paras Khadka and manager Tarani Bikram Shah amidst a function. Earlier, UCPN-Maoist had honored all the members of the squad with Rs 25,000 each on May 8, the day team returned home from Bermuda. [break] "Despite shortcomings and limited resources the cricket team has made the entire nation proud," said Koirala. "I want to thank coach Pubudu Dassanayake, manager and the entire team for the achievement." "Nepali cricket has gained big success despite short history. We believe Nepali cricket could hoist the national flag in world cricket as well," said Koirala. He also urged the state to increase facilities for players. Skipper Khadka said the felicitation would motivate players to perform better in future. Meanwhile, Madan Bhandari Sports Foundation also felicitated the cricket team amidst separate function in the capital on Thursday. CPN-UML leader KP Oli and vice president Bidhya Bhandari gave away letter of appreciation to the players. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54759 NEW DELHI, May 16: Indian cricket authorities suspended Thursday three players, including Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, for alleged spot-fixing during the ongoing Indian Premier League tournament. Bowlers Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were the other two players suspended from the domestic Twenty20 competition.[break] "The three players... stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty," a statement by the authorities said. Sreesanth, 30, was arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai along with his Rajasthan Royal teammates and the trio were being brought to the national capital for questioning, a police source told AFP. The India paceman was arrested at a friend´s house while his teammates were taken into custody at a hotel after returning from a match Wednesday night against the Mumbai Indians. In this photograph taken on August 9, 2011, Indian cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth attends a practice session at The Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, central England. Indian international fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two teammates have been arrested for spot-fixing in a domestic Twenty20 competition, a report said May 16, 2013. Sreesanth, 30, was arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai along with fellow bowlers Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila on charges of spot-fixing, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said. (AFP) The Rajasthan Royals franchise said in a statement they would co-operate fully with police in the investigation. "We are completely taken by surprise... we will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation," it said. "The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game," the statement added. The Press Trust of India news agency said police have also arrested seven bookmakers in Mumbai and three in Delhi for their alleged involvement in the scandal. Sreesanth, who played the last of his 27 Tests against England two years ago, is no stranger to controversy, and was famously slapped by his teammate Harbhajan Singh during an IPL match in 2008. Sreesanth has also played 53 one-day internationals. Spot-fixing, which refers to fixing any part of the game, hit the headlines in 2011 when three Pakistani players were banned after being found guilty of contriving no-balls in return for money in a 2010 Test in England. Former captain Salman Butt got a 10-year ban, with five years suspended, and Mohammad Asif was barred for seven years, with two suspended. Mohammad Aamer was banned for five years -- the minimum punishment under the International Cricket Council code. All three, along with their agent Mazhar Majeed, were also jailed by an English court in 2011 for spot-fixing. The three players were released last year. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54751 AMSTERDAM, May 16: A 93rd-minute header from Branislav Ivanovic gave Chelsea a stunning 2-1 victory over Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday as the London club claimed the trophy for the first time in heart-stopping fashion. The game in Amsterdam seemed destined for extra time after Fernando Torres´ superb 60th-minute opener for Chelsea was cancelled out by an Oscar Cardozo penalty, only for Ivanovic to net a dramatic winner with a looping header in stoppage time.[break] Club captain John Terry sat the game out with an ankle injury, but just as he had done after last season´s Champions League final, which he missed through suspension, he donned his full kit to lift the trophy alongside fellow Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard. "It´s a great feeling," said Ivanovic. "This team deserved this, because we have had a very difficult season and a lot of games." Victory made Chelsea the first team to simultaneously hold the Champions League and Europa League titles, although they will relinquish their Champions League crown in 10 days. More lasting is the statistic that they are only the fourth club to have claimed Europe´s three major trophies -- including the now-defunct Cup Winners´ Cup -- after Ajax, Bayern Munich and Juventus. Chelsea´s interim manager Rafael Benitez, meanwhile, joins Giovanni Trapattoni as one of only two coaches to have won the trophy with two different clubs, following his 2004 success with Valencia. "That was a great performance in the second half, against a very good team," said the Spaniard, who has already fulfilled his primary objective of qualifying the club for next season´s Champions League, despite lingering opposition from fans. "The players have worked so hard, all season. I am proud -- it was not easy. I´m really pleased, really proud." The manner of defeat was cruel on Jorge Jesus´ enterprising side and means that Benfica have now lost seven consecutive European finals since claiming their last major continental crown in 1962. "The Benfica fans were better than the Chelsea fans," said Jesus. "They deserved a Benfica victory for their passion and their feelings and the patriotism they showed. "This defeat is difficult for me because of the Benfica fans. For most of the 93 minutes, Benfica was always better than Chelsea." Benfica had seen their Portuguese title hopes seriously compromised in a 2-1 stoppage-time loss to Porto in their previous game, but they banished any fears about their mental state with an assured start to the game that bordered on insouciance at times. Indeed, so authoritative were Benfica, and so lacklustre Chelsea, that only an apparent inability to shoot at the appropriate moment prevented Jesus´ side from taking the lead before half-time. Cardozo headed an early chance over the bar, Eduardo Salvio saw a shot blocked, Rodrigo miscued twice during a frantic goal-mouth scramble, and Nicolas Gaitan twice fired over after neat approach play. With languid former Chelsea man Nemanja Matic orchestrating Benfica´s attacks from a deep position, the English side were struggling to find a foothold. They did not test Benfica goalkeeper Artur until Oscar put an effort straight at him in the 27th minute, although the Brazilian was almost deceived by a swerving Lampard shot that he palmed over the bar in unorthodox fashion seven minutes before half-time. Cardozo had a header ruled out for offside early in the second half, and although the call was correct, it was extremely marginal. Salvio saw a header fielded by Petr Cech in the 59th minute, but within seconds, the ball was in the Benfica net. Cech´s long throw down the centre was helped on by Juan Mata and Torres showed superb strength and composure to hold off Luisao and then round Artur, delaying to send the goalkeeper down before rolling the ball home. It was a Chelsea smash-and-grab goal plucked straight from last season´s Champions League textbook, but the lead was to last only eight minutes. Cesar Azpilicueta handled Salvio´s header just inside the Chelsea penalty area and Cardozo drilled his spot-kick into the middle of the goal to claim his seventh goal in this season´s competition. Cech had to produce a finger-tip save to prevent a half-volleyed lob by Cardozo from dipping beneath the crossbar, before Lampard almost gave the game a fairytale late finish with a 25-yard pile-driver that hit the bar. Extra time beckoned when the fourth official raised his board to show three minutes of injury time, only for Ivanovic to send a header arcing over Artur from Mata´s corner and break Benfica´s hearts. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54746 KATHMANDU, May 15: Meghraj KC, who joined NIBL Friends Club as an interim coach during the super league rounds of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League, has been appointed as the head coach of the Kupondole-based A division outfit for the new season. ´The club has appointed KC as the head coach," Friends President Ratna Shumsher Rana told Republica. "He looked after the team during the super league and the club also achieved good results under him. Thus we decided to give continuity to KC." [break] Under KC, Friends had achieved three wins and draws each and a defeat during the super league last season. Friends had also earned the second highest points in the super league. KC had joined Friends on loan from Himalayan Sherpa for the super league as per the agreement between the two clubs. "Friends asked me to give continuity as I´ve been looking after the club since the super league," said the 39-year-old resident of Jawalakhel, "I found the proposal suitable." Almost all senior players of the club including skipper Sagar Thapa, Jagjeet Shrestha, Nirajan Khadka, Prakash Budhathoki and Leonce Dodoz have left the club this season. Meanwhile, Friends has signed former national player Ranjit Shrestha, who returned from Korea after two years, Pukar Ale and Ajeet Prajapati of Bansbari, Victor, Susan Lama and Buddha Lama of Bauddha, and Arjun Subba of APF. Similarly, Friends has given continuity to its old players Deepak Gurung, Ritesh Malla, Bishnu KC, Maniram Chaudhary, Kuber Singh, Gajendra Shahi and Santosh Tamang. According to newly appointed coach KC, the team has been preparing for the Gurkha Cup for the last 10 days. "We have young players and I have requested the club to arrange for a regular training. I will do my best to fulfill my duty. A lot of things depend on the support from players and club." According to President Rana, the club will hire new players after analyzing the team´s performance during the Gurkha Cup. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54743 KATHMANDU, May 15: All Nepal Lawn Tennis Association (ANLTA) on Wednesday said it will construct two new courts at its tennis complex in Satdobato. After the construction of the two new courts, there will be a total of eight courts at the complex. Organizing a press conference in the capital on Wednesday, ANLTA President Manoj Rana said the tennis courts will be constructed with the fund received from the International Tennis Federation (ITF). [break]"We have received US$ 15,000 through the Grand Slam Development Fund of ITF and the amount will be used for the construction of two new tennis courts at the complex," said Rana. "Two new courts are currently under construction, and we will have eight courts at the complex once the construction of two more courts is over. Once we have eight courts, we will also fulfill the requirements for hosting international tournaments at Satdobato," said Rana, adding that the deadline for completing the construction works is two years. "But we will try to finish it within six months and host a South Asian level tournament by 2014." President Rana, Prithivi Bahadur Pandey of Nepal Investment Bank, Dinesh Tuladhar of Himalayan Hotel and Bikash Rana of Shikhar Insurance have made a personal contribution of Rs 500,000 each for the two courts currently under construction. "After fulfilling international requirements we could host Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup. We are planning to organize an international tournament by 2014," stated Rana, adding that Little Angels´ School was planning to host an international level school tournament. After completion of all the construction works, the tennis complex will have two doubles courts and six singles courts. ANLTA Generan Secretary Manohar Das Mool said they have been receiving funds for the last few years. "This is the first time that we have received such big funds from ITF for construction works. This is the faith put by ITF in ANLTA," said Mool. "The fund will be used to upgrade the office and parapet, build a hostel for players, host IOC solidarity course and ultimately host international tournaments," said Rana, adding that it was the first funding from ITF during his tenure. According to Rana, construction of the two new courts will cost Rs 1.5 million to Rs 2 million and they will raise the remaining amount through donors within the country. "National Sports Council has assured to provide Rs 2.5 million for the construction of physical infrastructure." "We are also running a training program for juniors three days a week with the slogan Tennis Children for Tomorrow. With support from ITF, we hope we can send our best junior players abroad for high-performance training camp every year," said Rana. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54732 KATHMANDU, May 15: Cricket legend Brian Lara has said that he is planning to visit Nepal this year. The West Indian batting great has mentioned about his possible visit to Nepal in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "Up@3am in the morning going to read a little about Nepal, going there is on my bucket list. This year #amustdo #cricketchamps," tweeted Lara. He has, however, not mentioned when he will visit Nepal.[break] Earlier on May 5, interacting with Nepali cricket fans on his Twitter page on the eve of the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 final between Nepal and Uganda, Lara had said that he was a big fan of Nepal. "All the best 2 Nepal in the finals may the best team win. I´m a big fan of urs n Uganda´s cricket," Lara had then posted on his Twitter account along with a picture of him with two Nepali fans in Bermuda. Lara, a left-handed batsman who is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen of all time, holds several records including the highest individual score in a Test innings -- 400 not out against England in 2004. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54745 KATHMANDU, May 15: Ending its indecisiveness over whether to quit football, Machhindra Club is planning to hand over the football management to a group for a year. The A division outfit was in serious discussions regarding its participation in top-tier football citing huge cost of managing the football team. "Some members of the club are willing to take over management. Thus we are mulling handover of football management for a year," Machhindra President Jibendra Lal Karmacharya said. "We will reach a decision by this week." [break] "Some members have opined that we should pull out. Now we will hold talks with members interested in taking over the management," said Karmacharya. The management group will be responsible for all football activities including players´ selection and appointment of coach and will be paid a certain amount by the club. Besides, the new management will sign sponsorship deals, receive funds from ANFA and match proceeds. "We will take another decision next year" said Karmacharya, "The club will also get time for other social activities after the management handover." However, Sunil Kapali, former president of the club, claimed that former vice-president Anil Shrestha has been given the management responsibility of the club along with Rs 2 million. "Machhindra Football Club (MFC) will be formed under Machhindra Club and MFC will be responsible for all football activities," said Kapali. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54741 KATHMANDU, May 15: The qualifiers for the Martyrs Memorial C Division Football League will begin from Thursday at the Sano Gaucharan ground in Kathmandu. Altogether 90 teams are competing in the tournament to be held in knockout format and the winner will qualify for the upcoming C division league. The participating teams have been divided into two groups. [break]The inaugural match will be played between Bhaktapur Football Club and Nageshwari Chhamdo Club on Thursday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54733 KATHMANDU, May 15: Royal Nepal Golf Club caddy Kamal Thapa defended the title of CMS All Nepal Caddy Open Golf Tournament on Wednesday. Thapa carded nine-over 100 on his home course to win the tournament played on 27 holes in strokeplay scratch handicap format. Thapa bagged a purse of Rs 18,000 along with the winner´s trophy.[break] Two other RNGC caddies -- Bikash Adhikari and Gyanendra Bahadur Raut -- finished joint second with scores of 11-over 102. They received Rs 10,500 each. Kishan Kaliraj, also of RNGC, received Rs 1,000 for the most birdies while Sanjeev CK of Himalayan Golf Club, Pokhara won the prize for the longest drive. Similarly, Amit Bogati of Gokarna Golf Club bagged Rs 1,000 for closest to the pin. Cut was applied after 18 holes with the top 20 and ties making to the last nine holes. Altogether 65 caddies from across the country had participated in the annual event sponsored by International Society for Medical Education (ISME) Pvt Ltd. Five caddies each from Himalayan Golf Course of Pokhara, Nirvana Country Club of Dharan and Tribhuvan Army Officers Golf Club of Kathmandu had participated in the tournament. Likewise, 16 caddies from Gokarna Golf Club and 32 from the host club had vied for the title. ISME Pvt Ltd Chairman and CEO Nagender K Pampati, RNGC Secretary NK Rai, Nepal Golf Association General Secretary Tashi Ghale and Nepal Professional Golfers Association President Rabindra Man Shrestha handed over the prizes to the winners. Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony, NGA General Secretary Ghale said the caddy tournament is an important tournament for the development of Nepali golf. "Shiva Ram Shrestha recently won the Surya Nepal Masters and to inform you all, he was picked from a similar caddy tournament then," said Ghale. "I can see future heroes here in this tournament also," he added. Meanwhile, Pampati vowed to make the tournament better every year and also congratulated Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram Shrestha for winning the Surya Nepal Masters 2013. "I wish to see him playing golf not only in India and Nepal but beyond that as well," said Pampati, who has been providing all kinds of support to Shrestha to play in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54704 LONDON, May 14: Wigan were relegated from the Premier League just three days after their FA Cup final triumph as Arsenal seized control of the race to finish in the top four with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday. Roberto Martinez´s side had arrived at the Emirates Stadium hopeful that their dramatic upset against Manchester City would prove the springboard for another great escape in the relegation battle.[break] But Arsenal desperately needed the points as well as they try to qualify for the Champions League and the Gunners romped home thanks to a brace from Lukas Podolski and strikes from Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. Shaun Maloney had given Wigan hope with a first half equaliser, but the Latics, running on fumes after their Wembley heroics, will experience the unique anguish of becoming the first side to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season. "It is really disappointing," Martinez said. "I never expected this to happen. The group of players we have are an incredible bunch and we didn´t deserve this. "It´s a tough day, but we have had incredible eight years in the Premier League." While Wigan, four points behind Sunderland with one game left, will be back in the second tier for the first time since 2005, Arsene Wenger´s team are on course to play in the Champions League for a 16th consecutive season. They had fallen two points behind Tottenham after their north London rivals won at Stoke, but now head to Newcastle on Sunday knowing another win will guarantee a top four finish. They would not even need three points if Tottenham fail to beat Sunderland at White Hart Lane. Wenger added: "We were a bit edgy after conceding, but when we scored the second it was a massive blow for Wigan. "They never recovered and we comfortably scored two more. "It is sad they go down because they play good football with intelligent players." Martinez named the same starting line-up that stunned City, but the Latics seemed sapped of energy and they surrendered the lead in careless fashion in the 11th minute. When Santi Cazorla lofted over a corner, Wigan´s statuesque defenders allowed the ball to bounce just six yards from goal and Podolski, having escaped some slack marking from James McArthur and Emmerson Boyce, took full advantage as he stooped to head past Joel Robles. Over 20,000 Wigan supporters had celebrated their triumph at Wembley, but the tiny group, numbering no more than 500, who made the return trip to north London were beginning to get a sinking feeling in the torrential rain. Wigan´s sloppy defending has been their Achilles heel this season and they were almost caught out again when Laurent Koscielny was gifted yards of space to poke Cazorla´s corner wide from close-range. Yet somehow Wigan were level in first half stoppage-time. Scottish winger Maloney forced Mikel Arteta to concede a free-kick in a dangerous area after surging clear of the midfielder, who responded with the slightest of nudges. Maloney picked himself up to take the set-piece and curled a superb strike over the wall and past Wojciech Szczesny. Wigan should have been in front at the start of the second half when Arouna Kone played a one-two with Callum McManaman to earn a clear sight of goal, but the Ivorian striker´s shot was parried by Szczesny. James McCarthy then turned to fire home, only to see the linesman´s offside flag halt his celebrations. But those two narrow escapes provoked a response from Arsenal and Cazorla forced a brilliant double save from Robles. Wigan suffered a significant blow when in-form winger McManaman was stretchered off just before the hour. Wenger´s men were finding space on the flanks far too easily and Wigan´s failure to adapt proved fatal in the 63rd minute. Cazorla made a run that left Roger Espinoza trailing in his wake and the Spaniard whipped over a low cross which Walcott bundled past Robles´s weak attempted save. Wigan needed an immediate response, but instead they were dealt a hammer blow five minutes later as more woeful defending allowed Podolski to put the game beyond reach. Cazorla won a header far too easily and Wigan´s defenders showed no urgency as Podolski ran clear to flick his shot over the hopelessly exposed Robles. Ramsey put the seal on Wigan´s relegation in the 71st minute as the Welsh midfielder sprinted away down the left before lashing into the roof of the net. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54702 KATHMANDU, May 14: Almost a half-century after his Olympic participation boxer Ram Prasad Gurung made his first public appearance and remembered his glory days as Nepal Boxing Association (NBA) felicitated the boxer amidst a function in the capital on Tuesday. Boxers Bhim Bahadur Gurung, Nam Singh Thapa, Om Prasad Pun and Ram Prasad Gurung had participated in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the first participation of Nepal in the Olympics, along with athletes Ganga Bahadur Thapa and Bhupendra Silwal. However, the boxers were never brought to limelight by the authorities.[break] NBA had felicitated boxer Thapa last month. "We are trying to know the status of other two boxers. It is our tribute to the first Olympians of the country," said NBA President Rajiv Shrestha. "We want to bring them to limelight as they can inspire the new generation," added Shrestha. According to Gurung, he had once visited the National Sports Council in 1997. "When I came to know there was provision of pension for us, I had visited the council once in 1997. They used to send a small amount to my bank account and I was happy to receive it since it was a kind of recognition by the nation," recalled Gurung. "I was planning to invest the amount in boxing but I stopped being paid since 2000. I never never came back to the council since," he added. Gurung´s revelation not only shocked the audience but also left NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama bursting into tears. Lama immediately said the council would continue to provide pension to Gurung. "He would probably not need this amount but it is just a humble gesture from the country to its first Olympian. I request him to accept the amount," said Lama. Meanwhile, Gurung announced to utilize the amount for the development of boxing and sports activities in his village in Chitwan. Gurung´s career Gurung was born on November 14, 1945 in Darong, Syangja. He had joined the British Army at the age of 14 and began his boxing career since. "There was an army base at Sungai Petani in Malaysia. We had reached there via Penang. I started my boxing career in Sungai Petani as a novice," recalled Gurung. "I used to play all the sports during my training days. I chose boxing since I wanted to be the boys´ champion of my base. In 1963, I was deployed in Hong Kong and there I became the best boxer of my regiment," claimed Gurung. "I was on leave in 1963 and when I returned to Hong Kong, I knew that I was selected for the Olympics to represent my country," he added. Gurung described his Olympic participation as the proudest moment of his life. "It was a unique experience to carry the unique flag of my nation and participate in the Olympic march past," said Gurung. Gurung, who lives with a wife, five daughters and a son, had retired from military service as a captain in the early 90s. Gurung currently resides in Patiyani village of Chitwan. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54696 KATHMANDU, May 14: Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) announced on Tuesday that it will host the Pulsar Sports Award on July 2 to mark the World Sports Journalists Day. Organizing a press conference in the capital on Tuesday, NSJF said the Sports Award will honor Nepali athletes, coaches and sports personalities for their achievements in the Nepali year 2069 BS.[break] According to NSJF General Secretary Mahesh Acharya, the Pulsar Sports Award 2069 will honor sports personalities in eight categories -- player of the year (male), player of the year (female), player of the year (youth), coach of the year, para-athlete of the year, popular player of the year, special award and lifetime achievement award. "We´ll announce the para-athlete of the year, special award and lifetime achievement award on the day of the award ceremony while we´ll make public the nominations for other categories as soon as possible," said Acharya. NSJF had awarded a motorbike each to the male and female players of the year and popular player of the year in the last edition while other winners were awarded Rs 30,000. "We are mulling to raise the prizes for the winners. We´ll probably award four bikes in this edition and also increase the prize money. We´ll take a final decision soon," said NSJF President Ajay Phuyal. NSJF had signed a five-year sponsorship deal last year with Hansraj Hulaschand and Company Pvt Ltd, the sole authorized distributor of Pulsar bikes for Nepal. "As we have a long-term commitment with NSJF, we are happy to continue our sponsorship. The sponsorship amount is Rs 1.1 million for this year," said Shekhar Golchha, the executive director of Hansraj Hulaschand and Company. "People sometimes ask me why I´m supporting sports events and my answer is it is one of the uniting forces in the country," said Golchha. "I was there to watch the ACC T20 Cup final between Nepal and Afghanistan at the TU Cricket Ground and I saw a passionate crowd, which was not divided on lines of caste, region or class. There were only Nepalis cheering for Nepal. This strength of sports inspires business houses to support sports activities," he added. NSJF Vice-president Devendra Subedi said NSJF is committed to making Pulsar Sports Award a most popular event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54703 KATHMANDU, May 14: Nepal Professional Golfers Association (NPGA) felicitated Nepal No 1 Shiva Ram Shrestha on Tuesday for winning the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 title. Shrestha won the title of SNPL Masters, the biggest golf tournament of the country and an event sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), on Saturday. Shrestha had left behind top South Asian golfers like Asian Tour sixth-place holder Anirban Lahiri, young sensation Abhijit Singh Chadha, Shamim Khan and many more to become the second Nepali golfer to win the title after Deepak Thapa Magar, who had won it in 2007.[break] NPGA President Rabindra Man Shrestha handed over a letter of appreciation and a gift hamper to champion Shrestha amidst a function in the capital on Tuesday. "It was the biggest field that we have witnessed in the Surya Nepal Masters so far and winning the title in such a scenario was terrific," said NPGA General Secretary Deepak Acharya. "We are delighted by the success Shiva Ram (Shrestha) has achieved," added Acharya. NPGA President Rabindra Man Shrestha applauded Shrestha for winning the title after a rollercoaster ride on the final day. "Shiva Ram (Shrestha)´s efforts paid off and he was lucky enough this time to win the title in play-off," said Shrestha. "PGTI has progressed a lot. Indian golfers have been ruling the roost and the triumph of a Nepali pro in Surya Nepal Masters has made us proud," he added. He thanked Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd for supporting Nepali golf to make it more professional. NPGA Advisor and senior golfer Ghana Shyam Thapa also applauded Shrestha for his success. "There are some junior golfers training under Surya Nepal Youth Golf Development Program and I hope they would follow Shiva Ram (Shrestha)´s footsteps and take inspiration from his success," said Thapa. He also thanked Royal Nepal Golf Club for being the mother of all Nepali golf clubs and for producing a pro golfer like Shrestha. Accepting the felicitation, champion Shrestha said his passion for the game since childhood has paid off. "I won the PGTI event at home and I have dream of winning more PGTI tournaments now," said Shrestha, who won the full card of the PGTI last year. "I have received support from many institutions and personalities to achieve this success and I´m grateful to them," said Shrestha, who jumped to the fifth position in the Rolex Rankings of PGTI after claiming the title. Golfers seek government support Speaking at the felicitation program, NPGA President Rabindra Man Shrestha asked the government to support the game. "Shiva Ram Shrestha´s success has set a standard for Nepali golf and provided inspiration to future golfers but we lack infrastructure as in other sports," said Shrestha. "We need a public golf course and we request the government to do the needful," he added. Shrestha argued that golf is a game that can attract tourists in the country. "If we want to develop Nepal as a golf destination, we need to have a public golf course as soon as possible," said Shrestha. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54690 KATHMANDU, May 14: Kathmandu District Football Association (KDFA) Academy clinched the title of Nepal Bank Cup Junior (Under-15) Football Tournament on Tuesday. KDFA Academy defeated Chandra Bhairav Club ´B´ 7-1 in the final match played at the Dasharath Stadium on Tuesday. Winner KDFA Academy received Rs 100,000 while Chandra Bhairav bagged Rs 50,000.[break] Roshan Dura scored four goals for KDFA Academy while Pradeep Rai, Hari Tamang and Sushant Shrestha scored a goal each for the winning team. Dura scored in the 37th, 44th and 56th minutes to complete his hat-trick and added one more in the 70th minute of the match. Bibek Desar scored a consolation goal for Chandra Bhairav in the 69th minute of the match. Roshan Gurung of KDFA Academy was adjudged the best goalkeeper while his teammates Kiran Jung Shahi and Sushant Shrestha were adjudged the best defender and best forward respectively. Suraj Chitrakar of Chandra Bhairav won the best midfielder award. Devendra Jung Shahi, the coach of the winning team, was adjudged the best coach. Nepal Bank Limited General Manager Kiran Kumar Shrestha handed over the prizes to the winners. Altogether 83 U-15 teams of different clubs, schools and wards of Kathmandu Valley had participated in the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54634 KATHMANDU, May 13: The men´s and women´s basketball teams of Nepal left for Doha, Qatar on Monday to compete in the First FIBA 3x3 Asian Basketball Championship 2013 to be held there on Wednesday and Thursday. The teams consist of four players each and a manager-cum-coach. Ayush Singh, Shyam Hari Paudel, Rikesh Kumar Shrestha and Sonu Shahi are the members of the men´s team while Gyanu Gauchan, Preeti Tulachan, Neha Maskey and Anisha Malla are in the women´s team. Fanindra Man Shrestha is the manager and coach of both the teams. Meanwhile, National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama bade farewell to the teams and wished them success amidst a function held in the capital on Monday.[break] CMS caddie golf on Wednesday KATHMANDU: The fifth edition of CMS All Nepal Caddie Golf Championship will be held at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Wednesday. Altogether 65 caddies from across the country will compete in the annual event being sponsored by ISME Medical Studies. According to Nagender Pampati, the chairman of ISME Private Limited, the event is being organized with the aim to contribute to the development of golf in the country and scout for new golf talents from among caddies. The event will be played over 18 holes in the first round and cut will be applied after 18 holes with the top 20 golfers and ties making to the final rounds. The final rounds will be played over nine holes. The top two finishers will secure berths in the Surya Nepal Golf Tour events. The event carries a total cash prize of Rs 100,000, of which the top three finishers will bag Rs 18,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54609 KATHMANDU, May 12: Nepal´s No 4 amateur golfer Bishnu Sharma will get a chance to hone his skills in South Korea. The 27-year-old is leaving for Korea on Monday to take part in a three-month training camp at the Namseoul Country Club. Sharma was picked by the South Korean Golf Association from among three golfers on a special request from the Nepal Golf Association (NGA). The other players listed for selection were No 1 Dinesh Prajapati and No 2 Bikash Bogati.[break] According to NGA General Secretary Tashi Ghale, they had requested for training opportunity to three players in South Korea. "Though we had requested for training opportunity to three players they selected Sharma only," Ghale told Republica. "In order to present ourselves as strong contenders in next year´s Incheon Asian Games, we wanted to avail training facility to at least three of the six players of the Surya Nepal NGA Youth Golf Development Program," said Ghale. "The South Koreans inquired about the physical details of all three players before selecting Sharma. We are optimistic that the training will be very helpful to Sharma for developing his golf skills. Sharma will get opportunity to train alongside Korean national players, who are also undergoing training for the Incheon Games," Ghale said. According to Ghale, the South Korean Golf Association will make food and accommodation arrangements for Sharma. "Sharma will get all the facilities required for the training from the Koreans. NGA will provide tickets while Surya Nepal has been providing Sharma with Rs 650 as daily allowance," added Ghale. Meanwhile, Ghale also revealed that NGA was planning to send the top two players -- Prajapati and Bogati -- to India for a three-month training. "Abroad training will be very much fruitful for players´ development. We are in negotiations with the Indian Golf Union, Indian National Golf Academy and others. We are optimistic that we will be able to send two players soon," Ghale said. Altogether six players are currently undergoing the NGA training camp sponsored by Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd. The top two players will be selected after their final assessment in the four-member national team to represent Nepal in the Asian Games. According to NGA, two other players will be picked from open selection tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54587 BARCELONA, May 12: Two-time champion Fernando Alonso thrilled a massive 95,000 flag-waving home crowd on Sunday when he drove his Ferrari to a dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. It was the Spaniard´s second win of the season, in five races, and the 32nd win of his career - a triumph that endorsed his challenge for a third drivers´ title on an afternoon of Spanish supremacy at the Circuit de Catalunya.[break] Driving with great aplomb, Alonso delivered a beautifully-judged performance to win a tactical contest dominated by tyre-wear management, finishing 9.338 seconds ahead of second placed Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus. Alonso said: "What a fantastic feeling, you feel the support from everybody, we wanted to do well here in front of our fans, so many people supporting Ferrari." Alonso´s Ferrari team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa started from ninth, but finished third ahead of defending triple world champion Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. Alonso´s win bucked a trend at the Catalan circuit where 18 of the previous 22 events were won the driver who started from pole position. This time the pole-sitting German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes finished sixth ahead of Paul Di Resta of Force India. Jenson Button finished a measured eighth for McLaren ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez with Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Toro Rosso completing the top ten finishers. Lewis Hamilton who started from second alongside Rosberg struggled hom 12th on a disappointing day for him and Mercedes. Alonso picked up a Spanish flag from a steward on his slowing down lap and ignited national celebrations as he completed his tour of the crowded circuit. In the drivers´ championship, Alonso jumped to third with 72 points behind leader Vettel on 89 and Raikkonen on 85. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54564 KATHMANDU, May 12: Laxmi Bank Three Star Club qualified for the finals of AFC President Cup as group A winner after 2-2 draw against Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei on Saturday becoming the first Nepali team to secure place for the next rounds in the annual inter-country club event since 2009. Three Star had already secured a place for the final rounds before its match against TPC after Erchim FC of Mongolia defeated Abahani Limited of Bangladesh 1-0 in the kick off match at the Dasharath Stadium. [break] But the second team to qualify for the finals rested on the result of day’s later encounter between Three Star’s and TPC. Had TPC earned victory, it could have secured place in the next round as group winner. But a defeat or draw would eliminate the 2011 champion from the group stage paving the way for Erchim to emerge runner up. Three Star then paid off Erchim’s favor holding TPC to a draw and finished unbeaten in the competition for league champion of third tire football nations of Asia. The last time Nepali club crossed the group stage was during 2008 in which Nepal Police Club had made it to the semifinal. Earlier, Three Star had competed in the President’s Cup during the first edition 2005 and booked the semifinal spot. But there was no qualifying stage then which began in 2007. “We became the first team to cross group stage four years. I want to dedicate this success to all Nepali football fans in and outside of the country,” Three Star coach Pradip Humagain said during the post match conference. “Nepali team has not been able to achieve success in international level for a long time. But the success had energized Nepali football and proved that Nepal can play result oriented football as well.” In the do-or-die match for TPC, both the teams started with offensive style of play. It was the home team that took early seventh minute lead and was up 2-0 by 15 minutes. Leonce Dodoz, the Ivory Coast forward put Three Star ahead in Prakash Budathoki cross after exchanging a couple of passes with him. Dodoz had an easy work from the six-yard box who capitalized on misunderstanding among TPC defenders and poor judgment of custodian K-C Lu letting the ball go. It was the second goal of Dodoz in the qualifiers. Budathoki doubled the advantage in the 15th minute who quick-fired custodian K-C Lu rebounder off Adewumi Femi strike leaving him clueless. In its attempt to bounce back, Y-H Kuo cut the deficit five minutes later for visiting side. Kuo scored with a low ball strike from the left side in cross of C-K Chen set by C-H Lin. TPC’s effort for equalizer was rewarded by in the injury time of first half. K-C Hung made a solo effort beating past Three Star defenders Saroj Dahal and Bishu Sunwar in the danger zone and fired a low ball shot at far post. “It was a good match and we never gave up. I am proud of the boys, they player very hard but we lost the match,” TPC coach Chen Kuei-Jen said at the post match conference whose side won the title two year ago. “There are many new players, mostly young, in comparison to the team that helped us lift title.” In the entertaining match, both the teams created nearly half a dozen of chances. Three Star’s Dodoz and Jagjeet Shrestha wasted one chance in the second half. M-C He and Y-W Chen missed opportunities for TPC while P-Y Lin hit upright and Y-W Chen was denied by custodian Kiran Chemjong in one-on-one situation after the interval. Earlier, substitute Bilguun scored the lone goal for Erchim in its 1-0 win over Ahabani. The 19th minute replacement of Puujee scored the winner in the 59th minute to reignite qualifying hopes of Erchim sending Abahani out of the race. Bilguun collected custodian Sohel rebounder in one-on-one with Chinbaa to make easy score from the six-yard box. “It was a very tough match for us. We have come up with new tactic analyzing our previous mistakes and it paid,” said Erchim coach D Batnasan. “Now all we can do is to wait for result of next match.” Meanwhile, Bangladesh assistant coach Amalesh Sen blamed that the Erchim had scored offside goal. “We also missed as many three clear scoring chances,” said Sen. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54561 KATHMANDU, May 12: Shiva Ram Shrestha became the only second Nepali golfer to win the Surya Nepal Masters title on Saturday as he won the 2013 edition of the tournament at the Gokarna Golf Club. Earlier, Nepali pro Deepak Thapa Magar had won the title in 2007. The most successful Nepali professional golfer won the Surya Nepal Masters title after a thrilling last round, where he overcome Indian golfer Abhijit Singh Chadha in play-off. Shrestha, who began the last day of the four-day tournament three strokes behind Chadha, carded five-under 67 on Saturday to tie with Chadha at over-all total of 18-under 270 and pulled the victory after play-off on the par-4 18th hole, where he shot a birdie and Chadha just saved a par.[break] With the title victory on Saturday, Shrestha won his 22nd title of the career. The 29 year old from Sinamangal, Kathmandu was happy to beat top class Indian golfers like Asian Tour player Anirban Lahari and Samim Khan on the field. "It was a tough to win the title. You can´t imagine cake-walk at the Surya Nepal Masters, where some top class golfers take the field," said Shrestha. "I´m happy to have the biggest achievement of my life so far. I have a plan of playing Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) events regularly and have a dream of playing Asian Tour in future," said Shrestha, who claims his relation with the golf will go on until his last breathe. Shrestha had long relationship with golf as he came to know the game from his early childhood as his father Arjun Shrestha served at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) for more than two decades. "The RNGC course is near to my house and my father served there. Thus, I knew the game from my childhood. The way people used to play golf fascinated me and I started loving it," recalled Shrestha. He than established his relationship with golf as a ball boy at the RNGC at the age of 14. After few years, he turned a caddie and then started amateur career later on. He won Surya Nepal Western Open in 2005 when he was an amateur golfer and received praises from all over. Shrestha´s professional career began in 2007 where he won CMS Open. He then won five titles on the 2008-09 seasons. After a successful season, Shrestha sustained injuries in a bike accident and could not catch up his previous form in the season of 2009-10. However, he made a comeback in the season of 2010-11 and claimed five more titles. He claimed six titles on 2011-12 season and four titles on 2012-13. With a prolific season of 2010-11, Shrestha topped the ranking of Nepali professional golfers and he is currently Nepal´s No 1 golfer. After winning the Surya Nepal Masters, where Shrestha had finished third in the last season, he not only strengthened his stake in South Asian golf but also gave big smile on his father´s face. "It´s dream come true. My two-decade long service at the golf course paid me back," said happy father. Shrestha gave credit to his labor as well as his supporters and well-wishers. "On my success I have many people to credit. Mr Tashi Ghale and Nagendra K Pampati of the ISME Pvt Ltd, who support me for the PGTI events as well as all my coaches and seniors are behind my success," he added. In his golfing career, Shrestha had participated in different training programs in India, Thailand and the USA as well as he had played few tournaments of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). He was in the waiting list of PGTI for the season of 2011-12 in foreigners´ category but he won full card of PGTI in 2012-13 and finished on the 36th position. The victory at Gokarna on Saturday lifted Shrestha to the fifth position of the Rolex ranking of PGTI. "I want to play more PGTI tournaments and do well there in future," vowed Shrestha. After turning to professional career, Shrestha topped the merit list of Surya Nepal Golf Tour in 2008-09 and has been regularly on the top since 2010-2011 seasons. With the title win, Shrestha earned Rs 7,75,920 and secured berth to play All India Open. Surya Masters is the only co-sanctioned event of PGTI and Nepal Professional Golfers Association. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54563 KATHMANDU, May 11: K & K College won the title of the Thames Inter-College T20 Cricket Tournament on Saturday. K & K defeated the host and the defending champion Thames International College by 28 runs in the final played at the Army School Ground, Bhaktapur.[break] Thames won the toss and elected to field first. K & K put up 98/8 in allotted 20 overs. Anshaj Upadhyaya top scored for K & K with 25 runs off 19 balls while Anod Dangol added 12 runs and Aditya Nepal remained unbeaten with 15 runs. Thames bowled 17 runs as extras. Ayush Jung Rana took three wickets while Aashish Man Singh and Bibhav Raj Joshi claimed two wickets each. Despite bowling well, Thames failed in batting. K & K bowled them out for 70 runs in 15.4 overs as Aditya Nepal and Saurav Khatiwada took three wickets each. Man-of-the-match Anshaj Upadhyaya and Nikhil Pokharel claimed two wickets each. Aashish Man Singh (19 runs) and Sujan Timalsina (13 runs) were the top scorers for Thames. Thames would have suffered more humiliating defeat had not K & K bowlers bowled 21 extras. K & K all-rounder Upadhyaya was adjudged the man-of-the-series. He had scored total of 99 runs in the four matches and claimed 12 wickets in the tournament. Thames´ bowler Rana was adjudged the best bowler of the tournament for his 10 wickets from four matches while his teammate Bibhav Raj Joshi was awarded with the best batsman title. Joshi had scored total of 89 runs in four matches he played in the tournament including a half-century. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54559 KATHMANDU, May 11: Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram Shrestha won the title of the 20th edition of the Surya Nepal Masters 2013 after a dramatic finish at the Gokarna Golf Club on Saurday and become the only second Nepali golfer to clinch the title. Shrestha began the last round from three shots behind the overnight leader and defending champion Abhijit Singh Chadha. However, he put up a good challenge for a card of five-under 67 on the final day to force a play-off before prevailing on the first play-off hole (18th) with a birdie. The play-off was necessitated after both the players had finished with a tournament total of 18-under 270.[break] Asian Tour star Anirban Lahiri made a brilliant charge but faltered in the final holes to finish third at 17-under. Mukesh Kumar and Ajeetesh Sandhu were tied for the fourth place at 274. Rahul Bajal and Md Dulal Hossain shared the sixth position at 276. With this achievement, Shrestha earned Rs 775,920 while Chadha was forced to settle for the runner´s up amount of Rs 535,920. Lahiri received Rs 300,720. Shrestha became the second Nepali pro after the 2007 winner Deepak Thapa Magar to win the biggest golf tournament of Nepal. Shrestha shot birdie on the first, third, fourth, seventh and ninth holes to finish front nine at five-under 31 and catch up Chadha, who shot two-under 34 on the front nine. Shrestha took the lead after shooting birdie on the 11th hole but Chadha caught him on the very next hole as Shrestha suffered a bogey after missing 3-putt shots. Chadha added pressure on Shrestha carding birdie on the 15th hole. However, he missed a four-foot par putt on the 17th hole and suffered a bogey and the scores were level. On the last hole, Shrestha missed a five-foot birdie to go to play-off. Lahiri was at 12-under score until third round and put up charged up performance on the last round with front nine score of six-under 30. He shot birdies on the 12th and 13th holes but his driver shot went to OB on the 14th hole, where he suffered bogey. He tried to make-it up with a birdie on the 15th but bogeys on the 16th and 17th pulled him down to third position. “I was confident enough this time since the practice round. I was thinking off to finish the tournament at somewhere near 20-under and I ultimately did it," said Shrestha. "After faltering on the 12th hole, I was obviously under pressure but I consoled my self there were still few more holes to go," he summarized the day. Chief Secretary of Nepal Government Leela Mani Paudyal and Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Managing Director Syed Mahmood Ahmad gave away the prizes. During the prize ceremony, Chief Secretary Paudyal thanked Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd for sponsoring the tournament to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. Surya Nepal has been sponsoring professional golf tour in Nepal and the Surya Nepal Masters is the co-sanctioned event of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Nepal Professional Golfers Association. Speaking at the ceremony, Ahmad termed Shrestha´s victory as the proud moment for Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd as its support in developing and promoting golf in the country bring up a Nepali winner at the Surya Nepal Masters. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54547 (Updated) BIRMINGHAM, England, May 11: Frank Lampard became Chelsea´s all-time leading scorer with a double against Aston Villa on Saturday that clinched a 2-1 victory and pushed his club closer to Champions League qualification. From midfield, Lampard has 203 goals during 12 years with Chelsea — surpassing the record held by Bobby Tambling, the club´s striker from 1959 to 1970.[break] "It means everything, it´s amazing," said Lampard, who was out of contract at the end of the season. "The support I´ve had from teammates, you saw that at the end and I´m thankful to every one of them because they´re the ones that put it on a plate for me sometimes. "And the fans, they´ve been with me for a long time and were probably frustrated alongside me not getting there so I´m just delighted." In the only English Premier League game on Saturday, Christian Benteke put Villa ahead in the first half but, with both sides reduced to 10 men, Lampard started Chelsea´s comeback in the 61st minute. The England international curled the ball from inside the area past goalkeeper Brad Guzan to equalize, and then scored the winner from close range in the 88th. "Bobby Tambling is a great man, he´s not been well ... I was pleased to level it but I didn´t want to overcook that celebration out of respect for him," Lampard said. "But to then go and break it, I was delighted." Chelsea´s Ramires was sent off before halftime and Benteke was also dismissed in the 58th for receiving a second yellow card. Chelsea is third in the Premier League with one match remaining, while Villa is five points above the relegation zone. Villa went in front when Benteke beat Gary Cahill to goalkeeper Brad Guzan´s clearance and then peeled off at speed to take Yacouba Sylla´s return pass, gliding past Cahill and slipped his shot past goalkeeper Petr Cech at the near post in the 14th minute. Lampard came close to scoring in the 30th, striking a low free kick that squirmed out of Guzan´s hands and rolled gently against a post. Chelsea was starting to find its feet in the game just before a series of refereeing decisions took center stage. The first two appeared to be lenient, with Benteke booked rather than sent off for an elbow on Cesar Azpilicueta and Terry also shown a yellow card despite appearing to be the last man when he felled Sylla. Referee Lee Mason did show a red card just before the interval though, the struggling Ramires earning a second booking for a high challenge on Gabriel Agbonlahor. Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez reshuffled his lineup at halftime, sending on David Luiz to anchor the midfield and taking off the ineffective Victor Moses. Villa´s extra man lasted only until Benteke was dismissed, again for a second yellow and again for high feet. Within two minutes the score was level and Lampard was celebrating his long-awaited record-equaling goal. Eden Hazard rolled him the ball from the right flank, he shepherded it into a more central position and then fired home a curling left-footed shot. He was duly mobbed by teammates as he ran to the away support to take in the moment. The frenetic pace continued, with Chelsea players believing they had gone ahead not long afterward. Former Villa defender Cahill took the ball on the chest before prodding goalward at the back post. Guzan was beaten but Sylla managed to trap it on the line. Ba and Ashley Westwood both moved in, with the latter convincing officials he´d cleared the danger before the ball had crossed the line. Terry departed on a stretcher after suffering an injury that could jeopardize his hopes of playing in the Europa League final on Wednesday against Benfica. The winner — Lampard´s record-breaker — came from a fine Chelsea move, with Hazard playing a one-two down the left channel before cutting the ball across goal for the midfielder. As so often in his Chelsea career, Lampard was in the right place at the right time and he tapped home with ease. The celebrations which followed were lengthy, with all of Chelsea´s players involved. "It´s a fantastic achievement for him to score the number of goals he has," Benitez said. "Hopefully he can score more in the next two games." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54530 KUALA LUMPUR, May 11: Nepali pacer Avinash Karn was adjudged the best bowler of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup that concluded Saturday in Malaysia but Nepali U-19 team suffered a six-wicket defeat against the host in the third place playoff. Karn had claimed 24 wickets from six matches with an economy of 4.21. His best bowling figure was against Bahrain in the group stage match, where he had claimed eight wickets for 24 runs including a hat-trick. His bowling average in the tournament was 8.33. [break] However, Karn´s individual success was the only thing to cheer by the Nepali team as the host Malaysia secured the third position beating Nepal on Saturday. Winning the toss and electing to bat first at Bayuemas Oval ground in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia bowled Nepal out just for 118 runs in 44 overs. Chasing the modest target of 119 runs, Malaysia overcame it in 38.3 overs losing four wickets. For Malaysia, Ahmad Tajudin Ismail made 34 runs while Muhammad Syahadat Ramli scored 31 not out. Karn grabbed two Malaysian wickets. Earlier, Ameet Shrestha topscored for Nepal with 32 runs while Harishankar Sah contributed 25 runs and Nirmal Thapa scored 12 runs to set the modest target for Malaysia. Except the trio, others failed even to reach the double figure. Kogilan Muthu grabbed three Nepali wickets while Muhammad Syahadat Ramli, Pavandeep Singh and Varun Nadesh took two wickets each. Dhivendran Mogan bagged a wicket for Malaysia. On Friday, Nepal was defeated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 76 runs in the semifinals of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. Likewise, Malaysia was defeated by Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has won the title of ACC U-19 Elite Cup defeating the UAE by 10 wickets. After choosing to bat, the UAE was outplayed by Afghanistan and was bundled out for 57 in 27.2 overs. Left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman bowled brilliantly and claimed four wickets while Hashmatullah Shaidi claimed three wickets. Afghanistan met the target in 11.1 overs without losing any wicket as Shaidi struck 50 runs off 43 balls. Despite UAE´s defeat, both the teams now move on to the ICC U19 World Cup next year, Afghanistan as the Asia Region winner and UAE as the host. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54528 MADRID, May 10: Rafael Nadal overcame a stiff test from compatriot David Ferrer to reach the Madrid Masters semi-finals Friday, but there was no such luck for Andy Murray who was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 by Tomas Berdych. Defeats for Murray and Ferrer mean that the world´s top four have all been eliminated following earlier exits for Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.[break] World number five Nadal, who is now the favourite for a third title in the Spanish capital, had to come from a set and a break down to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 over world number four Ferrer. And the 11-time Grand Slam champion admitted that recovering a break when Ferrer led 4-2 in the second set was the key moment. "I was up and down through the whole match and when you are up and down against David it is difficult to win," said Nadal, who had also been two points from defeat in the 12th game of the second set. "I am very happy and I was lucky to come through at the end of the match. He was very unlucky not to be in the semi-finals. "At a set and 4-2 down I am not worried, I am very worried." Despite being seeded above Nadal, due to the seven-time French Open winner´s seven-month injury lay-off, Ferrer was still left nursing a record of just four wins in their 22 meetings. Victory took the 2005 and 2010 Madrid champion´s record to 29-2 since he returned to action in early February, and the Spaniard can reach his seventh consecutive final when he faces wildcard Pablo Andujar in another all Spanish affair in the semi-finals. World number 113 Andujar reached a first Masters semi-final with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Roger Federer´s conqueror in the last round, Kei Nishikori. Third seed Murray though was made to pay for his exertions in beating Gilles Simon over nearly three hours on Thursday as he was soundly beaten by Berdych. The Czech, who made the final in Madrid last year, edged a tight first set on a tie-break when US Open and Olympic champion Murray floated a backhand wide. Breaks were then exchanged to start the second, but Berdych struck the crucial blow when he broke for 3-2 and then served out to continue his 100% record against Murray on clay. And the Scot felt missing his opportunities to take the first set had been symptomatic of his week as a whole. "It´s frustrating, I didn´t convert too many opportunities the whole week and managed to dig out a couple of matches the last couple of days, but obviously I couldn´t do that tonight so I need to do a better job of taking my chances." Berdych though was delighted with how he had served against one of the games´ best returners and thinks that will again be the key in Saturday´s semi-final when he takes on Stanislas Wawrinka. "When my serve is working my game gets better and better and that is what I need to focus on. The other thing is was even more happy and satisfied with it that Andy looks to attack the second serve and I was able to handle that." Wawrinka continued his fine form on the clay as he overcame Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 6-2, 6-7(9/11), 6-4. In the women´s event, Williams and Sharapova stayed on course for a battle for the world number one slot in the final as they progressed into the last four with wins over Anabel Medina Garrigues and Kaia Kanepi respectively. However, current number one Williams was given a huge scare by 30-year-old wildcard Garrigues before battling through 6-3, 0-6, 7-5. In an uncharacteristically wild performance, Williams racked up nearly 50 unforced errors throughout the nearly two and a quarter hours of play, and she is determined to start afresh when she faces Sara Errani in the semi-finals on Saturday. "I definitely want to cut back on my unforced errors," said Williams, who conceded a love-set for only the seventh time in her career. "The fact is I was able to get through it. Tomorrow I start out at 0-0, so it´s important for me to let it go and just play a new match tomorrow." There were far fewer problems for Sharapova as she continued her run of not losing a set so far in the Spanish capital with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 win over world number 51 Kanepi. "I was just happy to get past the quarter-finals," said Sharapova who goes on to face Ana Ivanovic for a place in the final. "I feel like I´ve been stuck in this tournament so it´s nice to be in that stage. I felt like I was facing a really good clay court player today. A lot of her success has come on clay. "So I was just really determined. I´m happy that I was able to win with that type of scoreline." Ivanovic sealed her place in the last four with a 6-3, 6-1 win over sixth seed Angelique Kerber, whilst seventh seed Errani ended Ekaterina Makarova´s fine tournament, 6-4, 6-3. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54518 KATHMANDU, May 10: With all of them still in the qualification race, all four teams in Group A of the qualifying rounds for AFC President’s Cup will go into their last matches targeting wins on Saturday. However, the home team Laxmi Bank Three Star Club that takes on Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei in the day’s later match at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu, has an advantage over the others. A draw will be sufficient for the home team to progress to the finals irrespective of the outcome of another match. Three Star leads the table with four points, two ahead of second and third placed TPC and Abahani Limited of Bangladesh. Erchim FC of Mongolia lie bottom with one point.[break] If Erchim FC beats Abahani in Saturday’s first match, Three Star would qualify on the basis of head-to-head record even if it loses to TPC later in the day. On the other hand, Erchim would be guaranteed a finals berth only if it wins its last match and TPC, the 2011 Champion, does not defeat Three Star. The top two teams of the group will qualify for the final rounds. Meanwhile, victories in their respective matches could send Abahani and TPC through to the final rounds. However, if both the matches end in draws, the second team to qualify behind Three Star will be determined on the basis of goal difference. Despite being in a relatively comfortable position, Three Star coach Pradip Humagain is eyeing victory in the last match. The last time these two sides had met was during the first edition of President’s Cup which had ended in a 1-1 draw. “I am not concerned with the result of the first edition and we will play our natural match aiming for win,” said Humagain. Regarding TPC, Humagain said, “TPC has been putting up a good performance and plays attacking football. We have got the plans to play with them.” Coach Humagain is also optimistic that his side will become the first team to qualify for the next round after 2008 as no team from Nepal has made to the final rounds since then. “We can hope to see a Nepali team in the final rounds this time,” said Humagain. TPC coach Chen Kui-Jen was cautious regarding their match against the home team. “All teams have equal chances of making it to the next round, whoever grabs the opportunity could qualify. We must beat Nepal to qualify,” said Kui-Jen. “Nepal is likely to have advantage as the home team but we won’t be afraid as we are the 2011 champions.” Bangladesh assistant coach Amalesh Sen has also set his sights on victory. “Actually we are hopeful of victory,” said Sen, who rated Erchim as the weakest team of the group. Meanwhile, Erchim coach D Batnasan still sees a chance for his side’s qualification. “Though we still have a chance, the situation is not favorable for us due to our previous results,” said Batnasan, whose full-strength team will return in the final match. In the second match against Three Star, TPC was without its two key players as its regular captain was suspended for a match and a forward was injured. Batnasan rated Bangladesh as a strong team. “Abahani is a strong team and has a very good defense. We have tactics to play against them and will come up with offensive style of play.” http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54511 KUALA LUMPUR, May 10: Nepal´s dream of playing its seventh ICC U-19 World Cup ended on Friday after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) thrashed Nepal by 76 runs in the semifinal of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup being held in Malaysia. As the champion of ACC U-19 Elite Cup would progress to the ICC U-19 World Cup as per the International Cricket Council (ICC) provision, Nepal´s World Cup hopes ended with the semifinal defeat. However, as the UAE has already qualified for the upcoming U-19 World Cup by virtue of being the host nation, Afghanistan secured berth in the biggest age group tournament beating Malaysia in another semifinal on Friday.[break] This is the third time that Nepal has failed to qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup in the last nine editions. Nepal could not make it to the U-19 World Cup in 1998 and 2010. Nepal had played the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2012. Nepal, which had registered emphatic victories in the group stage of the tournament, won the toss and invited the UAE to bat first at Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur. However, the decision backfired as the UAE went on to post a mammoth 271/7 in 50 overs, with Shorye Chopra blasting 114 runs off 115 balls with 17 fours and a six. Chasing the big total, Nepal was all out for 195 in 46.1 overs. Nepal batsman Harishankar Shah tried to anchor the innings scoring 52 runs off 67 balls with eight boundaries. He retired hurt on 52 runs and could not add any more runs after returning to the crease. Meanwhile, skipper Bhuwan Karki offered some resistance scoring 41 runs off 48 balls with three fours and a six. Nirmal Thapa added 23 runs off 43 balls. No other batsman could make a significant contribution to Nepal´s run chase. Dan D´Souza took four wickets and Saurabhkant Gir claimed two to skittle out Nepal. Earlier, the UAE had a wobbly start as it had lost three wickets in 6.3 overs with just 32 runs on the board. However, man-of-the-match Chopra shared a massive 171-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Dan D´Souza (58) that not only repaired the early damage but also put the Gulf team in a strong position to win the match. D´Souza, who played the anchor role, faced 105 deliveries and hit two fours. Nepal´s Avinash Karn took three wickets while Karki, Sushant Bhari, Yagyaman Kumal and Nischal Pandey all took one wicket each. "We were unfortunate to give away more than 200 runs to the UAE. We lost our rhythm in bowling and fielding today," said Nepali captain Bhuwan Karki. "Some dropped catches also cost us dearly," he added. "Players came under unnecessary pressure and failed to deliver on the field," said Nepali team coach Jagat Tamata. Nepal will take on Malaysia on Saturday in the third place play-off. Nepal had defeated Malaysia by seven wickets on Wednesday in their last group stage match. Meanwhile, Afghanistan defeated Malaysia by a massive 140 runs to enter the final on Friday. Afghanistan reached 233/8 in 50 overs and bowled out Malaysia for 93 runs in 45 overs. Afghanistan and the UAE will vie for the title on Saturday. Nepal had clinched the ACC U-19 Elite Cup in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 while it had finished runner-up in 1999 and 2011. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54502 KATHMANDU, May 10: Indian golfer Abhijit Singh Chadha maintained the lead in the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 after submitting a card of one-under 71 in the third round on Friday while local favorite Shiva Ram Shrestha moved to the second position after a round of four-under 68 on Friday. Chadha is on the top of the leader-board with a overall score of 16-under 200 while Shrestha is three strokes behind the defending champion. Shrestha was tied for the second place with two Indians -- Ajeetesh Sandhu and S Chikkarangappa -- at 203.[break] Chadha led the field by three strokes despite suffering a bogey each on the last two holes as Chikkarangappa double-bogeyed on the finishing hole. Chadha started the day with a birdie on the first hole and added three more on the third, seventh and ninth holes to complete the front nine at four-under 32. However, he faltered on the back nine as he suffered bogeys on the 10th, 17th and 18th holes. "I was not bothered about the lead as I played my own game," said the leader. "I would like to win the title and shall try to keep the ball in play," said the 21-year-old. Shrestha, who is looking to be only the second Nepali golfer after Deepak Thapa Magar to win the title, started the day saving pars on the first two holes and carded birdies on the third, fourth and seventh holes to complete the front nine at three-under 33. On the back nine, he carded birdies on the 11th, 12th and 16th holes but suffered bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes. "I know I am in with a chance to lift the title. I had come pretty close in the last few editions but this time I shall give my best to win," said Shrestha, who has been playing in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) regularly since last year. Shamim Khan shot the best round of the day with seven-under 65 to share the fifth position with Anirban Lahiri, who produced the second-best card of 66, and Om Prakash Chouhan. The trio was six shots off the leader at 204. Gaurav Ghei and Mohammad Sanju were tied for eighth at 205. Amongst the other Nepali pros, Umesh Nagarkoti shot a third round of 71 to be four-under for the tournament and was tied for the 37th place while Toran Bikram Shahi shared the 40th position at 213. Yelamber Singh Adhikari, the only other pro from Nepal to make the cut, carded level par 216 for three days and was tied for the 47th position. Meanwhile, Indian golfer Shankar Das, one of the golfers in the second position until the second round, was disqualified on technical ground. The winner of the tournament, jointly sanctioned by PGTI and Nepal Professional Golfers Association (NPGA), will receive Rs 775,920. The total prize money of the tournament is Rs 4.8 million. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54506 MANCHESTER, England, May 10: Manchester United has replaced an abrasive and tough-minded Scotsman with ... another abrasive and tough-minded Scotsman. In fact, the similarities between Alex Ferguson and David Moyes are so numerous that it´s uncanny.[break] They were born six miles (10 kilometers) from each other in working-class Glasgow. Their fathers were employed by the same shipbuilding company. They were both decent club players but neither played for their national team. They both have a passion for horse racing, co-owning horses. They both own raging tempers and a fiercely competitive work ethic. And, of course, they are both brilliant managers — loyal, committed to developing young players and keen to play an attacking brand of football. The phrase "cut from the same cloth" has been doing the rounds in Britain as pundits, fans and former players assessed the likelihood of Moyes replacing Ferguson as manager of one of the world´s biggest clubs. In the end, it was never really in doubt. "He has a near-identical work ethic, character, competitiveness to that of Sir Alex," said former England manager Steve McClaren, who used to be Ferguson´s assistant at United. "It´s the master and the apprentice." Ferguson recommended Moyes as his replacement, 15 years after approaching his compatriot to become his assistant. That Moyes turned him down, focusing instead on being a manager in his own right, shows the kind of character United has taken on. Moyes is Ferguson minus the experience and the trophies. In fact, it´s the lack of silverware on his CV that will lead to some raising their eyebrows at his appointment. But that would be missing the point. Under the circumstances and given Everton´s skimpy budget, the 50-year-old Moyes has done a fine job at Goodison Park, finishing in the top six on four occasions after taking over in 2002 with the club staring relegation in the face. Since 2007, Everton has always placed eighth or higher. Over time, some of the football his teams have played has been attractive. "We have had a really good 11 years with David and it´s my and the club´s job to find a worthy successor and build on what David has quite definitely brought to the football club and move on from there," said Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, who appeared close to tears as he discussed the departure of his long-time manager and close friend. "I´m pretty convinced that Evertonians will only look upon David Moyes with gratitude and admiration." That Moyes will have a chance to attempt the same with world-class players at United also makes it a triumph for British football, as British managers have long been passed over for the big jobs in the Premier League. A solid defender who started his professional career at Celtic before flitting around low-profile clubs in England and Scotland, Moyes appeared a natural fit as a coach and started his managerial career in 1999 at Preston North End — his final club as a player. Preston was in English football´s third tier at the time and gained promotion under Moyes in his second full season. In 2002, he became manager of Everton, which had lost its way after rivaling Liverpool as England´s biggest team in the mid-to-late 1980s. Everton twice narrowly avoided relegation in Moyes´ first three years before he came into his own in the 2004-05 season — the first after the departure of Wayne Rooney to United — by breaking the cartel of the so-called ´Big Four´ of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and finishing fourth, ahead of Liverpool. However, Everton failed to get past Villarreal in the final qualifying round of the Champions League and Moyes is yet to sample Europe´s top competition. That he has survived 10 full seasons at one Premier League club in the current climate of impatience and short-termism is testament not only to Moyes´ skill but also the closeness of his relationship with Kenwright. By giving him a six-year deal, United is also ready to give him time. Moyes has become more amiable as the years have progressed. Once quite a stern figure, he is now charming and approachable. He has spent time as a pundit for BBC radio in the last couple of seasons and has also written insightful columns in the Sunday Times newspaper, often about European and world football. In fact, it was to Europe — and, more specifically, Germany — where Moyes was expected to head after completing his stint at Everton. "I always had the hope of being a coach abroad — if I had the choice, I would probably go to Germany, in part because of the mentality, which is similar to mine," Moyes told France Football magazine in December. If that was just a ruse to entice the big teams in England, it may just have worked. Moyes preaches the values of stability and good football, just as Ferguson has. What he now needs to add is a winner´s mentality. He´ll know there will be no transitional period at a huge club like United, and the presence of Ferguson in the directors´ box — and his name on the stand that faces the dugouts at Old Trafford — will always be a reminder of the job he has taken on. United believes Moyes is ready for it. "I have no doubt that he will bring an energy and commitment to deliver winning football that is part of the fabric of this club," United vice chairman Ed Woodward said in welcoming Moyes to Old Trafford. "In this respect, he is cut from the same cloth as the Old Trafford greats who go before him." Ferguson will wholeheartedly agree. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54498 KATHMANDU, May 10: Prime Life Insurance on Friday awarded the Nepali national cricket team for winning the World Cricket League Division 3 title. Founding Chairman of Prime Life Rajendra Khetan and CEO Resta Jha handed over a cheque of Rs 500,000 to team captain Paras Khadka and manager Tarani Bikram Shah amidst a function in the capital.[break] Khadka thanked the insurance company for setting an example for the corporate sector by rewarding cricketers. "Playing both the T20 and One-Day World Cups is our dream but the efforts of players alone would not be enough to fulfil it. We need support from every sector. Let´s all come together and together we can," said Khadka. Khadka further said that the company had set an example for other corporate houses earlier also by appointing cricketer Sharad Vesawkar as its brand ambassador. Founding Chairman of Prime Life Khetan described the title victory in Division 3 as a historic success for Nepali cricket. He expressed best wishes for the World Cup Qualifiers and vowed to support cricketers in future as well. Prime Life CEO Jha said the felicitation was a small gesture from the corporate sector to reward the national team for its success. "The entire corporate sector should join hands to support Nepali cricket," said Jha. Former captain of national cricket team, Pawan Agrawal, termed the recent winning streak of Nepali cricket team at the international level as a golden journey of Nepali cricket. He also thanked Prime Life for its unconditional support to Nepali cricket and cricketers. Nepali national cricket team, which lifted the titles of Division 4 and ACC Elite Trophy last year, defeated Uganda in the final of Division 3 on Sunday in Bermuda and qualified for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand in January, 2014. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54448 KATHMANDU, May 9: Laxmi Bank Three Star Club defeated Erchim FC of Mongolia 2-0 on Thursday to strengthen its position in the group A qualifiers of AFC President´s Cup being held in the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. Goal in either halves of the match from African forwards Leonce Dodoz and Adewumi Femi also helped the home side to become the first team to register win in the ongoing qualifiers. [break]Earlier in the first match, Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei and Abahani Limited of Bangladesh had played 1-1 draw. In the inaugural day, both the match had ended in draw with Three Star settling for 1-1 draw against Abahani and TPC playing a goalless stalemate against Erchim. Three Star which lies at the top of the table with four points can confirm place in the final rounds if it achieves draw in the last group match against TPC whatever the outcome of other match. Abahani and TPC are in the second and third place with two points apiece while Erchim hit the bottom of table with only one point after the completion of second round. Top two teams will qualify for the final rounds. On Thursday, Three Star which had rested its skipper cum forward Santosh Sahukhala and lacked coordination looked too strong for visiting Erchim and created as many as half a dozen hances while Erchim failed to produced even a single threatening move. Dodoz, the new signing for Three Star put the home side ahead in the 10th minute directing the ball at the open net just ahead of the goalline. Jagjeet Shrestha had made the work easy for Dodoz beating custodian Bodoo before passing it. Adewumi Femi, sealed victory for Three Star in the 64th making a perfect header to convert Saroj Dahal cross from the right side. "We failed to perform and also lacked coordination, but goal is more important and we achieved it," said Three Star coach Pradip Humagain during post match conference. Regarding his side´s possibility of making into next round, Humagain said, "We had strong chance for next round since the beginning and we still have better chance than other." In the very third minute, Prakash Budahthoki tapped high above bar from close range in Bikram Limbu pass. In the 52nd Limbu wasted scoring chance as he fired wide from the penalty spot on one-on-one situation. Three minutes later, goalie Bodoo made a brilliant punch to deny Prakash Budhathoki´s free header from the crossbar in Jagjeet Shrestha corner. Erchim FC coach D Batnasan opined that the match was very hard for his side and lamented on the absence of his two key players -- regular skipper due to match suspension and forward due to injury picked during the first match. Batnasan was, however, optimistic that his side could still have chance of making into the next round. Earlier in the day´s kick off, Abahani took fifth minute lead through Rony in Ibrahim cross. TPC goalie K-C Lu dropped ball from his grip in a challenge with Rony letting the ball inside the goalline. But TPC replied in the 14th minute with KC Hung firing the equalizer. Hung fired at an open net in a brilliant back pass set by M-C He who had already beat advancing custodian Sohel. TPC was unlucky not to get the back of net as C-Y Kuo close range strike hit the upright and K-C Hung shot inches wide in rebounder. TPC coach Chen Kuei-Jen expressed dissatisfaction towards the results but lauded his side´s effort. "We will amend our mistake and try to win next match," Jen said. Abahani coach Ardeshier Pour Nemat Noudehi opined that his side conceded due to defensive lapses. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54439 KATHMANDU, May 9: Defending champion Abhijit Chadha carded 10-under 62 on Thursday at par-72 Gokarna Golf Club to jump to the top of the leader-board after the completion of the second round in the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013. India pro Chadha, who shot a five-over 67 on Wednesday, maintained a two-stroke lead over overnight leader S Chikkarangappa and Shankar Das, both from India, in the tournament with total prize purse of Rs 4.8 million. Chadha, 21, has overall score of 15-under 129.[break] Chikkarangappa, who shot 10-under 62 on Wednesday, registered a card of three-under 69 on Thursday. Das, who had signed a card of six-under 66 in the first round, improved his performance in the second round and submitted a card of seven-under 65. Mohd Dulal Hussain of Bangladesh and Indian professionals Ajeetesh Sandhu and Mohd Sanju were all tied for the fourth place at 11-under 133. Hussain, who shot an albatross on the seventh hole, completed the second round with seven-under 65 on Thursday while Sandhu shot 68 and Sanju carded 67. Manav Jaini stole a bit of a limelight of the second day as he carded hole-in-one on the 16th hole to win a cash prize of Rs 10,000. Jaini also earned Rs 20,000 instituted by PGTI. He signed in a card of 66 to be tied for the seventh place along with Om Prakash Chouhan whose two-day total stood at 134. Nepal No 1 Shivaram Shrestha added a three-under 69 to his overnight 66 for a total of 9-under 135 that tied him on the ninth position along with Arshdeep Tiwana and Gaurav Ghei. Amongst the other Nepali golfers, Toran Bikram Shahi, Umesh Nagarkoti and Yelambar Singh Adhikari made the cut. Shahi, who shot 1-over 73 on Thursday, Nagarkoti, who carded 2-under 70, and Adhikari with a level par 72 were all tied for the 39th place with a total of 141. Altogether, 55 players made it to the money-making rounds after the cut was applied at a very steep 2-under par 142, probably the lowest cut in the history of golf in India and Nepal. Mithun Perera, Harendra Gupta and C Muniyappa were amongst the notable players who missed the cut. SNPL Masters is the biggest golf tournament in Nepal in terms of prize money and participation of professional golfers. It is the only co-sanctioned event by Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Nepal Professional Golfers Association (NPGA). Tashi Tsering remained on the top of the amateur section with a total score of two-over 146. Tashi Ghale is on the second position with same total. Michael Rai is third with a total of 149. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54430 KATHMANDU, May 9: Weightlifter Tara Devi Pun set three new national records in women´s 75kg weight category on Thursday while representing Nepal in the Egate King´s Cup International Weightlifting Championship being held in Srisaket, Thailand. Nepal Police Club´s Pun lifted 66 kg in snatch and 90 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 156 kg on Thursday. All the three weights, which she lifted, are new national records. [break] The previous national records were also to her name. She had lifted 60 kg in snatch and 80 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 140 kg during the Third Women´s Open Weightlifting Championship held in Luvu, Lalitpur to set the record then. Despite setting the new national records, Pun could not win any medal in the championship. Pun in action. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Meanwhile, 10th South Asian Games gold medalist Kamal Bahadur Adhikari missed out on bronze medal by a whisker as he finished fourth in the men´s 77 kg weight category in the championship. Nepal Army´s weightlifter Adhikari lifted 115kg in snatch and 155 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 270 kg. In the women´s 58 kg weight category, Nepal Police Club´s Uttam Khatri lifted 61 kg in snatch and 73 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 134 kg. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54419 (Updated) LONDON, May 9: David Moyes faces the daunting task of following in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson after being officially confirmed as the manager of Manchester United on a six-year contract on Thursday. Ferguson´s shock retirement announcement the day before left United looking for a new manager for the first time since the legendary Scot succeeded Ron Atkinson in November 1986, but the Premier League champions moved quickly to appoint Moyes.[break] The 50-year-old, who has been at Everton since 2002, will take over from Ferguson on July 1. Ferguson, who has won 38 trophies during a record-breaking 26-year spell at Old Trafford, revealed that he had personally recommended his fellow Glaswegian as his successor. "When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes," said Ferguson in a statement. "David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I´ve admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here. "He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club." Moyes has only presided over two matches in the Champions League and has failed to win a trophy in his 11-year tenure at Goodison Park, but he is widely admired for having led Everton to six consecutive top-eight finishes in the Premier League despite operating on a shoestring budget. "It´s a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United," he said in a statement released by his new employers. "I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done for the football club. "I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn´t something that comes around very often and I´m really looking forward to taking up the post next season." United director Bobby Charlton, captain of the club´s 1968 European Cup-winning team, hailed Moyes as "a genuine Manchester United man". "In David Moyes, we have someone who understands the things that make this such a special club," he added. "We have secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now." Earlier, Everton confirmed that Moyes would leave the club at the end of the season, after he quickly emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Ferguson. "The manager met chairman Bill Kenwright early yesterday evening (Wednesday) and confirmed his desire to join Manchester United," read an Everton statement. "The chairman, on behalf of the club, would like to place on record his thanks to David for the massive contribution he has made to Everton since his arrival in March 2002. He has been an outstanding manager." Kenwright has confirmed that Moyes will take charge of Everton´s two remaining matches of the Premier League season, at home to West Ham United on Sunday and away to Chelsea on May 19. Moyes thanked his former club, saying: "I have had a terrific job at Everton, with a tremendous chairman and board of directors and a great set of players. Between now and the end of the season, I will do everything in my power to make sure we finish as high as possible in the table." Moyes will lead United for the first time on their pre-season tour of Thailand, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong in July, with his first official game set to be the Community Shield against the FA Cup winners at Wembley Stadium on August 11. United co-chairman Avram Glazer, son of American owner Malcolm Glazer, said incoming chief executive Ed Woodward would meet with Moyes as quickly as possible to draw up a blueprint for his time at the club. "Alex was very clear with his recommendation and we are delighted that David has agreed to accept the job," Glazer said. "I know he is keen to get started and Ed will be sitting down with him as soon as the season is over to discuss plans for the summer and beyond." Ferguson, 71, took training with the United squad as usual on Thursday morning, ahead of his final home game against Swansea City on Sunday. Both he and Moyes have cancelled their scheduled pre-match press conferences on Friday, with Ferguson expected to address United´s supporters directly after Sunday´s game. Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez was installed as the early favourite to succeed Moyes at Everton, but the Spaniard said he had received no contact from the club and was only thinking about his side´s FA Cup final encounter with Manchester City on Saturday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54400 KATHMANDU, May 9: Having collected one point each from their first matches, all four teams in Group A of the AFC President´s Cup Qualifiers will be looking for win on Thursday. Abahani Limited of Bangladesh will take on Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei in the day´s first match at the Dasharath Stadium while Laxmi Bank Three Star Club of host Nepal will face Erchim FC of Mongolia in the late match. [break] Three Star had settled for a 1-1 draw against Abahani Limited while Erchim FC had played a 0-0 draw with TPC despite playing with 10 men for the last 20 minutes on the inaugural day on Tuesday. In such a situation, all teams will be eyeing victory as it would strengthen their chances of finishing in the top two positions and qualifying for the final rounds. "We are excited regarding the match against Erchim and we feel positive," Three Star coach Pradeep Humagain said during the pre-match conference on Wednesday. The coaches of all the other three teams have rated Three Star as the strongest team in the group. This is the second time that both Three Star and Erchim have qualified for the tournament. The last time Three Star qualified for the finals was in 2005 and Erchim in the last eidtion. "Though we failed to utilize some golden chances like the penalty on Tuesday, we will play for win against Erchim," said Humagain, adding that the absence of two key players in the opponent team will give his side an advantage. Erchim´s captain Enkhjargal Tserenjav faces a one-match suspension as he was sent off on Tuesday for two yellow cards, while forward Ernani Mauro Costa Candido was replaced in the 18th minute after he picked an injury. Humagain is planning to make improvements in the striking line-up. "We will make improvements in the forward line-up and play attacking football," Humagain said. Erchim coach D Batanasa, meanwhile, lamented the absence of his two players. "We have a chance to win the match but we will face problem due to the absence of two key players," Batanasa said. "I watched Three Star´s match until the interval on Tuesday. It is a very strong team with well-built and technically sound players. They will be a tough opponent for us." Abahani coach Ardeshir Pour Nemat Noudehi, whose side will face TPC, has rated the opponent as a strong team with good organization and tactical movement. He also rated Three Star as the strongest team of the group. "The most important thing in the tournament is the strategy during the match," said the Iranian coach of Abahani. TPC coach Chen Kuei-Jen said the second matches are vital for all four teams as all of them have equal points and chances for qualification. "We hope to win the match," Kuei-Jen said. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54402 KATHMANDU, May 8: ICC World Cricket League Division 3 champion Nepali national team received a warm welcome upon its arrival back home on Wednesday. Hundreds of cricket fans reached the Tribhuvan International Airport and joined the four-hour victory parade to celebrate the biggest achievement of Nepali cricket so far.[break] The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council (NSC) organized a function to felicitate the team on NSC premises after the parade. Youth and Sports Minister Ram Kumar Shrestha, Secretary at the ministry Hari Prasad Nepal, NSC Vice-president Pitambar Timalsina and Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama garlanded the players and handed over letters of appreciation to them. Chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi invited the players to his office at Singha Durbar in the afternoon and felicitated the national heroes. On the occasion, Regmi informed the cricketers that the government has already decided to reward the cricketers with Rs 350,000 each. Meanwhile, UCPN (Maoist) felicitated the cricketers at the party headquarters at Paris Danda with a cash reward of Rs 25,000 each from the party fund. Nepal lifted the Division 3 trophy beating Uganda by five wickets in the final on Sunday. Nepali team arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday at 9:30 am. Skipper speaks Nepali skipper Paras Khadka said they were overwhelmed by the warm reception. He also urged the authorities to make coordinated efforts to prepare the Nepali team for the World Cup Qualifiers. "We are playing both the World T20 Qualifiers and the World Cup Qualifiers in the next eight months. We should start preparations immediately. It´s high time to invest in cricket," said skipper Khadka. "We´ll not get better opportunities than this. We players are ready to work hard and the authorities should support us," he added. Khadka credited the success to coach Pubudu Dassanayake. Dassanayake was not with the team as he is in Canada to meet his family. Authorities pledge support Chairman of the Council of Ministers Regmi congratulated the Nepali team and vowed to support cricket from the government side. "Whatever the players have achieved at the international level despite constraints is invaluable," said Regmi. "It´s high time to develop cricket infrastructure and make Nepali cricket more professional so that players can earn a living through cricket," added Regmi. He suggested to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, NSC and Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to come up with concrete programs for cricket development. He also asked CAN to start preparations for the World Cup Qualifiers scheduled to be held in New Zealand in January 2014. "The government will consider all the positive plans and programs initiated by NSC and CAN seriously and extend full support to execute them," said Regmi. Earlier, Youth and Sports Minister Shrestha had vowed to construct a cricket stadium of international standard at Mulpani, Kathmandu while NSC Member Secretary Lama said that the council would lobby for the construction of the stadium. CAN President Tanka Angbuhang requested the government to give cricket top priority. "We would soon be known as a cricketing nation but we need support from the government," said Angbuhang. Meanwhile, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he would discuss the recent success of Nepali cricket in the High-Level Political Committee and suggest to the government to support infrastructure development and preparation for the qualifiers. No time for lunch Following long journey from Bermuda to Kathmandu with three transits, Nepali cricketers were exhausted. Felicitations one after another only made matters worse for them. Because of the tight schedule of programs, they did not even get time to have lunch. CAN even failed to manage lunch packets for them. "It´s difficult to keep listening to the leaders on empty stomach," a cricketer commented. PHOTOS: BIKASH KARKI http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54401 KATHMANDU, May 8: Artistes from the Nepali film industry and advertisers will play a football match with Nepali models next Saturday with the aim of raising awareness on keeping the Bagmati river clean. A press statement issued by the Nepal Film Artistes´ Association (NFAA) on Wednesday said the association with support from Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) will organize Ace Travels Football at the Dasharath Stadium on May 18. [break] The match will be held at four in the evening and will be followed by a Bagmati river cleanup campaign from Guheshwari to Sinamangal the next day. NFAA further appeals to the public to support their initiative and take part in the cleaning campaign. The campaign is backed by the government of Nepal, Ministry of Urban Development, Pashupati Area Development Trust, Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Gayatri Pariwar (Haridwar), India. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54396 KUALA LUMPUR, May 8: Nepal thrashed Malaysia by seven wickets on Wednesday in its last group-stage match of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup to top Group B and set up a semifinal clash with the UAE. Host Malaysia elected to bat at the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur but was all out for a meager 69 runs in 22.4 overs as Nepali pacer Avinash Karn continued his impressive form in the tournament claiming six wickets.[break] In reply, Nepal reached the target in 24.4 overs losing only three wickets as Harishankar Shah scored an unbeaten 28 runs off 42 balls. Man-of-the-match Karn, who had taken eight wickets including a hat-trick against Bahrain on Monday, rattled Malaysia and took his wickets tally to 19 in the tournament. He is the leading wicket taker of the tournament. Among Nepali U-19 bowlers, Rahul Vishwakarma has the record of taking 21 wickets in a single tournament. Vishwakarma, a national team player, had taken 21 wickets during the ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2011 and the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers 2011. Nepali skipper Bhuwan Karki took two wickets while Yagyaman Kumal and Sushant Bhari claimed a wicket each to bundle out Malaysia. Dhivendran Mogan (unbeaten 22 runs off 28 balls) was the highest scorer for Malaysia while Amiruddin Azahar contributed 15 runs off 23 balls. The 25-run partnership between Mogan and Pavandeep Singh (5 runs) for the 10th wicket was the highest of the Malaysian innings. Nepal made a shaky start to the run chase as openers Nischal Pandey (7) and Amit Shrestha (10) were dismissed cheaply. However, Shah anchored the Nepali innings and shared a 42-run partnership for the third wicket with Bibhatsu Thapa (17 runs off 44 balls). Nirmal Thapa remained unbeaten on three runs to seal a comfortable victory. Pavandeep Singh, Varun Nadesh and Kogilan Muthu claimed a wicket each for Malaysia. Nepal topped Group B winning all its group-stage matches and will meet Group A runner-up UAE on Friday in the semifinal. Meanwhile, Malaysia will take on Group A winner Afghanistan in another semifinal the same day. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54388 KATHMANDU, May 8: Kathford College and K&K advanced into the semifinals of Thames Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament on Wednesday winning their respective matches at the Army ground, Bhaktapur. Kathford defeated Nepal Commerce Campus (NCC) by 10 runs while K&K overcame Kathmandu College of Management and Information Technology (KCMIT) by six wickets. [break] In the day´s first match, Kathford made 82 runs losing all wickets in 19 overs after being put into bat first and then bowled out NCC for 72 runs in 18 overs. Deepesh Basnet was the highest scorer for Kathford with 15 runs while Roshan Singh remained unbeaten on 10 runs. No other batsman could reach double figures. Man-of-the-match Prabhat Pokharel of NCC claimed three wickets conceding just eight runs. Sambidhan Baidya also took three wickets giving away 22 runs in his four-over spell. In reply, Suraj Ghimire scored the highest 27 runs for NCC while none of the other batsmen could reach double figures. Mahesh Jha, Roshan Singh and Deepesh Basnet of Kathford bagged two wickets each. In another match, KCMIT was put into bat first and made 97 runs in 18.1 overs with Suraj Tamang smashing 50 runs off 45 balls. Manoj Rawal and Bikram Tiwari added 10 runs each. Aditya Nepal of K&K bagged three wickets while Abhishek Gupta and Anshaj Upadhyaya claimed two wickets each. Chasing 98 runs for victory, K&K reached the target in 16.3 overs losing four wickets as man-of-the-match Anshaj Upadhyaya scored 34 runs. Abishek Gupta (20) and Saurav Khatiwada (9) were unbeaten. Badri Paneru contributed 16 runs. The semifinal matches will be held on Wednesday with host Thames College taking on Campion and K&K locking horns with Kathford. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54384 KATHMANDU, May 8: Young Indian golfer S Chikkarangappa fired eight birdies and an eagle to take the lead with a score of 10-under 62 in the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 that kicked off at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Wednesday. Of the 126 golfers including 10 amateurs that teed off on Wednesday, 56 finished with under-par scores while eight produced even-par cards.[break] Rashid Khan, Arshdeep Tiwana and Ajeetesh Sandhu all carded 7-under 65 to finish the day three shots behind the leader. Nepal No 1 Shivaram Shrestha, who led the local challenge in the tournament playing alongside tournament favorite Anirban Lahiri, shot a brilliant 6-under 66 to be tied for the fifth position along with three Indian golfers Mohd Sanju, Randhir Singh Ghotra and Shankar Das. Defending champion Abhijit Singh Chadha, Harendra Gupta and Rafick Ali Mollah shared the ninth position at 5-under 67. Lahiri was tied for the 12th position along with eight other players at 68. Chikkarangappa, who began his career as a ball boy about 12 years ago at Eagleton Golf Resort in Bangalore, played a bogey-free round on Wednesday. His ball striking was complemented by his putting on Wednesday. Chikkarangappa shot five-under 31 on both the front and back nines. He shot birdies on the first, third, fourth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 16th and 18th holes and also enjoyed an eagle on the 12th hole of par 5. Meanwhile, Nepal No 1 Shreshta shot birdies on the third, fourth, sixth, 10th, 12th, 15th and 17th holes but suffered a bogey on the 16th hole. “My putting was a bit of a worry, or else I could have ended up with at least three more birdies,” said Shrestha, who missed a number of small putts. “Playing with Anirban, I did learn a few things. He was unlucky on a couple of holes, otherwise he could have also produced a low card,” he added. Another Nepali golfer Toran Bikram Shahi, who shot four-under 68 on Wednesday, is in the 13th position. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54362 LONDON, May 8: Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of this season, the English Premier League champions announced Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on one of the most successful careers football has known. Ferguson, 71, has been in charge at Old Trafford for 26 years, guiding United to 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.[break] It was not until Tuesday that rumours of Ferguson´s shock retirement started circulating but he said it was a decision he had been considering for some time. "The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time," Ferguson said in a statement released by the club. "It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so," added Ferguson, who will bow out with United having won this season´s Premier League. "The quality of this league-winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long term future of the club remains a bright one." United gave no indication of a successor amid speculation Everton´s David Moyes could fill the Old Trafford hot seat vacated by fellow Scotsman Ferguson. Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, who established a friendly rivalry with Ferguson when in charge of United´s rivals Chelsea, has also been touted for the role. David Gill, who forged a highly succesful partnership with Ferguson as United´s chief executive that included the unprecedented Treble of 1999 which included the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, paid tribute to the veteran manager. "I´ve had the tremendous pleasure of working very closely with Alex for 16 unforgettable years - through the Treble, the double, countless trophy wins and numerous signings. "Alex´s vision, energy and ability have built teams - both on and off the pitch - that his successor can count on as among the best and most loyal in world sport." United said Ferguson would remain at Old Trafford as a director and club ambassador. His final game in charge will be against West Bromwich Albion on May 19. Ferguson is due to have a hip replacement operation after the end of the season but until rumours broke Tuesday there was no indication he was about to step down. The former Glasgow Rangers´ striker´s managerial career began with Scottish lower league club East Stirlingshire in 1974 and saw him win 49 major trophies in all. Ferguson forged his managerial reputation in charge of Aberdeen, taking the Dons to a trio of Scottish Premier League titles and the 1983 UEFA Cup´ Winners Cup before joining United in 1986. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54354 KATHMANDU, May 7: Laxmi Bank Three Star Club was held to 1-1 draw by Abahani Limited of Bangladesh on Tuesday in the opening day of group A qualifiers for AFC President’s Cup that saw its new signing Jagjeet Shrestha first turn hero and then founder at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. Shrestha, new recruit from Friends Club, gave home team Three Star early 15th minute lead with a miraculous free kick but he missed the penalty in the second half as the visiting side had leveled score before the interval. [break] The result meant that all four teams have one point apiece after their first match which saw Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei held to 0-0 in the kick off. Three Star, which came up without some of its key players including Nepali international defender Biraj Maharjan, midfielder Nirajan Khadka and Bijay Gurung due to injuries, will meet Erchim and Abahani lock horns against TPC on Thursday. Three Star looked strong against the visitors as it created more than half a dozen chances, but poor finishing kept dogging the Nepali team. Three Star also conceded equalizer through own goal but the match commissioner awarded it to Tahidul of Abahani. “We conceded a silly goal due to lack of communication among players despite keeping opponents under pressure throughout the match,” said Anjan KC one of the two coaches of Three Star during the post match conference. Three Star defender Sandip Rai echoed KC. “The ball had entered the net after slight deflection at my feet as we failed to make proper communication.” Abahani scored the equalizer utilizing its best chance in the 38th minute. Tahidul’s cross from the left side entered the net following deflection at Rai in the six yard box studded by as many as three defenders of home team against only one of Abahani. Abahani’s Iranian coach Ardeshir Pour Nemat Noudehi opined that the match was difficult for his side. “It was very difficult match and I am satisfied with the result,” said Noudehi adding, that first match is always difficult. He also praised Three Star. “The opponent was tactically good and changed the cross pattern from left to right side in the second half after tight marking,” Noudehi said. Earlier, Shrestha had given lead to Three Star with a free kick taken from 25 yards to send the ball at right top stunning Bangladeshi custodian Sohel. Shrestha could have restored the lead for Three Star but custodian Sohel made a diving save to deny the loose penalty awarded in the 70th minute following a foul on Prakash Budathoki in the danger zone by Samnick. Three Star’s Sierra Leonean forward Adewumi Femi missed a couple of scoring chances in one-versus-one situations. In the 31st minute, Femi failed to beat Sohil from close range with the goalie on his way. In the stoppage time as well, Femi was denied in similar fashion by goalie, who collected the ball out of defensive error of Samnick. In the 67th, Femi headed above bar in Budathoki’s cross.    In the 34th, Sohel caug a free header of skipper Santosh Sahukhala, who was replaced by Yogesh Gurung in the 56th. Three minutes before the interval, Sahukhala and defender Rai both failed to connect a free kick taken by Shrestha in the six-yard box. 10-man Erchim holds TPC Erchim FC of Mongolia held Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei to a 0-0 draw in the first match of the group A qualifiers for AFC President’s Cup played at the Dasharath Stadium on Tuesday despite being restricted to 10 men for the last 20 minutes. Erchim FC skipper Eegii was sent off by Syrian referee Masoud Tufaylieh in the 70th minute for a second bookable offense. TPC, the 2011 champion, dominated the show and created as many as four chances, one of which hit the woodwork. “The players did their best and we also missed numerous chances,” said TPC coach Chen Kuei Jen, who also stressed on the need for improvement in striking. In the 73rd minute, KC Chung’s low strike was denied by the woodwork. During the stoppage time, MC He chipped wide in a one-on-one with advancing Erchim custodian Bodoo. Earlier, in the 63rd minute Bodoo had denied MC He’s shot from close range. In the 33rd, defender Gardiaa rescued Erchim making a goalline clearance to deny HH Tai. Erchim made a rare attempt on goal in the 80th minute, but TPC goalie K-C Lu made a one-handed save to prevent Tulgaa’s shot from an acute angle. Erchim coach D Batnasan expressed satisfaction with the result. “If we hadn’t got the red card we would have won the match,” said Batnasan. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54353 KUALA LUMPUR, May 8: Nepal will look to retain the top spot when it takes on host Malaysia on Wednesday in its last group stage match of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval Ground. Nepal and Malaysia have already qualified for the semifinals and the Wednesday´s match will decide the group winner and runner-up.[break] Nepal, which defeated Kuwait by 84 runs, Qatar by nine wickets and Bahrain by 196 runs, has six points from three matches. Malaysia, which beat Kuwait by eight wickets, Bahrain by seven wickets and Qatar by 127 runs, is also on six points. However, Nepal currently leads Group B with a better net run rate. The losing team of Wednesday´s match will have to face Afghanistan in the semifinal. Afghanistan has been creating buzz in Malaysia with lopsided victories over all its opponents in Group A. The runner-up of Group A is yet to be decided. "We don´t count any opponent as easy or tough. We are here to win the trophy and we have to win every match," said Nepali captain Bhuwan Karki. Karki praised the performance of his boys. "We have experienced players as well as debutants in our team. The new boys are performing well. We are better than other teams in every department. We have to keep the momentum going," he added. Karki said that if Nepal has to bat first against Malaysia, his team needs around 200 runs on the board. "If we bat first we need at least 200 runs on the board. I hope the openers will give us a good start," said Karki. Nepali opener Amit Shrestha has been doing well in the tournament. Shrestha had scored 46 runs against Kuwait, unbeaten 70 against Qatar and 22 against Bahrain. Karki has faith in his middle order too. "We have players like Bibhatsu Thapa who can play strokes keeping his wicket intact," said Karki. Thapa had scored 44 runs against Bahrain in his debut. Nepali pacer Avinash Karn is also in sensational form. He claimed eight wickets against Bahrain including a hat-trick on Monday. He had also claimed four wickets against Qatar and one against Kuwait. Likewise, another pacer Yagyaman Kumal has also shown his potential by picking up three wickets in his debut against Kuwait. "We have to repeat the previous performances. We have to keep the momentum going," said Nepali team coach Jagat Tamata. "Our ultimate aim is to win the trophy," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54351 KATHMANDU, May 7: Nepali professional golfers, including Nepal No 1 Shiva Ram Shrestha and winner of the 2007 edition Deepak Thapa Magar, are geared up to challenge some of the best South Asian golfers in the main event of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 that tees off at the Gokarna Golf Club on Wednesday. SNPL Masters 2013 features top Indian professional golfers like Asian Tour regular Anirban Lahiri, Chiragh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Shamim Khan, Mandeo Singh Pathania, Gurbaaz Mann, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Amardip Singh Malik, and former Indian Open winners Vijay Kumar and Ali Sher. Likewise, Anura Rohana and Mithun Perera from Sri Lanka are also among the contenders.[break] "Challenging such high-profile players, some of whom are regular Asian Tour players, is always a tough task," said Nepal No 1 Shrestha, who has been playing in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Tour since last year. "However, I hope to put up a good challenge and produce the best possible result as I´m playing on home course," said Shrestha, who had finished third in the last edition. "If I can improve my putting, I have a chance," he added. Shrestha, who is known for his attacking game, will lead the local challenge along with No 2 Rabi Khadka and No 3 Sanjay Lama. Likewise, No 4 Thapa Magar will be looking to repeat his 2007 feat when he had won the SNPL Masters title. Meanwhile, presence of previous winners like Abhijit Singh Chadha (2012), Gaurav Ghei (1995), Mukesh Kumar (2000), Shamim Khan (2008), Anura Rohana (2009), Ashbir Saini (2010) and Rashid Khan (2011) is almost sure to make the competition more fierce. The biggest golf tournament of Nepal with a total cash prize of Rs 4.8 million features 126 golfers including 10 amateurs. Amongst the 10 amateurs, six are from the Surya Nepal NGA Youth Program, and this would be a good opportunity for them to hone their skills and prepare themselves for the next Asian Games. This is the 20th edition of SNPL Masters and is a co-sanctioned event of PGTI and NPGA since last year. Past winners 1993 Amandeep Johl 1994 Indrajeet Balotia 1995 Gaurav Ghei 1996 Firoz Ali 1997 Uttam Singh Mundy 1998 Vijay Kumar 1999 Rohtas Singh 2000 Mukesh Kumar 2001 Firoz Ali 2002 Uttam Singh Mundy 2003 Digvijay Singh 2004 Shiv Kapoor 2005 Gurbaz Mann 2006 -(No Event) 2007 Deepak Thapa Magar 2008 Shamim Khan 2009 Anura Rohana 2010 Ashbir Saini 2011 Rashid Khan 2012 Abhijit Singh Chadha http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54344 KATHMANDU, May 7: Host Thames International College and Campion College advanced into the semifinals of Thames Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament on Tuesday. Thames defeated Universal College by 12 runs in the first quarterfinal held at the Army School Ground, Bhaktapur. Likewise, Campion edged past KIST College by 11 runs in the second match of the day.[break] Universal College won the toss and invited Thames to bat first. Bibhav Raj Joshi scored 52 runs off 50 balls and Ayush Jung Rana added 32 runs off 24 balls to guide Thames to 142/7 in the allotted 20 overs. Nikunj Parek claimed three wickets for Universal while Rupesh Chalise took two. Chasing 143 runs for victory, Universal could reach only 130/8 in 20 overs. Man-of-the-match Ayush Jung Rana claimed three wickets for Thames. In the second quarterfinal, Campion elected to bat and put up 133/6 in 20 overs as Aman Agrawal scored 46 runs off 42 balls and Bikash Jha clobbered an unbeaten 21 runs off 19 balls. Bibek Adhikari took three wickets for KIST while Puruskar Shah claimed two. Chasing the modest 134-run target, KIST could reach only 122/8 in 20 overs. Puruskar Shah and Bibek Adhikari scored 35 runs each but it was not enough to avoid defeat. Aman Agrawal was adjudged the man of the match for his batting performance. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54350 KATHMANDU, May 7: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has planned a victory parade in Kathmandu on Wednesday to honor the national cricket team, which won the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Bermuda on Sunday. Nepal defeated Uganda by five wickets in the final of Division 3 to clinch its third consecutive One-Day title at the international level. Nepal also secured berth in the World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand in January 2014 by reaching the final of Division 3.[break] The Nepali team, except coach Pubudu Dassanayake, is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu at 9 am on Wednesday. Dassanayke has flown to Canada from Bermuda to meet his family. According to CAN member Kiran Rana, the victory parade will begin with a grand welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport and pass through Gaushala, Ratopul, Maitidevi, Putalisadak, Bhrikutimandap and Shahid Gate before concluding at the National Sports Council (NSC) premises in Tripureshwar. Youth and Sports Minister Ram Kumar Shrestha and NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama are to receive the team at the NSC premises and make official announcement of cash rewards for the national team members. The 97th board meeting of NSC on Sunday had forwarded a proposal to the government to reward each member of the national team with Rs 350,000. Meanwhile, the national team is also scheduled to meet Chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers, Khil Raj Regmi, on Wednesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54341 KATHMANDU, May 7: Mukesh Kumar, one of the top Indian professional golfers, led his team to victory in the Pro-Am event, the curtain raiser of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013, at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Dibya Amatya, Hemant Gurung and Joyjit Mukharji were the amateur members of Kumar´s team. The winning team tallied 51.3 points after firing 17 birdies.[break] The team of Bangladeshi pro Mohammed Zamal Hossain Mollah that included amateurs Kiran Pyakuryal, KNS Thapa and Dorjee Sherpa finished runner-up with 52.9 points, while the team comprising Nepal´s No 1 professional Shiva Ram Shrestha and Phintso Ongdi Lama, Kalu Ghale and Jigmay Dongstetsang finished third. The event was played in team scramble format, where the team handicap was decided on the basis of 1/10th of the total handicap and saw more than 100 players vie for the honors. SNPL Managing Director Syed Mahmood Ahmad, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Director Padamjit Sandhu, Nepal Professional Golfers Association President Rabindra Man Shrestha and Gokarna Golf Club President Suhrid Ghimire gave away the prizes to the winners. SNPL Managing Director Ahmad, in his speech, said they sponsored the tournament to promote golf tourism in Nepal. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54290 KATHMANDU, May 7: Laxmi Bank Three Star Club faces a dual challenge in the Group A qualifying rounds of AFC President´s Cup that kick off at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Three Star will open its campaign against Abahani Limited of Bangladesh in the day´s late match. Three Star, which had reached the semifinals in the first edition of the tournament in 2005 on home turf, faces the challenge of crossing the group stage. [break]Besides this, the Lalitpur-based side, which will be representing Nepali club football in the qualifiers, also has the responsibility of regaining Nepal´s lost glory in the event. The top two teams in the round robin league will qualify for the final rounds. No Nepali club has crossed the group stage since 2009 in the tournament that features the league champions of third-tier football nations of Asia as classified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Nepal Police Club failed to cross the group stage in three editions of the tournament since 2009. New Road Team (NRT), which represented Nepal in 2010, also faced a similar fate. In the first edition, Three Star had made it to the semifinals. In 2006 Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) crashed out from the group stage, but a year later Nepal Police Club finished runner-up and in 2008 it suffered defeat in the semifinal. Since then, Nepali clubs have never made it to the semifinals. There were no qualifying rounds from 2005 to 2007. "It is a challenge to regain the past glory of the club," said Three Star coach Pradip Humagain, adding, "We also have an opportunity to prove that we can cross the group stage, which other Nepali clubs have failed to do in the last four editions." Coach Humagain opined the team has the right combination of players to achieve the feat. "We have the right combination of players and we have also recruited about half-a-dozen star players that helped us win the league," said Humagain. Among other players, Three Star has recruited Nepali internationals Jagjeet Shrestha, Nirajan Khadka, Sabindra Shrestha and Prakash Budhathoki and African player Leonce Dodoz who is likely to pair up with Adewumi Femi as striker in the starting line-up. "To play in the President´s Cup is also a dream for the players. They are motivated, hard-working and have good understanding," said Humagain, who is also cautious about his side´s first match against Abahani Limited that currently lies second in the Bangladeshi league. "The first match is always important for the team. Unlike other international tournaments where Nepali teams had to wait for other teams´ results to secure berth in the final rounds, we will do it on our own and we must win the first match for that," said Humagain, whose side comprises nine national players. Midfielder Nirajan Khadka is likely to miss the entire qualifiers due to leg injury, while other injured players Biraj Maharjan, Santosh Sahukhala and Bijay Gurung have recovered, said Humagain. However, Humagain is also aware that almost all the participating teams of the tournament are of similar level. "There is not much difference between the teams but we will have the home advantage." Police Club had defeated the same team from Bangladesh 4-0 in the 2008 edition of the tournament, but in 2010 NRT was defeated 2-0. Abahani´s Iranian coach Ardeshir Pournemas said the first match will always be vital for the team. "We will beat the opponent to show the improvements in Bangladeshi football," said the Iranian, who took over the club seven months ago. Abahani is studded with seven national players of Bangladesh and two foreigners. "We should not worry as we are playing in the league round, but we should be cautious," said Pournemas, who aims to qualify for the finals with a top-two finish. The qualifying rounds will begin on Tuesday with Taiwan Power Company, the 2011 champion of Chinese Taipei, taking on Erchim FC of Mongolia. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54298 KATHMANDU, May 7: Nepal achieved the biggest success in its cricket history on Sunday defeating Uganda by five wickets in the final to lift the trophy of ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Bermuda. Nepal´s victory in the final also avenged the defeat against Uganda during the league round of the tournament.[break] This is Nepal´s third title in the last nine months. Nepal had won the Division 4 title in September 2012 and the ACC Trophy Elite in October 2012. Nepal had reached the final of ACC T20 Cup held in Kathmandu in April but lost to Afghanistan in the final. As both Nepal and Uganda had already secured berths in the World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand next year before the final, the title clash was an issue of pride in which Nepal prevailed. Chasing 152 for the title against a team that had earlier in the league round bowled Nepal out for mere 116, Nepal raced to the target with nearly 10 overs to spare as Sharad Vesawkar struck a four in the second ball of the 40th over to seal the victory and also bring up his half-century. In the match played at the National Stadium, Hamilton, Uganda won the toss and elected to bat but was pushed on the back foot due to some tight Nepali bowling. Nepal made no change in the squad that had thrashed Italy a day earlier, meaning the specialist pacers were not included and captain Paras Khadka opened the bowling. After bowling a couple of tight overs, Khadka dismissed opener Arthur Kyobe. Uganda batted at a very slow pace hitting 18 runs in 10 overs. The middle order steadied the ship and lifted the run rate, with Laurence Sematimba (27), Deusdedit Muhumuza (28) and captain Davis Arinaitwe (23) all contributing for Uganda. However, Uganda accelerated the scoring only in the last few overs as frequent wickets kept Uganda under pressure. Their best over was the last bowled by Sanjam Regmi in which they hit 19 runs with a couple of sixes and a four. Basanta Regmi and Rahul Vishwakarma each grabbed a couple of wickets while Shakti Gauchan and Prithu Baskota also claimed one each. Regmi claimed the wicket of Benjamin Musoke in the 22nd over to reach the 100-wicket milestone at the international level. A day earlier, Gauchan had also reached the 100-wicket mark. In reply, Nepal didn´t begin well as Subash Khakurel (4), Gyanendra Malla (5) and Paras Khadka (1) fell cheaply to take Nepal to 30/3 in the 11th over. Opener Pradeep Airee and Vesawkar then rescued Nepal´s innings with a patient 77-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Airee made 60 runs off 95 balls. Binod Bhandari hit a four and was out for five making it 113/5 in the 31st over. Young Prithu Baskota and Vesawkar then scored the required runs without further damage. Baskota hit 24 off 19 balls. Surrounded by a small group of jubilant fans, Nepal captain Paras Khadka said the win was unbelievable. “We worked really hard for it. And having lost the first couple of games no one gave us an outright chance but we still believed in ourselves and our ability. Everything worked in our favor and, as they say, fortune favors the brave. I feel glad. We have reached where we always wanted to," said Khadka. "Now it is a matter of preparing ourselves even better. If we prepare really well, things are looking in good shape for us,” he added. With the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers only eight months away, the skipper said his side would remain focused. “Before the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, we have the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in November in Dubai and that´s an equally important tournament," Khadka told ICC. “I think preparation-wise, we have to have a strategic plan from now on because it is a big step - one more step and you are in the ICC Cricket World Cup. So we have to think in that perspective and hopefully, if we can get things right back home, and play against good teams and quality opponents, that´s how you develop as a player and prepare,” he explained Disappointed Uganda captain Davis Arinaitwe was still proud of his side´s achievement. “Qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers was our primary objective when we got here, we first set our sights on trying to qualify for that tournament, so I felt that for us, that is an achievement that we can take back home," said Arinaitwe. Meanwhile, USA beat Bermuda -- something which if it had done a day earlier would have sent it through to the World Cup Qualifiers instead of Nepal -- to finish third and remain in Division 3. Oman overcame Italy in the battle of relegated teams. ICC president congratulates Nepal Meanwhile, ICC President Alan Isaac has congratulated Nepal and Uganda for qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. After watching the final match in Bermuda, Isaac said that the final was played in the spirit of great game. “The skilful, disciplined and exciting match was a testament to the continuously improving standard and depth of cricket in Associate and Affiliate countries," said Issac in a press statement issued by ICC. “Nepal and Uganda are now just one step away from playing in a World Cup. I´m sure they´ll quickly switch their focus and attention to the New Zealand qualifiers, try to build on their successes in Bermuda, work harder and aim to arrive fresh, ready and fully trained so that they can challenge the other teams who will be equally focused and committed," he added. Nepal and Uganda will go head to head with eight other teams who have qualified from two other events -- the six bottom teams of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Hong Kong, who finished third and fourth in WCL Division 2 in 2011 -- in New Zealand in January 2014. The top two sides of the New Zealand event will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 that will be held in Australia and New Zealand. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54301 KATHMANDU, May 6: The 97th board meeting of National Sports Council (NSC) has decided to reward triathlete Rajiv Kumar Gurung with a cash prize of Rs 500,000 for winning gold medal at the ASTC Asian Triathlon Championship held in the Philippines on April 28. NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama said on Sunday that the meeting has decided to recommend to the council of ministers to provide the amount to Gurung through the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS). Gurung had won gold in sprint discipline in 35-39 years age category of the championship. [break] The meeting has also decided to recommend cash rewards for the gold, silver and bronze medalists of Asian Pacific Karate Championship. The gold, silver and bronze medalists will be awarded Rs 500,000, Rs 250,000 and Rs 125,000 respectively. Sunil Lama and Ganga Adhikari had won golds during the event held in Hong Kong while four karatekas had won silver and seven had secured bronze medals. The recommendation was based on the previous board meeting of NSC which has fixed separate amounts of cash prizes for medalists at the world level, Asian level and South Asian level. Meanwhile, the meeting has also decided to confer the National Sports Medal on eight popular players of the year, two employees of NSC, two coaches and a sports association. Each of the awardees will get Rs 50,000. Budget The meeting has also decided to demand a budget of Rs 1.25 billion for the fiscal year 2070/71. Besides that, NSC has demanded Rs 380.8 million for the Seventh National Games to be held later this year. "The amount demanded outside the ceiling will also be utilized for construction of covered halls in 13 districts where there are no covered halls," said Lama, adding, "The amount will also be utilized for construction of one ground each in the sports centers of 165 election constituencies." Infrastructure development The meeting has also approved a policy on infrastructure development to help in the development of players. As per the policy, NSC will construct semi-covereds hall in all 240 constituencies. For this, NSC has decided to request the government and neighboring countries for assistance through MoYS. Regulations for Sports Science Academy NSC has also decided to approve the regulations for Sports Science Academy. "To produce able manpower we have approved the regulations for Sports Science Academy. We have set a long-term plan of establishing Sports University as well," said Lama, adding that only scientific sports science could help produce qualify performers at the international stage. Similarly, the meeting has decided to conduct the President´s Shield in a systematic way and also approved regulations for swimming pool. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54295 KUALA LUMPUR, May 6: Left-arm medium pacer Avinash Karn grabbed eight wickets including a hat-trick as Nepal inflicted a crushing 196-run defeat on Bahrain at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur on Monday to storm into the semifinals of ACC U-19 Elite Cup. Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal team posted 259/9 in the allotted 50 overs. [break] Nepal´s vice-captain Karn ripped through Bahrain´s batting line-up taking four wickets in his second over, including a hat-trick in the last three balls. Karn finished with eight wickets, without needing any assistance from fielders. Four of his wickets were bowled, while other four were trapped lbw. Karn became the first Nepali bowler to complete a hat-trick in age group tournament at the international level. He also became the second Nepali bowler to take a hat-trick at the international level. Earlier, Shakti Gauchan had taken a hat-trick against Denmark in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers held in the UAE last year. Karn trapped Ikram Nadeem lbw as his first wicket in the second ball of the third over of the innings. He gave away a run in the third ball and then completed a hat-trick in the last three balls of the over. He trapped Adeel Nasir lbw in the fourth ball, bowled Jayan Anandhakrishnan and again trapped Ubaid Minhas lbw to complete his hat-trick. Karn´s bowling figure of 8-2-24-8 is the second best bowling figure among Nepali bowlers in the U-19 age group. Rahul Vishwakarma´s bowling figure of 6.5-0-15-8 against Thailand in the last edition of ACC U-19 Elite Cup is the best bowling figure among Nepali bowlers in the age group. Karn was adjudged the man of the match for his brilliant bowling performance. Five Bahrain batsmen returned to the pavilion without scoring, while only two reached double figures. Akshay Krishna (22) was the highest scorer for Bahrain, while Lasith Lal made 17. Captain Bhuwan Karki and Rahul Pratap Singh claimed a wicket each for Nepal. Earlier, Nepali innings had not started well as it lost its first wicket on 28 runs. Captain Bhuwan Karki was the highest scorer for Nepal with 83 off 63 balls, which included eight fours and three sixes. Bibhatsu Thapa scored 44, while Nirmal Thapa added 25. Openers Ameet Shrestha (22 runs off 12 balls) and Nischal Pandey (16 runs off 40 balls) were the other major contributors for Nepal. Bahrain bowled 32 extras. Lalith Lal was the pick of the Bahrain bowlers with three wickets while Anandhakrishnan and Adeel Nasir claimed two wickets each. Nepal´s run rate surged to more than five an over, thanks to some quick scoring toward the end. Nepali batsmen scored more than 50 runs in the last five overs. Following its 84-run victory over Kuwait and nine-wicket win over Qatar in the first two matches, the convincing victory over Bahrain has secured a semifinal berth for Nepal from Group B of the tournament. In the group of five teams, Nepal and Malaysia have equal six points from three matches. However, Nepal is on top of the table with better net run rate. Kuwait is in the third place with two points from three matches. Bahrain and Qatar are yet to open their accounts. Nepal and Malaysia will lock horns on Wednesday to decide the group winner. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54291 KATHMANDU, May 6: The main event of Surya Nepal Masters 2013 -- the golf tournament with the highest cash prize in Nepal -- is all set to tee off at the Gokarna Golf Forest Resort on Wednesday. The curtain raiser Pro-Am event will begin on Tuesday.[break] Now in its 20th edition, the tournament that has continuously risen in prominence, boasts of the highest prize money ever in the history of Nepali golf with a total prize fund of Rs 4.8 million, an increase of 20% compared to last year. The winner of the tournament will walk away with Rs 775,920 on Saturday. The runner-up will bag Rs 535,920 while the third place holder will get Rs 300,720. The players finishing in the fourth and fifth positions will get Rs 243,120 and Rs 195,120 respectively. The top 50 and ties will qualify for the money making rounds (last two rounds) of the four-day tournament to be played in strokeplay format, with the last-placed player winning over Rs 20,000. The field this year merits the evolved standard of the event with top professionals from across the region in full attendance, led by Asian Tour winner Anirban Lahiri. The local golfers will also be present in great numbers and with the continuous growth of the game in the country; it will not be surprising to see a few of them in contention on the afternoon of the final day. Many of them would be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Deepak Thapa Magar, who himself would be hoping to do an encore of his 2007 act, when he became the first home-grown player to clinch the prestigious title. A sentimental favorite would be Shiva Ram Shrestha, who has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and now promises to carry forward the baton of Nepali golf. After emerging as the No 1 on the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Golf Tour Order of Merit, the stocky golfer has shown enough potential to suggest that he can go on to win the title. The other player to watch out for would be Rabi Khadka who is in top form winning the last event on the SNPL Golf Tour. Big names from India have bolstered the field. The Indian charge apart from Anirban is led by former winners of SNPL Masters such as Shamim Khan, Rashid Khan, Vijay Kumar, Feroz Ali, Gaurav Ghei, and Gurbaaz Mann. The field this year also boasts of representation from five different countries. Sri Lankans Anura Rohana and Mithun Perera will be competing in the event, while there is also an Australian in the fray in the form of Kunal Bhasin, who plies his trade on the Indian professional circuit. The Surya Nepal Masters is the flagship event of SNPL Golf Tour managed by Nepal Professional Golf Association (NPGA). The event is also co-sanctioned by Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). SNPL is sponsoring the Golf Tour with the objective of promoting Nepal as an affordable golfing destination in Asia. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54289 KATHMANDU, May 6; Kantipur College of Management and Information Technology (KCMIT) and K&K College reached the quarterfinals of Thames Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament winning their respective first round matches on Monday. KCMIT defeated Shankar Dev College by seven wickets at the Army School Ground in Bhaktapur while K&K edged past Kathmandu Model College (KMC) by eight wickets.[break] Winning the toss, KCMIT elected to field first and bowled out Shankar Dev for 87 runs in 19.2 overs. Suraj Tamang, Bikram Tiwari, Manoj Rawal and Pratik GC claimed two wickets each for KCMIT. Saurav Bhandari (27 runs off 24 balls) was the highest scorer for Shankar Dev. Chasing the low total, KCMIT reached 90 runs in 11.5 overs losing three wickets. Man-of-the-match Manoj Rawal scored 24 runs off 28 balls and Pratik GC added an unbeaten 20 runs to seal the victory. Kamal Sapkota took two wickets for Shankar Dev. In the second match of the day, K&K invited KMC to bat first. KMC put up 106/8 in 20 overs as Birodh Ghimire garnered 49 runs off 65 balls. Anshaj Upadhyaya took five wickets for K&K. K&K met the target of 107 runs in 16.4 overs losing only two wickets. Ramesh Sapkota scored an unbeaten 34 runs off 49 balls while man-of-the-match Upadhyaya added 25 runs off 23 balls. Host Thames will take on Universal College in the first quarterfinal on Tuesday while KIST will lock horns with Campion College. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54257 KATHMANDU, May 6: Left-arm medium pacer Avinash Karn bowled a dream spell taking eight wickets, including a hat-trick, as Nepal defeated Baharain by a massive 196 runs in its third match of ACC U-19 Elite Cup in Malaysia, on Monday. Winning the toss and electing to bat first at Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Nepal scored a robust 259 for nine in 50 overs, with the innings mostly built around Bhuwan Karki’s magnificinet 63-ball 83, including eight fours and three sixes.[break] In reply, Bahrain struggled for runs and the whole innings crashed for 63 runs in 21 overs, with Karn doing the damage. The bowler took four wickets in his second over-- first removed opener Ikram Nadeem (1), with his second ball of third over of the match and went on to dismiss Adeel Nasir (6), J Anandhakrishan (0) and Ubaid Minhas (0) with his fourth, fifth and sixth deliveries. Bhuwan Karki and RP Singh took one wicket apiece. Of Karn’s eight victims, four were lbw out and the remaining four were bowled out. With Karn bowling with a lot of venom, Bahrain batsmen could not regroup anytime throughout, losing top seven wickets in just 6.5 overs with only 12 runs on board. Karn was adjudged man of the match for his extraordinary spell. It was a 34-run eighth wicket stand between A Krisha (22 off 47 balls) and Lalith Lal (17 off 23 balls) that did some repairing of the dilapidated Bahrain innings. Krisha and Lal hit four boundaries each. Besides no other Bahrain batsmen made it to the double figures. Five of them were duck out. Earlier in the Nepal innings, apart from Karki, B Thapa made 44 off 92 balls with three boundaries. N Thapa (25) Amrit Shrestha (22), Nishchal Pandey (16) P Shrestha (13) and Harishankar (10) were the other Nepal batsmen who contributed in double digits. Nepal got 32 as extras. A day earlier, Nepal thrashed Qatar by nine wickets. Nepal won its opening match against Kuwait by 84 runs. Nepal will take on host Malaysia on Wednesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54253 KATHMANDU, May 6: Nepal won the final of ICC World Cricket Division League Three, beating Uganda by five wickets, at National Stadium, Hamilton, Bermuda, Sunday night. Winning the toss and inviting Uganda to bat first, Nepal bundled out the African side for a paltry 151 for eight in 50 overs. In reply Nepal made 153 for the loss of five wickets with 64 balls still remaining. [break] Some tight overs by Nepali bowlers restricted Uganda batsmen from scoring free runs from the start of the match. Nepal removed Uganda openers A Koybe (1) and M Masaba (13) within the first 16 overs with just 31 runs on board. Nepal kept strangulating Uganda innings until the entire side collapsed for a lowly total. Hadn’t its lower order batsmen contributed some quick late runs, Uganda would have ended up with an even smaller total. Rahul Vishwakarma and Basanta Regmi took two wickets each, while skipper Paras Khadka, Prithu Baskota, and Shakti Gauchan grabbe one each. One Uganda batsman was run out. Nepal cricket team with trophy. (Photo courtesy: CAN) Pradeep Airee collecting his man of the match trophy. (Photo courtesy: CAN) Nepal had a shaky run chase losing Subash Khakurel (4) cheaply in 2.1 overs. Nepal looked headed to real trouble when it lost Gyanendra Malla (5), skipper Paras Khadka (1) in a quick succession with 30 runs on board in 10.4 overs. However, it was a timely 77-run fourth wicket partnership between another opener Pradeep Airee (60) and Sharad Vesawkar (50) that really swung the game in Nepal’s favor. Man of the match Airee hit five fours and four sixes in his 95-ball knock, whereas Vesawkar smashed four fours facing 83 balls. With Vesawkar, Prithu Baskota, who made 19 off 24 balls with two fours and a six, remained not out. For Uganda, H Ssenyondo took two wickets , while C Waiswa, F Nsubuga and D Arinaitwe claimed one each. The win also meant a sweet revenge for Nepal who had lost to Uganda by six wickets in the league round. USA, Oman win In the third place play-off, the USA beat host Bermuda by 30 runs. Electing to bat first at St David’s Cricket Club Ground, the USA posted a challenging 271 for seven in 50 overs, with S Taylor, who also emerged the highest run-scorer in the tournament, hitting a brisk 97 off 95 balls, including 11 fours and a six. In reply, Bermuda was all out for 241 in 48.4 overs. For the home team, D Hemp topscored with 45. In an crucial encounter during league round, Bermuda had defeated the same side by five wickets, shattering the USA’s strong prospect of qualification and, instead, cementing Nepal’s way to the final--and with it, to the Division Two and the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers In the fifth place play-off played at Somerset Cricket Club, Oman beat Italy by five wickets. Batting first, Italy scored 207 all out 48.4 overs. Oman chased down the target in 44.5 overs losing just five wickets. Both the teams have been relegated to the Division Four. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54238 KUALA LUMPUR, May 5: Avinash Karn´s fierce bowling and Amit Shrestha´s blistering 70 runs off 33 balls against Qatar on Sunday sealed a second consecutive victory for Nepali U-19 cricket team in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. Nepal beat Qatar convincingly by nine wickets at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur. Qatar won the toss and elected to bat first. Nepal bundled out Qatar for 93 runs in 36.3 overs as Karn claimed four wickets. He bowled 7.3 overs and gave away 26 runs to claim four wickets. Likewise, Sushant Bhari claimed two wickets with a bowling figure of 6-3-11-2. Skipper Bhuwan Karki and Nischal Pandey dismissed a batsman each. Two of the Qatar batsmen were run out.[break] Uzair Amir (24 runs off 67 balls) was the highest scorer for Qatar. Abdullah Mohammad (16 runs off 36 balls), Syed Safwan Shah (14 runs off 19 balls) and Jahangir Ehsan (12 runs off 7 balls) were the other major contributors for Qatar. Chasing the low total, Nepal reached 94/1 in 10.5 overs. Shrestha and Nischal Pandey (12 runs off 26 balls) shared an opening stand of 56 runs. Shrestha then put on an unbeaten 38 runs with Harishankar Shah (8 runs off 7 balls) to seal a comprehensive victory. Shrestha clobbered 11 fours and a six during his 70-run knock. Nepali vice-captain Karn was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his brilliant bowling performance. "We played without any pressure against Qatar," said Nepali team captain Bhuwan Karki. "We were planning to field first and we got to do the same despite losing the toss," he added. Nepal had defeated Kuwait by 84 runs on Friday in its first match of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. Nepal will take on Bahrain in its third group-stage match on Monday. "We are undefeated against Bahrain so far and we want to maintain the winning run against them. We also want to maintain the momentum we have gained in this tournament," said Karki. Team coach Jagat Tamata was pleased with the performances against Kuwait and Qatar. "Players have been executing the plans we had made before the tournament. I want the boys to keep up the momentum," said Tamata. Nepali batsman Prem Tamang, who missed the second match after sustaining injury during the match against Kuwait, is expected to return for the match against Bahrain. According to team physiotherapist Dr Saroj Pandey, Tamang will be fit by Monday morning. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54247 KATHMANDU, May 5: Gurukul and Whitehouse claimed the boys´ and girls´ titles respectively in the Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2103 that concluded in the capital on Sunday. Whitehouse, which had reached the final in both categories, had to settle for the runner-up spot in boys´ category after going down to Gurukul 56-44 in the final. The six-point lead taken in the first quarter and the five-point lead in the last quarter laid the foundation for Gurukul´s victory.[break] After taking the first quarter 16-10, Gurukul narrowly went down 14-15 in the second before recovering to take a slender 15-13 lead in the third and sealed the victory with a last quarter score of 11-6. Sadish Pradhan contributed the highest 15 points for Gurukul while Binod Maharjan netted 14 points. Bijay Khatri was the highest scorer for Whitehouse with 14 points while Sanjay Byanjankar netted 11 points. In the women´s final, Whitehouse defeated Prime 27-19 riding on 15 points from Bina Nakarmi. Anushal Malla also contributed five points for the winning team. Whitehouse took the first and third quarters 5-1 and 12-5 respectively, while the second quarter ended at 7-7. Prime took the third quarter 6-3. The tournament sponsored by Minsk Water was organized by Kathmandu College of Management, Gwarko. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54249 KATHMANDU, May 5: Nepal Volleyball Association (NVA) on Sunday unveiled its annual calendar for the year 2070 BS. Of the total 16 programs in the new calendar, NVA will organize seven events while four will be conducted by regional and district-level bodies. Similarly, the volleyball governing body has also included five tournaments to be hosted by clubs or other groups in its annual calendar.[break] Unveiling the NVA´s programs at a press conference in the capital on Sunday, NVA General Secretary Jeetendra Bahadur Chand said the annual calendar includes 13 competitive tournaments, a coaches refresher course, a referee refresher course and a youth volleyball festival. Though NVA is also planning to host a South Asian volleyball tournament during the year, the event has not been included in the calendar as a final decision is yet to be made. "We are planning to host a men´s South Asian tournament in the near future," said NVA President Dan Bahadur Tamang. "A final decision in this regard will be taken soon. National Sports Council has said that it has allocated Rs 2 million for the tournament. And the budget will be frozen if we do not organize it." "We do not want the amount to be frozen. But the budget allocated by NSC will not be sufficient to host the tournament. We need a budget of at least Rs 4 million and if we get support from all sectors we will organize the tournament," added General Secretary Chand. Nakkhipot Junior Men´s Volleyball (Lalitpur), Nationwide Open Men´s Volleyball (Jhapa), Dhorpatan Cup (Kathmandu), Workers Cup (Bhaktapur) and Chaite Dashain Cup (Baglung) are the tournaments included by NVA in its calendar to be hosted by non-volleyball bodies. "We have included some major programs of clubs as well in our calendar and NVA will provide them logistic support to organize any kind of tournament throughout the country," stated Tamang, adding that NVA was also looking forward to long-term partnership with corporate houses. He also informed that NVA is planning to set up its own volleyball complex. NVA will organize the National Women´s and Men´s Beach Volleyball Tournament, the first event of the new calendar, in mid-June while the Men´s and Women´s Club League Volleyball to be held in mid-March, 2014 will conclude the calendar. The Men´s and Women´s National Club Championship and the Men´s and Women´s National Tournament are other tournaments of NVA. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54248 KATHMANDU, May 5: Nepal wrote a new chapter in its cricketing history by reaching the World Cup Qualifiers Saturday night. Following Nepal´s lopsided victory over Italy, Bermuda upset the USA in the last league round of the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 on Saturday night sending Nepal to the World Cup Qualifiers. On a day when three teams had a chance to claim the vital second position on the table behind Uganda, which is the group leader, Nepal defeated Italy by eight wickets and Bermuda defeated USA by five wickets, resulting in Nepal overtaking USA and Bermuda on the points table based on net run rate.[break] Uganda tops the standings accumulating eight points from four wins and a loss, while Nepal, USA and Bermuda, who all have equal six points, finished second, third and fourth on better net rate. Nepal´s run rate is 0.715, the USA´s 0.456 and Bermuda´s -0.682. Uganda had lost to Oman by seven wickets on Saturday night. The bottom two teams Oman and Italy are relegated to the Division 4. Winning the toss and sending Italy to take strike first in St David´s Cricket Club ground, Nepal restricted the opponent side to 127/9 in 50 overs with tight bowling and raced to the target losing only two wickets in just 14.5 overs. Man-of-the match Rahul Vishwakarma, playing his first match in the tournament, claimed three key wickets to restrict Italy to the low total. Shakti Gauchan sent Italy opener Hayden Patrizi (4) back to the pavilion in 7.2 overs, while another opener A Northcote (10) fell to Sanjam Regmi shortly. Italy lost its third wicket when Basanta Regmi had Damian Crowley (3) caught by Gauchan in 13.5 overs with just 22 runs on board. Then Vishwakarma took three wickets -- Peter Anthony Petricola (31), Carl Sandri (39) and Alessandro Banora (2). Sanjam Regmi took another three wickets, while Gauchan remained the most economic Nepali bowler with figures 10-2-15-2. Sitting third on the ladder after four rounds, Nepal was in need of a convincing victory to try and knock USA out of second position. Chasing 128 for victory Nepali openers Subash Khakurel and Pradeep Airee wasted no time to put up an 87-run partnership from 12 overs. Khakurel smashed 47 runs off 35 balls. Captain Paras Khadka smashed 22 from only 8 balls, while Gyanendra Malla struck two shots -- one six and one four -- to still be at the crease alongside Airee (42 not out) when Nepali total reached 129, and victory in the 15th over. Luis Di Giglio and Fida Hussain took one wicket apiece. In the most anticipated match of the day that decided the fate of Nepal, host Bermuda defeated USA by five wickets at the National Sports Stadium. USA needed to win the match to guarantee a top two finish, while Bermuda needed to win the encounter to avoid the possibility of relegation in the event of Oman defeating Uganda. The USA posted a challenging 220/9 in 50 overs with its opener Akeem Dodson hitting a composed 50, and later Neil McGarrell, who in the past played Test cricket for the West Indies, scoring 45 runs off 43 balls. Seemingly, less favorite Bermuda chased the target with ease for the loss of five wickets in 44.4 overs with man of the match Chris Douglas making a brilliant 89 runs from 75 balls that also included nine fours and three sixes. Elsewhere, Oman upset the favorite Uganda registering a seven-wicket victory. Nepal skipper Khadka was pleased that his side´s hard work paid off with a top two finish. "We had to make sure that we maintain a good run rate. Pressure was always there, after having lost the first two games so we had to step it up. Hats off to the boys for having played so well and for their determination. We had to wait for the results of the other matches, and then it happened for us. They say that when you work hard, things and luck work for you," Khadka told ICC. "It was a nervous wait for the other results. After we finished we had to wait for about two hours, but thank god we hung in there and it worked for us," he added. How far are we from World Cup and ODI status? After securing place in the World Cup Qualifiers, Nepal is a step away from reaching World Cup and getting the One-Day status. In the tournaments format developed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its associate nations, World Cricket League Championship is the highest tournament. Currently, there are eight teams -- Ireland, Netherlands, Kenya, Scotland, Afghanistan, Canada, United Arab Emirates and Namibia -- in the World Cricket League Championship. The top two teams of the championship following home and away round robin league will directly qualify for the World Cup. The remaining six teams will join Division 2 teams -- Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Nepal and Uganda in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. The top two teams of the qualifiers will go to the World Cup. The third and fourth placed teams will get One-Day status along with the four associate teams qualified to the World Cup. Lara says he is Nepal´s fan West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara said that he is a big fan of Nepal. On the eve of the Division 3 final, Lara has encouraged Nepali cricket fans in an interaction on his twitter. "All the best 2 Nepal in the finals may the best team win. I´m a big fan of urs n Uganda´s cricket," Lara twitted on his twitter account along with a picture with two Nepali fans in Bermuda. In reply to a request to cheer for Nepal in the match against Italy by a Nepali fan with twitter account ´itscoolsky´, Lara has replied, "I will get out there". http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54239 KATHMANDU: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Sunday said it has completed preparations for the AFC President´s Cup Group A Qualifiers to begin Tuesday at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. The qualifying tournament features the league champions of third-tier football nations of Asia as classified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Group A consists of Laxmi Bank Three Star Club of Nepal, Abahani Limited of Bangladesh, Taiwan Power Company (TPC) of Chinese Taipei and Erchim FC of Mongolia.[break] Two matches will be held each day on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 15:10 NST and 18:10 NST. Three Star, which will open its campaign against Abahani Limited, is scheduled to play the second matches on all three days. Three Star will meet TPC and Erchim FC in its second and third matches. The gate money has been fixed at Rs 200 for open parapet and Rs 500 for closed parapet. While other teams will get US$ 15,000 each as traveling allowance, Three Star will not get the allowance from AFC as it belongs to the host country. The expected cost of the qualifiers is Rs 9 million. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54230 KATHMANDU, May 5: Nepal Commerce Campus (NCC), Minbhawan, humiliated Mahendra Morang Campus, Biratnagar by seven wickets on Sunday to enter the quarterfinals of Thames Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament being held at Nepal Army grounds, Bhaktapur. Kathford also advanced into the last eight after enjoying a walkover from Prime College.[break] Invited to bat first, Mahendra Morang was bowled out for a paltry total of 39 runs in 11.5 overs as Prabhat Pokharel bagged three wickets for NCC and Nischal Rijal finished off the tail with a hat-trick in the 12th over. Pokharel was declared the man-of-the-match. Rijal conceded five runs in his 1.5-over spell while Pokharel conceded 10 runs in his two-over spell. Sunam Ghising (11) was the only batsman to reach double figures for Mahendra Morang that lost other batsmen cheaply. Chasing the target NCC made 42 runs losing two wickets in seven overs. Laxman Bhandari remained unbeaten on 18 runs and Sambidhan Baidya scored an unbeaten eight runs. On Monday, Shankar Dev will take on KCMIT while KMC will lock horns with K&K. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54204 KATHMANDU, May 5: In a sudden turn of events in ongoing ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament, Nepal got qualified for Division Two and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers finishing second on the points table upon the completion of the league matches, on Saturday night. In its last and fifth league match of the tournament, Nepal annihilated Italy by 8 wickets whereas in the other match host Bermuda stunned the USA by 5 wickets, placing Nepal in the second position in the standings behind Uganda, who was already qualified before its last match against Oman. [break] Uganda topped the standings accumulating eight points from four wins and a loss, while Nepal, USA and Bermuda, who all have equal six points, finished second, third and fourth on better net rate. Nepal’s run rate is 0.715, the USA’s 0.456 and Bermuda’s -0.682. Hadn’t the home side defeated USA, Nepal’s qualification would had been an impossibility as it had lost its first two matches against the USA and Uganda. Oman, who stunned Uganda by 7 wickets in the last match, is placed fifth with two wins and three losses, while win-less Italy is at the bottom on the points table. Both of them have been relegated to the Division Four. Winning the toss and sending Italy to take strike first in St David’s Cricket Club ground, Nepal restricted the opponent side to 127/9 in 50 overs, with tight bowling and raced to the small target losing only two wickets in just 14.5 overs. Shakti Gauchan sent Italy opener H Patrizi (4) back to the pavilion in 7.2 overs, while another opener A Northcote (10) fell to Sanjam Regmi shortly. Italy lost its third wicket when Basanta Regmi had D Crowley (3) caught by Gauchan in 13.5 overs with just 22 runs on board. Then Rahul Vishwakarma, who was drafted into the team first time in the tournament, came with his man of the match performance, taking three key wickets, P Petricola (31), C Sandri (39) and A Banora (2). With Nepal strangulating Italy innings thus restricting free scoring of runs, the whole side finally got wrapped up for 127. Apart from Vishwakarma, Sanjam Regmi took three wickets, while Gauchan remained the most economic Nepali bowler with figures 10-2-15-2. Nepal got off to a quick run chase with Subash Khakurel and Pradip Airee sharing an 87-run opening stand. Khakurel hit 47 off just 35 balls, with four fours and two sixes, while Airee made unbeaten 42 of 43 balls with four fours and a six. Skipper Paras Khadka who came at No 3 played an 8-ball cameo of 22 including three fours and a six while his deputy Gyanendra Malla remained not out on 10 off only two balls. In the other match played at National Stadium at Hamilton, the USA who won the toss and elected to bat first, posted a challenging 220/9 in 50 overs, with its opener A Dodson, hitting a composed 50, and later NC McGarrell, who in the past played Test cricket for the West Indies, scoring a quickfire of 45 off 43 balls, with four fours and a six. To many´s disbelief, seemingly less favorite Bermuda chased down the target with ease for the loss of five wickets in 44.4 overs with man of the match C Douglas making a brilliant 89 of 75 balls that also included nine fours and three sixes. S Outerbridge and D Hemp chipped in with 37 runs each. Elsewhere, Oman registered an upset win over the favorite Uganda, registering a seven-wicket win. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Uganda was 163/9 in 50 overs. In reply, the Gulf side reached target in 39 overs for the loss of just one wicket. For Oman, man of the match Zeeshan Siddiqui hit a gritty 69 off 120 balls including eight fours and a six in a 110 run third wicket stand with V Wategaokar who made 47 off 66 balls with four fours and a six, while beating the African nation that had been undefeated so far in the tournament. Nepal will play Uganda in the final Sunday night. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54203 KATHMANDU, May 4: Nepal will face Qatar in its second match of the ACC U-19 Elite on Sunday at the Bayyuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur. In its first match played on Friday, Nepal had defeated Kuwait by 84 runs. Unlike Nepal, Qatar had lost its first match of the campaign by 127 runs against host Malaysia on Saturday. The last time these two teams met was during the last edition of tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. [break]On the occasion, Nepal had defeated Qatar by six wickets in February, 2011. Dhungana, Adhikari win Sound TT KATHMANDU: Shyamlal Dhungana of Lalitpur and Roshani Adhikari of Kathmandu won the men’s and women’s singles titles in the Valley-wide Sound Table Tennis Championship held at Laboratory Higher Secondary School, Kirtipur on Saturday. In the men’s final, Dhungana defeated Kushal Neupane 11-8, 11-5 for gold while Krishna Dahal and Yuvaraj Lama of Kathmandu secured bronze. In the women’s title clash, Adhikari defeated Devi Paudel of Kathmandu 11-9, 15-13. Sabitri Paudel and Sarita Adhikari of Kathmandu finished joint third. Altogether 30 players -- 15 each in boys’ and girls’ category -- had competed in the two-day event organized by Nepal Blind Table Tennis Association. Maharjan, Shrestha win golds in deaf TT KATHMANDU: Anil Maharjan of Kathmandu and Sonam Thapa Shrestha of Lalitpur won gold in men’s and women’s singles table tennis in the National Deaf Table Tennis Tournament held on Saturday at the National Table Tennis Center, Lainchaur. Naseeb Khadka and Rima Shrestha finished runner-up in the men’s and women’s section respectively. Altogether 16 players -- eight each in men’s and women’s section -- had competed in the event organized by National Deaf Table Tennis Association. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54202 KATHMANDU, May 4: Rabindra Man Shrestha won the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Social Golf Tournament held at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Saturday. Amateur Shrestha, playing with seven handicap allowances, finished on top on countback after being tied on 38 points with Bishnu Kumar Rai, who finished runner-up. The event was played under stableford 3/4 handicap format.[break] Shrestha scored 20 points on the front nine and added 18 on the back nine. Rai, the 14-handicap, earned 21 and 17 points on either half respectively. As the tournament winner, Shrestha received an open-destination air ticket from Fly Dubai. Other winners also received trophies and gift vouchers. Tashi Ghale won the awards for most birdies and best gross while Bhairaja Pandey (39) and Samir Acharya (36) claimed the top two spots in the guest category. Rekha Ghimire won the women´s title finishing with 36 points, two points ahead of Sabitri Rai. Lachhim Prasad Gurung claimed the title in the senior section on count back after he was tied on 35 points with runner-up Gopal Chitrakar. Shree Jay Acharya had an ace on the eighth hole and received a trophy and a gift voucher. Shrihar SJB Rana won the longest drive award and Rajendra Man Sherchan claimed the closest-to-the-pin award. Rabi Paudel won the best sportsmanship award, Bijay Bahadur Shrestha was the best in the Five Star Hotel category. Meanwhile, Shambhu Prasad Acharya received an award for his contribution to the sport. Altogether 95 players including 12 women golfers had competed in the two-day event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54198 KATHMANDU, May 4: Gurukul defeated Prime in the second semifinal held in the capital on Saturday to set up a final date with Whitehouse in the boys´ category of Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013 . Gurukul led all the quarters to register a comfortable 84-48 win over Prime. Gurukul took the four quarters 16-10, 26-14, 18-25 and 24-9 respectively. Bikram Joshi contributed the highest 27 points for the winning team while Sadish Pradhan netted 23 points. Siddhartha Maharjan scored 15 points for Prime. [break] In the first semifinal, Whitehouse had defeated Ace 53-37. The final of girls´ section will feature Prime and Whitehouse. Both the boys´ and girls´ finals will be held on Sunday. In the corporate bash played on Saturday, Diet Nepal defeated Minsk 34-11, Verisk Info Tech edged past Chilime Hydro Power 24-12, GGIC Admin saw off BPC 25-10 and KCM Admin defeated Presentsoft Inc 19-17. In other matches, KCM Admin defeated Desigh Enterprises 21-4, BPC defeated Ncell 15-9 and Verisk Info Tech overcame Mega Party Venue 12-9. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54195 KATHMANDU, May 4: KIST and Campion College advanced into the quarterfinals of Thames Cup Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament on Saturday winning their respective matches at the Army grounds, Bhaktapur. Puraskar Shah shone with the bat and ball as KIST defeated Everest College by 42 runs. Invited to bat first, KIST posted 120 runs for the loss of two wickets with Shah scoring an unbeaten 43 runs, and then bundled out Everest for 81 runs in 17 overs.[break] Bivek Adhikari also remained unbeaten on 19 runs while Aman Ojha contributed 27 runs and Bigyan Joshi made 9. Ashish Rupakheti and Roshan KC of Everest took one wicket each. In reply, Roshan KC scored unbeaten 15 runs for Everest while Rammani Adhikari (13), Bishal Subedi (10) and Ashish Rupakheti (10) were the other batsmen to reach double figures. Bibek Adhikari claimed the highest four wickets for KIST while man-of-the-match Shah claimed two wickets. In another match of the day, Rahul Chhetri stole the show to help Campion College defeat DAV by four wickets. Electing to bat first DAV was bundled out for 118 runs in 18.2 overs as Chhetri and Inesh Maharjan claimed three wickets each for Campion. Shrigesh Shakya picked two wickets and Bikash Jha got one. Manu Subedi was the highest scorer for DAV with 25 runs. Bibek Dewa (18), Raunak Shrestha (14) and Sanjeev Chhetri (10) also contributed to the team´s total. Chasing the target, Campion made 122/6 in 16.5 overs. Ahil Shrestha scored the highest 36 runs while man-of-the-match Rahul Chhetri scored 18 runs. Bikash Jha remained unbeaten on 16 runs. Ashish Rijal and Prakash Thapa of DAV bagged two wickets each. NCC will face Mahendra Morang Campus while Kathford will lock horns with Prime on Sunday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54158 KATHMANDU, May 4: Indian golfer Shamim Khan is all set to return to the course of Gokarna Golf Club, Kathmandu next week for the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 with a hope of repeating his success in the tournament in 2008. The main event of SNPL Masters 2013 will tee off on May 8 while the Pro-Am event on May 7 will be the curtain raiser of the richest golf tournament of Nepal with a record prize money of Rs 4.8 million.[break] Khan would be a player to watch in the main event, as he is a professional golfer with nine pro titles in his kitty. Khan, 35, had turned pro in 1995. He won the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Players Championship at the Classic Golf Resort earlier this year. He also had two other top-10 finishes in the current season and as a result lies third in the Rolex Rankings for 2013. Khan, who hails from Delhi, India, won the 2012 Rolex Rankings after winning three tournaments -- PGTI Players Championship at Poona Club, PGTI Players Championship at Classic Golf Resort and BILT Open -- and finishing joint second in the PGTI Players Championship events at Oxford Golf & Country Club and at Chandigarh Golf Club. He earned in excess of Rs 5.7 million (a record in PGTI) in prize money during the 2012 season. He was tied for ninth at the Asian Tour & PGTI co-sanctioned SAIL-SBI Open 2012. He won the SRF All India Match-play Championship 2010 and also secured 11 other top-10 finishes during the season, including a runner-up finish at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Aamby Valley Golf Course and a joint runner-up finish at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Bombay Presidency Golf Club. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54145 KUALA LUMPUR, May 3: Sushant Bhari produced an all-round performance, Yagyaman Kumal shone with the ball and Amit Shrestha anchored the innings as Nepal started its ACC U-19 Elite Cup campaign on a winning note defeating Kuwait by 84 runs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. The victory extended Nepal´s winning streak against Kuwait in the age group. Winning the toss and electing to bat first at the Kinrara Oval, Nepal was all out for 193 in 43 overs but came back strongly to bowl out Kuwait for 109 in 36.2 overs.[break] Openers Nischal Pandey (10 runs off 15 balls) and Amit Shrestha shared a 20-run partnership. Pandey was bowled by Shahrukh Quddus in the fourth ball of the fourth over. However, Shrestha and Harishankar Shah added 69 runs for the second wicket. Shrestha scored 46 runs off 52 balls with seven boundaries. Nepal then suffered a mini-collapse as captain Bhuwan Karki (0), Nirmal Thapa (1), Shah (23) and Prem Tamang (6) fell in quick succession. Avinash Karn (3 runs off 17 balls) then put up a 21-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Pawan Shrestha. Shrestha made a run-a-ball 23 before he was bowled by Ali Zaheer. Nepal was at 126/8 in 28.2 overs but Sushant Bhari (28 runs off 33 balls) and Irshad Ahmed produced a 40-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 18 runs off 40 balls, also added 27 runs for the last wicket with Kumal (9). Abdul Jabbar was the pick of the Kuwait bowlers with four wickets, while Shahrukh Quddus and Ali Zaheer accounted for two Nepali scalps each. Fazlur Rahman and Mohammed Meezan Ali took a wicket each. Kuwait bowlers gave away 26 runs as extras. Defending the total, Kumal took three wickets and Bhari grabbed two to skittle Kuwait for a low total. Avinash Karn, Bhuwan Karki and Nischal Pandey shared three wickets among them, while two Kuwait batsmen were run-out. Kumal, the first cricketer from the remote Achham district to play for the national squad in any age group, kept his first over a wicket-maiden and then claimed two wickets in his next over giving away only one run. Kumal´s early strikes dealt a severe blow to Kuwait and the Gulf team did not get a chance to consolidate the innings. Kumal´s bowling figure in the match was 9-1-16-3. For Kuwait, No 10 Shahrukh Quddus topscored with a cameo of 36 off 32, including a four and three sixes. Batting at No 4, Faizaan Siddiq scored 21 runs off 67 balls and No 9 Mohammed MuKadam added 11 runs. No other Kuwait batsmen could reach double figures. Nepal´s Bhari was adjudged the man of the match for his all-round performance. Nepal will take on Qatar on Sunday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54160 KATHMANDU, May 3: After ruling Nepali taekwondo for more than a decade, Deepak Bista has now forayed into business. Bista, who won four consecutive golds in the South Asian Games (SAG), has opened Sports Universe, a sports goods showroom, at New Baneshwar. According to Bista, the showroom will be inaugurated on Monday. "All types of sports kits will be available in the showroom at reasonable price," said Bista during a press conference on Friday.[break] "Involvement in sports alone will not be sufficient and one should also start a business to lead a comfortable life in Kathmandu," said Bista. "I am in talks with Nepal Taekwondo Association regarding my retirement and will formally end my career as a player by the end of the year," said the 34-year-old Bista. He, however, ruled out the possibility of leaving taekwondo. "My role will only change from player to coach and I will not leave the sports sector." Bista is one of four partners with equal shares in Sports Universe. He credited Atmaram Shrestha, one of the partners, with inspiring him to enter into business. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54155 KATHMANDU, May 3: Rabindra Man Shrestha took the lead on the first day of Soaltee Crowne Plaza Social Golf Tournament on Friday. Shrestha, who plays with seven handicap allowances, scored 38 points at the Royal Nepal Golf Club. BK Rai, who plays with 14 handicap allowances, also scored 38 points but remained behind Shrestha on countback. [break] Shrestha scored 18 points on the back nine while Rai scored only 17. LP Gurung and Gopal Chitrakar finished the day in third and fourth positions respectively. Both the amateurs, who play with seven handicap allowances, scored 35 points but Gurung remained ahead on countback. Gurung scored 18 points on the back nine while Chitrakar scored 16. Altogether 36 golfers teed off on Friday while another lot of golfers will tee off on Saturday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54142 KATHMANDU, May 3: Kushal Neupane of Kirtipur and Shyam Dhungana of Lalitpur on Friday advanced into the men´s singles final of the Valley-wide Sound Table Tennis being held at the Laboratory Higher Secondary School, Kirtipur. In the semifinals, Neupane defeated Krishna Dahal of Lalitpur 12-10, 16-14 and Dhungana beat Yuvaraj Lama of Kathmandu 11-5, 11-6. In the women´s singles, Devi Paudel beat Sarita Adhikari 11-2, 9-11, 11-9 and Roshani Adhikari edged past Sabitri Paudel 11-8, 12-4, 11-6 to enter the final. Earlier, Nepal Paralympics Committee President Deepak Koirala had inaugurated the event.[break] Binita, Kajal win golds KATHMANDU: Binita Shrestha of Bijeshwari Gyan Mandir Sainik Mahavidyalaya and Kajal Shrestha of the host National Taekwondo Association won gold medals on Friday in the Second NECOS National Chess Tournament under way at the National Sports Council covered hall in Tripureshwar. In the women´s 44 kg final, Binita defeated Sandhya Singh of Udayapur. Samjhana Bhandari of Dhading and Sapana Nepali of Rupandehi finished joint third in the event. In the women´s 46 kg category, Kajal overcame Anita BC of Rupandehi to take gold while Binita Lama of Dhankuta and Roshani Limbu of Chitwan secured bronze medals. Suja Raut of Udayapur won gold in the 42 kg category and Sushmita Tamang Magar of Chitwan in 49 kg. Amit Shrestha of Kavre clinched gold in the men´s 51 kg category. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54136 KATHMANDU, May 3: Host Thames International College got off to a winning start in the Thames Inter-college T20 Cricket Tournament that kicked off on Friday at the Army ground, Bhaktapur. An all-round performance by Bibhav Raj Joshi helped defending champion Thames beat College of Applied Business (CAB) by 10 runs in the opener. Similarly, Universal College registered a thumping 66-run win over Public Youth Campus in another match. Both the teams have secured quarterfinal spots.[break] Put into bat first, Thames scored 116/6 and restricted CAB to 106/8 in the allotted 20 overs. Pujan Shrestha top-scored with 35 runs for Thames while Bibhav Raj Joshi (22), Sagar Malla (19) and Akash Shrestha (8) also contributed for the host. Ashok Acharya claimed the highest three wickets for CAB while Rohit Bhattarai and Suvash Timalsina took two and one wicket respectively. In the run chase, Sunil Kumar Sharma scored the highest 46 runs for CAB but could not prevent defeat. Rohit Bhattarai (13), Sushil Gautam (11) and Pratik Sah (8) were the other contributors for CAB. Man-of-the-match Bibhav Raj Joshi claimed four wickets for Thames while Praitk Basnet claimed two. In another match, opting to bat first, Universal scored 147/8 and bowled out Public Youth for 81 runs in 15.5 overs. Bibek Shrestha was the topscorer for Universal with 37 runs, followed by Bishal Basnet (26), Rupesh Chalise (14) and Shiva Basyal (12). Tikaram Dahal of Public Youth claimed three wickets while Suman Bhattarai and Sheetal Mainali got two wickets each. In reply, Sheetal Mainali scored 20 runs for Public Youth, while Rabin Koirala made 14 and Suman Bhattarai added 11. Man-of-the-match Bhimarjun Paudel claimed three wickets while Kiran Nepal and Nikunj Parek took two wickets each. Everest College will meet KIST College and Campion will lock horns with DAV on Saturday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54103 KATHMANDU, May 3: Nepal started ACC U 19 Elite Cup campaign on a winning note, defeating Kuwait by a comprehensive 84 runs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday. Winning the toss and electing to bat first in Kinrara Academy Oval, Nepal were all out for 193 in 43 overs but returned to bowled out Kuwait for 109 in 36.2 overs, securing an easy win. [break] Yagyaman Kumal took three wickets, while Sushant Bhari grabbed two to restrict Kuwait to way short of the winning target. Abhinash Karn, Bhuwan Karki and Nischal Pandey shared the remaining three wickets among them. For the losing side, No 10 Shahrukh Quddus top scored with a cameo of 36 off 32, including a four and three sixes. Faizaan Siddiq (21) and M Kumadam (11) were the other notable contributors. Besides, no other Kuwait batsmen could score in double figures. Earlier, Nepal largely relied on opener Amrit Shrestha’s 46 off 52 balls, including seven fours, to score a modest total. Bhari (28), Harishankar Shah and Pawan Shrestha, both of whom scored equal 23 runs, Irshad Ahamed (18) and Nischal Pandey (10) were the other major contributors to the Nepal total. Abdul Jabbar was the pick of Kuwait bowlers, taking four wickets, while Shahrukh Quddus and Ali Zaheer accounted for two Nepali scalps each. Fazlur Rahman and M Ali grabbed one wicket each. Nepal’s Bhari was adjudged man of the match for his all-round performance. Nepal will next take on Qatar on Sunday. (Updated) http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54100 LONDON, May 2: Chelsea reached the Europa League final for the first time in their history after surviving a first-half scare to defeat Swiss champions FC Basel 3-1 in the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday. Leading 2-1 from last week´s first leg in Switzerland, Chelsea risked elimination after Mohamed Salah´s well-taken goal in first-half injury time put the visitors 1-0 up on the night.[break] But goals from Fernando Torres and Victor Moses and a David Luiz stunner early in the second half gave last season´s Champions League winners a 5-2 aggregate victory that sets up a meeting with Benfica in the final in Amsterdam on May 15. It was a case of third time lucky for Chelsea, who lost in the semi-finals in both the League Cup and the FA Cup this season, while Basel fell short in their attempt to become the first Swiss team to reach a major European final. Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez will now look to end a testing season by claiming the second Europa League title of his career after his 2004 success with Valencia, although his immediate priority is to secure a return to the Champions League via the league. "I came to do a professional job with the commitment of the players. I am pleased for them and everyone here," said Benitez, who has struggled to win over the club´s fans since arriving in November. "We have had a very good atmosphere, the players have always worked hard, and they have always done their job." Basel captain Marco Streller passed a late fitness to start at Stamford Bridge and he almost made an immediate impression, shooting wide from a good position in the first minute. Chelsea´s fans had just taken to serenading former coach Jose Mourinho, who has been linked with a return to the club this week, when the hosts´ first chance arrived in the ninth minute. Torres´ clipped pass freed Frank Lampard, but his shot came back off the post, leaving the England midfielder one goal behind Bobby Tambling in the club´s all-time scoring chart on 201 goals. Basel continued to attack gamely, however, and after being thwarted once by Petr Cech, Salah broke the deadlock in stoppage time when he calmly swept home from Valentin Stocker´s cleverly disguised through ball. The Egyptian´s strike left Basel one goal from the final, but Chelsea reasserted their grip on the tie with a rapid three-goal salvo in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Torres claimed the first, in the 49th minute. After a driving run from the excellent Eden Hazard, Lampard´s low shot was pushed out by goalkeeper Yann Sommer and Torres slid in to slam the loose ball into the roof of the goal. Moses put Chelsea ahead three minutes later with another finish from close range, this time after Torres´ low shot ricocheted into his path. Luiz saved the best for last just before the hour, stepping up to Lampard´s lay-off and curling a majestic left-foot shot right into the top-left corner from 25 yards. Basel´s response saw Fabian Frei hit the bar with a deflected shot, while Marcelo Diaz also tested Cech with an effort from distance, but for Chelsea, the worst had already passed. The hosts might even have amplified their lead further in the dying stages, but Sommer saved well from substitute Juan Mata and Torres. "The second half went too fast -- we made too many mistakes and were caught out cold," said Basel coach Murat Yakin. "But I give full credit to my players." Benfica emerged victorious from a dramatic last-four tie against Fenerbahce, with a 3-1 win at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon giving them a 3-2 aggregate victory. Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo was the hero with two expert finishes either side of the interval after a Dirk Kuyt penalty had cancelled out Nicolas Gaitan´s opener for the Portuguese club. Benfica are through to their first continental final since 1990, when they were beaten 1-0 by AC Milan in the European Cup final. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54097 KATHMANDU, May 3: Nepal registered its second victory in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 defeating Oman by 28 runs at the National Sports Stadium in Bermuda on Thursday night. Put into bat first, Nepal recovered from the loss of two early wickets to post 160 in 50 overs. Gyanendra Malla (34), captain Paras Khadka (28), Sharad Vesawkar (27) and Binod Bhandari (35) took Nepal to 146/7, but the Oman bowling attack stifled the tail-end, which managed to add only eight runs for the last three wickets. Munis Ansari was the pick of the Oman bowlers, taking three for 27, while Lalcheta claimed two.[break] Oman captain Vaibhav Wategaonkar (27) again led the run-chase, while Ajay Lalchata (24) and Sultan Ahmed (19) contributed patient knocks. However, the skipper´s dismissal sparked a batting collapse as four wickets fell in four overs to leave Oman in a precarious position at 118/eight. Thirty-nine years old Hemal Metha added 10 runs before Oman was all out for 132 runs. Basanta Regmi and Sanjam Regmi took two wickets each for Nepal. Malla was adjudged the man of the match. It was Nepal´s third consecutive victory over Oman in 50-over format. Nepal´s skipper Khadka was pleased with his team´s performance on a tough wicket. "We were 20-25 runs short, looking at the wicket, but the wicket was not that easy. With our bowling attack though, we thought 160 was defendable," said Khadka. Khadka remained optimistic about Nepal´s final group match, which will be against Italy. "We still have one more game to go, and if results fall in our favor, we still have a slight chance of making it to the next round. So fingers crossed that everything goes well, and we should be doing ok," he added. Oman captain Vaibhav Wategaonkar felt his team let chances slip through its fingers. "It was an achievable target, but again the same thing happened -- we didn´t bat well. The batsmen were struggling to get the runs," he said. Nepal moved into third position after the win, while Oman dropped to fifth. Uganda qualifies Meanwhile, Uganda defeated the USA by 82 runs at the St David´s Ground to continue its unbeaten run in the tournament and secure berth in Sunday´s final as well as the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2014. In a clash of the two leading teams of the tournament, Uganda elected to bat and reached 175. In reply, USA struggled to build any lasting partnership and was all out for 93 runs in 40 overs. Following the victory, Uganda unseated the USA at the top of the table and secured passage to Sunday´s final as well as the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2014. In other matches, host Bermuda defeated Italy by 60 runs at Somerset CC to record its second victory in the tournament. Nepal takes on Italy Saturday Nepal will take on Italy in the last league match of the tournament on Saturday. Nepal had defeated Italy in their previous three encounters. If Nepal beats Italy by a handsome margin and the USA loses to Bermuda on Saturday, Nepal, the USA and Bermuda will all have six points each and net run rate will come into play for deciding the second team to go through to the World Cup Qualifiers. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54078 KATHMANDU, May 3: One of the top Indian golfers Anirban Lahari will swing his club at the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort as the main event of the Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) Masters 2013 will tee off on May 8. SNPL Masters, the richest golf event of Nepal with a record prize money of Rs 4.8 million, will feature Pro-Am event on May 7 as the curtain raiser event. [break]The tournament, a joint sanctioned event between the Professional Golf Tour of India and the Nepal Professional Golfers Association, has increased the prize money for the upcoming edition from Rs 4 million to Rs 4.8 million to attract top professional golfers like Lahari in the tournament. Lahiri is one of the top Indian golfers currently placed in the 11th position in the Asian Tour Order of Merit 2013. After turning pro in 2007, Lahari has already claimed 10 Pro-titles and would be one of the golfers to look after in SNPL Masters 2013. Lahari, 26, has won three Asian Tour titles and seven PGTI titles. The young pro from Bangalore, India won his third Asian Tour title when he successfully defended his SAIL-SBI Open crown in March 2013. In 2012, Lahiri won the SAIL-SBI Open and was tied eighth in the Panasonic Open India, the co-sanctioned event by both Asian Tour and PGTI. He also finished fifth in the Indian Open. Lahiri made a memorable debut Major appearance when he claimed tied 31st place at the British Open 2012. This was the second-best finish by an Indian in the British Open. Anirban was the runner-up at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Prestige Golfshire Club in 2012. He won the Panasonic Open India 2011. He also finished sixth in the SAIL Open and tied eighth at the Queen´s Cup in 2011. His momentous 12-under-60 in the BILT Open 2011 at Jaypee Greens equaled the record for the lowest to par score in a single round in Indian soil set by China´s Liang Wen-Chong during the Indian Open 2008. He won PGTI Players Championships in the Tollygunge Club and the Panchkula Golf Club in 2011. He was joint runner-up in the BILT Open and tied fourth in the DLF Masters. He finished fifth in the 2011 Rolex Rankings. In the 2010 PGTI season, he won the PGTI Players Championship presented by Aamby Valley Golf Course, the PGTI Players Championship presented by Oxford Golf & Country Club and the BILT Open. He also posted three other top-10s. His 24-under-264 total at Aamby Valley helped him set a new PGTI record for four rounds. He ended the year in third position on the Rolex Rankings. He was the 2009 Rolex Rankings champion with two wins and seven other top-10 finishes in the season. He won his first professional title at the Haryana Open 2009 presented by HUDA and DLF and followed that up with victory at the BILT Open 2009. Lahari was one of the top performers in the Indian amateur circuit in 2005 and 2006. He won the Samarvir Sahi Amateur in 2005 and GKD Memorial Gold Cup in 2006. He also finished runners-up at the Western India Amateur and Southern India Amateur in 2006. He was part of the Indian team that bagged the silver medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. He had also represented India in the World Junior Team Championship in Japan in 2006. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54088 KATHMANDU, May 2: Thames International College and student council of the college is organizing Thames Inter-college Cricket 2013 from Friday at the Sainik Awashiya Mahavidyalaya, Bhaktapur from Friday. Organizing a press conference at the college premises Old Baneshwar on Thursday, tournament coordinator Siddhartha Marasini said that the event will feature 16 teams in total under knockout format. The participating teams are divided into two groups. [break] Two matches will be held each day under knockout format in the nine day long event other than the in final day. Host Thames will take on CAB during the inaugural match while Universal will lock horns against Public Youth in the day´s second match. Thames is the defending champion. The other participating teams are Everest, KIST, Campion, DAV, Kathford, K & K , Mahendra Morang, Prime, KCMIT, Shankar Dev, KMC, NCC. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54079 KATHMANDU, May 2: National team defender Rohit Chand who is pursuing a professional career in football in the Indonesian top tier team PSPS Pekanbaru had a mid-season transfer to Persija Jakarta. Rohit´s elder brother Rabindra confirmed the transfer. Rohit had joined Pekanbaru on December 25, 2012. Persija Jakarta, based in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, has been in the relegation zone for most of the Indonesian Super League season. Currently, the team is at the bottom of the points table and four other players along with Rohit have been signed. [break] Meanwhile, Rohit´s salary will remain the same as that in PSPS Pekanberu which paid him $ 3,500 per month besides match allowances. The 21-year old had earlier signed a 10-month long contract with PSPS Pekanberu. Weightlifting team leaves for Thailand Friday KATHMANDU: A-five member Nepali weightlifting team including four players will leave for Sisaket, Thailand to participate in the EGAT King Cup International Weightlifting Championship to be held there from May 6 to 9. Nepal Army weightlifter Kamal Bahadur Adhikar will compete in 77 kg and Bipendra Maharjan in 105 kg under men´s section. Similarly, Nepal Police Club´s Taradevi Pun will compete in 75 kg and Uttam Khatri in 58 kg under the women´s section. Sanjay Maharjan is the leader and coach of Nepali team. National Sports Council Member Secretary Yubaraj Lama bade farewell to the team amidst a function on Thursday. [break] Coca-Cola ties up with Everest Marathon KATHMANDU: Coca-Cola Nepal has partnered with Tenzing HIllary Everest Marathon with the aim of creating a cleaner and healthier surrounding around Everest Region. This is the sixth time that Coca-Cola has joined hands for cleanliness of the area. The initiative aims to collect and recycle plastic waste to create a cleaner and healthier environment along with encouraging people of Nepal on plastic waste contamination and recycling benefits. The Everest Marathon, the highest altitude marathon is held each year on May 29 since 2008 to commemorate the first ever ascent of Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54068 CAPE TOWN, May 02: All-rounder Jacques Kallis was a surprise omission when South Africa´s 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June was announced in Cape Town Thursday. Batsman JP Duminy returned to the squad after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury which has prevented him from playing any cricket since last November. [break] It had been widely expected that Kallis, who turns 38 in October, would return to one-day international action after he was rested from games against New Zealand and Pakistan in the recent home season, ostensibly as part of a plan to manage his workload. Kallis is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Selection convener Andrew Hudson said Kallis had been unavailable for personal reasons. "It was at Jacques´ request and we are respectful of that." Asked how this would affect Kallis´ future career for South Africa, Hudson said: "It´s a little too early to speculate. I´m sure in the next few weeks we´ll learn more." Kallis has played in 321 one-day internationals since making his debut in 1995/96. Coach Gary Kirsten admitted that the absence of Kallis was a blow. "He´s a big player but this team has progressed to a level where we feel comfortable with whoever we pick. "Obviously he is two players in one so it does affect our combinations but that´s the way it is. He´s been a great player and ambassador for this country. If he feels personally he is not up for the tournament we have to respect that." The squad includes eight front-line batsmen, five seam bowlers and two spinners, with three of the batsmen able to provide an additional bowling option. "We´ve looked for continuity and I feel there´s good experience in the team," said Kirsten. "We´ve looked to try to have a bit of flair in the team as we feel that is important in a knockout event. That´s why we have gone for eight batsmen so that we have combinations and options in our batting department that we can try something different in a game." Kirsten said the squad would have a camp of four to five days in the Netherlands, which includes a one-day international against the Netherlands in Amstelveen on May 31, ahead of their first Champions Trophy match against India in Cardiff on June 6. South Africa´s one-day record in the past year is mediocre. They drew 2-2 with England last year, before losing 2-1 against New Zealand and beating Pakistan 3-2. Squad AB de Villiers (capt, wkt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54063 KUALA LUMPUR, May 2: Bahrain royal Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa became scandal-hit Asian football´s new leader on Thursday with a crushing election win following a campaign filled with intrigue and controversy. The sheikh, who has faced claims of outside interference and even rights abuses, won 33 of the 46 votes to become president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), replacing disgraced ex-leader Mohamed bin Hammam.[break] With Yousef Al Serkal of the UAE and Thailand´s Worawi Makudi gathering just six and seven votes respectively, it was a landslide victory for the Bahraini FA chief who will now complete bin Hammam´s current term, which finishes in 2015. "My mission is to reunite our confederation. My mission is to lead our family towards a future of growth and prosperity, a future based on good governance and integrity," Sheikh Salman said. "Today, the Asian football family is at a crossroads. Today we have the power to erase a chapter in our history," he added. Newly elected Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (L) is congratulates by FIFA President Joseph Blatter (R) during the AFC Extraordinary Congress 2013 held in Kuala Lumpur on May 2, 2013. Bahrain royal Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa became scandal-hit Asian football´s new leader with a crushing election win following a campaign filled with intrigue and controversy. AFP Sheikh Salman was referring to the spectacular demise of Qatar´s bin Hammam, who challenged for the FIFA presidency but was accused of vote-buying and then of financial wrongdoing in office. He stepped down last year. The presidential election result was greeted by loud celebratory cheers and shouts in Arabic from the floor after a speedy process which was carried out at a plush hotel in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. However, Asian football appears to have a long way to travel towards transparency after the build-up to the vote was dominated by claim and counter-claim of meddling by outside powers. The powerful Olympic Council of Asia was accused of lobbying on behalf of Sheikh Salman, and FIFA expressed concern over allegations that bin Hammam had also been active behind the scenes, despite his ban from football activities. Former Saudi Arabian candidate Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej, who withdrew from the race late on Wednesday, also suggested that FIFA had brought its influence to bear on the process. Meanwhile human rights groups accused Sheikh Salman of leading a purge of players and officials during Bahrain´s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, and urged FIFA to block his candidacy. Sheikh Salman also beat out Qatar´s Hassan Al Thawadi for a seat on FIFA´s executive committee. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54052 BARCELONA, May 2: Bayern Munich cruised into their third Champions League final in four years as a 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Wednesday gave them an incredible 7-0 aggregate semi-final victory. The absence of Lionel Messi from the Barca starting line-up almost eradicated any hope of an unlikely comeback before the game had even begun, but Bayern showed their 4-0 first-leg win last week had been no fluke with a display of controlled dominance.[break] Arjen Robben opened the scoring for the visitors with a trademark left-foot strike just after half-time before a Gerard Pique own-goal and Thomas Mueller´s header in the final 20 minutes ensured Bayern booked their place in an all-German final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on May 25 in some style. Afterwards Pique admitted it was one of the most difficult nights he has had in his five years at the club. "Perhaps it was the bitterest night I have had at Barcelona," he told Spanish Canal Plus television. "We tried but they scored a goal very early in the second half and this left us broken. The last 25 minutes were very difficult." For Robben meanwhile it was unconfined joy as he aims to make amends at Wembley for missing a penalty that could have won Bayern the trophy on home soil against Chelsea last season. "That´s history - 4-0 at home and then 3-0 here, we should be proud of that and enjoy it. Now we have to win this thing," he told Sky Germany. "We have so much quality in the team that we can win games like these, in this manner." Already without Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba through injury and suspension respectively, Barca were handed another huge blow before kick-off as the persistence of a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain forced Messi to start on the bench. Without their talisman, Barca started tentatively and only a desperate sliding challenge from Pique prevented Robben from having a clear shot on goal after he galloped clear down the left on 11 minutes. Pique had to be alert again seven minutes later as he again slid in to deny Philipp Lahm at the end of a wonderful Bayern move. Pedro finally forced Manuel Neuer into a save on 23 minutes with a long-range effort that the German number one turned round the post and Xavi then had the hosts´ best chance of the first period as he hooked over on the volley after Cesc Fabregas had chested the ball down inside the area. However, Barca were still out of sorts with a number of uncharacteristically long balls failing to find their target and another weak effort from distance by Adriano was the only other effort they managed on goal before the break. It only took three minutes after the restart for Bayern to completely wipe away any lingering doubts they would be travelling to London for the final when Robben collected a raking crossfield pass from David Alaba, cut inside Adriano onto his favoured left foot and buried a rasping drive past Victor Valdes into the far corner. Robben ought to have had a second moments later as another quick Bayern break caught Barca outnumbered at the back, but this time the former Real Madrid man couldn´t get the required touch to Franck Ribery´s cross and the ball dribbled wide. But further pain was inflicted upon the hosts 18 minutes from time when a beautiful pass from Luis Gustavo played in Ribery down the left and his cross was sliced into his own net by Pique. And four minutes later it was 3-0 on the night as more terrific play from Ribery saw him burst past Alex Song and dink a lovely ball to the far post for Mueller to head home his third goal of the tie. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54050 KATHMANDU, May 2: Skipper Paras Khadka shone with both bat and ball to give Nepal a much-needed win in its third match of ICC World Cricket League Division Three against host Bermuda at the St David´s Cricket Club, Wednesday night. Winning the toss and electing to field first, Nepal skittled the home team for a meager 106 in 38.2 overs, with Khadka claiming four crucial wickets. In reply, Nepal raced ahead to the winning target of 107, losing two wickets in just 11.2 overs, handing Bermuda an eight-wicket defeat.[break] In Nepal´s run chase, Khadka smashed a fiery 46 off 27 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes, in a 72-run unbroken third wicket stand with his deputy Gyanendra Malla, who hit 34 off 20 balls, with five fours and a six. Openers Subash Khakurel (6) and Anil Mandal (16) were the two wickets that Nepal lost. Both of them fell to Bermuda bowler Rodney Trott. For Bermuda, Steven Outerbridge top scored with 29, while David Hemp made 16. Curt stovel and Malachi Jones made equal 15 runs, whereas Chris Douglas contributed 12 runs. Besides, no other batsmen could make it to double digits. The host had a mediocre start and was once in a good position with 73 runs on board with just two wickets down, before losing the remaining eight wickets for another 33 runs. Apart from Khadka, Basanta Regmi took three wickets to restrict the Caribbean nation to a low score. Chandra Saud, Sanjam Regmi and Shakti Gauchan took one wicket each. Khadka was adjudged man of the match for his brilliant all-round performance. Nepal was in a must-win situation in the match after it had suffered a 94-run defeat at hands of USA in the opening match and losing its second match to Uganda by six wickets. “We were due for it. It was sad that we could not live up to our potential in the first two games, but anyway, we picked up in this game. We still have a long way to go, a couple of more games, so we just need to go there and win convincingly," said Nepali captain Khadka. With two matches left in the group stage, Khadka believes his team will keep on improving. “It´s still not the end of the tournament for us. We still have two games to look forward to. We will take it one game at a time. We will go out there and go for the win. There is no alternative for us," said Khadka. Upon completion of the league, the top two sides will advance to Division 2, which also means the teams will be eligible for 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, while the bottom two teams will face relegation to Division 4. Considering the current standing, Nepal has only a slim and mathematical prospect for qualification. The USA and Uganda, which are undefeated in the first three matches, are on the top two positions respectively. Oman, Nepal and host Bermuda, all of whom suffered two losses and secured a win each, have equal two points. Oman is placed third, Nepal the fourth and host Bermuda the fifth based on net run rate. Winless Italy is at the bottom on the points table. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54048 KATHMANDU, May 1: National champion Laxmi Bank Three Star Club registered a convincing 2-1 win over visiting I -League side McDowell´s Mohun Bagan in a friendly at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu on Wednesday ahead of the qualifying rounds of the AFC President´s Cup . Three Star scored both the goals in the second half with Jagjeet Shrestha, who looked superb throughout the match, and African player Adewumi Femi achieving the target for the home team. [break]Mohun Bagan´s early second-half substitute Dipendu Biswas scored a consolation goal during the dying moments. "I have taken this match as a chance for individual analysis of players," said Pradip Humagain, one of the two coaches of Three Star that will be representing Nepal in the AFC President´s Cup beginning in Kathmandu on Tuesday. "Rather than winning or losing I was focused of analyzing the weaknesses and strengths of the team," said Humagain after the match that was completely dominated by his side. "We should not be very excited with the win and the opponent turned out to be weaker than I had expected." Jagjeet Shrestha celebrates goal. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Three Star had included five new signings of the new season for the friendly -- former Friends players Prakash Budhathoki, Dodoz Leonce and scorer Shrestha; Sabindra Shrestha from MMC and Saroj Dahal from Madhyapur. Some key players -- Biraj Maharjan, Santosh Sahukhala and Bijay Gurung -- who had guided Three Star to the league title, were absent due to injuries. Nirajan Khadka, another signing from Friends, was also out of action due to injury. Coach Humagain said he was relieved to see that the new signings have adjusted to the team. "The new players were well-set as Budhathoki, Leonce and Shrestha are from the same team," said Humagain, adding that the forward pair of Femi and Leonce was also sound. Three Star intensified its attacks from the beginning and made the first attempt on goal in the fifth minute but Shrestha´s strike from the danger zone in Budhathoki´s pass hit the woodwork. Two minutes later, Shrestha´s corner took a deflection off Femi´s chest and was cleared by a Mohun Bagan defender on the goalline. In the 23rd, Mohun Bagan´s custodian Arindam Bhattacharya made a diving save to prevent Leonce´s quick strike from the edge in Femi´s pass. The visitors´ first chance came in the 37th minute but Tolgay Ozbey´s 20-yard freekick sailed inches above the bar. Players in action. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Bikram Lama´s diving header for Three Star in Shrestha´s corner found the side netting in the 53rd minute. But Shrestha finally broke the deadlock two minutes later with a powerful header in a perfect cross from Budhathoki. Shrestha nearly doubled the tally in the 65th minute but custodian Bhattacharya brilliantly punched the ball to safety from the top left. Femi doubled the advantage for Three Star in a counter-attack in the 68th with a clinical finish from close range. Mohun Bagan could make only a couple of attempts on goal after the interval with Lalrin Fela firing above the bar. Dipendu Biswas, who replaced Tolgay Ozbey in the 55th minute after the latter got injured, scored the only goal for Mohun Bagan in the third minute of four-minute stoppage time. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54034 KATHMANDU, May 1: Gurukul and Whitehouse reached the semifinals in the boys´ section of Minsk KCM Basketball Bash on Wednesday. Gurukul edged past KEC 57-37 as Sagar Pokharel alone scored 22 points. Gurukul took a 19-4 lead in the first quarter but KEC clawed its way back into the game by taking the second and third quarters 12-11 and 14-12 respectively. However, Gurukul won the last quarter 15-7 to register an easy victory. Likewise, Whitehouse beat GoldenGate 50-40 in the last quarterfinal. [break] Rishi Robertson scored 15 points for Whitehouse. Whitehouse will take on Ace in the semifinal while Gurukul will lock horns with Prime. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54007 SYDNEY, May 1: George Bailey was Wednesday handed the vice-captaincy of Australia´s squad for their defence of the Champions Trophy, while promising fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile won a call-up. The eight-nation tournament starts in England next month with Bailey getting the nod as Michael Clarke´s number two in place of Shane Watson.[break] Watson is in the 15-man squad but opted to stand aside as vice skipper to focus on his batting and bowling, in the same way he did with the Test side for the upcoming Ashes tour of England. "Selectors have been impressed with George´s leadership when he stepped in to guide the ODI team in Michael´s absence last summer and leadership of the T20 team over the past two seasons," national selector John Inverarity said. "Given George´s experience and credentials, he was viewed as the ideal person for the role." There were few surprises in the squad with Inverarity previously announcing that players chosen to represent Australia A in their England tour that will run at the same time as the Champions Trophy would not be considered. This ruled out Brad Haddin, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird. But several of the Ashes squad are on the team, including Clarke, Watson, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Matt Wade, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner. Paceman Mitchell Johnson was also selected and will have a point to prove after being left out of the Ashes reckoning. West Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile also made the grade and will be in contention for his ODI debut in the tournament. "Nathan Coulter-Nile is an emerging cricketer as a fast-medium bowler and explosive lower-order batsman," said Inverarity. "He is also one of the finest fieldsmen in Australian cricket and the energy he brings to his game is impressive. "While Nathan has played a T20 international for Australia, we are looking forward to seeing him take his very good domestic limited overs form onto the world stage." Australia won the Champions Trophy in India in 2006 and South Africa in 2009 and start this year´s campaign against England on June 8, with group fixtures against New Zealand and Sri Lanka to follow before the semi-finals. "As the two-time defending champion, the squad has been selected with the aim of winning the tournament, while also keeping the 2015 ICC World Cup firmly in mind," said Inverarity. Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54001 MADRID, April 30:  Borussia Dortmund qualified for their second ever Champions League final on Tuesday, beating Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate despite losing the second leg of their semi-final 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Needing a huge turnaround from the first leg last week, Real seemed to have run out of steam after Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil had passed up early opportunities.[break] However, after Robert Lewandowski had smashed the underside of the bar and Diego Lopez prevented Ilkay Gundogan with an incredible save from close range, Madrid were given a lifeline in the 83rd minute when substitute Karim Benzema swept home Ozil´s low cross. And six minutes later they had real hope of an incredible comeback as captain Sergio Ramos rifled a shot into the roof of the net. But Dortmund withstood the onslaught in an agonising five minutes of stoppage time to seal their place at the final at Wembley next month. Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp said Real may have been the better side on the night but it meant nothing as his side had achieved their goal of reaching the final and he was immensely proud of his players. "It isn´t too hard to reveal what I thought during those last 10 minutes: if God wished it then we would qualify for the final," said Klopp. "But it has to be said that it was a crazy match, from start to finish. "From the first second the Real players were doing everything they could to get the referee on their side." Ramos, who wouldn´t have played in the final anyway because he picked up a booking meaning he would have been suspended, said it was a pity Real hadn´t played the same way in the first leg. "It is a shame," Ramos told TVE afterwards. "You can lose but it is better to do it like this. Football is like this. "If we had done half of what we have done today in Dortmund, it would have been different. "The fans have roared us on and it was a shame that we didn´t take the chances we had in the first-half." For Real and coach Jose Mourinho it meant going out at the same stage for the third successive year. The intense atmosphere created by the home fans before kick-off was matched by their team´s energetic start and Higuain missed a great chance after just four minutes as he was slipped in by Ozil but Roman Weidenfeller stood up well to block his effort. Angel Di Maria and Ronaldo then saw efforts fly over and Dortmund suffered a big blow on 12 minutes when Mario Goetze pulled up with an injury after hitting a routine ball forward. However, whilst still playing with 10 men, they had their best chance of the opening period as Lewandowski controlled a long free-kick from Gundogan but placed his shot too close to Lopez. Seconds later Ronaldo had an even better chance as he too chested down a long ball before volleying straight into Weidenfeller´s body before Kevin Grosskreutz could even come on to take Dortmund back up to their full compliment. Ozil then had the best opportunity of the first half as a lovely reverse ball from Di Maria put him clean through on goal but he pulled his shot wide of the near post. After a chastening first 15 minutes Dortmund settled admirably as their patience in possession made an increasingly desperate Madrid chase shadows at times. The Germans could even have gone into half-time ahead on the night when Jakub Blaszczykowski fluffed his attempt from Lukasz Piszczek´s intelligent cutback. Dortmund´s ascendancy continued after the break and Lewandowski was desperately unlucky to see a fierce drive from a narrow angle come back out after striking the underside of the bar. Mourinho threw on Benzema and Kaka as a last throw of the dice 10 minutes into the second half but it seemed to be a fruitless move as Madrid lost their shape against a Dortmund side flowing with confidence. Another lovely move from the visitors saw Marco Reus tee up what seemed like a certain goal for Gundogan only for Lopez to somehow repel the ball with his trailing arm. The hosts were then given a glimmer of hope eight minutes from time when Kaka released Ozil and his cross was turned home by Benzema. And they were soon rampant when Benzema set up Ramos to crash home a second five minutes later. However, a Ramos header that sailed wide in stoppage time was the closest they came to sealing a remarkable comeback as Dortmund booked their place to face either Barcelona, or more likely, Bayern Munich at Wembley. Mourinho hints at English return MADRID, April 30: Jose Mourinho has hinted that he could be set for a return to England after seeing his Real Madrid side go out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage for the third consecutive season. Real very nearly staged a remarkable late comeback to progress to the final after goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos gave them a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on the night, but the Germans´ 4-1 victory in last week´s first-leg saw them squeeze through 4-3 on aggregate. And afterwards Mourinho refused to confirm that he will still be in charge of the Spanish champions next season. "My future is not important, it is Real Madrid that are important," he said. "I know that in England I am loved. I am loved by the fans and the media who are fair with me. They criticise me and give me credit when I deserve it. "I know I am loved by the clubs, especially one. In Spain it is different because people hate me, many of whom are in this room, and it is difficult because I love the club and the president and we have made this team which is ready to achieve big things." After a frantic opening 15 minutes by Madrid, in which they had three clear chances to score, Dortmund seemed to have drawn the sting from their opponents until the hosts´ late onslaught, and Mourinho lamented not having scored during their early period of dominance. "We started very strongly, with intensity, we pressured them and the circulation of the ball was excellent. "The earlier you score a goal the better chance you have to come back. We missed important chances and that meant in the second half we had to risk everything. "We were playing against a quicker team and had to adopt our way of playing which left a lot of space in behind. They had two great chances when (Robert) Lewandowski hit the bar and Diego (Lopez) made a great save but once we scored the people believed a little more. "I´m proud of the way we kept going till the end." However, Mourinho was less happy with the performance of English referee Howard Webb, who the Portuguese believes made a mistake in not sending off Mats Hummels for a deliberate handball in the second half. "He was a man not a referee in this minute and he has to be a referee. He has to send off Hummels, it is not a penalty because it is outside the box but it is a sending off because Karim (Benzema) is clear through on goal." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=54000 KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced to honor All Nepal Football Association General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan with the Service Award gold medal. AFC confers the award on individuals who have served football for more than 30 years. Former Nepal international Pradhan, who had won gold medal in the First South Asian Games held in Kathmandu in 1984, has been serving ANFA as general secretary in the current executive committee. He was a member in the previous executive committee. Pradhan left Kathmandu for Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to receive the award. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53999 KATHMANDU, April 24: The U-19 national cricket team left Kathmandu on Tuesday evening to participate in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup to be held in Malaysia from May 3 to 11 with its sights set firmly on winning the title and securing a berth in the ICC U-19 World Cup. The Nepali U-19 team led by coach Jagat Tamata and captain Bhuwan Karki includes experienced players like Avinash Karn, Ram Naresh Giri, Rahul Pratap Singh and Nishchal Pandey. Karki, Karn and Giri were members of the Nepali U-19 team that played the ICC U-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012. Singh was a part of the Nepali U-19 team that finished second in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2011 held in Thailand while Pandey was a member of the team that finished second in the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers 2011 held in Ireland.[break] ´The team is mentally and physically tough and ready to face challenges,´ said coach Tamata after the farewell function organized by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) at the National Sports Council on Tuesday. ´There are no big names and popular players in the team. There are average players but they are ready to take the charge,´ said Tamata. ´Captain Bhuwan (Karki) will spearhead the spin bowling while Avinash (Karn) will lead the pace attack. We have batsmen like Amit Shrestha in the team. We have to score around 200 runs in every match to win and we are capable of doing it,´ he added. He said the team"s only aim is to win the tournament and qualify for the World Cup. Skipper Karki described the tournament as an opportunity and a challenge for him as a captain. ´We have new talents in the team but we are ready to take up every challenge. Our only aim is to qualify for the U-19 World Cup,´ said Karki. ´The senior team has lost its first two matches in Division 4. We want to bring back smiles on the faces of Nepali cricket fans during the ACC U-19 tournament,´ he added. The winner of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup will progress to the U-19 World Cup 2014. If the UAE reaches the final of ACC U-19 Elite Cup, the other finalist will advance to the World Cup as the Arab nation has already qualified for the 2014 tournament as the host. Nepal has been drawn in Group B of the tournament along with Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia and Kuwait. Nepal will take on Kuwait on May 3 in its first match of the tournament. The Nepali team will then face Qatar on May 5 and Bahrain on May 6 before playing its final group stage match against Malaysia on May 8. Nepal had won the ACC U-19 Elite Cup in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 while it had finished runner-up in 1999 and 2011. Afghanistan had defeated Nepal in the final of the last edition held in Thailand in 2011. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53998 KATHMANDU, April 30: Nepal Golf Association (NGA) has claimed that its ambitious Surya Nepal NGA Youth Golf Development Program is heading in the right direction. Organizing a press conference on Tuesday, NGA and Surya Nepal also informed that they are trying to make arrangements for foreign trainings for selected young golfers.[break] Six young golfers -- Dinesh Prajapati, Bikash Bogati, Bishnu Sharma, Ashish Pariyar, Sunil KC and Michael Rai -- have been getting training facilities and allowances since 2011 under the program that was launched to prepare Nepali team for the upcoming Asian Games 2014. ´After witnessing the performances of these boys in domestic and foreign tournaments, we can say we are heading in the right direction. They are producing some even-par scores also,´ said CB Bhandari, the coordinator of the program. When asked about inconsistent performances of the selected youths, Bhandari said they are running a special camp for the golfers to address the problem. ´Chef-de-mission of the program Brandon de Souza has started a camp now and we"ll give them tips on maintaining concentration during the tournament and on planning for a particular course,´ said Bhandari. NGA General Secretary Tashi Ghale claimed that the program has drawn national attention as the association is expecting medals at the 2014 Asian Games. ´I feel the home training may have been inadequate for these young boys and so we are trying to send them to countries like Korea and India for further training in better courses,´ said Ghale. Renowned international golf professional and coach Brandon de Souza, who has been looking after the program as chef-de-mission, said the upcoming Surya Nepal Masters would be a stage where the boys could show their mettle. ´Masters is the stage, where you should make half-way cut,´ said de Souza addressing the young golfers during the press conference. ´A few years ago, a young Sri Lankan golfer Mithun Perera was here for Surya Nepal Masters as an amateur golfer. Now he earns around $400,000 in a year. I want these boys to live the same dream,´ said de Souza. Addressing the press conference, Surya Nepal"s Vice-president for Marketing Abhimanyu Poddar said he was privileged to know about the golf activities in Nepal. ´We are looking forward to these young talents representing Nepal in the Asian Games,´ said Poddar. Surya Nepal Masters from May 8 Surya Nepal Masters, a joint sanctioned event between the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and the Nepal Professional Golfers Association, is all set to feature star golfers of PGTI and Asian Tour when it tees off on May 7. The Surya Nepal Masters 2013 will start with a Pro-Am event on May 7 while the main tournament will tee off on May 8. ´We have raised the prize money to Rs 4.8 million from Rs 4 million of last year. It has turned out to be an important tournament for the PGTI order of merit and some star golfers are coming to Nepal this time,´ said de Souza at the press conference. According to Surya Nepal, three-time Asian Tour winner Anirban Lahari, Asian Games gold medalist and the topper of last year"s PGTI order of merit Chirag Kumar and former winner of Surya Nepal Masters Mukesh Kumar are the some of the stars participating in the Surya Nepal Masters. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53997 KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): Soaltee Crowne Plaza, in association with Royal Nepal Golf Club, is organizing the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Social Golf Tournament in Kathmandu from Friday with the aim of promoting golf tourism. The two-day tournament will be played over 18 holes with ¾ handicap allowance under Stableford format, the organizers said in a press statement on Tuesday. The participants will be vying for titles in the overall men"s section, ladies" section and diplomat guest category. There are also awards for most birdies, closest to the pin, hole in one, longest drive, best golfer among 5-star hotels and best sportsman. The overall winner of the tournament will be awarded with a round-trip ticket to any international network of Fly Dubai. Seema Khadka wins gold in karate KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): Seema Khadka secured gold for Nepal in the Women"s Open International Karate Championship that concluded recently in Kolkata, India. Khadka defeated a Japanese player 7-4 in the final of the women"s 40 kg weight category to clinch gold. Earlier, she had defeated players from Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India en route to the final. Meanwhile, another Nepali player Manisha Ranabhat secured silver medal in the tournament. Ranabhat had to settle for the second position as she was defeated 4-7 by a Japanese player in the final of the women"s 55 kg weight category. Nepal also won the Grand Kumute Champion Trophy in the tournament, according to karate coach Deepak Shrestha. The tournament was organized to mark the International Women"s Day on April 27. NeCOS taekwondo c"ship from Thursday KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): The second edition of NeCOS National Taekwondo Championship is all set to kick off in the capital on Thursday. Altogether 480 players from 46 teams are competing in the three-day event, according to tournament coordinator Ishwar Bidari. There are 16 golds up for grabs in the tournament, including 10 in gerogi and 6 in poomse events, the organizer Nepal Confederation of Sports (NeCOS) said during a press conference on Tuesday. The total cost of the tournament is estimated to be Rs 1.13 million. All the matches of the tournament will be held at the covered hall of the National Sports Council in Tripureshwar. Nat´l Youth Boxing in Dang KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): The Second National Youth Boxing Tournament will be held in Dang next month. Organizing a press conference in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Nepal Boxing Association (NBA) said the tournament will be held from May 29 to June 2. According to NBA President Rajiv Shrestha, altogether 200 male players will be vying for seven gold medals during the tournament. The estimated cost of the event is Rs 1 million. NBA on Tuesday provided Rs 100,000 to the organizer, Dang District Boxing Association, to conduct the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53973 KATHMANDU, April 30: Nepal, which had lost to USA by 94 runs in Sunday´s opener, suffered yet another defeat in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 on Monday night as Uganda defeated Nepal by six wickets to register its second victory in as many matches. Nepal won the toss and elected to bat at the Somerset Cricket Club in Bermuda. Nepali openers Subash Khakurel and Pradeep Airee put up a 33-run partnership, which turned out to be the highest of the innings, as Uganda´s spin pair of Frank Nsubuga and captain Davis Arinaitwe tightened the screws on Nepali batsmen. Khakurel departed scoring just five runs, while Airee scored 24 runs off 29 balls before he was out in the eighth over.[break] Shakti Gauchan, who was promoted to No 5 in the batting order, was the only other batsman to make a significant contribution for Nepal. He tried to anchor the Nepali innings by scoring 21 runs from 83 balls. Gauchan was the last wicket to fall as the Nepali innings came to an end with 116 runs on the board. Binod Bhandari (18) and Prithu Baskota (18) were the other two contributors for Nepal. Nsubuga and Arinaitwe took three wickets each while Brian Masaba claimed two wickets. Charles Waiswa and Henry Ssenyondo took a wicket each. Chasing 117 runs for victory, Uganda met the target with six wickets and 138 balls to spare. Nepali pacer Chandra Sawad dismissed Brian Masaba (2) and Amrit Bhattarai claimed the wicket of Arthur Kyobe (18), who scored some quick runs, to limit Uganda to 22/2 in 4.5 overs. However, Roger Mukasa and Benjamin Musoke (22) put on the game´s biggest partnership of 58. Mukasa struck a four to reach the target of 117 and finished one run shy of his half-century. Basanta Regmi was the pick of the Nepal bowlers, taking two wickets for 33 runs in nine overs. Regmi claimed the wickets of Musoke and Lawrence Sematimba (16). Uganda captain Arinaitwe, who claimed three wickets for 12 runs, was adjudged the man-of-the-match. Nepal captain Paras Khadka was disappointed with his side´s batting. "We didn´t bat well. You can´t get away with 116, it was below par for a team of our potential. We haven´t played to our potential, which is sad for a tournament of this scale," said Khadka. Uganda captain Arinaitwe was thrilled with his team´s performance. "Today´s game was very important for us, it was very important to pick up a win against a big team like Nepal. We know the quality they possess, and so it was very important to do well," he said. "It was a big game for us. We wanted to put them on the back foot as quickly as possible. We executed our game plan as we wanted," he added. Following the win, Uganda has solidified its position on the points table and taken the lead in the tournament with four points. Nepal takes on Bermuda Wednesday Nepal will take on the host Bermuda on Wednesday night in its third match of the tournament. Nepal will be desperately looking for a win against Bermuda. It will be the first 50-over encounter between Nepal and Bermuda. Nepal and Bermuda have played once in T20 format earlier. Nepal had defeated Bermuda in the T20 match played during the ICC World T20 Qualifiers held in the UAE last year. "Mathematically, we still have a chance. There are three games left and we just need to win those three games, remain positive and forget these matches. The first two games are in the past and we need to look ahead," Nepali skipper Khadka told ICC after the match against Uganda. "We´ve worked so hard, so it is disappointing that we have not performed better. We need to focus and win the last three matches," he added. Commenting on the fans who have supported his team from the day it arrived in Bermuda, Khadka said his team wants to win the remaining matches for the fans. "We always get that support everywhere we go. It´s nice to get that support and we want to get three wins for our fans and our country from our three remaining matches," said Khadka. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53937 KATHMANDU, April 29: National Sports Council (NSC) announced on Monday that it would host the First National School Games in Kathmandu from June 10 to 13. The event would be jointly organized by the School Sports Development Board (SSDB), HISSAN, PABSON and N-PABSON. [break] According to the NSC Publicity Department, the tournament would be considered as a junior national championship and includes 13 sports disciplines. Basketball, volleyball, chess, swimming, table-tennis, football, karate, wushu, cricket, athletics, kabaddi, taekwondo and baghchal are the sports included in the games. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53927 KARACHI, April 29: The tough-guy fast bowlers of yesteryear might not approve, but Pakistan´s budding young quicks were coached on their appearance at a training camp this week -- by a hair stylist. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organised the 10-day camp led by legendary paceman Wasim Akram after concerns were raised over the standard of fast bowlers coming through from the youth ranks.[break] As well as being drilled in technique and fitness, the players were also given a lecture by top Pakistani stylist Nabila Ahmed on how to look good off the field. "We wanted to tell the players through Nabila´s lecture how to present yourself as a person which is very important for international players as they are ambassadors of the country," said Wasim, who indicated that his floppy centre parting may have helped him to snare his 414 Test wickets. "A good hairstyle and good dress add to your confidence and it can play a very good role in giving someone much-needed confidence." Since retiring from cricket Wasim has become a familiar presence on Pakistani TV screens, both as a cricket pundit and in advertisements, and he is keen for his young charges to learn from his slick demeanour. "As a person you need to look presentable, which I feel has been missing in some of our players," he said. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53933 KATHMANDU, April 29: Nepal lost its first match of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 against the USA by 94 runs on Sunday night as USA´s wicketkeeper batsman Steven Taylor played a blistering knock of 162 runs off 102 balls. Winning the toss Nepal invited the USA to bat first at the Somerset Cricket Club in Bermuda but Nepal´s decision backfired as the USA posted a mammoth total of 366/6 in 50 overs. In reply, Nepal was all out for 272 with one ball remaining in the innings.[break] USA got off to a flying start as openers Steven Taylor and Orlando Baker put up a 125-run partnership in 17.2 overs. While Baker scored a patient 37 runs off 56 balls, Taylor brought up his century off just 61 balls. After reaching hundred, the Florida-born Taylor launched an onslaught on the Nepali bowlers, demonstrating why he was the top run scorer in the recent ICC Americas Division 1 Championship. Taylor clobbered 12 fours and 12 sixes during his knock. Nepal finally got the breakthrough it was looking for when Basanta Regmi caught Taylor off Sanjam Regmi in the second ball of the 35th over. USA was 234/3 in 35 overs. Following Taylor´s departure, USA lost wickets at regular intervals. However, the Nepali bowlers could not stop the flow of runs as Timroy Allen hammered a quickfire unbeaten 67 to help the USA post a formidable total of 366 for six. Sushil Nadkarni (28) and Neil McGarrel (22) also played important cameos in the USA innings. It was a forgettable day for the hapless Nepali bowlers as all but one of them finished with economy rates of above 7. Basanta Regmi, whose bowling figures were 10-0-46-2, with an economy rate of 4.6. Amrit Bhattarai and spinners Sanjam Regmi and Shakti Gauchan took one wicket each. USA batsmen hit 25 fours and 22 sixes combined during the innings. Nepal conceded 21 runs as extras. Needing 367 runs for victory, Nepal never looked in the hunt as it lost opener Anil Mandal for a duck in the second over and another opener Subash Khakurel (23) in the eighth over. Half of the Nepali side was back in the pavilion by the 24th over with just 106 runs on the board as Gyanendra Malla (9), Binod Bhandari (4) and Pradeep Airee (14) also fell cheaply. Skipper Paras Khadka and Sharad Vesawkar shared a 69-run partnership for the sixth wicket, the highest in the Nepali innings. Khadka scored 73 with nine fours and two sixes before he was caught by wicketkeeper Taylor. Vesawkar, who was dropped by Neil McGarrell, went on to score 72 runs from 61 balls. Vesawkar hit four fours and six sixes. The tail-end continued the run chase and Shakti Gauchan added 39 before being caught in the penultimate delivery of the match, leaving Nepal all out for 272 in 49.5 overs. Veteran McGarrell, who had played four Tests and 17 One-Day matches for the West Indies in the past, was the pick of the USA bowlers with three for 42. Elmore Hutchingson and Muhammad Ghous claimed two wickets each while Barrington Bartley grabbed one wicket. Sanjam Regmi and Gyanendra Malla were run out. Basanta Regmi scored 7 and Sanjam Regmi, 14 while Amrit Bhattarai remained not out without scoring. Taylor was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his knock of 162. USA skipper Steve Massiah was elated with the result. “We are very pleased with the performance. I thought it was important that, playing against Nepal who we´ve had many close encounters with over the years and shared matches with - it´s good to come away with a win. Moving forward, it´s important that we continue the momentum,” Massiah told ICC. “Initially we didn´t plan to make 366, but we´ll take it! I thought it was an incredible performance by young Steven Taylor to score 162. That was amazing batting, and it´s not batting that you see every day, so with that and some other brilliant performances, everyone chipping in, it just goes to show the depth of our team,” he continued. Man-of-the-match Taylor, who became the first USA batsman to score a century in Twenty20 cricket at the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship earlier this year, was pleased with his performance. “It was really fun, because after playing against these guys in Malaysia in Division 4 last year, it felt good to come back and give them a real hitting. They beat us twice in Malaysia,” said Taylor. Nepal captain Paras Khadka was disappointed with the result, despite his side scoring a very respectable total of 272. “As a team, maybe we gave 40 runs more to USA. If it had been 300 or 330, maybe it would have been at par. But when a guy makes 162, it´s just one of those days when you cannot do anything,” said Khadka. “We were disappointed. Maybe a bigger ground would have made a difference, but Taylor batted extremely well, and I think it is one of the best innings we´ve witnessed as a team. The bowlers of both the teams had a really tough time. But this is the start of the tournament, so we need to take all the positives and move ahead. In the World Cricket League, every match is equally important, and you cannot make excuses. You´ve got to adapt and adjust your game accordingly, and your focus has got to be there,” he added. In other matches, Uganda beat host Bermuda by 114 runs while Oman crushed Italy by seven wickets. Nepal was playing against Uganda on Monday night when this news was filed. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53892 KATHMANDU, April 29: Though a career in football is now more promising than in the past with increased salaries and cash prizes for players, financial condition of domestic clubs and Nepal´s performance in the international arena continue to remain dismal. New Road Team (NRT), one of the oldest top-tier football clubs of Nepal with a rich history spanning eight decades, on Saturday decided not to participate in any football activity for a year citing financial constraints.[break] Some other established names of Nepali football, including Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) and Sankata Club, are also cash-strapped. RCT, one of the most successful clubs of Nepal, decided during a 10-day-long extraordinary general assembly held recently to play for yet another year and then decide whether to continue playing football. NRT and RCT are representative of Nepali football and also have better income sources compared to other clubs. Not only these clubs, but almost all the 10 A division clubs except the three departmental teams are deep in financial crisis. Only five clubs have fixed assets but their income falls far short of their expenses. Other clubs depend largely on sponsorships and donations from members and fans. The sponsorship amount ranges from Rs 1-2 million. But if the clubs are to be believed, they spend Rs 7-8 million every year. All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), the football governing body of the nation, is responsible for improving the status of football clubs. But ANFA and its president Ganesh Thapa, who has been at the helm of ANFA for nearly two decades, have not been able to bring about any significant improvement in the status of domestic clubs. Thapa and his committee should acknowledge that A division clubs are the backbone of domestic football. Until and unless the clubs turn stronger, the national team will remain weak. In recent days, ANFA has started announcing attractive prizes ahead of international tournaments but prizes alone can not ensure success at the international level. Binay Shrestha, the general secretary of NRT, informing about the decision of the club´s extraordinary general assembly on Saturday not to play football for a year, had said ANFA should focus on strengthening clubs rather than coming up with populist programs. Accusing the ANFA leadership of lack of vision, Shrestha had challenged ANFA to come up with programs to strengthen domestic clubs. ANFA and its president Thapa could also be held responsible for the downfall of NRT. The club had borrowed Rs 10 million in 2064 BS to strengthen its team and had hired high-profile players with the highest paychecks then. ANFA could not run football for three years due to disputes but NRT was forced to pay about Rs 6 million in salaries to nearly two dozen players for 18 months for nothing. It now owes Rs 14 million in loans. Not only ANFA, but the clubs themselves have failed to adapt themselves to changing times. They have failed to explore new areas of income. To minimize the risks, ANFA should also set up financial guidelines for clubs. The clubs should also look for new areas to fund their activities. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53847 KATHMANDU, April 28: Nepal will start its ICC World Cricket League Division 3 campaign against the USA at Somerset in Bermuda on Sunday night. Nepal is a tournament favorite as it had defeated the USA in the league round and the final of Division 4 last year and has good One-Day records against other teams like Oman and Italy.[break] The Sunday´s match would be the ninth encounter between Nepal and the USA in One-Day format. Nepal has a superior head-to-head record against the USA. Of the eight matches played so far, Nepal has won four and lost two. Two matches were washed out. However, the inclusion of West Indies players in the USA team always makes it one of the strongest sides in any tournament featuring ICC associate nations. "Since they had lost the last two matches against us in Division 4 and we are in the best shape, the pressure should be on them," said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake before flying to Bermuda. The USA has included Neil Mcgarrell, who had played four Test matches for the West Indies in 2001. Mcgarrell, 40, also played 17 One-Day International matches for the West Indies. "We have heard about some West Indians in the USA squad and one of them had even played Tests. However, we don´t know about their qualities," said Dassanayake. The USA had defeated Uganda by 186 runs in a practice match on Wednesday while Nepal´s practice match against Bermuda XI was washed out due to rain. USA captain Steve Massiah had scored a ton against Uganda during the practice match. Meanwhile, Sushil Nadkarni, who has scored 272 runs in six matches against Nepal with an average of 64, could be another hurdle for Nepal on Sunday. However, the slow and spinning wicket of Bermuda could help Nepali spinners restrict the USA batsmen, as spin bowling is Nepal´s biggest strength. Left-arm spinner Rahul Vishwakarma, who had claimed seven wickets against the USA in the final of Division 5 held in Kathmandu in 2010, could be included in the playing 11 for the USA match. Nepal is yet to decide the playing set to face the USA. However, it is almost certain that the Nepali team will have a single slot for pace attack and either Amrit Bhattarai or Chandra Saud will be rested. For coach Pubudu Dassanayake, picking the middle-order would be a tough task as Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Binod Bhandari, Prithu Baskota and Pradeep Airee are all batting well in recent times. Subash Khakurel and Anil Mandal could open the innings for the Nepali team captained by Paras Khadka. "We are a balanced team with confidence and experience. We will win the tournament if we play to only 80 percent of our potential during the tournament," said Dassanayake. Nepali team is high on confidence going into the Division 3 tournament as it won the ACC Trophy and reached the final of the recently concluded ACC T20 Cup, where it was defeated by Afghanistan. Nepal has won its previous three encounters against Italy and two against Oman. Likewise, Nepal had defeated Bermuda in the World T20 Qualifiers last year. On the other hand, Nepal will face Uganda for the first time during the tournament. The top two sides of WCL Division 3 will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, which will be held in New Zealand in early 2014 among 10 of the leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The top two sides of the qualifiers will then advance to the 14-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they will join the 10 Test nations. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53849 KATHMANDU, April 28: Shocking the Nepali football fraternity, one of the oldest top-tier clubs of the country, Kathmandu Khel Mandal (New Road Team), popularly known as NRT, has decided not to participate in any football activity for a year. A special general assembly of NRT held at its office in Tripureshwar on Saturday took a decision to the effect through an overwhelming majority citing financial crunch. The four-time league champion established some eight decades is deep in debt.[break] "The special general assembly of the club has decided not to participate in any football activity for at least a year," Binay Pradhan, the general secretary of the club, said about the club´s decision. Of the 43 members with voting rights, only nine were in favor of playing football while 34 were against it. Along with Pradhan, CEO Narendra Shrestha, team coach and member Diken Suwal were present during the press briefing. President Narendra Shrestha, who is also the vice-president of football governing body ANFA, did not show up and could not be reached for comments. "The club has to pay a debt of Rs 17.3 million, including Rs 14 million to Himalayan Bank and Rs 3.2 million to members. If we continue to play we won´t be able to repay the debt even in 10 years, but if we take a break for one or two years we can pay off all our loans," said Pradhan. Not only NRT, but many other top-tier teams are in a similar condition due to low income. Paradoxically, NRT is one among the few top tier clubs with big assets and earns Rs 900,000 in monthly income from its house rent. "Despite our commitment to continue playing football we were forced to take the decision. We had to deal with the serious question of whether we should just play football or save the institution and we chose the latter," said Pradhan, adding that the club was prepared for B division league next year. The four-time league champion had borrowed Rs 14 million in loan from Himalayan Bank in 2064 BS to strengthen the team and also loans from its members. NRT had hired high-profile players with the highest paychecks then. But due to confrontation between clubs and football governing body ANFA, there were no football activities and league for three years. As per the ANFA regulation, NRT was forced to pay the salaries of nearly two dozen players for 18 months for nothing. "We paid salary of Rs 6 million then but there was no league and football activity for two years. ANFA President Ganesh Thapa had then assured 18 months´ salary. But later Thapa refuted that he had made such a promise," Pradhan said. "In the last season, we had to make investment of Rs 9.3 million despite maintaining austerity. The clubs are in a pathetic condition and cannot sustain on donations alone," said Pradhan who held ANFA responsible for the club´s condition. "There must be a person having vision at ANFA. Rather than increasing the cash prizes ANFA should focus on making clubs strong and sustainable." The club established in 1991 BS, played football since the very beginning and it was also one of the first clubs to play top level football since the A division began in 2011 BS. It won the league titles in 2015 BS, 2017 BS, 2037 BS and 2052 BS. Besides football, the club was also involved in cricket and table tennis in the past. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53845 KATHMANDU, April 27: Lobsang Tashi defended his title in the second Shikhar Insurance Cup golf tournament on Saturday. He accumulated 39 stableford points to win the tournament played at the Gokarna Forest Resort Golf Club. Tashi, who played with four handicap allowances, scored 22 points on the front nine and 17 on the back nine. His score card included birdies on the second and third holes against a bogey on the 16th hole and a double bogey on the 14th hole.[break] Gopal Chitrakar and Subodh Thapa scored 38 points each. Chitrakar scored 19 points each on both nines whereas Subodh scored 21 on the front nine and 17 on the back nine. Chitrakar finished second in countback while Thapa finished third in the tournament. Vijay Shrestha Einhaus was declared the best gross winner as he scored 35 gross points. Rekha Ghimire won the ladies´ title with 28 points. Dr Rita Thapa, who was one-stroke adrift at 27, finished runner-up. KNS Thapa scored 37 points to win the seniors´ title in the 60 and above age group. Aditi Ghimire was the best junior golfer with 35 points. TG Shrestha won the longest drive award while Kim Byung Taek won the closest to the pin award. Altogether 124 golfers had participated in the tournament played under stableford format with 3/4 handicap. The event was sponsored by Shikhar Insurance Company Pvt Ltd. Chairman of Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL), Bikash SJB Rana, CEO of SICL Dip Prakash Pandey and President of Gokarna Golf Club Suhrid Ghimire, among others, gave away the prizes to the winners. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53844 KATHMANDU, April 27: None of the 29 golfers who teed off on Saturday could challenge overnight leader Niraj Pun for the title as Pun won the Pakistan Ambassador´s Cup golf tournament at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) with 41 points. Pun also received the award for the most birdies in the two-day tournament as he shot four birdies.[break] Prem Gurung, who also teed off on Friday, finished second with 38 points in the tournament played under stableford format with ¾ handicap allowances. Neeraj SJB Rana was declared the best gross winner with 29 points. He also won the award for the longest drive. Sabitri Rai won the title in the ladies´ section. Sabitri and Sandhya Rai both scored 32 points but Sabitri was ahead in countback. Suman Limbu clinched the seniors´ title. Him Raj Gurung and Limbu both scored 35 points but Limbu finished ahead in countback. Himalaya SJB Rana won the octogenarian trophy while Fadil Adilah was the winner of ambassador´s category. Mani Prasad Rai was the guest winner of the tournament while Bijay Bahadur Shrestha was the guest runner-up. Sudhir Sherchan got the award for closest to the pin while Shoko Noda was won the award for best sportsmanship. Minister for Youth and Sports Ram Kumar Shrestha, Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal Arshad Saud Khosa and President of RNGC Prachanda Bahadur Shrestha gave away the prizes to the winners. Altogether 58 golfers, including 29 who teed of Friday, had participated in the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53778 KATHMANDU, April 26: The practice match between Nepali national cricket team and Bermuda XI ahead of the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 was washed out due to wet pitch and outfield on Thursday. The Nepali team, which is in Bermuda to play Division 3, instead practised for three hours in net and center wicket at Rangers Club Ground, South Hampton.[break] Nepal, which has reached Division 3 for the first time, hopes to win the tournament or at least secure a place in the World Cup Qualifiers. Nepal is to face the host Bermuda, Italy, Uganda, Oman and the USA in the Division 3 tournament. The top two sides of the WCL Division 3 will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, which will be held in New Zealand in early 2014 and feature 10 of the leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The top two sides of the qualifiers will then advance to the 14-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they will join the 10 Test nations. Nepal, which had defeated the USA in the league and the final match of Division 4, is one of the favorites to win the Division 3 tournament. The team is high on confidence after lifting the ACC Trophy and reaching the final of the recently concluded ACC T20 Cup, where it was defeated by Afghanistan. Nepal has won its previous three encounters against Italy and two against Oman. Likewise, Nepal had defeated Bermuda in the World T20 Qualifiers last year. Meanwhile, Nepal will be facing Uganda for the first time during the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53785 KATHMANDU, April 26: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) announced on Friday that the new season of Nepali football would kick off with the Gurkha Cup Knockout Tournament. The tournament date is yet to be confirmed but ANFA President Ganesh Thapa said the tournament would be held in Kathmandu in late May or early June.[break] ANFA and Gurkha Group signed a three-year sponsorship deal for the knockout tournament on Friday in Kathmandu. ANFA President Thapa and Gurkha Group´s representative Prem Bahadur Bega signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Bega said the tournament is a continuation of the British Gurkha Cup. "After three successful editions of the British Gurkha Cup, we thought Gurkha Cup would give a broader meaning to the tournament," said Bega. As per the new contract, Gurkha Group will provide Rs 2 million to ANFA as the tournament sponsor for the 2070 BS edition. According to ANFA President Thapa, the sponsorship amount will increase by 15 percent every year. The tournament will feature all the A division clubs. The winner of the tournament will bag Rs 1 million while the runner-up will get Rs 500,000. It is the knockout tournament with the second highest cash prize after the Ncell Cup, which has a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million for the winner. The best player of Gurkha Cup will get a motorbike while the best players in their respective positions -- forward, midfield, defense and goalkeeping -- will get Rs 50,000 each. The best coach of the tournament will also receive Rs 50,000. ANFA President Thapa said that the association is planning to add another knockout football tournament in its calendar. "We will organize a third knockout tournament in the capital along with Gurkha Cup and Ncell Cup," said Thapa. "We are planning to include the knockout tournament in the calendar," said Thapa. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53771 KATHMANDU, April 26: Machhapuchchhre Bank clinched the title of Inter-bank Volleyball Tournament for the fifth time on Friday. Machhapuchchhre defeated Kumari Bank 25-17, 24-26, 21-25, 25-21, 15-8 in the final played at the court of host Nepal Rastra Bank. In the six editions of the tournament held so far, Agriculture Development Bank is the only other team to have won the title. Winner Machhapuchchhre won Rs 50,000 while runner-up Kumari bagged Rs 40,000. Meanwhile, Global Bank secured third position in the tournament organized to mark the 58th anniversary of Nepal Rastra Bank. Global defeated the host Nepal Rastra Bank 25-21, 25-22, 25-14 in the third place play-off.[break] Pun leads on first day KATHMANDU: Niraj Pun took the lead on the first day of the Pakistan Ambassador´s Cup Golf Tournament on Friday. Pun, who plays with five handicap allowances, scored 41 points in the tournament being played under stableford format with ¾ handicap allowances at the Royal Nepal Golf Club. Prem Gurung finished the day in second position with 38 points. HR Gurung lies in the third spot with 35 points while Neeraj SJB Rana is fourth with 34 points. A total of 29 amateur golfers played on Friday. Forty-four other golfers, including eight ladies, are to participate in the tournament on Saturday. Jeet Kune Do seminar begins Saturday KATHMANDU: Nepal Jeet Kune Do Martial Arts Association is organizing the third seminar and workshop on the art of Jeet Kune Do on Saturday and Sunday in the capital. Organizing a press conference on Friday, general secretary of the association Shiva Bahadur Thapa informed that Sifu Juaquin Marcelo, international instructor from Spain, will conduct the seminar. Altogether 120 coaches from Nepal, 12 from India and four from Sri Lanka are participating in the seminar. According to president of the association Lok Bahadur Khadka, the coaches will get an opportunity to learn about footwork, kicks and punches during the seminar. Shrestha nominated in ASTC KATHMANDU: Nilendra Raj Shrestha, secretary general of Nepal Triathlon Association, has been nominated as a member of the Asian Paratriathlon Confederation (ASTC). According to an e-mail sent by Shrestha on Friday, the 22nd congress of ASTC nominated Shrestha for the post. The congress also nominated Philip Penaloza of Hong Kong as president, while Peter Wee Ling of China and Tomikawa "Tommy" Masamitsu of Japan were nominated as members. Meanwhile, the Asian Triathlon Championship is set to begin Saturday. Nepal´s athlete Rajiv Kumar Gurung of Nepal Army will compete in sprint category on Sunday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53758 LONDON, April 26: Applauding former teammate Robin van Persie will be a painful moment for Arsenal´s players when they welcome Premier League champion Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. It has become tradition in England for opponents to give the new champions a guard of honor before kick-off but venerating Van Persie, who left Arsenal to join Manchester United last year, will be a particularly uncomfortable experience for the Gunners.[break] Van Persie, whose 24 goals have been instrumental in United´s title triumph, spent eight seasons at Arsenal before quitting the club. Despite some supporters´ objections, however, manager Arsene Wenger said there was never a possibility of Arsenal refusing to follow tradition on Sunday. "When you work somewhere abroad, you have to respect the culture of the country," Wenger said. "That is part of the tradition of English football and I want that to be respected. Manchester United´s Robin van Persie, centre, celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Monday April 22. (AP) "We respect Robin van Persie like every other player who has left us and come back to the Emirates. I want the player to be respected like everybody else." Arsenal cannot afford to concede ground in the race for the Champions League qualification spots but it should not expect any favors from United, who can break the league´s record points total of 94 if it wins all four of its remaining games. "We´ve won the league but we won´t go there and relax," United midfielder Michael Carrick said. "We want to put on a good performance and try to play as if the title depended on it, that´s how we´ll approach it." Arsenal is a point ahead of Chelsea and two points clear of Tottenham but has played a game more than both in the chase for the top four places. Tottenham plays first of the three teams this weekend and can put pressure on their rivals by moving into third with a win over relegation-struggler Wigan on Saturday. Wigan has lost two consecutive games but Tottenham will be on guard because its opponent, which plays Manchester City in the final of the FA Cup, is known for recording surprise victories late in the season. "We have to be ready," Tottenham captain Michael Dawson said. "Wigan are fighting for their lives but they are a good team, they are in the final of the FA Cup and they will want to pick up points just as much as we do, for different reasons. "It´s about us though, about what we do and as long as we´re on top of our game, we´ll look to come away with the three points." In what could turn out to be a top four decider, Tottenham still has to play Chelsea. But the Blues first play Swansea at home as they look to bounce back from conceding a late equalizer against Liverpool last weekend. Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez is likely to rotate his side for the match, playing only three days after beating FC Basel 2-1 in the semifinals of the Europa League. The game will also see Chelsea winger Eden Hazard face the club he was sent off against for kicking a ball boy during the League Cup semifinals in February. Manchester City has little to play for in the league after its 3-1 loss to Tottenham allowed United to wrap up the title, but City can cement its position in second place by beating West Ham at home on Saturday. Everton´s hopes of finishing in the top four look to be over but the team will be eager to maintain its lead above rival Liverpool by beating Fulham at home. Liverpool travel to Newcastle. At the bottom of the table, Reading and QPR know the loser of their match will be the first team to go down. Both teams will be relegated if Aston Villa beats Sunderland on Monday. Stoke play Norwich after both recorded victories last weekend to ease their relegation concerns and a win for either in their match would all but guarantee Premier League status for another year. Southampton can extend its unbeaten run to seven matches against West Bromwich Albion at home. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53723 BASEL, Switzerland, April 25:  David Luiz scored with the very last kick of the game to earn Chelsea a dramatic 2-1 win at FC Basel in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday. Basel, who were appearing in their first European semi-final, looked set to earn a draw after a contentious 87th-minute penalty from Fabian Schar cancelled out Victor Moses´ early opener.[break] However, deep into injury time, Luiz drove a 25-yard free-kick beneath the Basel wall and into the bottom-right corner to put Rafael Benitez´s side in control ahead of next week´s return leg at Stamford Bridge. "We played against a good team. You could see the intensity and the pace of the game, but we had enough chances to score and the penalty, which was a surprise for everyone, could have made a difference," interim manager Benitez told ITV. "It is always important to win. To score an away goal is important, but to score two and win is even better." In the end, the only sour note for the visitors was a yellow card for Ashley Cole that rules him out of the second leg, although Basel will also be without centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic for the same reason. Chelsea had welcomed Cole back after a three-week absence due to a hamstring injury, but their wariness was demonstrated by interim coach Benitez´s decision to deploy centre-back Luiz in a midfield holding role. Basel eliminated Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the quarter-finals, having knocked Manchester United out of last season´s Champions League, and they served early notice of their threat when Mohammed Elneny curled a cross onto the roof of the Chelsea net. It was Chelsea, however, who took the lead in the 12th minute, to the disappointment of watching Basel native Roger Federer. Frank Lampard drew a smart save from Yann Sommer with a near-post volley and from the resulting corner, the England midfielder´s cross struck Moses and ricocheted into the roof of the net. Basel responded immediately, briefly forcing the visitors onto the back foot. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech tipped a stinging Schar free-kick over the bar, while Valentin Stocker hit the outside of the post with a drilled cross from the right. The away side finished the half strongly, though, with Sommer producing a sharp reflex save to repel Ramires´ half-volley from close range. Eden Hazard might have doubled Chelsea´s lead shortly before half-time, but a last-ditch challenge from Park Joo-Ho put him off just as he was about to take aim at the exposed Sommer. In the opening exchanges of the second period, both sides hit the woodwork with chances that would have greatly altered the face of the game. First, Stocker rolled a low shot against the base of Cech´s right-hand post, before Fernando Torres saw a left-foot snap-shot crash back off an upright after a bold run down the Chelsea left from Hazard. Basel coach Murat Yakin introduced Marcelo Diaz and Jacques Zoua from the bench, and the hosts saw Fabian Frei and then Zoua shoot narrowly wide from just outside the box. After several nervous moments in the Chelsea area, the hosts´ pressure told when Czech referee Pavel Kralovec penalised Cesar Azpilicueta for making contact with Stocker from behind. Schar duly drilled his spot-kick down the middle, before Sommer produced a stunning point-blank save to deny John Terry, only for Luiz to strike in the fourth minute of added time to end Basel´s unbeaten home record in this season´s competition. "The team reacted very well (to going behind) and we were even looking for a winner, but in the end we were the unlucky team," said Yakin. "We shouldn´t have conceded a goal like that, but overall it was a good performance." In the other semi-final, Fenerbahce hit the woodwork three times against Benfica but finally prevailed through a 72nd-minute Egemen Korkmaz goal to procure a 1-0 advantage ahead of the second leg in Portugal. Korkmaz headed home powerfully from a corner at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to give Aykut Kocaman´s hosts a wafer-thin victory as they bid to reach their first ever European final. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53721 KATHMANDU, April 26: Aiming for World Cup qualification and One-Day status, the Nepali national cricket team has reached Bermuda on Thursday morning to play ICC World Cricket League Division 3. The national cricket team will take on USA on Sunday. Nepal, which reached the Division 3 level for the first time, hopes to win the tournament or at least secure a place in the World Cup Qualifiers.[break] The top two sides of the WCL Division 3 will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, which will be held in New Zealand in early 2014 and feature 10 of the leading associate and affiliate teams. The top two sides from New Zealand will then advance to the 14-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they will join the 10 Test nations. Nepal is to face the host Bermuda, Italy, Uganda, Oman and the USA in the Division 3 tournament. "It´s a new level of cricket for us. However, we will win the tournament if we can put up 80 percent of our potential in the tournament," said Nepali Coach Pubudu Dassanayake. Dassanayake claimed that his team is in the best shape. "We toured Jaipur, India for some practice matches and it was good. Probably, the best India tour ever," he added. Dassanayake said Nepal is a balanced team with confidence and experience. "We are well aware of how we can win the matches. We can calculate crucial moments of the match and play accordingly. We are a well set team," said Dassanayake, who guided Canada to the last World Cup. "We have talented openers and I hope they would repeat their previous performances in the Division 4 and ACC Trophy Elite. Meanwhile, we have the strongest middle order so far. Paras (Khadka), Gyanendra (Malla), Sharad (Vesawkar) and Binod (Bhandari) are dependable," he said. Dassanayake has raised his bars and said that he would not extend his contract if the team fails to reach World Cup or the secure One-Day status. "I have really raised the bars since this team has the potential and confidence," he said. Nepali team, which beat the USA in the league and final match of the Division 4, has a high morale for the Division 3. The ACC Trophy victory and the final clash against Afghanistan in recently concluded ACC T20 Cup have also boosted Nepal. Uganda is entirely new team for Nepal while Nepal has won previous three encounters against Italy and two against Oman. Nepal had defeated Bermuda in the World T20 Qualifiers last year. All these results put Nepal as the tournament favorite and boost Nepal´s hope of securing promotion to Division 2. "It would not be an easy task but we can hope things would go good and we´ll win the tournament," said Dassanayake. Skipper Paras Khadka also claimed that the Nepali team is focused and playing in an ICC Cricket World Cup is the greatest and only dream for his side. “We know that the opponents will challenge us in every department of the game. Knowing the fact that it could take us to the pathway to glory, we are taking this very seriously and will give all we have to qualify," said Khadka to ICC Media department. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53709 ZURICH, April 25: Football´s biggest prize has twice been won with the help of dictators fixing matches for the host team, according to a FIFA-hosted conference on World Cup history. Argentina´s triumph in 1978 and Italy´s 1934 victory were influenced by military leaders seeking propaganda coups, delegates were told on Thursday at a symposium titled "The Relevance and Impact of FIFA World Cups."[break] "It´s the same old story: Sport and politics are brothers and sometimes sport is under the other brother," Italian writer Marco Impiglia told The Associated Press in an interview. Impiglia presented a paper suggesting Italy´s fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, ensured favorable refereeing decisions which helped the host team win. In this June 25, 1978 file photo Argentina soccer team players celebrate winning the World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3-1. (AP) Raanan Rein, an Israeli professor of Latin American history, said he was "100 percent persuaded" that Argentina´s military junta influenced a 6-0 win against Peru. The match is a notorious chapter of World Cup lore and ensured Argentina advanced to the final instead of great rival Brazil. Both Italy and Argentina won a second World Cup — in 1938 and 1986, respectively — soon after their allegedly tainted first titles. The four-day gathering of academics and historians is studying the political, social and ecocomic impact on nations which have hosted the biggest and most-watched sports event since the World Cup was first played in Uruguay in 1930. "It´s very fitting that we´re here in the home of FIFA," conference co-organizer Stefan Rinke said, praising the "hospitable" governing body. FIFA´s choice of Brazil, Russia and Qatar — three countries with growing economies and diplomatic influence — as the next hosts from 2014 to 2022 suggests football and politics will continue to mix. "It tells me that in terms of the global presence of football since the 1930s, FIFA has made a big step forward," said Rinke, a professor of Latin American history at Free University in Berlin. Opening the conference on Wednesday, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke acknowledged that working with democratically elected governments can complicate organizing tournaments which require billions of dollars of investment in stadiums, airports, roads and hotels. Dictator-led hosts presented a different kind of challenge, delegates were told. Rein said the generals who seized power in Argentina in 1976 needed a propaganda victory two years later to appease their people and a global community angered by the regime´s often brutal treatment of opponents. They collaborated with "at least one foreign government" to fix the Peru match, which Argentina needed to win by four clear goals, the Tel Aviv University vice president said. "According to many people I spoke with in Argentina ... there is in fact no question about it," said Rein, adding that many activists were conflicted by their affection for the players to speak out about the apparent fix. "It not only stains the military regime but it also stains the national team and they had a great national team. In many ways, they deserved to win the World Cup," he said. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53705 KATHMANDU, April 25: Rabi Khadka clinched the title of the Surya Nepal Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Thursday despite putting horrible performance in the last day of the tournament. Royal Nepal Golf Club pro Khadka carded six-over 78 on Thursday for a total score of even-par 288. He registered a one-stroke victory over Army Club pro Sanjay Lama in the 10th and final event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13 to win his fourth title of the season. It was Khadka´s sixth career trophy. [break] Lama played one-under 71 for a total of one-over 289. Umesh Nagarkoti finished third at two-over 290 after a round of two-over 74. The top three pros received Rs 88,000, Rs 55,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. Khadka, who began the final day with six strokes lead, carded two-over 38 on the front nine and four-over 40 on the back nine. He shot birdies on the fifth and 12th holes only against the bogeys on the third and 17th as well as double bogeys on the eighth, 10th and 16th holes. Khadka made a six-foot par putt in the 18th hole to avoid play-off and maintain one-stroke lead over Lama, who suffered bogey on the last hole. Lama played even-par 36 on the front nine and one-under 35 on back nine. He shot birdies on the ninth, 11th, 12th and 15th holes against the bogeys on the second, 14th and 18th holes. "I´m happy to win the fourth title in a season though winning the last tournament became very tough for me," said Khadka. "I was not taking the final round easy though I have six-stroke lead but my horrible performance on the eighth , 10th and 16th holes made the day very tough," he added. Ramesh Adhikari and Deepak Thapa Magar shared the fourth position with the total score of three-over 291. Adhikari played a round of two-over 74, while Thapa Magar carded the tournament best of five-under 67. Pashupati Sharma (73) finished sixth at 295, while Ramesh Nagarkoti (76) and Mani Rai (72) shared the seventh position at 296. Surya Sharma (77) came ninth at 297, while Purna Sharma (72) finished 10th at 298. In Amateur section, Dinesh Prajapati carded two-under 70 to win the title with the total score of six-over 294. Sunil KC was a distant second with the total score of 301 on count back after he was tied with Tirtha Poudel. Overnight leader Bishnu Sharma (76) was fourth at 302, while Tashi Tshering came fifth at 304. Brand Manager of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Keshav Pradhan, Vice-president of Gokarna Forest Resort Dorjee Sherpa and Advisor of Nepal PGA Ghana Shyam Thapa handed over the prizes to the winners. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53704 KATHMANDU, April 25: Shiva Ram Shrestha topped the Surya Nepal Golf Tour order of merit list of the season 2012-2013 though he missed three events of the season. Shrestha became the Nepal No 1 professional golfer as he earned RS 5, 83,600 from the tour. Shrestha, who has been playing Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) events since last year, won only three events of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-2013. [break]However, he topped the merit list as he earned Rs 2,26,600 finishing Surya Nepal Masters in third position. Out of the 10 events of Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-2013, Rabi Khadka won four titles while Shrestha won three. Veteran Deepak Thapa Magar and Ram Thapa bagged one title apiece while Indian pro Abhijit Singh Chadha won the Surya Nepal Masters, the event included also in the PGTI Tour. Khadka is second in the merit list as he earned Rs 4, 04,433. Khadka had won Ghana Shyam Open, President Cup, Eastern Open and the Tour Championship while Shrestha clinched Wesetern Open, Central Open and Match Play events. Ram Thapa won Surya Nepal Challenge while his elder brother Deepak claimed the title of the CMS Open. Sanjay Lama, who didn´t win a single tournament but always put up average performance, is third in the merit list. Lama earned Rs 2, 97, 333. Deepak Thapa Magar is fourth in the merit list with the income of Rs 2, 51, 683 while Ram Thapa is fifth with the income of Rs 2, 25, 650. The next season of Surya Nepal Golf Tour will begin with the Surya Nepal Masters, the biggest golf event of the country, scheduled for May 8-11 at Gokarna Golf Club. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53676 DORTMUND, Germany, April 24: Poland striker Robert Lewandowski netted all four goals in Borussia Dortmund´s 4-1 win over Real Madrid in Wednesday´s Champions League semi-final, first-leg to strengthen the possibility of an all-German final at Wembley on May 25. After Bayern Munich´s 4-0 hammering of Barcelona on Tuesday in the other semi-final, Borussia followed the German champions´ example.[break] Dortmund were as clinical as Bayern as they floored Jose Mourinho´s Real who narrowly avoided suffering their worst defeat in the competition - AC Milan beating them 5-0 in what was then the European Cup in the 1988/89 campaign. "We have taken only the first step, but of course we are happy," said Lewandowski, who became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League semi-final. "I am pleased with the four goals, but now we want to reach the final." Just as Lionel Messi had failed to shine for a subdued Barcelona at Bayern on his return from a hamstring injury, Real star Cristiano Ronaldo was fairly anonymous apart from scoring the visitors only goal. Real coach Jose Mourinho, already a two-time winner of the trophy with Porto and Inter Milan, conceded that Dortmund had been the better side but insisted his side could pull off a remarkable comeback. "I have learnt that anything can happen in football, it will be tough next week, but nothing is impossible and my footballers will try to show that next Tuesday," said Mourinho. Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp had promised his players would not be destabilised by the news on Tuesday that 20-year-old midfield star Mario Goetze was to join Bayern Munich next season and his prophecy proved correct. "We have to force ourselves to stay focused, we still need to go to Madrid, which will be no walk in the park," said Klopp referring to next Tuesday´s return leg in Madrid. The night belonged to Lewandowski who stole the limelight with the opening goal, then added a second-half hat-trick to put Dortmund on the verge of their second Champions League final having won the 1997 title. "It will be very difficult in the return leg at home but we must remain confident and try to react," said Real captain Sergio Ramos. "When the draw for the semi-finals was made a lot of people thought this was going to be easy for us, but this is a German team we are talking about. They are a great side." The anticipated hostile reaction from the home fans towards Goetze never materialised and he helped give the hosts the perfect start. His floated cross from the left wing found Lewandowski unmarked at the back post to stab the ball home with just eight minutes on the clock. The goal spurred Real into life and Ronaldo forced Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller into a diving save on 24 minutes. Referee Bjorn Kuipers won himself few fans among the Dortmund faithful when he refused their penalty appeal when Marco Reus was brought down in the area by Raphael Varane. Real drew level almost immediately after that decision when Dortmund defender Mats Hummels´ back pass was seized on by Gonzalo Higuain, who drew Weidenfeller and squared for Ronaldo to tap in his 11th goal in 10 European games. The hosts upped the pace in the second half and Lewandowski grabbed his second with a clinical finish on the turn to slot home Reus´ pass and beat Lopez on 50 minutes. He netted his third five minutes later when he latched onto Marcel Schmelzer´s cross, then beat centre-back Pepe before drilling his shot home. With Dortmund fans in delirium, he claimed his fourth of the night when Reus was fouled in the area by Xabi Alonso, after Goetze´s through-ball, and there was only one candidate when Kuipers pointed to the penalty spot on 66 minutes. Mourinho tried to breathe some life into his side with two changes as Karim Benzema came on for Higuain and Angel Di Maria took over from Luka Modric in the central midfield position. But only Lopez´s excellent diving save denied Lewandowski his fifth moments later. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53659 KATHMANDU, April 24: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Wednesday announced the U-19 national team under the captainship of Bhuwan Karki for the upcoming ACC U-19 Elite Cup. Along with Karki, the team includes experienced players like Avinash Karn, Ram Naresh Giri, Rahul Pratap Singh and Nishchal Pandey. Karn is the vice-captain of the national team.[break] Karki, Karn and Giri were part of the Nepali U-19 team that played the ICC U-19 World Cup held in Australia in 2012. Singh was a member of the Nepali U-19 team that finished second in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2011 held in Thailand while Pandey was a member of the team that finished second in the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers 2011 held in Ireland. Amit Shrestha, Yagyaman Kumal, Irshad Ahmad, Pawan Shrestha, Bivatsu Thapa, Nirmal Thapa, Sushant Bhari, Prem Tamang and Hari Shankar Shah are the new faces in the U-19 team. Kumal was a reserve player when the Nepali national team played the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 last year. Amit Dahal, Suraj Kumar Kurmi, Avishek Jha and Sharad Khadka are the reserve players in the team. The ACC U-19 Elite Cup is scheduled to be held in Malaysia from May 1 to 12. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the U-19 World Cup 2014. If the UAE reaches the final of ACC U-19 Elite Cup, the other finalist will progress to the World Cup as the Gulf country has already qualified for the 2014 tournament as the host. According to CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, Jagat Tamata has been appointed as the coach of the Nepali U-19 team. Tamata had guided Nepal to the U-19 World Cup Qualifiers 2011 and the U-19 World Cup. Coach Tamata said his side is a team of average players. "There are many new faces along with some experienced players. They lack match exposure and their performance has been average in the practice matches. However, I´m impressed with the way they are progressing," said Tamata. However, he said the team´s only aim is to win the tournament and qualify for the World Cup. "We have no option but to win the tournament and qualify for the World Cup. This is a platform for the unsung players to prove their mettle and I hope they will succeed," said Tamata. Nepal is slated in Group B of the tournament along with Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia and Kuwait. Nepal will start its campaign against Kuwait on May 3. The Nepali team will then face Qatar on May 5 and Bahrain on May 6 before playing its final group match against Malaysia on May 8. Nepal had won the ACC U-19 Elite Cup in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 while it had finished runner-up in 1999 and 2011. Afghanistan had defeated Nepal in the final of the last edition held in Thailand in 2011. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53658 KATHMANDU, April 24: Participation of Nepali athletes in the upcoming Asian Athletics Championship and the IAAF World Championship has fallen in limbo as the dispute over legitimacy of Nepal Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA) is yet to be settled. NAAA, which was dissolved by the National Sports Council (NSC) but continues to be recognized by international sports bodies, announced a selection tournament on Saturday for the two international events.[break] However, NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama claimed that NAAA has no right to select the players and the government authority would take action against the players and coaches if anyone took part in the selection tournament. According to Rabi Rajkarnikar, general secretary of NAAA, the Asian Athletics Championship will be held in Chennai, India from July 1 to 7 while the IAAF World Championship will be held in Moscow from August 10 to 18. NSC had dissolved the NAAA led by Rajkarnikar two years ago and formed a separate NAAA body led by Nilendra Raj Shrestha. The Shrestha-led NAAA had organized the 38th National Athletics Championship earlier this month. "The association recognized by NSC has been organizing tournaments all year round. In such a scenario, we cannot tolerate an unauthorized body coming forward and organizing a selection tournament," said Member Secretary Lama. Lama said that if Rajkarnikar is ready to send champions of the recently-concluded tournament organized by the Shrestha-led NAAA, NSC will not bar them. On the other hand, Rajkarnikar claimed that his committee seek permission from NSC before the tournament. "Our committee thinks that players should not suffer because of the dispute within the association and I hope NSC grants us permission to conduct the selection tournament," said Rajkarnikar. "We have yet to decide our next step if NSC doesn´t grant us permission," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53655 KATHMANDU, April 24: Gurukul thrashed KU 37-8 on Wednesday in the girls´ section of the Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013. Gurukul took the first quarter 8-0 and continued its dominance in the remaining three quarters with scores of 10-4, 9-2 and 10-2 respectively. In the boys´ section, KU edged past British College 34-15 while Gurukul thrashed NEC ´A´ 55-19. [break] Likewise, NEC ´B´ beat LACM 27-17 in another match of the boys´ section. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53662 MANCHESTER, England, April 24: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was handed a 10-match ban Wednesday for biting an opponent during a Premier League game, the latest transgression in the Uruguay international´s turbulent career. A disciplinary panel ruled that a regular three-match ban for violent conduct was "clearly insufficient" and added seven games to the suspension, which rules Suarez out for the rest of the campaign and for the first six matches of next season.[break] Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said in a statement that Suarez and the club were "shocked and disappointed" at the decision. Suarez has until Friday to appeal against the extra seven games added to his sanction. In a Premier League match broadcast globally on Sunday, Suarez bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the upper right arm during the 2-2 draw at Anfield. He wasn´t sent off because the referee didn´t see the incident, which was reviewed retroactively by the English Football Association. Liverpool´s Luis Suarez is seen during his team´s 2-2 draw against Chelsea in their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday April 21. (AP) Suarez, who has admitted to biting Ivanovic and apologized, was banned for seven matches in 2010 for a similar offense while playing for Ajax against PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league. That incident earned him the nickname "Cannibal of Ajax." Suarez was suspended for eight games in December 2011 for making racist insults toward Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a match. If he fails in any appeal, Suarez likely won´t play another game for Liverpool for five months. "We await the written reasons tomorrow before making any further comment," added Ayre, who said Monday that Liverpool had no intention of selling Suarez — the Premier League´s second highest scorer with 23 goals. The FA has come down hard on Suarez, giving him a more severe ban than it handed to him and Chelsea captain John Terry (four matches) for racist abuse last season. It has parallels with a recent judgment in rugby league, when England international James Graham was banned for 12 games for biting an opponent during an Australian league game. It´s not as heavy, though, as the 12-game ban handed to Joey Barton after he clashed with Manchester City players after his sending-off for Queens Park Rangers on the final day of last season. With his goals and performances this season, Suarez was starting to rehabilitate a reputation that was first damaged when he was sent off for a deliberate handball to prevent Ghana from scoring a late goal in a World Cup quarterfinal match in 2010. He was seen celebrating on the sideline when Ghana missed the spot kick and Uruguay advanced in a shootout. His penchant for diving aside, even his critics had been starting to warm to one of the world´s most gifted players. He is on the six-man shortlist for English football´s Player of the Year award, compiled before Sunday´s incident. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53657 KATHMANDU, April 24: Nepali cricket team´s vice-captain Gyanendra Malla is all set to join the rest of the team in Bermuda after the British High Commission in New Delhi granted him transit visa on Wednesday. According to Kiran Rana, a member of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the UK authority granted transit visa to Malla on Wednesday morning. Malla will now fly to the Caribbean nation to participate in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3.[break] On Tuesday, the British authority had denied visa to Malla citing conflicting birth dates in his documents and said that he needed to undergo an interview to confirm his date of birth. The British authorities had granted transit visas to all the other Nepali cricket players on Tuesday and the team had flown to Bermuda via London the same day. “The British High Commission in New Delhi granted visa to Malla after he underwent interview,” Rana told Republica. According to CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, Malla is scheduled to fly to Bermuda via London from Delhi on Wednesday night. With uncertainty over Malla´s participation in the tournament, CAN had included Naresh Budhayer in the team as a possible replacement for Malla. Nepali team is scheduled to play a practice match against Bermuda XI on Thursday before starting its Division 3 campaign on Sunday against the USA. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53653 KATHMANDU, April 24: Rabi Khadka took sole lead in the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship after the completion of third round on Wednesday at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club. Royal Nepal Golf Club pro Khadka carded three-under 69 on Wednesday for a total of six-under 210 and maintained a six-stroke lead over second-place Umesh Nagarkoti. [break] Nagarkoti produced the best card of the day with four-under 68 to remain in the second place with a total score of even-par 216. Ramesh Adhikari played one-under 71 on Wednesday to go up to third with a score of one-over 217. Nepal No 2 pro Khadka played two-under 34 on the front nine and added one-under 35 on the back nine to take sole lead on the penultimate day of the 10th and final event of Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13. He saved pars on the first seven holes and carded birdies on the eighth and ninth holes to take the turn at two-under 34. On the back nine, he suffered a bogey on the 10th hole before carding birdies on the 12th and 17th holes. Nagarkoti played one-under 35 on the front nine and played an impressive three-under 33 on the back nine with the help of five birdies and a bogey. After starting the day with a bogey, he carded birdies on the fifth, seventh, 11th, 12th and 18th holes. On the other hand, Sanjay Lama, who was joint leader in the first two rounds, faltered on the third day as he played a round of five-over 77. He dropped to fourth with a total score of two-over 218. He played even-par 36 on the front nine before faltering to five-over on the back nine. Ramesh Nagarkoti (77) and Surya Sharma (74) shared the fifth position with the scores of four-over 220. Gokarna Club duo Pashupati Sharma (76) and Deepak Acharya (73) are tied for seventh at six-over 222. Deepak Thapa Magar (74), Mani Rai (73) and Yelamber Singh Adhikari (71) shared the ninth position at eight-over 224. Purna Sharma dropped further down to 12th at 226 after a disappointing round of eight-over 80. Ram Thapa (74) is 13th with a total score of 11-over 227. In the amateur section, Dinesh Prajapati carded one-under 71 to climb atop the leader-board with a total score of eight-over 224. Dinesh opened a two-stroke lead over overnight leader Bishnu Sharma, who played a round of five-over 77 for a total score of 226. Sunil KC (73) is third at 229. The final round will be played on Thursday. The winning pro of the event will receive Rs 88,000 while the runner-up will bag Rs 55,000. After the tournament, the top 30 pros in the Order of Merit and the top 10 amateurs in Nepal Golf Association´s ranking will qualify for the Surya Nepal Masters scheduled for May 8 to 11 at the Gokarna Golf Club. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53628 SYDNEY, April 24: Veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was recalled to the Australia squad Wednesday as vice-captain for the upcoming Ashes tour to England as selectors opted for experience against their fiercest rivals. Haddin, 35, who has played only one Test since January 2012, replaces Shane Watson as Michael Clarke´s deputy in a 16-man squad for the five-Test series starting in July at Trent Bridge.[break] Australia, who dominated England for so long in the Ashes but have lost three out of the past four contests, are ranked fourth in the world after a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of India last month. Cricket chiefs have targeted a return to the number one ranking but the retirements of modern-day great Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, until lately a stalwart of the batting, have left the team struggling in key areas. Chris Rogers, 35, has also been recalled, with chief selector John Inverarity admitting experience was an important factor following the retirements of Ponting and Mike Hussey. Watson is in the squad but stood down from his role as vice-captain over the weekend to concentrate on his batting and bowling following his controversial axing in India for disciplinary reasons. Inverarity said Haddin was now his first-choice wicketkeeper, with former gloveman Matthew Wade likely to carry the drinks. "In regards to the vice-captaincy, we feel it´s important to have a senior, seasoned player support Michael at this time," said Inverarity, with few other obvious candidates in the absence of Watson, Ponting and Hussey. "When Shane Watson advised of his decision to stand down, the selectors viewed Brad as the exceptional candidate to step into this leadership void." Clarke said Haddin´s experience would be crucial after the humbling in India. "His leadership, his experience will play a big part in this group. He´s a senior player and experienced player and having the vice-captaincy is something he´ll enjoy," he said. Haddin will captain the Australia A squad, which will play matches against Scotland, Ireland and Gloucestershire before the Ashes series. Rogers has also been selected, five years after he earned his one and only Test cap against India. He has played extensively in England and been in prolific form. "With Mike (Hussey) and Ricky going there´s a gap in experience and Chris fills that gap," Inverarity said. The selectors opted for six pacemen spearheaded by Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, with allrounder James Faulkner, Ryan Harris and Jackson Bird giving Australia plenty of options. But they are only taking one spinner in Nathan Lyon, with the highly rated Ashton Agar missing out, along with paceman Mitchell Johnson, who failed to make an impression against India. Inverarity said he felt the squad had a good balance, but admitted the series -- the first of a double-header against England this year -- would be tough against powerful opponents. "In saying that, this squad will be very competitive and fight hard every inch of the way," he said. "We have high expectations of this team, and if they play to their potential we feel we can mount a very strong challenge." Australia squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Chris Rogers, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53623 MUNICH, Germany, April 24, 2013 (AFP) - Barcelona´s assistant coach Jordi Roura has admitted his side need a miracle at the Camp Nou in the return leg after being hammered 4-0 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, first leg. Bayern are on the verge of their third Champions League final in four years after goals by German duo attacking midfielder Thomas Mueller, striker Mario Gomez and Dutch wing Arjen Robben floored Barca at Munich´s Allianz Arena on Tuesday.[break] It was the Spanish giants worst Champions League defeat since the 1997 group stage 4-0 loss to Dynamo Kiev. Barcelona´s Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi started, despite struggling with a hamstring injury since the start of the month, but the world player of the year was a shadow of his usual self. "They demonstrated they are stronger than us, they beat us in all departments, said Messi. "I couldn´t do much to alter the result, which was a shame. "It will be hard at the Camp Nou, but we have to go for it." Roura, though, accepted that his side faced a task which could prove even beyond them. "Miracles are always hard to make real, 4-0 is a huge deficit to make up," he said. "I don´t know if anyone has come back from a score like that in the history of the Champions League, but we´ll do what we can. "This is a big defeat which hurts us a lot." There were furious protests from the visitors when referee Robert Kispal failed to spot Mueller´s body-check on Jordi Alba as Robben scored Bayern´s third goal on 73 minutes, but defender Gerard Pique said Barca were well beaten. "They thrashed us," admitted the centre-back. "The referee didn´t have an influence. "It is almost impossible for us, but we have to show some face in the return-leg. "They were quicker, stronger and better." Bayern, who are bidding to become the first German team to win the treble of European, league and cup titles, were buoyant after finding themselves on the verge of the Wembley final on May 25. "That´s crazy, hard to believe," said Robben. "They´ve dominated Europe in the last few years and and then we go and win 4-0. "The key was we fought and defended together." But Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes warned the job is only half done. "Of course, we´re all very happy about the win, especially the size of the margin. We were first-class," he said. "But we know we still have 90 minutes ahead of us in Spain. "We want to enjoy tonight, but nothing more." An exceptional day for Bayern got off to an unusual start when it was announced they had signed young German star Mario Goetze from arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund for a reported 37 million euros. Then it was reported that in March club president Uli Hoeness, caught up in a tax evasion scandal, was arrested and released on bail after a police raid on his home, but he was at the Allianz Arena to witness an incredible night. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53605 KATHMANDU, April 23: Laxmi Bank Three Star Club will play a friendly football match against I-League side McDowell´s Mohun Bagan on May 1. Three Star is set to represent Nepal in the AFC President´s Cup as the national league champion. This is the second time that the Kolkata-based premier division team is visiting Nepal. Last year, Mohun Bagan had play a friendly against national champion Nepal Police Club in Kathmandu ahead of the President´s Cup. [break] On the occasion, Police had defeated Mohun Bagan 2-0. The visiting side currently lies 12th in the I-League contested by 14 teams. The ticket price for the match has been fixed at Rs 200 for open parapet and Rs 500 for closed parapet. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53594 KATHMANDU, April 23: Rabi Khadka carded two-under 70 on the second day of the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship on Tuesday at the Gokarna Golf Club and shared overall lead with overnight leader Sanjay Lama at three-under 141. Khadka, who had played one-under 71 on Monday, carded identical one-under 35 on both front and back nines on Tuesday. Lama, who had shot three-under 69 on Monday, carded even-par 72 on Tuesday.[break] Overnight joint-leader Deepak Acharya faltered on Tuesday and submitted a card of eight-over 80. He had carded three-under 69 on the first round. Ramesh Nagarkoti produced the best card of the second day with three-under 69 and remained on the third position with overall score of one-under 143. Purna Sharma, Pashupati Sharma, Ramesh Adhikari and Surya Sharma shared the fourth position with the overall scores of two-over 146. In amateur section, Bishnu Sharma took the lead with overall score of five-over 149. He carded even-par 72 on Tuesday. Dinesh Prajapati (four-over 76) and Tirtha Paudel (two-over 74) remained on the second position with nine-over 153. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53583 NEW DELHI, April 23: Record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar turns 40 on Wednesday with no plans to retire despite media speculation and recent form suggesting that age is finally catching up with the "Little Master". Test and one-day cricket´s greatest run-scorer approaches the game with undiminished enthusiasm and insists he has much to offer despite slipping from the dizzying heights he reached earlier in his 24-year career.[break] "People have been talking about my retirement since 2005, but that does not worry me at all," Tendulkar chided reporters at a promotional event in New Delhi last week. "Your job is to write, my job is to play. I will stick to my job and you stick to yours." Tendulkar, afforded almost religious status in India, burst onto the world cricket scene as a 16-year-old in 1989 and has played a record 198 Tests and 463 one-dayers, scoring an unprecedented 100 international hundreds. He was singled out by Don Bradman but the Australian legend´s Test average is one of the few marks that Tendulkar has not been able to threaten, with his 15,837 runs coming at 53.86. Bradman averaged 99.94. However, questions over his future mounted when he struggled for a year to score the ton he needed to take him to 100 centuries. He finally achieved the landmark against Bangladesh in Dhaka in March 2012. Tendulkar, who decided not to play Twenty20 internationals after just one match in 2006, announced his retirement from one-day cricket last December in a bid to prolong his glittering Test career. But his form in the five-day format has also dipped by his own stellar standards. He has scored just 1,145 runs in 21 Tests at an average of 31.80 since being part of India´s World Cup-winning team two years ago. And Tendulkar has not added to his tally of 51 Test centuries since making 146 against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2011. But despite his struggles with the bat, the veteran is refusing to follow fellow modern greats such as compatriot Rahul Dravid and Australia´s Ricky Ponting into retirement. Sunil Gavaskar, the first man to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Tests, suggested last year that Tendulkar´s reflexes were on the slide. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh also feels he is past his best. "He is not playing up to his standards," Waugh said last week. "But he himself has to decide (on retirement)." When India succumbed to a Test series defeat against England at home in December, former skipper Sourav Ganguly backed calls for Tendulkar to quit. "He is getting a long rope because of what he has achieved," Ganguly was quoted as saying by London´s Daily Telegraph newspaper. "As somebody watching it from outside, Tendulkar is not performing. "And I think if I were Tendulkar, I would go (retire)." But Kapil Dev, another ex-India skipper, says Tendulkar is fit and hungry for success even after so many years of gruelling cricket. "Sachin passes on both counts. He could go on for years if he wanted to," he told AFP. Six months ago, Tendulkar admitted in a television interview that retirement had crossed his mind, but said he would take it series by series before making a final call. "I am 39-plus and it is not abnormal for me to think of retirement," he said. "I will go by what my heart says. At this moment, my heart says I am OK." There has been speculation in the media over whether Tendulkar will play in India´s next Test outing -- a three-match away series against world number one side South Africa starting late in the year. There is even talk of organising two home Tests against an unknown opponent before the tour of South Africa to enable Tendulkar to bow out with 200 appearances in a farewell series. But few would be surprised if the player, described by former India coach Gary Kirsten as cricket´s "greatest role model", bats on at the top level. As many as 102 cricketers have played Test matches after hitting 40, the oldest being Englishman Wilfred Rhodes, who was 52 when he took on the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1930. Tendulkar, who last year accepted a government offer to take up a nominated seat in India´s upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, has never revealed what he wants to post-retirement. "It is going to be hard because I have not experienced anything close to what I might go through when I retire," Tendulkar said in a recent television interview. "I cannot relate this moment with any other moment in my life." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53582 KATHMANDU, April 23: The uncertainty surrounding Nepal´s participation in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Bermuda finally ended with the British High Commission in New Delhi granting transit visa to Nepali cricket players, except vice-captain Gyanendra Malla, on Tuesday afternoon. The Nepali team left Kathmandu on Tuesday evening as Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) made arrangement of collecting their passports at Delhi Airport. [break]CAN sent its executive committee member Basanta Raj Satyal (Arun) to New Delhi Tuesday morning for collecting the players´ travel documents from the UK authority. However, vice-captain Malla has been asked to furnish more documents and to go through an interview at the High Commission in Delhi on Wednesday. According to CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, Malla and team´s video analyst Raman Siwakoti flew to Delhi late afternoon Tuesday. "While Siwakoti will fly to the UK and then to Bermuda along with other members of the team, Malla will go to the British High Commission for interview," said Pyakuryal. "We are hopeful that everything will go well and Malla will also join the team later," he added. CAN has included Naresh Budhayair in the team as a possible replacement of Malla. Budhayair flew along with the team on Tuesday. "If Malla gets visa, Budhayair would be considered only as reserve player. Otherwise, he will replace Malla," said a CAN member. According the CAN member, British Embassy in Kathmandu had informed the High Commission about the seriousness and urgency of visas for the Nepali team on Tuesday morning upon the request of CAN. Nepali team is scheduled to play a practice match against Bermuda XI on April 25 before starting the Division 3 campaign on April 28 against the USA. Division 3 is the most important tournament for Nepal at present as the top two teams of Division 3 will not only earn promotion to Division 2 but also progress to the World Cup Qualifiers 2014. Related story: Britain delays visas to Nepali cricketers http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53577 MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, April 23: Robin van Persie hit a first-half hat-trick as Manchester United cantered to an unprecedented 20th English league title with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa on Monday. Manchester City´s 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur a day earlier had handed United a chance to regain the title and Alex Ferguson´s men needed no second invitation, swamping Villa to claim the championship with four games to spare.[break] Van Persie, United´s number 20, was the man who brought United their 20th top-flight crown, netting inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breath-taking volley before completing his hat-trick 12 minutes before half-time. "I am very happy, but it is weird. I had to wait so long for my first title. It is a great feeling," van Persie told Sky Sports. "This is our 20th title. It is deserved." With 13 Premier League titles, United manager Ferguson and veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, creator of two of van Persie´s goals, have now each won as many English league crowns as Arsenal. Eternal rivals Liverpool, meanwhile, now trail United by two championships on the all-time honours board. "I´m delighted for all the players, for myself, the staff and the supporters," said Ferguson. "You can go on and on about losing the title (last season), but at the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years is unbelievable. "The focus of the team was good, they focused on the challenge of City and came up trumps." Wayne Rooney, who was making his 400th appearance for United, said the achievement partially atoned for the pain of losing last year´s title to City on the season´s final day. "When you lose the title, it is hard to take," he said. "It wasn´t a nice feeling last time. We have all dug in deep and done fantastic to put ourselves in this position. "You can never take anything for granted in football and thankfully it is now done." Villa never threatened to poop the party and remain under threat from third-bottom Wigan Athletic, who could suck Paul Lambert´s side into the relegation zone if they win their game in hand. "I am proud that my lads kept on going and credit to them, especially against the best team in the country," said the Villa manager. The evening´s outcome was never in doubt from the moment, just one minute and 23 seconds into the game, when van Persie put United in front. Rafael da Silva´s delivery from the right appeared overhit, but Giggs rescued it by volleying a cushioned cross across goal for the Dutchman to tap in from barely a yard. A chant of ´Championey!´ rang out from Old Trafford´s Stretford End as United continued to press, Rafael hitting the post with a crisp strike from 20 yards. Villa threatened to spoil things when Christian Benteke side-footed over from Andreas Weimann´s pass, only for van Persie to double United´s lead with a strike to rival any goal scored in Europe this season. Rooney floated a 40-yard pass behind the Villa defence and van Persie met the ball first-time with a technically immaculate volley from outside the box that rocketed past goalkeeper Brad Guzan and into the net. "It was a great ball from Wayne, so the only thing I had to do was guide it right and hit it properly and it went in great, but more important was the result," said van Persie. Ferguson agreed, calling it "the goal of the century". "It was marvellous -- the technique with his head down, over the ball, and just perfect timing," said the Scot. "It was a magnificent strike." On a night rich with symmetry, van Persie´s third goal arrived in the 33rd minute. Shinji Kagawa freed Giggs, who unselfishly squared to van Persie, and the former Arsenal striker neatly side-stepped Guzan before lifting the ball into the roof of the net. With 24 goals, United´s £24 million ($37 million, 28 million euros) man now leads Luis Suarez by a goal in the top scorers´ chart, to further blacken the Liverpool striker´s mood after he was charged by the Football Association for biting Chelsea´s Branislav Ivanovic on Sunday. Van Persie further illustrated his value by heading off the line from Weimann early in the second half, while David de Gea saved smartly from Benteke and Karim El Ahmadi. Kagawa spurned a glorious chance to make it 4-0 when he blazed over the bar, but by then the match, like the title race, had long been decided. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53568 KATHMANDU, April 22: Nepali cricket team´s participation in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 has become uncertain as the British High Commission Office in New Delhi had not granted visas to Nepali players as of Monday evening. The Nepali cricket team is scheduled to board an Indian Airlines flight to New Delhi, India on Tuesday and travel to London on a British Airlines flight from there.[break] According to Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, skipper Paras Khadka´s Bermuda visa is still due, while the other teammates are awaiting transit visa for the UK. “We will wait until Tuesday morning. We are yet to get a clear status on the issue. Anyway, there´s hardly anything that we can do about this,” said Pyakuryal. "We will be forced to postpone our flight and change the fixture if we don´t get the visas by Tuesday morning," he added. Nepali team is scheduled to play a practice match against Bermuda XI on April 25 before starting the Division 3 campaign on April 28 against the USA. "We have been updating the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the status of visa process," said Pyakuryal. "We had started the visa process properly and on time," he claimed. Division 3 is the most important tournament for Nepal at present as the top two teams of Division 3 will not only earn promotion to Division 2 but also progress to the World Cup Qualifiers 2014. Nepal had reached Division 3 after winning the Division 4 tournament held in Malaysia in September 2012. Nepal had won all its matches in Division 4 and defeated the USA in the final. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53558 KATHMANDU, April 22: Veteran pro Deepak Acharya shared the lead with Sanjay Lama as the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship teed off at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Monday. Acharya and Lama carded three-under 69 on Monday as six golfers produced under-par cards on the first day of the 10th and final event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13.[break] Purna Sharma finished the first day in the third position with a score of two-under 70 while Pashupati Sharma, Rabi Khadka and Ramesh Adhikari shared the fourth position with the score of one-under 71. Surya Sharma, who submitted a card of even-par 72 on Monday, is in the seventh position while Raju Thapa lies eighth after scoring one-over 73. Ram Thapa carded two-over 74 to finish the day in the ninth position, while Tham Bahadur Rai and Mani Rai shared the 10th position with the score of three-over 75. The event will be played over 72 holes and the cut will be applied after the completion of 36 holes. The top 21 professionals and ties will it to the final 36 holes along with the amateurs who make the pro cut. Leader Acharya carded even-par 36 on the front nine and three-under 33 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the third, ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 17th holes while he suffered bogeys on the fifth, sixth and 14th holes. Likewise, joint leader Lama took a turn with two-under 34 and scored one-under 35 on the back nine. Lama shot birdies on the fifth, sixth, ninth, 13th, 16th and 18th holes while he suffered bogeys on the third, 14th and 17th holes. Purna Sharma carded even-par 36 on the front nine and two-under 34 on the back nine. Pashupati Sharma carded two-under 34 on the front nine and one-over 37 on the back nine while both Rabi Khadka and Ramesh Adhikari carded even-par 36 on the front nine and one-under 35 on the back nine. The event is important for both professional and amateur golfers as the top 30 pros and top 10 amateurs of the event will make it to the Surya Nepal Masters that is scheduled to take place at Gokarna from May 8 to 11. The winning pro of the event will bag Rs 88,000 while the runner-up will get Rs 55,000. The top 21 professionals and ties will also receive prize money. Among the amateurs, Bishnu Sharma and Dinesh Prajapati, the emerging talents of the Surya Nepal NGA Youth Development program, remained on top with first-day scores of five-over 77. Tashi Ghale is third at seven-over 79 while Tashi Tshering and Sunil KC are joint fourth at eight-over 80. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53560 KATHMANDU, April 22: Nepal Taekwondo Association on Monday announced a new national team comprising eight male and eight female players. The players were selected after a national tournament held in Lainchaur, Kathmandu and will get an opportunity to take part in the upcoming Asian Taekwondo Championship to be held in Indonesia and the World Taekwondo Championship to be held in Mexico. The players selected in the men´s section are Tarakumar Rayamajhi (54 kg), Ranjan Shrestha (58 kg), Rohit Tamang (63 kg), Sujan Joshi (68 kg), Saksham Karki (74 kg), Anoj Pujari (80 kg), Gopal Putuwar (87 kg) and Man Bahadur Waiba (above 87 kg). In the women´s section, Rejina Karki (46 kg), Yan Kumari Chaulagain (49 kg), Sita Tamang (52 kg), Pratima Chand (57 kg), Manita Shahi (62 kg), Meera Kafle (67 kg), Pratiksha Bhandari (72 kg) and Nisha Rawal (above 72 kg) made it to the national team.[break] Oxford beats Cosmos KATHMANDU: Oxford, Ace and Gurukul won their respective matches on Monday in the boys´ section of Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013 underway in the capital. Oxford edged past Cosmos 35-26 in the first match of the day while Ace thrashed Presidential 48-16 in the second match. Likewise, Gurukul defeated the host KCM 34-19. Meanwhile, the organizers postponed the match between KU and Prime in the boys´ section and another match between Gurukul and KU in the girls´ section due to rain. Gurung to participate in Asian triathlon KATHMANDU: Nepal Army´s Rajiv Kumar Gurung is all set to represent Nepal in the Asian Triathlon Championship to be held in Subic Bay, Philippines from April 25 to 29. Gurung will participate in the sprint event, where he will have to swim 750m, cover 20km in cycling and run 5km. Gurung was selected by Nepal Triathlon Association (NTA) as he had won the triathlon championship held in Pokhara last month. National Sports Council Vice-president Pitambar Timilsina bade farewell to Gurung amidst a function on Monday. Gurung will fly to the Philippines on Tuesday. NTA General Secretary Nilendra Raj Shrestha and official Dhaneshwar Prajapati will also visit the Philippines to attend the International Triathlon Union Technical Official Course. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53517 KATHMANDU, April 21: Ending years of speculation about his whereabouts, Namsingh Thapa, one of the first Olympians of Nepal, appeared in public for the first time in five decades on Sunday. Boxer Thapa, who competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was surrounded by media persons and cameras at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Kathmandu during a function organized on Sunday by the Nepal Boxing Association to honor him for his contributions. Thapa is one of six players who had represented the country in Nepal´s first ever Olympic participation in 1964.[break] Though Thapa, a former British Army soldier and a non-resident Nepali, comes home once or twice every year, only his family and relatives knew about it. Thapa had left the country for the first time at the age of eight in 1953 with his father, who was serving in the British Army. Thapa currently resides in Hong Kong. Thapa, now in his late sixties, looked no less spirited than a young boxer during his felicitation. "Punching, footwork and stamina are very important in boxing," said the 67-year-old. "When fighting in the ring the distance should not be more than six inches," Thapa told young boxers. Along with Thapa, three other boxers -- Bhim Bahadur Gurung, Ram Prasad Gurung and Om Prasad Pun --- and two marathon runners -- Ganga Bahadur Thapa and Bhupendra Silwal -- had participated in the Tokyo Olympics. All the four boxers were British Army soldiers based in Hong Kong, and thus remained away from the spotlight. Though all four of them knew each other well, they met athletes Thapa and Silwal for the first time in Tokyo. "We stayed at the same house in the Olympic village. We used to go for boxing training in the morning and they [Thapa and Silwal] used to do their training," said boxer Thapa recalling the Olympics. "We did not speak a lot with the athletes as all of us used to return tired in the evening. We left for Hong Kong after the Olympics and they returned to Nepal." Marathon runner Silwal and Thapa have already died. Boxer Pun has also died while the whereabouts about Bhim Bahadur Gurung are unknown. Another boxer Ram Prasad Gurung is in Chitwan. According to Thapa, he met Gurung on March 30 in Pokhara felt very happy. "We were together in the army and it was our first meeting after retirement. It was a great pleasure to meet him," said Thapa, who plans to return to Nepal and settle here after a couple of years. "Now I have become older. I will return to Nepal with my wife after a few years," said Thapa, who has four daughters and a son. Thapa is currently staying with his wife and third daughter in Hong Kong. Born is Syangja, Thapa went to Malaysia with his father when he was eight. He was recruited by Boys Company Brigade of Gurkhas in 1954 at the age of 14. Three years later he joined the British Army and was posted in Hong Kong. Thapa learned boxing at the regiment in Hong Kong and featured in various competitions from Hong Kong and internal tournaments of the British Army. Hong Kong was ineligible to compete in the Olympics as it was a British colony, so the British Army took the initiative for his participation from Nepal, said Thapa. "We knew nothing about the Olympics then and the army had taken the initiative for our participation." Recalling his bout, Thapa said, "I was 18 when I participated in the Olympics. I had competed in the 51 kg category and was drawn with a non-white American in the first bout. He was 33 and I learnt later that he was the bronze medalist of the previous edition. Unfortunately I lost the first bout. But Om Prasad Pun won his first bout." Thapa said he was very pleased to be honored 50 years after representing the country in the Olympics. After retiring from the British Army in 1986, Thapa came to Nepal and worked in the Rapti Area Welfare. But he returned to Hong Kong in 1992 again and started working for a security company. Thapa retired from the company in 2010. Thapa, who has a home at Traffic Chowk, Butwal, plans to return to Nepal and serve boxing if the Nepal Boxing Association so wishes. "I don´t know much about Nepali boxing. But I have heard about the young generation of boxers. I should share my experience with the young boxers and serve the nation." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53505 KATHMANDU: The second edition of Himalayan Outdoor Festival (HOF) will be held from May 3-5 at Hattiban, Lalitpur. Organizing a press conference in the capital on Sunday, Deepesh Ghale, one of the organizers of HOF, said the event will feature adventure sports, mountain biking, rock climbing and trail running. There will be three different competitions in mountain biking -- night uphill challenge, cycle ´O´ cross and super D powered by Epic/Chain. The night uphill challenge will begin soon after sunset with the bikers riding uphill. The event will be the first of its kind in Nepal. Cycle ´O´ cross is an event open to all. The trail running will include 5 km and 10 km races. Rock climbing will feature two competitions -- nature rock climbing and dyno bouldering competition. In dyno bouldering, the participants need to leap from one handhold/foothold to another all at the same time. Meanwhile, an adventure film festival will be held on the opening day of the event. According to the organizers, about 3,000 individuals from 14 different countries had participated in the last edition of the festival held at the same venue. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53506 KATHMANDU, April 21: Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship, the tenth and final event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13, is starting on Monday at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu. The three-day event will be played over 72 holes. Cut will be applied after completion of 36 holes. The top 21 pros and ties will advance into the final 36 holes along with the amateurs who make the pro cut. A total of 29 professional and 19 amateur golfers are competing in the championship.[break] The event carries a total cash prize of Rs 467,500. The winner and the runner-up will bag a purse of Rs 88,000 and Rs 55,000 respectively while the third-place finisher will receive Rs 40,000. The top 21 pros will also receive cash prizes. The event will be important for both amateurs and professionals as the top 30 professionals and top 10 amateurs on the basis of order of merit will make it to the Surya Nepal Masters scheduled to be held from May 8 to 11 at the Gokarna Forest Resort. Rabi Khadka, Deepak Thapa Magar, Sanjay Lama and Surya Sharma are the title favorites among the professionals. Meanwhile, Nepal No 1 Shivaram Shrestha is not competing as he will be playing in the PGTI event in New Delhi. Stars of Surya Nepal NGA Golf Development program -- Bikash Bogati, Dinesh Prajapati, Bishnu Sharma, Ashish Pariyar and Michael Rai -- along with Tashi Tshiring will be vying for the amateur title. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53466 KATHMANDU, April 20: McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) on Saturday unanimously elected a 15-member executive committee with Suresh Raj Shakya as its president. Shakya was the vice-president in the previous executive committee of the club. Shakya will replace Bijay Narayan Manandhar, who led the club for the last 17 years. Manandhar, also the vice-president of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), will be the honorary president of the club established 81 years ago.[break] Rajesh Shrestha and Kumar Bhandari were elected vice-presidents while Raju Shahi retained the post of secretary. Rabin Maharjan and Sanjiv Kaji Tuladhar were elected co-secretary and treasurer respectively. Similarly, Yog Ratna Tuladhar, Changes Lal Shrestha, Raghubar Man Singh Pradhan, Narendra Bahadur Shrestha, Amulya Manandhar and Naresh Baidya were elected members of the committee. According to secretary Raju Shahi, there is provision of nominating the chairman of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No. 30 as an ex-officio member of the committee. The committee will get full shape after the club president nominates two members from the club. RCT has won the domestic football league a record six times along with Manang Marshyangdi Club. However, RCT has time and again threatened to quit football citing financial problems. A special general assembly of the club held on March 31 had decided to play football for one more year and take necessary steps according to the situation, said Shahi. "The club is always suffering loss due to involvement in football. There was serious discussion in the club whether to play or quit football as the club was forced to face loss to remain in A division," said Shahi, "The special general assembly had decided to wait and see for a year and take necessary steps as per the situation. Now we will play football at least for one year." According to Shahi, the club has a debt of nearly five million rupees. "The club has to invest about seven million rupees annually but the income is much less. Thus we are facing a serious financial crunch," said Shahi. According to Shahi, the club earns about 3.7 million from its house rent and gets 1 million from sponsor McDowell´s, so the club is left with no other option but to take loan. Shahi also revealed that the club will retain almost all its players of the previous season. "We are also planning to hire some new players, including foreigners, for the new season," said Shahi, who also hinted at forming a separate committee for managing football. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53469 KATHMANDU, April 20: University Sports Association registered win in the Nationwide First Men´s Open Volleyball Tournament that kicked off in Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur on Saturday. University team defeated Armed Police Force Guheshwari Battalion 25-15, 25-18 in the curtain raiser of tournament. Naendra Mahato was declared the man-of-the-match. Meanwhile, the second match of the day scheduled between host Madhyapur Sports Group (Blue) and Bhaktapur Multiple Campus was called off due to rain. Altogether nine teams are competing in the nine-day event. The top four teams will receive Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively.[break] RNGC wins inter-club golf KATHMANDU: Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) won the Inter-club Friendship Tournament held at RNGC, Kathmandu on Saturday defeating Gokarna Golf Club. RNGC won 11 of 16 matches played under matchplay full handicap format while Gokarna achieved four victories. RNGC finished with 23 points while Gokarna earned nine points. RNGC skipper Tashi Ghale and Madan Rana was the best winning pair with seven and six wins respectively over Gokarna Club captain Joseph Nathan and Prabhat Singh. The team of Prajwalla SJB Rana and Victory SJB Rana secured the second position on countback. Tashi Tshering won the longest drive award, while Rajendra Shrestha took the closest-to-the-pin award. Both the clubs featured one women´s team each. The RNGC pair of Pavitra Yakthumba and Kalpana Limbu defeating Sonam Ongdi and Aditi Ghimire of Gokarna one-up. KCM, Prime triumph KATHMANDU: Host Kathmandu College of Management (KCM) and Prime College on Saturday won their respective matches in the girls´ category of Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013 being held in the capital. KCM defeated Kathmandu University (KU) 16-4 with seven points from Arisma Manandhar and six points from Shiwa Karmarcharya. Similarly, Prime eased past Saipal 32-16. Gyanu Gauchan scored the highest 10 points for the winning team while Preeti Tulachan contributed seven points. In the boys´ section, K&K edged past KU 36-22 as Saroj Ghimire netted 13 points and Ravindra Chand scored 10 points for the winning side. Meanwhile, two other fixtures of the day were called off due to rain. Western Region lifts title BAGLUNG: Western Region clinched the title of Women´s National Volleyball Tournament on Saturday. Western Region defeated Central Region 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 in straight sets in the final held in Baglung. Nepal Police Club finished third defeating Armed Police Force (APF) in the departmental derby. The top three teams bagged Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. Western Region´s captain Rishisara Thapa was declared the best lifter while Ramila Tandukar and Salina Shrestha of Central Region won the best spiker and defender awards. Police player Kopila Uprety was declared the best blocker. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53474 KATHMANDU, April 20: Top ranked Nepali player Jeetendra Pariyar claimed the men´s singles title of Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament on Saturday. Pariyar registered a straight sets win over Santosh Khatri in the final played at the Dasharath Stadium tennis court, Tripureshwar. Pariyar easily took the first set 6-0 and won the next 6-2 to register an easy victory. Winner Pariyar bagged a purse of Rs 20,000 and runner-up Khatri received Rs 10,000 along with trophies and certificates. [break]The losing semifinalists -- Chhewang Lama and Kamal Bhandari -- received Rs 4,000 each while the four losing quarterfinalists got Rs 2,500 each. Sri Ram Thapa took home the title of veterans´ singles above-35 years age category defeating Rajesh Chhetri in super tie-breaker. Thapa lost the first set 2-6 but won the second 6-4 to take the match to tie-breaker. He then defeated Chhetri 10-7 in the tie-breaker to lift the title. Thapa bagged Rs 10,000 while runner-up Chhetri received Rs 6,000. In the veterans´ doubles above-35 years category, Sri Ram Magar and Manoj Rana´s pair defeated Kama Bhandari and Mahesh Shrestha´s pair 6-4, 6-4 in the final. The winning pair received Rs 10,000 while the runner-up pair got Rs 6,000. Krishnaraj Ghale emerged champion in the veterans men´s singles above-45 years category. Ghale eased past Pratap Moktan 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. In the men´s doubles of the same age category, Ghale and Suwarna Dhakhwa´s pair secured first position defeating the pair of Dinesh Tuladhar and Chandra Shahi 6-4, 6-4. Darjeeling´s Deunav Lama won the title in veterans´ singles above-55 years category. Lama saw off Deepak Shrestha 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Citizens Bank President Pradeep Jang Pandey, CEO Rajan Singh Bhandari, Armed Police Force AIG Durja Kumar Rai, Singh Bahadur Basnet, among others, gave away the awards to the winners. The event was organized by Dasharath Stadium Tennis Complex Management Committee under the aegis of Nepal Lawn Tennis Association and was sponsored by Citizens Bank. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53461 POKHARA, April 20: Kaski District Football Association (KDFA) on Saturday honored footballer Bijay Gurung with the Kaski Player of the Year award for his contributions to Nepali football. Gurung, the winger of the national team who plays professional football from Three Star Club, received a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a felicitation letter. [break] Three players of Kaski -- Anil Gurung, Anil Ojha and Bijay Gurung -- were in contention for the award. But Bijay won the award as he received the highest number of votes from clubs affiliated to KDFA. According to KDFA President Khem Bahadur Gurung, 16 of the 25 local clubs of Kaski voted for Bijay. KDFA also honored journalist Narayan Karki during the same function for his contribution to football through journalism. Kari received Rs 15,000 and a letter of appreciation. Nepal Army´s Western Division Commander, Major General Yagya Bikram Rana, gave away the awards. Meanwhile, making public its income and expenditure during the Safal Pokhara Cup, KDFA informed that it had made a profit of Rs 978,851 from the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53416 KATHMANDU, April 19 : Jeetendra Pariyar and Santosh Khatri on Friday set up a title clash in the men´s singles category of the Second Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament being held at the Dasharath Stadium tennis court, Tripureshwar. Pariyar registered a comfortbale 6-0, 6-0 win over Chhewant Lama whiled Khatri edged past Kamal Bhandari 6-5, 6-3 in the semifinal.[break] In the veterans´ singles of above-35 years category, Sri Ram Magar and Rajesh Chhetri advanced into the final. Magar overcame Sanu Lama 6-1, 6-2 and Chhetri saw off Rohit Sunwar 6-2, 6-1 to book final berths. In the veterans´ doubles of the same age category, Manoj Rana and Sri Ram Magar´s pair defeated Raju Chhetri and Rajesh Chhetri´s pair 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinal to book a final date with Kamal Bhandari and Mahesh Shrestha. Bhandari and Shrestha´s pair defeated Chandra Shahi and Soviet Man Shrestha´s pair in three sets in the semifinal. In the veterans´ singles of above-45 years category, Krishna Raj Ghale and Pratap Moktan reached the final winning their respective matches. In the doubles event of the same age category, the pair of Suwarna Dhakhwa and Krishna Raj Ghale will face Chandra Shahi and Dinesh Tuladhar´s pair in the final. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53410 KATHMANDU, April 19: Both players representing Nepal crashed out from the Asain Judo Championship being held in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday. Saroj Maharjan lost to a Korean judoka in the second round of men´s U-60 kg category. In the first round Maharjan had defeated a Pakistani player. Similarly, Lila Adhikari was defeated by a Mongolian player in her very first match of women´s U-48 kg category, Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya said. Players from 28 different countries of Asia are participating in the championship.[break] 6 Nepali players share lead KATHMANDU: Six Nepali players shared the lead with three points each at the end of the third round in the Fifth JK Newatia Memorial International FIDE Rating Chess Tournament being held in Guwahati, Assam on Friday. FIDE Masters Wilamlal Shresstha and Sujendra Prasad Shrestha, Prachandaman Malakar, Madan Krishna Kayastha, Purushottam Chaulagain are the Nepali players to share the lead along with 19 other players. Similarly, FIDE Master Manish Hamal, Keshav Shrestha, Nabin Tandukar, Rajendra Bajracharya and Niraj Niraula have earned 2.5 points each. Altogether 343 players from Nepal, India and Bangladesh are competing in the six-day event. Nepal concludes India tour with yet another win KATHMANDU: Nepali national cricket team wrapped up its India tour with a fourth straight win on Friday. Nepal is in India to play friendly matches with local teams to prepare for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 to be held in Bermuda from April 28 to May 5. Nepal defeated Jaipur Cricket Academy by 41 runs on Friday with half-centuries from vice-captain Gyanendra Malla (58) and Sharad Vesawkar (59). Nepal elected to bat after winning the toss and made 201 losing nine wickets in the match reduced to 45 overs. Anil Mandal (4), Paras Khadka (6), Prithu Baskota (4) and Binod Bhandari (21) contributed to Nepal´s total while opener Subash Khakurel, Basanta Regmi and Sanjam Regmi were out without opening their accounts. Defending the total, Nepal´s Shakti Gauchan claimed four wickets while Sanjam Regmi and Amrit Bhattarai claimed two wickets each to bowl out Jaipur for 160 runs in 39 overs. Paras Khadka and Chandra Saud took one wicket each. The Nepali team will return home on Saturday. Gurukul beats host KCM KATHMANDU: Host Kathmandu College of Management (KCM) was defeated by Gurukul on Friday in the girls´ category of Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013 being held in the capital. Maya Syangdan netted 14 points for Gurukul as it defeated KCM 37-24. In the boys´ section, Ace, K&K and Whitehouse won their respective matches. Aditya scored 18 points in Ace´s thumping 44-2 win over Cosmos. K&K overcame British College 44-30, while WhiteHouse crushed NEC A 71-21. Minesh Shakya contributed the highest 14 points for the winning team. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53394 PARIS, April 19: Kiss goodbye to football as we know it. In getting machines to help men spot when goals are scored, football is making a mistake. This pact with the devil of goal-line technology will come at a cost to the sport´s soul.[break] Policed solely by humans, football can offer lessons on life for those prepared to listen. Referees who fail to spot when the ball has crossed the goal line, or who award a goal when it hasn´t, remind us that nobody will ever be perfect and that making mistakes is part of the human condition. So, too, is trying to make as few mistakes as possible. Many referees do that admirably week after week. It would be better for them, the game, and for our blood pressure if we were more accepting of the maybe 5 percent of big decisions that match officials get wrong, instead of insulting them or squandering millions on technological aids. In this June 27, 2010 file photo made from a combination of six photos, Germany´s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer looks at a ball that hit the bar to bounce over the line during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Germany and England at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (AP) Accepting the golden rule that the referee´s word is final, even when he or she is wrong, also teaches respect for authority — something our societies are hardly over-stocked with. An incorrectly awarded or disallowed goal can feel grossly unfair, just as life does sometimes, too. Those who win don´t always deserve to and those who lose sometimes should have won. Again, football can teach us to shrug a shoulder at that, to move on and trust that justice will be done next time. So, ultimately, this is about choices. Do we accept flaws, even cherish them, or kick, scream and demand they be excised like an unsightly mole? I used to be one of the screamers. I was there and angry when a linesman from Uruguay missed Frank Lampard´s perfectly good goal for England against Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. I repeatedly wrote that goal-line technology was needed, took swipes at FIFA boss Sepp Blatter for resisting it and likened technophobes to dinosaurs. Bring in infallible machines! Yet now that goal-line technology is actually upon us, I find that I´ve become a dinosaur, too. Having lobbied for the football equivalent of plain, white bread — games stripped of goal-line errors — I now find myself hungry for whole-wheat — matches with human dramas, flaws and moral lessons. In football, goal-line controversies and errors have always been part of the feast and, I realize now that they´re facing extinction, part of the charm. These things stick in our craw and so give us stuff to chew over long after the final whistle is blown. As Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand asked: What will be left for us to debate in the pub? "Will we miss it?" he tweeted. I, for one, now think I will. The cameras of Hawk-Eye and GoalControl — the first chosen by the English Premier League, the second by FIFA for the 2014 World Cup — could have told us whether Soviet linesman Tofik Bakhramov correctly called Geoff Hurst´s goal in the 101st minute for England against Germany in the 1966 World Cup final. How sad. Because that would have deprived football of a call so infamously controversial that it has endured as a story through the decades since. Which also shows that such incidents are remembered not because they happen every week but because they don´t. Even fewer of the goals wrongly given or not are actually decisive. After referee Martin Atkinson wrongly awarded Chelsea a goal in the 2012 FA Cup, Harry Redknapp griped: "We´ve seen so many matches over the years decided by wrong decisions that it´s farcical." But his statement doesn´t hold up to scrutiny. His Tottenham team lost that semifinal 5-1. If allowed, Lampard´s goal would not have prevented England´s loss to a superior Germany in 2010. Hurst scored another goal in the last minute in 1966 to make the final score 4-2. So only very rarely will goal-line technology prevent sporting injustice. The Premier League calculates that the technology, if installed this season, could have proved useful in around 20 of some 320 matches played thus far. In many of those, the ball was either clearly over the line or clearly not, few were difficult calls, and officials mostly got them right. Perhaps the most glaring error was referee Mike Jones not awarding a goal when Victor Anichebe´s header for Everton crossed Newcastle´s goal-line in September. GoalControl costs200,000-250,000 euros per stadium ($260,000-330,000) to install. There are also small running costs of 3,000-4,000 euros ($3,900-$5,200) per match. Hawk-Eye and the Premier League won´t say how much their system will cost for the English clubs who´ll need the cameras perhaps just once per season. But with the money going on goal-line technology in England and at 12 World Cup stadiums in Brazil , you could have rebuilt the bombed-out football stadium in Gaza, laid the first turf football pitch in Bangladesh and paid for the first artificial grass pitch in Greenland and still have come out with perhaps a couple of million dollars in change. And the goal-line is just a first frontier for machines. With cameras watching the goal area, technophiles will more readily be able to argue that they should also be used to expose off-sides and fouls that referees miss. GoalControl managing director Dirk Broichhausen said they are already developing software to automatically spot handball. "Not tomorrow, but in the future years it will be possible," he said. Sounds scary, suspiciously like the start of technological creep into football if the game´s guardians aren´t vigilant. Although football is also big business, it is first and foremost a game. Keep it simple and human, warts and all. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53366 LAHORE, Pakistan, April 18: Pakistan will allow disgraced former captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif back into domestic cricket once they serve their bans for spot-fixing, the country´s cricket chief said Thursday. Butt, Asif and team-mate Mohammad Aamer were banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being found guilty of spot-fixing at the 2010 Lords Test against England.[break] On Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sports rejected appeals from Butt and Asif. Aamer, who had pleaded guilty, did not appeal. Butt was banned for 10 years, five suspended, and Asif for seven years with two suspended. Aamer´s five-year ban was the minimum the ICC could impose. All three were jailed by a British court in 2011 but were released last year. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said Butt and Asif will have to serve their spot-fixing bans. "They will have to serve it. Then we will include them in first-class domestic cricket and see how they perform," said Ashraf. Butt on Wednesday vowed to revive his career. "I have completed half of my punishment, so in 2015 I will be eligible to play and I am motivated and fit to revive my career," Butt told a news conference. Ashraf said no player should ever fix. "If he does, he will destroy his future and bring a bad name, not only to himself but to his country," said Ashraf. Former captain Rashid Latif said Butt and Asif had a right to play after their bans "provided they are fit and have the will to play". "I would have been disappointed if they were let off," Latif told AFP. West Indies´ Marlon Samuels is the only player to return to international cricket after being banned for having links to a bookmaker. He was out of the game for two years, returning in 2010. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53352 KATHMANDU, April 18: As part of its preparations for the AFC President´s Cup Group A qualifiers, Laxmi Bank Three Star Club has extended its contract with the Sierra Leonean forward Adewumi Femi, thus its filling quota of two foreign players. Earlier, Three Star had signed up Friends Club Ivorian forward Leonce Dodoz. As per the President´s Cup tournament guidelines set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a club could register only two non citizens or foreigner players for the tournament. [break]"Femi and Dodoz will fulfill the quota of foreigner player in the President´s Cup," said Sanjiv Silpakar, the general secretary of Three Star Club who declined to disclose the salary of players. Along with Femi, Three Star has registered five more players at ANFA for the new season by Thursday bringing the number of registered players to 20. The five players -- goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong, midfielders Yogesh Gurung and Bishnu Gurung, and defenders Rabi Thapa and Bijay Dhimal -- had played for Three Star on its way to the league title last month. Three Star had already registered 14 players by Tuesday including Jagjeet Shrestha, Prakash Budathoki, Nirajan Khadka and Dodoz, who were with Friends Club in the last edition of the league, Sabindra Shrestha from MMC and Saroj Dahal from Madhyapur Youth Association. Similarly, Santosh Sahukhala, Biraj Maharjan, Adatiya Chaudhary, Anil Gurung, Bikram Lama, Sandip Rai, Alan Neupane and Sanjiv Shrestha are other players who have already extended their contract with Three Star. "We have already started the registration process for President´s Cup via ANFA and have included Dodoz and Femi among other players," said Silpakar. Disclosing the reason for choosing Adewumi Femi who netted seven goals for Three Star in the league, Silpakar said, "We have already signed Nepali players for all other positions. We have only two proper forwards -- Santosh Sahukhala and Dodoz -- and in case of any problem with them during the President´s Cup we don´t have sound replacement. So we have picked him as an alternative. Besides, we also wished to fulfill foreign player´s quota." The President´s Cup is participated by the league champions of third tier football nations affiliated to AFC. Three Star has started the preparations for group A qualifiers of the AFC President´s Cup from Wednesday. Top two teams out of four team group will qualify for the final rounds of the tournament. The group matches will be held from May 7 to 11 at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53331 DHANKUTA, April 17: Birtamod Youth Club of Jhapa defended the title of Martyr Bhim Narayan Invitational Football Tournament on Wednesday defeating A division outfit Boys Union Club 5-3 in tie-breaker in the final held in Dhankuta. Prakash Budhathoki missed his penalty for Boys Union as he fired above the bar, while Akeen O Babatunde, Segun and Yuvaraj Rai converted their penalties. On the other hand, all five players -- Karna Limbu, Dilen Loktan, Diwas Giri, Nani Limbu and custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar -- converted their spotkicks for Birtamod.[break] Earlier, the regulation time had ended in a 1-1 draw and the winner was decided directly through penalty shootout rather than playing extra time citing unfavorable weather conditions. Earlier, Boys Union had taken a ninth minute lead through Ibrahim Rahman. But Deependra Tamang, a replacement for Ajad Pradhan, headed home the equalizer for Birtamod in the 75th minute to reignite the defending champion´s hopes. Tamang was set up by Nani Limbu. Champion Birtamod bagged a purse of Rs 100,000 along with the trophy while runner-up Boys Union received Rs 50,000. Boys Union´s African player Azeez Oluwasin was declared the man-of-the-final while Karna Limbu of the winning team took home the best player award. Limbu received a cash prize of Rs 4,000 and a mobile set. Birtamod´s manager Bhupendra Lingden opined that his side was able to win due to team spirit and good team setup. "Luck also favored us in the tie-breaker," said Lingden. Boys Union coach Sagar Ghimire vented ire on the referee after the defeat accusing the latter of treating his side unfairly. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53321 BIRGUNJ, April 17: Nepal Police Club secured first position with a total of seven gold medals as its weightlifters added two more golds in the Shalimar First Women´s and Men´s Open National Weightlifting Championship that concluded in Birgunj on Wednesday. Nepal Army Club claimed four gold medals to finish second as Raju Rana, Dinesh Shrestha and Bhairav Singh Thapa won one gold each on Wednesday. [break] Police weightlifter Rajya Laxmi Thapa and Laxmi Ban secured gold medals in the women´s 69 kg and 75 kg category respectively. Thapa lifted 50 kg in snatch and 65 kg in clean and jerk to take gold with a total of 115 kg. Pushpa Chaudhary of Siraha lifted 40 kg in snatch and 50 kg in clean and jerk to bag silver while Kalpana Chaudhary lifted 30 kg in snatch and 40 kg in clean and jerk to take bronze. In the 75 kg category, Laxmi Ban raised 52 kg in snatch and 68 kg in clean and jerk to clinch gold with a total of 120 kg. Champa Thakulla of Kanchanpur lifted 40 kg in snatch and 57 kg in clean and jerk to finish second in the event. Only two lifters had competed in the event. The women´s 48 kg gold went to Kabita Chaudhary of Saptari who lifted 45 kg in snatch and 50 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 95 kg. Kanchan Chaudhary of Kailali took silver lifting 37 kg and 45 kg in snatch and clean and jerk, while Tika Maya Gurung of Kaski raised 35 and 46 kg in snatch and clean and jerk respectively for bronze. In the men´s 62 kg category, Hem Shankar Chaudhary of Siraha lifted 75 kg in snatch and 100 kg in clean and jerk to take gold with total of 175 kg. Hari Rana of Army finished ahead of his teammate Tula Ram Mahato to bag silver in the event. Rana lifted 78 kg in snatch and 95 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 173 kg. Army´s male weightlifters claimed three gold medals on Wednesday. Army´s Raju Rana won gold in the men´s 69 kg category lifting a total of 230 kg. He lifted 100 kg in snatch and 130 in clean and jerk. Police´s Anil Malla came second lifting 100 kg in snatch and 110 in clean and jerk for a total of 210 kg. Digambar Yadav of Saptari secured bronze lifting 90 kg in snatch and 107 kg in clean and jerk. In the 85 kg category, Dinesh Shrestha of Army claimed gold lifting a total of 238 kg -- 108 kg in snatch and 130 kg in clean and jerk. Narayan Shrestha of Chitwan and Tahal Bahadur Basyal of Army won silver and bronze medals respectively. Similarly, Army weightlifter Bhairav Singh took gold in the 94 kg category raising 95 kg in snatch and 130 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 225 kg. Ganga Singh Oli of the same team secured silver while Gagan Chand of Police took bronze. Meanwhile, Prashant Shah of Nepalgunj was honored for his contribution to the development of weightlifting. Similarly, former weightlifter Nita Thapa of Birgunj was awarded a cash prize of Rs 15,000. Shah had set the national record in women´s 48 kg category in 2056 BS which stands to this day. A total of 97 weightlifters -- 29 female and 68 male -- from departmental teams Nepal Police and Nepal Army and 17 players from various districts had competed in the two-day event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53325 KATHMANDU, April 17: Nepal Army weightlifter Kamal Bahadur Adhikari was declared the strongest and best weightlifter in the men´s section of Shalimar First Women´s and Men´s Open National Weightlifting Championship on Wednesday. The South Asian Games gold medalist had set three national records on Tuesday in the 77 kg weight category. Adhikari lifted 122 kg in snatch to better his previous record by 1 kg. [break] Similarly, he lifted 162 kg in clean and jerk to surpass his previous record of 161 kg. He also bettered the previous record by 2 kg in total to set a new record of 282 kg. National record holders Tara Pun and Uttam Khatri were declared the strongest woman and best weightlifter respectively in the women´s section. Both of them belong to Nepal Police Club. Pun had set four national records on Tuesday with two records in clean and jerk, one each in snatch and in total to better her own previous records. Pun, 29, who competed in the heavyweight category (+75 kg), lifted 67 kg in snatch bettering her earlier record by 1 kg. She set two records in jerk, first lifting 91 kg and later 95 kg. Earlier, she held the record of 90 kg in jerk. She also set a new record in total lifting 162 kg. In the women´s 58 kg category, Uttam Khatri had set national record in clean and jerk lifting 78 kg. Khatri broke Jhanta Katuwal´s record of 77 kg set in 2066 in Birgunj. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53324 KATHMANDU, April 17: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has selected 20 players for the second phase of training for the ACC U-19 Elite Cup to be held in Malaysia from May 1-12. The players were selected from among 35 players. According to a press statement issued by CAN on Wednesday, the selected players are Amit Dahal, Avinash Karn, Ram Naresh Giri, Amit Shrestha, Irshad Ahmed, Suraj Kumar Kurmi, Sharad Khadka, Pawan Shrestha, Bibhatsu Thapa, Nirmal Thapa, Sushant Bhari, Imauddin Halwai, Prem Tamang, Bhuwan Karki, Yagyaman Kumal, Arjun Chapagain, Rahul Pratap Singh, Abhishek Jha, Hari Shankar Shah and Nischal Pandey. [break] The second phase closed-camp training began on Wednesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53314 KATHMANDU, April 17: Victory Shumsher Rana on Wednesday secured first position in the men´s singles of veterans´ above-65 years age category in the Second Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament being held in the capital. Rana defeated Singh Bahadur Basnet 9-7 in the final. In the singles event of veterans´ above-35 years category, Sanu Lama, Karimul Muslim, Gauri Shankar Shrestha, Shree Ram Magar, Sunit Giri and Sukuman Tamang won their respective matches to book quarterfinal tickets. [break] Similarly, Raju Shrestha, Krishna Raj Ghale, Deunav Lama, Harbinder Singh, Suwarna Dhakhwa, Soviet Man Shrestha and Pratap Moktan secured quarterfinal berths winning their respective matches while Gopa Das enjoyed a walkover. In the above-55 years veterans´ doubles, Indrajit Rai and Ratna Bahadur Gurung´s pair advanced into the semifinals. Ashok Shakya and Mahadev Gurung´s pair, and Ashok Gurung and Dhruba Gurung´s pair received walkovers to reach the last four. KCM basketball from Thursday KATHMANDU: The 8th Minsk KCM Basketball Bash 2013 is starting on Thursday at Kathmandu College of Management (KCM), Gwarko. The event will feature 16 teams in boys´ and eight teams in girls´ sections, the organizers said during a press conference held in the capital on Wednesday. The boys´ teams have been divided into four groups and the girls´ teams into two groups for the event to be held in league-cum-knockout format. The winner and runner-up of each group will advance into the knockout rounds. Similarly, 16 corporate teams will compete in a 3x3 knockout basketball tournament during the event. The national wheelchair basketball team will play an exhibition match on the opening day. Prime College and Premier College are the defending champions in the boys´ and girls´ categories respectively. The event, which will run through May 3, is being organized by KCM´s Bachelor´s in Business Information System (BBIS) batch in coordination with the KCM Student Council and Sports Club of KCM. Minsk Drinking Water and e-sewa are the sponsors of the event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53275 KATHMANDU, April 16: Nepali national cricket team won its second practice match in Jaipur, India defeating Nirja Modi-XI by 69 runs on Tuesday. Nepal had defeated Star Academy of Jaipur by three wickets on Monday. Nepali team is in India to prepare for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 to be held in Bermuda from April 28 to May 5. Batting first Nepal garnered 269/7 in the 50-over match and restricted Nirja to 190/8. [break] Amrit Bhattarai claimed the highest three wickets for Nepal, while Sanjam Regmi took two and Basanta Regmi and Rahul BK shared a wicket each. Binod Bhandari (67), Paras Khadka (51) and Gyanendra Malla (50) were the major contributors for Nepal. Similarly, Sarad Vesawkar (46), Prithu Baskota (11), Pradip Airee (22 not out) and Basanta Regmi (11 not out) also added to Nepal´s total. Meanwhile, Nepali team will attend the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians to be played on Wednesday. Rajasthan has arranged for the Nepali team to watch the match. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53273 KATHMANDU, April 16: National champion Laxmi Bank Three Star Club on Tuesday registered 14 players, including two Nepali internationals and six new faces, at the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for the new season of Nepali football that began on Sunday. Nirajan Khakda and Jagjeet Shretha are the national players to be enrolled in Three Star, which is set to compete in the AFC President´s Cup Qualifiers at home from May 7 to 11. [break]Sabindra Shrestha, Saroj Dahal, Prakash Budhathoki and African forward Leonce Dodoz are the other new signings of Three Star. Khadka, Jagjeet, Budhathoki and Dodoz had played for NIBL Friends Club last season while Sabindra was in Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) and Dahal in Madhyapur Youth Association. Winger Jagjeet was declared the best midfielder of the league, while Khadka had been out of action since picking injury during the Challenge Cup. Budhathoki and Dodoz had played a key role in guiding Friends to fourth position in the league. Sabindra, the left-back of MMC that finished second in the league, has been in and out of the national squad. Dahal was a reliable central defender in Madhyapur that got relegated from the top-tier domestic football. The other players to be registered by Tuesday -- Santosh Sahukhala, Biraj Maharjan, Aditya Chaudhary, Anil Gurung, Bikram Lama, Sandip Rai, Alan Neupane and Sanjiv Shrestha -- were all in Three Star in the previous season. According to Three Star President Lalit Krishna Shrestha, the club is in the process to register its players from last year´s squad. Shrestha, however, declined to disclose the fees of players. Three Star had reached the semifinals of AFC President´s Cup in its first appearance in 2005. "We had made it to the semifinals in our first appearance. And we are targeting to cross the group stage in the beginning," said Shrestha. "We have enrolled talented players keeping in view the President´s Cup and we will begin preparations for the tournament from Wednesday." The top two teams from the group comprising former champion Taiwan Power Company of Chinese Taipei, Abahani Limited of Bangladesh, Erchim FC of Mongolia and Three Star will make it to the final rounds. Though Three Star has registered only 14 players in ANFA, it has already registered 21 players at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the President´s Cup. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53266 KATHMANDU, April 16: Nepal Police Club´s female weightlifter Tara Devi Pun set four national records at the Shalimar First Women´s and Men´s Open National Weightlifting Championship in Birgunj as records tumbled on the first day of the championship on Tuesday. Nepal Army weightlifter Kamal Bahadur Adhikari set three national records, while Devi Chaudhary and Uttam Khatri of Police and Gopal Bahadur Shrestha of Star Casino also wrote their names into the record books. [break] Pun set two national records in clean and jerk, and one each in snatch and in total to better her own previous records. Pun, 29, who competed in the heavyweight category (+75 kg), lifted 67 kg in snatch bettering her record by 1 kg. She set two records in jerk, first lifting 91 kg and later 95 kg. Earlier, she held the record of 90 kg in jerk. She also set a new record in total weight lifting 162 kg. Earlier, Pun held the national record of 156 kg. Pun, the strongest woman of 2068 BS, had earlier set the national record during the Second Grand Prix held some six months ago in Kathmandu. "A player dreams of becoming the best in his or her discipline and I am very happy with my achievement," said the winner of the last edition of Pulsar Woman Player of the Year. "My coach and I were confident that I will break the record." The Nepal Police Club athlete said, "I want to do better than this in future. My target is to win medal in the South Asian Games (SAG) but the uncertainty over the next edition of SAG worries players like me." In the men´s 77 kg category, South Asian Games medalist Kamal Bahadur Adhikari set three national records bettering his own previous records. Adhikari lifted 122 kg in snatch to better his previous record by 1 kg, and lifted 162 kg in clean and jerk surpassing his previous record of 161 kg. He also set a new record in total with 282 kg. Adhikari had earlier set a national record of 280 kg in the Grand Prix. Adhikari´s teammate Surendra Shrestha lifted 90 kg in snatch and 144 kg in clean and jerk to secure second position in the category. Likki Thapa of Nepal Police finished third lifting 87 kg in snatch and 133 in clean and jerk. In the men´s above-105 kg category, Gopal Bahadur Shrestha of Star Casino set a national record in clean and jerk lifting 156 kg bettering his own record set during the 2011 SAG by 1 kg. Shrestha lifted 115 kg in snatch and 217 kg in total to claim the gold medal. Pukar Gurung of Chitwan finished second lifting 90 kg in snatch and 117 in clean and jerk. Ramesh Mahato of Parsa finished third. In 105 kg, Bipendra Maharjan of Police lifted 96 kg in snatch and 123 in clean and jerk with a total of 219 kg for gold. Ram Dayal Mahato of Saptari lifted 98 and 120 kg in snatch and clean and jerk respectively to secure second position while Buddhi Bahadur Lama of Army finished third. In the women´s event, Manita Chaudhary of Siraha lifted 40 kg in snatch and 65 kg in clean and jerk. Only two weightlifters had competed in the event. In the women´s 53 kg category, Devi Chaudhary of Police set two national records in snatch. Chaudhary first lifted 58 kg to break the previous record of 57 kg set by Jhanta Katuwal in 2066 BS. Chaudhary later lifted 59 kg to better her own record. In clean and jerk, Chaudhary lifted 72 kg to take the gold medal. In the same weight category, Manisha Chaudhary of Morang lifted 41 kg in snatch while Punam Pariyar of Kaski lifted 40 kg. In clean and jerk, Pariyar lifted 55 kg and Chaudhay 45 kg. In the women´s 58 kg category, Uttam Khatri of Police set a national record in clean and jerk lifting 78 kg. Khatri broke Jhanta Katuwal´s record of 77 kg set in 2066 BS in Birgunj. In snatch, Khatri lifted 60 kg. In the same event, Raj Kumari Chaudhay of Chitwan lifted 50 kg in snatch and 60 kg in clean and jerk. Laxmi Chaudhary of Kailali lifted 30 kg in snatch and 37 kg in clean and jerk. In the men´s 56 kg category, Laxman Ranjit of Nepal Police won gold lifting 75 kg in snatch and 65 kg in clean and jerk. Ranjit´s teammate Hui Lama lifted 72 kg in snatch and 95 kg in clean and jerk to finish second while Narad Chaudhary lifted 63 kg and 80 kg respectively to take the third position. Earlier, inaugurating the event, Yuvaraj Lama, the member secretary of National Sports Council, announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for each national record. On the occasion, the organizers felicitated various individuals and organizations who have contributed to the development of the game in Nepal. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53253 KATHMANDU, April 16: A 24-member Nepali chess team left for Guwahati, Assam on Tuesday to compete in the Fifth Jugal Kishor Memorial International Chess Tournament scheduled to begin from Thursday. Nepal Chess Association Vice-president Sujendra Prasad Shrestha is the leader of the Nepali team. Around 400 players from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will participate in the eight-day tournament. Nepali players competing in the event include national champion Manish Hamal and former national champions Nabin Tandukar, Wilamlal Shrestha and Keshav Shrestha. Nepal´s first international arbiter Gyanendra Khaiju is also accompanying the team and will act as an arbiter in the tournament. The event carries a total cash prize of Rs 750,000, of which the winner will get Rs 160,000. Nepal Chess Association President Rajesh Hari Joshi bade farewell to the team amidst a function on Tuesday. [break] Shrestha, Pandey win U-14 chess KATHMANDU: Process Shrestha of Rajan Memorial School, Kathmandu on Tuesday claimed the title of Fourth OCCED U-14 Chess Tournament. Though Shrestha and Mahesh Khadka of Everest School, Kailali were level on six points, Shrestha emerged winner on the basis of head-to-head record. Milan Lama of Annapurna Higher Secondary School, Sushant Gautam of Greenland, Jenish Thapa of Annapurna and Sanjay Shrestha of Greenland finished third to sixth respectively with 5.5 points each. Akriti Pandey, Urja Adhikari and Janaki Singh claimed the top three positions in the girl´s category. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53258 KATHMANDU, April 16: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the six squads that will compete in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 to be held in Bermuda from April 28 to May 5. Along with Nepal and host Bermuda, the event will feature the USA, Uganda, Oman and Italy. Nepal, the champion of Division 4, will open its campaign against the USA on April 28. [break] Nepal had defeated the USA in the final of Division 4. Nepal will then face Uganda on April 29, Bermuda on May 1, Oman on May 2 and Italy on May 4. The top two teams will progress to Division 2 and also qualify for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Nepal has already announced a 14-member team under the captaincy of Paras Khadka for the Division 3 tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53257 JANAKPUR, April 16: Central Region won the title of Ncell Cup U-15 Football Tournament defeating Eastern Region in penalties in Janakpur on Tuesday. Central Region defeated Eastern Region 4-1 in penalties in the final after the regulation time ended in a 2-2 draw and the additional time failed to produce a goal. [break] The winner bagged a purse of Rs 100,000 and the runner-up Rs 50,000 along with trophies, medals and certificates. In the entertaining match, Central Region came from two goals down to level the scores during the later stages of the match. Earlier, Eastern Region had taken a seventh minute lead through Shailendra Chaudhary and doubled the tally in the 37th through Samir Tamang. But Basu Basnet of Central Region cut the goal deficit in the 48th minute and Ganga Ale hit the equalizer in the 69th minute. Neither side was able to score in the additional 15 minutes and the match was decided through penalty shootout. Deepesh Yonjan, Gaurav Shrestha, Prashant Kunwar and Basu Basnet converted all four spotkicks for Central Region while only Sunil Tamang scored for Eastern Region. Ravi Thapa and Deepak Magar missed their penalties for Eastern Region. Central Region also dominated the best player awards taking home three of the four awards. Central Region´s Bivek Rai, Deepesh Yonjan and Chhiring Gurung were declared the best goalkeeper, forward and defender respectively. Rabin Gurung of Eastern Region was declared the best midfielder while Prakash Aryal of Central Region won the best coach award. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53194 KATHMANDU, April 15: Jeetendra Pariyar and Chhewang Lama on Monday advanced into the men´s singles semifinals of the Second Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament being held in the capital. Pariyar registered an easy 6-0, 6-1 win over Sriyans Karki while Lama saw off Aatmaram Karki 6-4, 6-1. Karki and Lama will face each other in the semifinal. [break] Santosh Khatri and Kamal Bhandari also reached the last four winning their respective men´s singles quarterfinal matches on Monday. Khatri overcame Dawa Sherpa 6-3, 6-1, while Bhandari progressed after his opponent Raju Shrestha quit the match after the first. Bhandari had won the first set 6-4. In the veterans´ above 55-years age group, Shyam Bahadur Thapa Magar saw off Father Mathew 6-0, 6-2, Deepak Shrestha beat Birendra Shrestha 6-0, 6-1 and Gyanendraman Tamrakar defeated Ratna Bahadur Gurung 6-2, 6-3 to book quarterfinal berths. Meanwhile, Bishnu Prasad Gaire, Kajiman Gurung, Sushilraj Pandey and Gopal Das Manandhar secured pre-quarterfinal spots in the veterans´ above-45 years age category. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53151 KATHMANDU, April 14: A four-member Nepali judo team is leaving for Thailand on Monday to compete in the Senior Asian Judo Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Thailand from April 19 to 21. Lila Adhikari of Tribhuvan Army Club will compete in the women´s U-48 kg weight category while Saroj Maharjan will represent Nepal in the men´s U-60 kg weight category. According to judo chief coach Birendra Ranjit, Olympian Ganga Bahadur Dangol is the coach of the Nepali team and Rajan Karmacharya is the team manager. National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama bade farewell to the Nepali team amidst a function held in the capital on Sunday.[break] The judokas were selected for their outstanding performance in the last two national tournaments -- Lokendra Memorial National Judo Championship and Ambika Memorial National Open Judo Championship -- held a few months ago. Meanwhile, Karmacharya will also participate in the executive committee meeting of Judo Union of Asia on April 17 as Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya will not be able to attend the meeting because of personal reasons. Bajracharya is also a vice-president of Judo Union of Asia. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53154 KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): Aatmaram Karki of APF and Sriyans Karki advanced into the men´s singles quarterfinals of the Second Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament being held in the capital on Sunday. Aatmaram edged past Pranaya Karki 6-4, 7-5 while Sriyans achieved a comfortable 6-0, 6-0 win over Ishup Bikram Singh. The two will now face each other for a semifinal berth. In other matches of the same category, Chhewang Lama, Kamal Bhandari, Santosh Khatri, Raju Shrestha, Dawa Sherpa and Jeetendra Pariyar won their respective matches to enter the quarterfinals. In the veterans´ above 65 kg category, Dr Singh Bahadur Basnet and Victory Shumsher Rana will vie for the title. Basnet crushed Indrajeet Rai 8-0 while Rana received a walkover from Mohan Bahadur Shahi. Central Region finishes on top KATHMANDU (REPUBLICA): Central Region secured first position in the Fourth National Goju-ryu Oshukai Karate Championship that concluded at the Table Tennis Hall, Lainchaur on Saturday. Central Region won 22 gold medals during the championship. Eastern Region finished second with three gold, three silver and six bronze medals. Western Region finished third with one gold, two silver and eight bronze medals. Tanka Bir Tamang and Saru Lama were declared the best players in the men´s and women´s sections respectively. Tamang and Lama will compete in the Third Asian Cup Karate Championship to be held in New Delhi, India from May 3-5. Eastern, Central reach final JANAKPUR (REPUBLICA): Eastern Region on Sunday set up a final showdown with Central Region in the Ncell Youth (U-15) Football Tournament underway in Janakpur, Dhanusha. Eastern Region defeated Far-western Region 4-2 in tie-breaker following a 1-1 draw in the regulation time. Sulav Chaudhary had scored for Eastern Region in the regulation time while Sushil Pandey had scored for Far-western Region. Similarly, Central Region edged past Armed Police Force 2-0 in another semifinal. Dipesh Yonjan netted both the goals for Central Region. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53135 LONDON, April 14: Arsenal scored three times in the last five minutes to beat Norwich City 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium and leap to third place in the Premier League table. Michael Turner’s header looked to have consigned Arsene Wenger’s men to defeat, but Mikel Arteta equalised with an 85th-minute penalty before a Sebastien Bassong own goal and an injury-time strike from Lukas Podolski completed the comeback.[break] Victory takes Arsenal above Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, neither of whom play in the league this weekend, and keeps them firmly on course to qualify for the Champions League. The hosts had the best of the first half but the closest they came to scoring was an Olivier Giroud header in the 23rd minute that came back off the crossbar. Turner put Norwich ahead in the 56th minute, ghosting in to meet Robert Snodgrass’ inswinging free-kick with a close-range header. Arsenal, who recalled Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott after injury, saw Norwich goal-keeper Mark Bunn turn a Podolski shot onto the crossbar as they pushed for an equaliser. It looked destined to be a frustrating afternoon for the home side, but Kei Kamara’s tug on Giroud allowed Arteta to equalise from the spot before Bassong turned the ball into his own goal from Podolski’s cut-back. Podolski sealed victory in added time, beating Bunn with a low shot from Walcott’s lay-off. Norwich, 1-0 victors over Arsenal at Carrow Road in October, have now won just once in 16 matches and remain only four points above the relegation places. Everton push QPR closer to relegation News of Arsenal’s late rally was a blow for Everton, who appeared to be closing on them after winning 2-0 at home to second-bottom Queens Park Rangers. Darron Gibson broke the deadlock in the 40th minute at Goodison Park with a deflected shot from 25 yards, with Victor Anichebe flicking in a Sylvain Distin knock-down 11 minutes into the second period. QPR remain seven points from safety but they have played two games more than third-bottom Wigan Athletic, who face Millwall in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, and a game more than fourth-bottom Sunderland. Reading are still bottom of the table but they drew level on points with QPR after withstanding a Liverpool onslaught in a 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium. Chris Gunter headed an early Luiz Suarez effort off the Reading goal-line, while Philippe Coutinho saw a goal ruled out for offside and curled a shot against the post. In another match, Aston Villa spurned an opportunity to haul themselves out of the relegation picture in a 1-1 draw at home to Fulham. Charles N’Zogbia put Villa ahead 10 minutes into the second half with a high finish from an Andreas Weimann cutback, only for Fabian Delph to inadvertently head Bryan Ruiz’s corner into his own goal 11 minutes later. Meanwhile, Andy Carroll marked his return to the West Ham United starting XI with a second-half equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Southampton. Gaston Ramirez gave Southampton the lead shortly before the hour when he calmly beat Jussi Jaaskelainen, but Carroll levelled the scores seven minutes later with a deflected free-kick. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53134 SHANGHAI, April 14: Ferrari´s Fernando Alonso won a drama-packed Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, well ahead of the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes´ Lewis Hamilton. The reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel came home fourth after adopting a different tyre strategy, while his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber failed to finish. Jenson Button, of McLaren, was fifth, and Felipe Massa sixth.[break] Daniel Ricciardo, of Toro Rosso, Force India´s Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean of Lotus and Nico Hulkenberg, of Sauber, rounded out the top 10. Hamilton´s lead from pole position lasted only into lap five, when Alonso activated his DRS on the home straight, sneaking on the Briton´s outside, then Alonso´s team-mate Massa shot down Hamilton´s inside. Next Sauber´s Esteban Gutierrez slammed into the back of Adrian Sutil, of Force India. Flames licked from the right side of Sutil´s machine as engineers battled to save his race. But both cars were out. Vettel, who started ninth on the grid, was moving ominously up the field. Likewise Webber, who started the race from the pits after a disastrous qualifying session. That run to the front was curtailed though on lap 16 when Jean-Eric Vergne, of Toro Rosso, cut across him. Webber suffered damage to the front of his car and was called into the pits. But shortly afterwards the Australian inexplicably lost a right-rear tyre. Several cars had to swerve as the tyre rolled across the track. Webber´s bad weekend was over. Raikkonen was in the thick of it, suffering slight damage when Sergio Perez, of McLaren, attempted to snuff out the Finn´s overtaking manoeuvre. "What the hell´s he doing?!" exclaimed the straight-talking Raikkonen over the team radio. Hamilton´s team-mate Nico Rosberg, winner in Shanghai last season, was the next to retire, as Button, Alonso and Vettel all had turns in the lead. Twenty laps to go and Raikkonen and Hamilton were also still in the hunt. Alonso, the two-time world champion, surrendered his lead -- nearly 20 seconds by then -- to Vettel when he went in for a change of tyres. But the Spaniard snatched it back again on lap 43 of 56, darting inside the Red Bull. Alonso, narrowly beaten to the world title last season by Vettel, was in full flow now, clocking the fastest lap time of the race, as Vettel, the rampaging Raikkonen and Hamilton scrapped it out for the other two podium places. But Vettel still needed to pit again. On lap 52 he did so, rejoining the action in fourth, as he attempted to chase down a podium place. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53122 KATHMANDU, April 13: Nepal Police Club on Saturday claimed the men´s title of First Men´s and Women´s National Volleyball Tournament being held at the covered hall of Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. Police defeated arch rival APF in straight sets to lift the title remaining unbeaten and avenge the defeat suffered during the 27th National Men´s Volleyball Tournament held about two weeks ago in Tehrathum. Riding on a strong defense and powerful spikes, Police beat APF 25-19, 25-23, 28-26 to hand the latter its first defeat in the league.[break] Police won the title collecting 15 points, three more than second-placed APF while Nepal Army Club finished third in the tournament contested by six teams. Police skipper Im Rana Magar said his side was happy to avenge the defeat suffered in Tehrathum. "Compared to matches against APF in other tournaments, the win in straight sets was a bit easy. In Tehrathum we had lost in the fifth set," said Rana Magar. New Diamond Sports Club had claimed the women´s title on Friday winning all three matches. APF defeated Police 22-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-14 on Saturday to finish second with six points. Western Region secured the third position with one win while Police finished bottom without a point. Altogether four teams had competed in the event. The top three finishers of both sections bagged Rs 150,000, Rs 75,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. APF´s Kailash Dutta Bhatta and Nebika Chaudhary were declared the players of the tournament and received Rs 25,000 each. In the men´s category, APF players won four of the five individual awards. Khushi Chaudhary, Mahendra Shrestha, Pushpa Jung Malla and Kul Bahdur Thapa of APF were declared the best setter, blocker, defense and server respectively. Chandra Kunwar of Police was declared the best spiker. In the women´s section, APF´s Neema Shrestha and Binita Budhathoki of APF were declared the best spiker and setter respectively. Similarly, Saraswati Chaudhary of Western Volleyball Training Center won the award for best blocker, Salina Shrestha of New Diamond for best defense and Kripa Adhikari of New Diamond for best server. The best players of both men´s and women´s sections got Rs 5,000 each. In the men´s match held on Saturday, Police took a three-point lead in the beginning of first set but APF narrowed it down to two points making the score 6-4. But Police slowly widened the gap to 19-13 before finally wrapping up the set 25-19. The second set looked fairly competitive with scores tied at 11-11 midway through the set. But Police won five consecutive points to make it 16-11 and build a foundation for victory. The Police team won the set 25-23. The last set remained highly competitive from start to finish as the scores were tied on a number of occasions. Both the teams were tied at 24-24 and again at 26-26. But Police earned two successive points to take the set 28-26 for a thrilling victory. Aryal, Tandukar win player of the year awards Sanjay Aryal of Nepal Police Club and Ramila Tandukar of New Diamond won the male and female player of the year award introduced by the Nepal Volleyball Association (NVA) this year. Aryal received an Anna Lifan motorbike while Tandukar received a scooter. According to NVA, the best players were selected on the basis of their performance throughout the year. Aryal had helped Police lift three titles during the year. Aryal said his achievement was possible due to support from his coach and teammates. "I am overwhelmed to receive this award. It was a great year in volleyball not only for me but for all volleyball players as we got chance to play in many big tournaments." Tandukar, the winner in the women´s category, said the award will help her to perform better and more responsibly in future. NVA also felicitated former international players Harihar Shretha, Min Dhoj Khadka, Ramesh Kharel, Narendra Kumar Singh, Jagadish Prasad Shrestha, Bharat Shah and Kaushila Khatri for their contributions to volleyball. Likewise, volleyball coach Jagadish Bhattarai was awarded Rs 15,000 for his contribution in producing volleyball players. Similarly, Nawalparasi District Volleyball Association was declared the best district association and Western Region the best regional association. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53123 DHARAN, April 13: Hong Kong Nepalese Federation (HKNF) clinched the title of 15th Budhasubba Gold Cup defeating Nepal Army Club 2-1 in the final held in Dharan, Sunsari on Saturday. Celvin and Dodoz socred in either half as the visiting side came from a goal down to beat the departmental team in the final and claim its maiden title in its second appearance. [break]This is the second time that Army has lost in the final of Budhasubba Gold Cup. Army had suffered defeat in the final during the 11th edition of the tournament as well. As the champion Hong Kong bagged a purse of Rs 325,000 while Army received Rs 162,500. Tek Bahadur Budhathoki had gave an early lead to the departmental team with a scorcher from the danger zone in Raju Tamang´s pass in the sixth minute. But Hong Kong leveled the scores in the 17th mintue as Celvin scored in Jagjeet Shrestha´s pass beating advancing Army custodian Ram Kumar Deuja. Raju Tamang squandered a golden chance to restore Army´s lead in the 57th minute when he missed a spotkick. Dodoz, the African recruit for Hong Kong, scored the decisive goal in the 79th minute. Dodoz´s header in Jagjeet Shrestha´s pass entered the net after the ball slipped from custodian Deuja´s grips. Sagar Thapa of Hong Kong was adjudged the man-of-the-match and received Rs 5,000. Hong Kong coach Ang Tendi Sherpa said the performance of his side was as per the expectations. "There was good understanding among Dodoz, Jagjeet Shrestha and Celvin," said Sherpa, adding, "The strong support of local spectators also motivated us to perform better." Army coach Saila Maharjan said the missed penalty became the turning point of the match. "The match was in a 50/50 situation and to miss the penalty was unfortunate," said Maharjan, who blamed custodian Deuja´s errors for both the goals conceded by his team. Meanwhile, Prakash Budhathoki of the host Dharan FC was declared the best player of the tournament and received a Yamaha motorbike. He also received Rs 15,000 from Sunrise Bank. Budhathoki had played a key role in guiding the home team to the semifinals scoring a goal in the quarterfinal and two goals in the semifinal. Similarly, the best players in four different positions -- goalkeeping, defense, midfield, forward -- and the best coach were awarded Rs 10,000 each. Tek Bahadur Budhathoki of Army was the highest scorer of the tournament and bagged Rs 20,000. Best player award Prakash Budhathoki of Dharan: Best player Bikesh Kutu of Hong Kong: Best keeper Sagar Thapa of Hong Kong: Best defense Jagjeet Shrestha of Hong Kong: Best midfielder Dodoz of Hong Kong: Best forward Narad Rai of Hong Kong: Best coach http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53119 KATHMANDU, April 13: National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Saturday announced a training program for SLC graduates. According to NCA coach and former national team captain Binod Das, the training program will begin by the end of next week. NCA, which was established by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on the initiative of national team coach Pubudu Dassanayake, has been running free training camps for under-12 schoolchildren every Saturday since January. [break] Cricketers Deependra Chaudhary, Raju Basnet, Kalam Ali, Neera Rajopadhyay and Binu Budha Magar along with Das have been looking after the U-12 training program participated by around 500 schoolchildren. "The huge participation in the U-12 program encouraged us to launch another program for SLC graduates," said Das. According to Das, NCA will charge Rs 5,000 per student for participating in the SLC graduates training program. During the training, students will be taught cricketing lessons, physical fitness as well as art of living. The NCA, led by Dassanayake, also includes senior Nepali coach Jagat Tamata. NCA had established its regional branch in Dhangadhi last month and accredited Dhangadhi Cricket Academy run by the locals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53117 KATHMANDU, April 13: Pradeep B Rana won the title of Seagram´s Royal Stag Cup, the amateur golf tournament, at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) on Saturday. Rana secured 36 points in the tournament played under stableford format with ¾ handicap allowances. Mithun Rai finished second with 33 points.[break] Niraj Pun won the best gross title with 28 points. Mani Lal Thapa, who accumulated 32 points, emerged winner in the senior section, while Madan Rana finished runner-up with 31 points. Sandhya Rai scored 32 points to clinch the ladies´ title while Kalpana Limbu secured the second position with 31 points. Phintso Wangdi Lama shot three birdies to claim the award for most birdies. Likewise, Mithun Rai won the award for longest drive and ML Thapa received the award for closest to the pin. Nepal Golf Association (NGA) President Madhukar Yakthumba, RNGC President Prachanda Bahadur Shrestha, RNGC captain Tashi Ghale and Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd Country Manager Ravinder Saini gave away the prizes to the winners. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53116 KATHMANDU, April 13: Tip Top XI of Kathmandu won the title of Arihant Holidays Champions League inter-Marwadi T20 cricket tournament defeating Arihant Holidays XI of Biratnagar by six wickets on Saturday. Arihant Holidays elected to bat at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground and made 130/7 in the allotted 20 overs. Paras Lunia scored 34 runs off 28 balls for Arihant while Ajay Rajbanshi added 34 runs off 37 balls. Prasanna Shakya, Dipankar Yonjan and Sumeet Sharma claimed two wickets each for Tip Top.[break] In reply, Tip Top met the target in 18.4 overs losing only four wickets. Man-of-the-match Amol Sharma scored 51 runs off 41 balls and Ashu Kandoi added 34 runs off 35 balls for the winning side. Ajay Rajbanshi took two wickets for Arihant while Gaurav Sethia and Paras Lunia claimed a wicket each. Winner Tip Top received Rs 150,000 while runner-up Arihant bagged Rs 50,000. Paras Lunia of Arihant was declared the man-of-the-series and received a 24-inch Yasuda LED television set. Amol Sharma of Tip Top, Navin Jain of NMCC Strikers and Ashu Kandoi of Tip Top were adjudged the best batsman, bowler and wicketkeeper respectively. Dhulabari Warriors of Jhapa won the fair play award. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53114 KATHMANDU, April 13: Gurukul lifted the title of Kirtipur Cup Basketball League defeating GoldenGate 78-67 in the final held on Saturday. Gurukul, led by national team captain Sadish Pradhan, finished the league with a perfect record as it won all its matches en route to the title. In the final on Saturday, Gurukul took the first quarter 20-18 and extended the lead in the second quarter scoring 23 points against 13 scored by GoldenGate. [break] GoldenGate bounced back to take the third quarter 21-15. However, Gurukul scored 20 points in the last quarter against GoldenGate´s 15 to win the match with final scores of 78-67. Ajay Manandhar was the topscorer for Gurukul in the final with 23 points. Sadish Pradhan scored 19 points while Robin Khatri contributed 13 points for the champions. Bikram Dangol scored 18 points, including four three-pointers, and Sushil Gurung added 15 points for GoldenGate. Winner Gurukul received Rs 40,000 along with the trophy while runner-up GoldenGate bagged Rs 20,000. Binod Maharjan of Gurukul was declared the most valuable player. He was awarded Rs 5,000 and Li-Ning basketball shoes. Sadish Pradhan was the highest scorer of the tournament and received Rs 5,000. Pradhan scored 262 points for Gurukul during the tournament. Ayush Singh of the host Naya Bazaar Club finished as the second highest scorer with 210 points. Altogether six teams had participated in the tournament played in double-league format initially and the top four teams had advanced into the semifinals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53075 CARACAS, April 13: Argentine football icon Diego Maradona visited the tomb of his friend Hugo Chavez on Friday and urged Venezuelans to elect the late leftist leader´s designated successor in this weekend´s presidential election. Wearing a white shirt and donning diamonds in each ear, Maradona called on Venezuelans to vote for acting President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday to continue the socialist leader´s legacy.[break] "Continue the struggle," Maradona said on state-run television after visiting the marble tomb in an old military barracks perched in a hillside Caracas neighborhood. "He´s no longer here physically but we will continue with Nicolas, we will continue the legacy of not letting ourselves be trampled by anybody," he said. "In the ballot box on Sunday, people must reaffirm Chavez´s ideas through Nicolas." The 1986 World Cup winner signed autographs to people outside the barracks and joined the crowd in chanting "Chavez lives! The struggle goes on!" Maradona attended Maduro´s final campaign rally in Caracas late Thursday, signing footballs and kicking them to the crowd. Wearing a red shirt with his trademark number 10, he kissed Maduro in the cheek. Maduro faces opposition leader Henrique Capriles in the election, one month after Chavez lost his battle with cancer. "Speaking with Diego was very emotional because comandante Chavez also loved him very much," Maduro said after they visited the tomb and a photo exhibition in the "Mountain Barracks" where Chavez plotted a failed coup in 1992. His appearance alongside Maradona and other other programs on state-run television VTV throughout the day drew complaints from the opposition, which noted that official campaigning ended late Thursday. "VTV shamelessly violating the electoral rules," Capriles wrote on Twitter, urging National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena to enforce the law. Maradona, who gave Maduro a jersey of the Argentine national team, said he apologized to the Chavez family for missing the late president´s funeral in March. "He gave me friendship and incredible political wisdom," the football legend said. "Hugo Chavez changed the way Latin Americans thought, because we were almost surrendered to the United States our entire lives. He put inside our heads that we could walk on our own," he said. "That´s why he was loved and respected, and for me this was a big loss," he said. Maduro received support from another Latin American celebrity, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho, who gave him two signed books, "Aleph" and "The Manuscript Found in Accra." "I received a beautiful gift from Paulo Coelho," Maduro said after meeting with a delegation from a South American observer mission." "For Nicolas Maduro, may God bless you and guide you," Coelho wrote in one of the books. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53065 KATHMANDU, April 12: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to seek support from China and India for construction of an international stadium and covered halls in the districts during his upcoming visits to the neighboring countries. Dahal expressed such commitment after he was suggested by National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama to include sports in his agenda during his visits. [break] “This proposal has got top priority as Member Secretary Lama made the suggestion during a public function,” Dahal said during a function organized to award national football team captain Sagar Thapa with an apartment on Friday. “I will request our two giant neighbors to support us in constructing an international stadium and covered halls in the districts,” he added. Dahal was responding to Lama´s suggestion that the country needed a football stadium of 50,000 capacity, a 35,000-capacity cricket stadium and semi-covered halls in all 240 electoral constituencies for the transformation of the sports sector in the country. PHOTO: DIPESH SHRESTHA According to Lama, the estimated cost for construction of covered halls and playing grounds in the 240 electoral constituencies is Rs 1.8 billion. Dahal said that Nepali players were lagging behind in the international arena despite possessing talent due to lack of physical infrastructure. “I have seen it everywhere, from the east to the west and from the hills to the plains, that the one thing we lack is physical infrastructure,” said Dahal. Dahal assured that the country would move toward overall progress after the Constituent Assembly elections. He also pointed out the need for all stakeholders to join forces for the development of the country. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53064 KATHMANDU, April 12: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) awarded national team captain Sagar Thapa with the biggest individual award in Nepali football on Friday for his decade-long service to the sport. A day after giving national team defender Sandeep Rai a car as Ncell Football Player of the Year Award, ANFA awarded a two-bedroom apartment to Thapa on Friday amidst a function held at the ANFA Complex, Lalitpur. Thapa will get an apartment at the Mero City Housing at Hattiban, Lalitpur.[break] UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal handed over a replica of the apartment and letter of appreciation to Thapa, who has been playing professional football for NIBL Friends Club since last season. ANFA honors footballers with this award based on their service to the national team, performance and discipline. PHOTO: DIPESH SHRESTHA ANFA had announced the Best Player Award for the first time in 2062 BS. Former national team captain Upendra Man Singh was awarded a Toyota Yaris car in 2062 BS and another former captain Hari Khadka had received the same award in 2063 BS. ANFA didn´t announce the award for the next few years and resumed it last year, when another former national team captain Rakesh Shrestha received an apartment. "I have received an apartment for my contribution to football today. When I look back, I´m happy to say that my decision to seek a career in football was right," said 29-year-old Thapa. Thapa had debuted for the national team in 2003 against Vietnam during the Asian Cup Qualifiers held in South Korea. Thapa, who has won 53 caps for the national team, was appointed captain in 2009 during the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers. Defender Thapa has scored only one goal in his international career. He had scored against Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship 2011 held in New Delhi with a stunning free-kick in the dying minutes of the match. The goal had secured Nepal´s berth in the semifinals of the championship after 12 years and the goal was nominated as one of the top five goals of the world for the week by the popular football website, goal.com. PHOTO: DIPESH SHRESTHA http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53060 DHARAN, April 12: Tribhuvan Army Club will lock horns with Hong Kong Nepalese Federation (HKNF) for the title of the 15th Budhasubba Red Bull Gold Cup on Saturday. Both the teams are eager to lift the title of the last major football tournament of the year. While this is the second time Army has reached the final of Budhasubba Gold Cup, HKNF has made it to the final for the first time. [break] However, one thing common between the two teams is that neither of them has won the tournament so far. So this is an opportunity for both the teams to create history by lifting their first title. The two teams, both of which feature household names in Nepali football, are likely to play an attacking game in what could be a thrilling climax to the tournament. Army, which finished third in the recently concluded Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League, is buoyed by the presence of its star striker Bharat Khawas who was adjudged the best player of the league. The club´s morale is also high because of its good form of late. Army made it to the final eliminating strong contender Manang Marshyangdi Club and then host Dharan FC in the semifinal. The HKNF team features five national footballers, including skipper Sagar Thapa, and three players from Hong Kong. HKNF has also proven its title credentials by knocking out three-time champion Nepal Police Club and four-time champion and league winner Laxmi Bank Three Star Club earlier in the tournament. “Attack is the best form of defense. So we will try to score with an attacking display,” said Army´s manager Bikash Malla. “But we will not take HKNF lightly as it has defeated a strong team like Three Star,” he added. Army´s striker Khawas failed to score in the last two games as he was constantly marked by two opponents, according to Army´s coach Saila Maharjan. “Although he could not score, he was able to set up the winning goals. So we are expecting a lot from him in the final too,” said Maharjan. HKNF coach Ang Tendi Sherpa is also optimistic about winning the title. “We have come here to play the match because we are confident of winning the title.” http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53053 KATHMANDU, April 12: New Diamond Sports Club won the title in the women´s section of the First National Men´s and Women´s Volleyball League on Friday. The club from Purano Naikap, Kathmandu won all its league matches en route to its first national title. The team led by Ramila Tandukar and studded with young talents like Pratibha Mali (12 years old) and Rambha Blon defeated giants like Nepal Police Club and Nepal APF Club during the league.[break] With the title win, New Diamond also avenged the defeat to Nepal Police Club in the final of the First Invitational Women´s Volleyball Tournament held in Dharan last month. New Diamond defeated Western Region Volleyball Training Center, Pokhara on Friday to earn full three points and lift the title. Western Region won the first set of the match 25-23 but the young girls of New Diamond bounced back to win three sets in a row. New Diamond claimed the second, third and fourth sets with the scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 27-25 respectively. "The club was in trouble when five players left the club at the same time five months ago. There was no one left in the team except Ramila (Tandukar). I then started teaching volleyball to the new and young talents. What we achieved today is the result of these girls´ hard work," said coach Kumar Rai. Rai praised most of the team members for their performances during the tournament. "Quicker Lalita Nath and Manisha Tamang were brilliant throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, Pratibha (Mali) helped Ramila (Tandukar) for open spikes. Kripa Adhikari was also equally brilliant as a lifter," said Rai. "We have played many times against the departmental teams and Western Region. Though we had beaten some of them a couple of times, we had never beaten Nepal Police in the past. After defeating Police, our morale was high," said New Diamond captain Tandukar. New Diamond has eight points from three matches while Nepal APF Club has four points from two matches. APF, which will take on Nepal Police Club in its last match on Saturday, will finish second irrespective of the outcome of Saturday´s match. New Diamond will bag Rs 150,000 as the champion while runner-up APF will get Rs 75,000. In the men´s section, Nepal Police Club defeated Western Region Volleyball Training Center 25-17, 25-19, 25-17 on Friday. Following the win, Nepal Police Club has 12 points from four matches while APF also has 12 points from four matches. Nepal Army, which defeated G-4 Sports Club 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-21 on Friday, has nine points. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53041 KATHMANDU, April 12: Tip Top XI and Arihant Holidays XI won their respective matches in the super league round of Arihant Holidays Champions League Inter-Marwadi T20 Cricket Tournament on Friday. Tip Top edged past NMCC Strikers by seven wickets. NMCC elected to bat at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground, Lalitpur and was all out for 129 runs in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, Tip Top met the target in 17.3 overs losing only three wickets as man-of-the-match Aashu Kandoi scored 37 runs off 30 balls and Prasanna Shakya remained unbeaten on 32 runs off 17 balls. In another match, Arihant thrashed Siddhartha Center by seven wickets. Siddhartha elected to bat but was all out for 91 runs in 19 overs. Kundan Singh and Gaurav Sethia claimed three wickets each for Arihant. Arihant met the target in 14.3 overs losing only three wickets. Man-of-the-match Sethia topscored for Arihant with 35 runs off 22 balls.[break] Nepal wins chess tourney KATHMANDU: Prakash Nepal of Jhapa won the title of Far-western Open Chess Tournament on Friday in Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur. Nepal remained undefeated in the tournament and collected eight points from nine rounds. He received a cash prize of Rs 10,000. Local player Basant Rawal and Krishna Bahadur Kepchhaki Magar of Janakpur finished second position with 7 points each while Tirtha Bahadur BK secured the third position. Thapa to lead NSC Employee Association KATHMANDU: The general assembly of National Sports Council Employee Association held in Biratnagar has elected hockey coach Ranjan Thapa as its new president. Thapa won the election by a huge margin garnering 78 votes while karate coach Mahesh Maharjan got only 16 votes. Narayan Dev Rana was the president of the previous committee. Karateka Ganga Ram Maharjan was unanimously elected as the senior vice-president of the 23-member committee. Saraswati KC was elected as vice-president under the women´s quota while Phanindra Paudel retained his post as general secretary. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53052 KATHMANDU, April 12: The British College, Kathmandu and Nepal Basketball Association (NeBA) on Friday signed sponsorship deals for the U-18 National Basketball Tournament and the Basketball Talent Hunt-2013. NeBA President Lama Tendi Sherpa and Narendra Kandel, the director of the college, signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) amidst a function at the college on Friday.[break] As per the deals, the college will provide Rs 500,000 to NeBA for the next three years to conduct the U-18 National Basketball Tournament. Likewise, the college will bear all the management expenses of the talent hunt program for SLC graduates that will kick off from April 15 at the National Sports Council covered hall. According to NeBA, the management expenses of the talent hunt would be around Rs 150,000. "The talent hunt is being conducted to find new talents in basketball and to help them in their playing career as well as their education," said NeBA President Sherpa. The college also announced a 50 percent discount on college fee for the best player of the talent hunt program. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53063 KARACHI, Pakistan, April 12: Pakistan cricket icon Wasim Akram demanded privacy and respect from fans and media alike Friday, calling for an end "once and for all" to rumours he is marrying Bollywood heroine Sushmita Sen. The famed paceman has been linked constantly in the media to the 1994 Miss Universe since they were judges in 2008 Indian dance show "Aik Khilari, Aik Haseena" (A player, a beauty).[break] Wasim, a widower since his wife Huma died in October 2009, said he is fed up. "I am tired of denying such rumours and now I want this to end once and for all," Wasim told AFP after Indian media claimed Thursday that the couple were about to tie the knot in Mumbai. Pakistani television channels also splashed the story, hotly anticipating another high-profile cross-border union after the 2010 nuptials of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza. Wasim said he and Sen are good friends only. "She is one of the most graceful and decent ladies I have come across," said Wasim of the 37-year-old Bollywood star. "It was huge fun working as judge with Sushmita as she is a thorough professional and presents herself gracefully." The dance show also featured Indian cricket stars Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Nikhil Chopra and Vinod Kambli and was also telecast on a leading Pakistani channel. Wasim described the show as a good experience. "The show was well received and was admired across the borders and that was it. If I get another chance to work with her I will do but I want the media of both the countries to respect us," said Wasim. Wasim said he is devoted to bringing up his two sons, Taimur and Akbar. "I want to bring them up and make them good and successful human beings, so my life is devoted to my sons," said Wasim. Sen has two adopted daughters and has yet to marry. Wasim said their personal lives should be respected. "I have my own personal life and she has her own, so the media and fans should not disrespect that," said Wasim, who has taken a year´s leave as a bowling coach in the Indian Premier League to spend time with sons. "I have always felt at home in India and the kind of respect I get in India is very pleasing so I will continue to work as and when I get time, but as my sons also needed time I have taken leave from the IPL this year," said Wasim. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=53045 KATHMANDU, April 12: Pacer Chandra Sawad and spinner Rahul BK made a comeback in the 50-over format on Friday as the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) announced a 14-member national squad for the upcoming Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3. Nepal will play against Italy, Oman, Uganda, the USA and the host Bermuda in the Division 3 tournament, scheduled for April 28 to May 5.[break] Sawad and BK had withdrawn their names from the squad during the ACC Trophy Elite 2012, the last 50-over international tournament Nepal had participated in, citing injuries. Sawad had played in the ACC T20 Cup that concluded in Kathmandu earlier this month, while BK was included as a reserve player. Former skipper and medium-pacer Binod Das and Bhuwan Karki, who were in the squad during the ACC Trophy Elite, have been left out of the squad for Division 3. Likewise, Manjeet Shrestha, who was included in the T20 team, has been dropped from the 50-over format. Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla have retained their positions as captain and vice-captain of the national team respectively. Sharad Vesawkar, Amrit Bhattarai, Shakti Gauchan, Basanta Regmi, Sanjam Regmi, Binod Bhandari, Pradeep Airee, Anil Mandal, Prithu Baskota and Subash Khakurel are the other members of the squad. Sagar Pun, who had replaced Mandal in the team midway through the ACC T20, has been included as a reserve player for Division 3. Naresh Bahadur Budhaayer, Jitendra Kumar Mukhiya and Ram Naresh Giri are the other reserve players in the team. The top two teams of Division 3 will not only earn promotion to Division 2 but also progress to the World Cup Qualifier 2014. Nepal had reached Division 3 after winning the Division 4 tournament held in Malaysia in September 2012. Nepal had won all its matches in Division 4 and defeated the USA in the final. Practice matches in India Meanwhile, the national squad, comprising 14 players and 3 officials, is all set to fly to Jaipur, India on Saturday for practice matches and training sessions. The team will return to Kathmandu on April 20. According to captain Khadka, Nepali team will play four practice matches against local teams of Jaipur. "Coach (Pubudu Dassanayake) has arranged the Jaipur tour and we hope that we will get to play against quality players in the practice matches," said Khadka. The national squad will leave for Bermuda on April 23. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52998 PARIS, April 12: Ten-man Tottenham crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday, losing a quarter-final penalty shoot-out to Basel, leaving Chelsea as England´s sole survivors after Newcastle also exited. Basel won the shoot-out 4-1 after the second leg in Switzerland had ended 2-2 following extra-time for a 4-4 scoreline on aggregate.[break] Clint Dempsey gave Spurs a 23rd minute lead before Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah levelled four minutes later. Basel, who will be playing in their first European semi-final, went ahead thanks to Aleksandar Dragovic in the 49th minute after goalkeeper Brad Friedel parried. With seven minutes left, Dempsey sent the tie into extra-time, where Spurs played with 10 men following a 90th-minute red card for Jan Vertonghen. In the shoot-out, Tom Huddlestone and Emmanuel Adebyaor both missed before Marcelo Diaz buried the winning kick for Basel. "My first thoughts are for the players, they set a great example. The way they approached the competition, playing every Thursday and Sunday," Spurs boss Andre Villas Boas told ITV. "We made the country feel different about the competition." Chelsea reached the semi-finals despite losing 3-2 to Rubin Kazan. The London club went through 5-4 on aggregate after winning 3-1 in the first leg and remain on course to win the Europa League a year after triumphing in the Champions League. Thursday´s match was played on the artificial surface at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 800 kilometres west of Rubin´s home in Tatarstan, because UEFA ruled the Russian club´s own pitch to be in unfit condition. Chelsea fans will forever associate the Luzhniki with their team´s painful penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United in the 2008 Champions League final, although this occasion had a very different feel to it, with the 80,000-capacity venue barely a quarter full. The Premier League side got off to a glorious start, taking the lead in the fourth minute when Fernando Torres -- who netted a brace in the first leg -- lobbing into an empty net as Rubin ´keeper Sergei Ryzhikov came racing out of his area. Rubin were given hope when Spanish defender Ivan Marcano headed in a cross from compatriot Pablo Orbaiz six minutes into the second half, but Victor Moses soon restored Chelsea´s lead on the night, playing a one-two with Ramires and then curling a shot into the net from 15 yards. That goal left the Russians needing to score four times without reply to rescue the tie. Captain Gokdeniz Karadeniz did pull one back before Bebras Natcho converted a penalty after Cesar Azpilicueta was harshly penalised for a foul on Aleksandr Ryazantsev in the box. That allowed Rubin to win the game on the night, but Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez was pleased to be in the semi-final draw. "The scoreline doesn´t matter too much. We did a professional job and I am really pleased with the players," he told ESPN television. Newcastle were held to a 1-1 draw by Benfica but were beaten 4-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 loss in Portugal in the first leg. Papiss Cisse gave the English side a 71st-minute lead on the night at St James Park, poking in the ball after good work by Hatem Ben Arfa and Shola Ameobi. But any hope of a dramatic victory was snuffed out in injury-time by an Eduardo Salvio leveller. "Two goals is a lot to come back but tonight we gave it a good go. We knew with our fans we would have a good chance," said Ameobi. Fenerbache reached their first European semi-final after a 1-1 draw in Italy against Lazio gave them a 3-1 aggregate win. Senad Lulic put Lazio ahead on the hour mark inside an empty Olympic Stadium in Rome -- punishment for the Italian side´s woeful record over racism. But on 73 minutes Caner Erkin equalised to put the Turks into Friday´s semi-final draw. Europa League quarter-final second-leg results on Thursday: At Moscow Rubin Kazan (RUS) 3 (Marcano 51, Gokdeniz 62, Natcho 75-pen) Chelsea 2 (Torres 5, Moses 55) Chelsea win 5-4 on aggregate At Newcastle Newcastle United (ENG) 1 (Cisse 71) Benfica (POR) 1 (Salvio 90+2) Benfica win 4-2 on aggregate At Rome Lazio (ITA) 1 (Lulic 60) Fenerbahce (TUR) 1 (Erkin 73) Fenerbache win 3-1 on aggregate At Basel, Switzerland Basel (SUI) 2 (Salah 27, Dragovic 49) Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 2 (Dempsey 23, 83) 4-4 on aggregate; after extra-time Basel win 4-1 on penalties http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52989 KATHMANDU, April 12: Nepal Police Club athlete Keshari Chaudhary returned to the track for the 38th National Athletics Championship on Wednesday after a nine-month long departmental training to set three national records to get a new tag of "record-girl of Nepali athletics". Chaudhary, who set national records in the women´s 100m hurdles and long jump on Wednesday, made another record on Thursday as she jumped 12.20m to clinch gold in women´s triple jump event. She had the previous record of 11.67m. She is also the national record holder in women´s high jump event.[break] "I´m delighted to set national records one after another and grateful to coach Nar Bahadur Shahi, who prepared me for hurdles in short period. Hurdles event was new for me," said Chaudhary to Republica. Chaudhary, from Jogigaun of Bardiya, had started her sports career when she was studying in Angels School, Nepalgunj. She started her athletics career some eight years ago and had set national record in women´s high jump in her very first competitive tournament. Chaudhary was also a cricketer initially. She was a member of the national cricket squad in the First ACC Women´s Championship held in Malaysia in 2007 and the ACC Women´s U-19 Championship held in Thailand in 2008. She had taken 10 wickets in the ACC U-19 to guide Nepal to title victory. PHOTO: NSC The athlete joined Nepal Police Club in 2009 as an athlete and joined police service officially two years ago. "I´m not pursuing a cricketing career now since Nepal Police Club does not have a women´s cricket team. At present, I´m enjoying athletics," said Chaudhary. Following one after another success in domestic track and field, she aims to win international medals. "I can do much better in triple jump event and hope for international success. However, everything depends on the preparation facilities," said Chaudhary. Sushil Narsingh Rana, the chief-coach of athletics at National Sports Council suggested to Chaudhary to focus on triple jump and high jump only despite her recent success in hurdles and long jump. "She has been able to set ew records in all the four events since the previous results were too poor. Her results are not close to any South Asian medalists. However, we cannot deny her natural talent in athletics. She is technically sound also," said Rana. "We can expect international successes from her if she focuses in triple jump and high jump only," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52981 Sandeep Rai is Ncell Football Player of the Year KATHMANDU, April 12: After winning 43 national caps, defender Sandeep Rai felt it was the happiest day of his career on Thursday when All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) awarded him a car after being announced the Ncell Football Player of the Year 2069. “This could be the happiest day of my life. All my hard work is finally paying off,” said Rai accepting the award. [break] Rai received Hyundai Eon car worth around Rs 1.7 million and became the third footballer to be awarded a car. Earlier, Upendra Man Singh and Hari Khadka had been awarded cars from ANFA for their contribution to Nepali football. This is the first Ncell Football Player of the Year Award after the sponsorship deal between ANFA and Ncell in June 2012. ANFA President Ganesh Thapa and corporate communication director of Ncell Sanju Koirala handed over the car key to Rai amidst a ceremony at ANFA-complex, Lalitpur. Rai receives car keys from ANFA President Ganesh Thapa (L) and NCell´s Sanju Koirala (M). (Photo: Bijay Rai) Rai received 111,317 SMS votes, 912 points from coaches and 439 points from sports journalists to become the footballer of the year. National team forward Bharat Khawas was the first choice of coaches and journalists but Rai left him behind in SMS votes. Khawas received only 61,408 SMS votes but 1256 points from coaches and 758 points from journalists. Anil Gurung was the second runner-up in the contest securing 85,970 SMS votes, 664 points from coaches and 410 points from journalists. ANFA had nominated all the 23 players of the national team in the competition. SMS votes had 60 percent weightage while coaches and journalists´ vote had a weightage of 20 percent each. Altogether, 519,069 people had voted their favorite stars, while 82 licensed coaches and 43 sports journalists had participated in the voting. “I´m happy to win this award and I´m happier that coaches voted me generously,” said Rai. Rai was the third favorite of the coaches behind Khawas and Rohit Chand (916 points). “I want to thank all my well-wishers and fans, coaches and media people for their votes. Meanwhile, I express my sincere gratitude to ANFA and Ncell for doing all this for players,” said Rai. Rai, 24-year-old son of Deepak Rai from Duhabi, Sunsari, had made his first international debut in March 25, 2008 against Pakistan in a friendly match held in Pokhara. PHOTO: BIJAY RAI Rai, the second batch footballer of ANFA Academy, has scored three goals for the national side. He scored his first international goal against Macau in 2008 during the AFC Challenge Cup held in Cambodia and the second against Maldives during the SAFF Championship held in India in 2011. He had also scored against Northern Mariana Island in the recently concluded AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Kathmandu. Rai has been playing professional football from the Martyrs Memorial League champion Three Star Club for the last one year. He had also played for domestic clubs like New Road Team and Manang Marshyangdi. Rai had also played for Kolkata-based Mohammedan Sporting Club, Kolkata for a short period in 2010. “I received the award during the mid of my career and it has not only given me happiness but also added responsibility on my shoulders,” said Rai. “Since all the members of national teams are expecting to win the upcoming SAFF Championship. I´ll do everything to make it possible,” he added. Handing over the award to Rai, ANFA President Thapa said that the association has always been working to create an environment for professional football and the welfare of footballers. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52987 KATHMANDU, April 11: Nepal Army became the team champion of the 38th National Athletics Championship on Thursday as it clinched 12 gold, 12 silver and 7 bronze medals. Nepal Police Club became second in the championship with 9 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze medals while Armed Police Force finished third with 7 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze medals. Among the regions, Mid Western remained on the top claiming 3 silver and 3 bronze medals.[break] On the final day of the championship, Police Club´s Yam Sajan Sunar won gold medal in men´s 200m sprint on Thursday with a timing of 22.2 seconds. Dil Maya Karki of APF stood on the top of the victory stand in women´s 200m with the timing of 26.0 seconds while Army´s Moti Lal Bohara clocked 1 minute 57.9 seconds to win men´s 800m. APF athlete Kanchhi Maya Koju (37:25.5) and army man Raj Kumar Bista (31:59.5) clinched gold medals in 10km race of men´s and women´s sections respectively. Army´s Dilli Khatri jumped 14.13m to become the winner in men´s triple jump and his teammate Tara Bahadur Karki clinched gold medal in men´s discuss throw. He threw discuss to a 36.45m distance. Likewise, Hiran Chaudhary of Nepal Police threw discuss to a 31.20m distance to win women´s discuss throw event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52983 DHARAN, April 11: Visiting Hong Kong Nepalese Federation (HKNF) stunned the national champion Laxmi Bank Three Star Club with an extra time 1-0 win on Thursday to fix the title clash against Nepal Army Club in the 15th Buddhasubba Gold Cup Football Tournament being held in Dharan. African player Dodoz, who played for Friends Club in the A division league, scored the all important goal for HKNF five minutes before the end of additional 15-minute time. The match was taken to extra time following a goalless draw in the regulation time. [break] Dodoz scored a spectacular one-touch strike from the danger zone in an acute pass from the winger of Friends Club Jagjeet Shrestha, who was declared the best midfielder of the A division league. Dodoz was declared the man-of-the-match and received Rs 5,000 for the feat. HKNF, captained by national skipper and Friends captain Sagar Thapa, will now play the final against the Army on Saturday. Army had defeated host Dharan FC during the extra time in the first semifinal played on Wednesday. The four time champion and defending champion Three Star without its key players -- forward Santosh Sahukhala and defender Biraj Maharjan -- failed to live up to expectations. "The hot weather of Dharan and defensive error turned a setback for the team," said Three Star coach Pradip Humagain adding that the performance was also hampered by absence of Sahukhala, Maharjan and a foreign player. In the 19th minute, HKNF skipper Thapa cleared Bijay Dhimal´s header from the goalline in Bishnu Sunuwar freekick and custodian Bikesh Kutu prevented Adewumi Femi in rebound. In the injury time of first half Sandeep Rai fired inches off the target. Three Star custodian Kiran Chemjong denied Rupesh KC´s strike in the eighth minute. Jagjeet Shrestha and Dodoz fired high above the bar for HKFC in the 18th and 31st minutes. HKNF coach Narad Rai expressed satisfaction towards his side´s performance. "We played better than the last match and the presence of national skipper also made a big difference, said Rai. Meanwhile, the organizer Dharan Football Club received cash support of Rs 75,000. Gopal Siwakoti gave away Rs 50,000 and Dharan-Dubai Helping Hands gave Rs 25,000 to the organizer. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52984 KATHMANDU, April 11: Departmental teams -- Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepal Police Club -- maintained their winning steak under the men´s section of the First National Men´s and Women´s Club Volleyball League on Thursday to remain firm on the top two spots. In the matches played at Dasharath Stadium covered hall, APF defeated University Sports Association to achieve its fourth straight win and move to the top of the table with 12 points. APF registered a comfortable win in straight sets 25-16, 25-14, 25-22.[break] In course of achieving the third win in a row, Police eased past G-4 Sports Club 25-16, 25-14, 25-22. Police with nine points is in the third position. In another match, another departmental team Nepal Army Club saw off Western Regional Volleyball Club 25-22, 25-19, 25-9. Under the women´s category, APF strengthened its title bid defeating Western Region 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 25-16. The result puts APF on top of the table with four points, one point behind leader New Diamond Club. Third placed Western Region has three points while Police hits the rock bottom without any point. Nepal Volleyball Association will provide a motorbike each to the best male and female player of the year on Saturday. "Based on the performance throughout the year 2069 BS, a best male player will be given a motorbike and female player a scooter," said Jeetendra Bahadur Chand, general secretary of Nepal Volleyball Association. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52953 PARIS, April 10: Barcelona needed a 71st-minute Pedro Rodriguez strike to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Bayern Munich also progressed after proving too strong for Juventus. After drawing 2-2 in last week´s quarter-final first leg in Paris, Barcelona went behind for the first time in the tie when Javier Pastore struck shortly after half-time, but the introduction from the bench of Lionel Messi lifted the Catalans, and Pedro struck to level the scores on the night and make the final aggregate score 3-3.[break] While Barcelona advance to a sixth consecutive Champions League semi-final on away goals, Bayern were comprehensive winners against Juventus, with Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizarro netting in the second half to give the Bavarians a 2-0 victory on the night and a 4-0 triumph on aggregate. Coming into the second leg, Barca held the upper hand thanks to their two away goals in Paris, but the absence of Messi from their starting line-up handed their opponents a psychological advantage. The Argentine suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg and was only deemed fit enough for a place on Barcelona´s bench at kick-off. As he nervously looked on, PSG played exceptionally well in the first half and were unlucky not to score on several occasions, with Victor Valdes making crucial saves to deny Lucas and Ezequiel Lavezzi. The Ligue 1 leaders did score five minutes into the second half, though, Pastore finishing past Valdes after linking up superbly with former Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The home side were missing the inspiration of Messi, and the Camp Nou was given a huge lift when he replaced Cesc Fabregas in the 62nd minute. Even when far from fully fit, Messi´s mere presence can make the difference, and he helped create the decisive goal less than 10 minutes after coming on. Messi accelerated towards the Paris penalty area and laid the ball off for David Villa, who teed up Pedro to power a shot beyond Salvatore Sirigu, ending PSG´s hopes and keeping Barca on course to win the Champions League for the fourth time in eight seasons. "We´re very happy," said Pedro. "PSG are great rivals and it took us a while to get into our rhythm at the start. "Messi was the catalyst. We changed after he came on and we have to thank him for that." PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti added: "I thought we played well. We caused Barca problems, but Messi is a fantastic player and can find a solution for his team even when not fully fit." Bayern travelled to Turin in a strong position thanks to their 2-0 first-leg victory, and with the wind in their sails after clinching the Bundesliga title in record quick time last weekend. Andrea Pirlo came close from a first-half free-kick and Fabio Quagliarella tested visiting ´keeper Manuel Neuer early in the second half as Juve sought a way back into the tie. But they were left with too much to do when Mandzukic headed in from close range on 64 minutes. Bayern then put the seal on a 4-0 aggregate victory when Bastian Schweinsteiger set up substitute Pizarro to make it 2-0 on the night in injury time. "It wasn´t easy to motivate the players four days after winning our national title," admitted Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. "We struggled in the first 20 minutes, but slowly took control of the match. We were much better in the second half and deserved to go through." "We have no regrets," said Juve ´keeper Gianluigi Buffon. "We played as well as we could, but it just wasn´t enough." Bayern and Barcelona complete an all-German and Spanish semi-final line-up after Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid clinched their berths in the last four on Tuesday. Madrid lost 3-2 to Galatasaray in Istanbul, but progressed 5-3 on aggregate, while Dortmund beat Malaga 3-2 in dramatic circumstances to win by the same score on aggregate. Trailing 2-1 going into stoppage time in Germany, Dortmund appeared to be heading out, but Marco Reus and Felipe Santana both scored at the death to take the Bundesliga side through to Friday´s semi-final draw. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52948 DHARAN, April 10: Nepal Army Club registered a 3-2 extra-time win over host Dharan Football Club on Wednesday to enter the final of the 15th Buddhasubba Gold Cup Football Tournament being held in Dharan. Bikarna Shrestha scored the winner for the departmental team in the second minute of the 15-minute extra time. Earlier, the regulation time had ended in a 2-2 draw with Prakash Budhathoki netting twice for the home team and Tek Bahadur Budhathoki scoring both the goals for Army.[break] This is the second time that Army has reached the final of the tournament. Earlier, Army has entered the final in the 11th edition of the tournament in 2065 BS. Army was defeated by Three Star Club then. Army will face either national champion Three Star or Hong Kong Nepalese Federation (HKNF) in the final on Saturday. The second semifinal between Three Star and HKNF is taking place on Thursday. Dharan, studded with several A division players, including three foreign recruits, and backed by a huge home crowd, took an early lead through Prakash Budhathoki. Budhathoki, who plays for Friends Club in the top-tier domestic football, scored in the 16th minute with a spectacular strike from 20 yards after exchanging passes with Bikram Limbu. Tek Bahadur cancelled the home team´s lead in the injury time of first half. He then made it 2-1 for the departmental team in the 61st minute with a brilliant strike from outside the area in Raju Tamang´s pass. But man-of-the-match Prakash scored for Dharan again seven minutes later with a lob over advancing Army custodian Ganga Ram Deuja after receiving a pass from Deepak Rai. Bikarna Shrestha scored the winning goal for Army in the second minute of extra time. Shrestha collected a freekick by Raju Tamang in the area and fired home the winner to steer his team into the final. In the competitive match, both Army and Dharan wasted several scoring chances. Deepak Rai, Prakash and Shekhar Limbu of Dharan squandered scoring chances in the early moments of the match. Likewise, Bharat Khawas, Raju Tamang, Santosh Nepali and Tek Bahadur also missed some chances for the departmental team. Army coach Saila Maharjan expressed satisfaction over his side´s performance. "It was a 50/50 match. It was difficult to play against Dharan on their home ground," Maharjan said. Dharan´s coach Sagar Ghimire said missed chances in the early moments of the first half proved costly for the team. "Though we put up a good performance, there were weaknesses in finishing," said Ghimire, adding that opponent team was in it best form. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52928 KATHMANDU, April 10: Nepal Police Club athlete Keshari Chaudhary set two national records --one in women´s 100m hurdles and other in women´s long jump -- on the second day of the 38th National Athletics Championship on Wednesday. Chaudhary set the national record in 100m hurdles in her first ever participation in the event as she clocked 15.9 seconds on Wednesday. Nepal APF Club´s Sabita Chaudhary had the record in her name as she had clocked 17.7 seconds to cross the hurdles during the Sixth National Games held in Dhangadhi in February 2012.[break] "It was my first ever participation in hurdles and I´m delighted to know the result. Probably, my regular training and participation in triple jump event helped me cross the hurdles," said Chaudhary, who has returned to the track after nine-month long departmental training. "As senior athletes in my club are doing well in sprint, I decided to switch over to hurdles," she added. If Chaudhary is to be believed, she had trained and practiced hurdles only for a week. "As I had very little time for preparations, I hope for more encouraging results in future," she said. Courtesy: NSC Chaudhary jumped 5.36m in women´s long jump on Wednesday to better her own national record in the event. Earlier, she had jumped 5.20m and had set the national record. Chaudhary is the national record holder in women´s high jump and triple jump also. She is yet to compete in triple jump event in the ongoing championship. In the hurdles event, Sabita Chaudhary of APF also bettered the record, which she had set in the Sixth National Games but her Wednesday´s timing of 16.9 seconds was not enough to beat Keshari Chaudhary. Nepal Police Club´s Shantu Chaudhary claimed bronze medals in the event after clocking 19.2 seconds. Likewise, Krishna Kumari Chaudhary of Nepal Army jumped 4.94m to claim silver of the women´s long jump event. Shila Chaudhary of APF jumped 4.52m for bronze. Meanwhile, Kalyan Baniya of Nepal Army and Brindra Shrestha of APF claimed gold in 1500m race in men´s and women´s sections respectively. Baniya completed the race in 3 minutes 58.1 seconds and Shrestha clocked 4:58.9 seconds. APF Club´s Gopi Chand and Moti Lal Chaudhary claimed silver and bronze respectively in men´s section while Laxmi Pandey of Nepal Army and Geeta Khatri of APF remained in the second and third positions respectively in the women´s section. Nepal Army´s Dashi Ram Chaudhary and Dil Maya Karki of APF stood on the top of the victory stand of 400m sprint in men´s and women´s sections respectively. Chaudhary clocked 50.6 seconds to stay ahead of Binod Gurung and Hari Lal Chaudhary while Karki completed the event in 59.4 seconds ahead of Man Mati Bista and Radhya Raji. Nepal Police Club´s Dhirendra Chaudhary won gold medal in men´s 110m hurdles as he crossed the distance in 15.9 seconds while Army man Dhirendra Jung Shah covered 56.17m in men´s javelin throw to clinch gold. Likewise, Ribha Chaudhary of APF remained on the top of the victory stand with a javelin throw of 32.99m. The championship, organized by the Nepal Amateur Athletics Association, will conclude on Thursday. The final day of the championship will feature 10 events. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52945 60km race to mark diamond jubilee KATHMANDU, April 10: The organizer of Everest Diamond Jubilee Celebration 2013 on Wednesday said they have completed all the preparations for the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon and added a parallel event, the 60-km Everest Extreme Marathon, to mark the 60th anniversary of the first successful Everest expedition in 1953. Himalaya Expeditions has been organizing the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon every year on May 29, the day Tenzing Sherpa and Edmund Hillary scaled Mt Everest for the first time. The marathon, which starts from the Everest Base Camp, is said to be the highest marathon in the world.[break] According to coordinator of the organizing committee Bikram Pandey, 96 foreign athletes have already registered for the marathon and many others have contacted them for participation. "We are expecting participation of around 130 foreign athletes and 60 Nepalis in the marathon," said Pandey. Likewise, seven ultra-runners have already registered their names for the 60-km race and some more are expected to join later. "The 60-km marathon is part of the diamond jubilee celebrations," said Pandey. The marathon carries a cash prize of Rs 100,000 for the winner of open category and Rs 70,000 for the runner-up. Likewise, the winner of foreign category will receive Rs 50,000 while the runner-up will get Rs 30,000. In the women´s section too, the winner will bag Rs 50,000 and the runner-up will get Rs 30,000. Meanwhile, Himalaya Expeditions, together with an Indian Everest team, is also organizing Everest Climb Clean and Run (ECCR) as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations. Bikram Pandey (L), Managing Director of Himalaya Expedition, speaks at a press meet in Bhrikutimandap. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52929 KATHMANDU, April 10: New Diamond Volleyball Club, studded with young talents, kept pulling surprises in the women´s section of the First National Men´s and Women´s Club Volleyball League and thrashed Nepal Police Club on Wednesday. New Diamond, which defeated Nepal APF Club in its first match of the league, edged past Nepal Police Club 25-22, 25-15, 25-20 on Wednesday at the National Sports Council Covered Hall. It was the first occasion that New Diamond has defeated Police Club in the history of domestic volleyball. [break] Police Club was considered as the tournament favorite before the beginning of the league but it is yet to open account on the points table. Police Club had lost its first match against Western Region Volleyball Training Center in straight sets. Following the win, New Diamond is on the top of the table with five points from two matches while Western Region is in the second position with three points from a match. APF has a point on the points table. As per the tournament regulations, if a team wins with straight sets victory or within four sets, it gets three points. If the match ends only after five sets, winner gets two points and the loser gets a point. Western region vs APF (Photo: Bijay Rai) In men´s section, APF beat Western Region Volleyball Training Center 25-15, 25-16, 25-22 on Wednesday to remain on the top of the points table. Following three consecutive straight-set victories, APF has nine points on the points table. Nepal Police Club is in the second place with six points from two matches. Police Club pulled off a 25-16, 25-22, 25-10 victory over Nepal Army on Wednesday. Likewise, G-4 Sports Club registered second win in the league as it defeated University Sports Association Nepal (USAN) on Wednesday in straight sets. All the three sets ended in identical scores of 25-16. G-4 is in the third position with six points from three matches. Nepal Army is the fourth with three points while Western Region and USAN are yet to open their accounts on the points table. The tournament, organized by Nepal Volleyball Association, features top six men´s teams and top four women´s teams of the NVA Cup Volleyball that concluded in September 2012. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52931 KATHMANDU, April 10: Arihant Holidays-XI, Biratnagar and Siddhartha Cement-XI, Bhairahawa won their respective matches on Wednesday in the super league round of Arihant Holidays Champions League Inter-Marwadi T20 Cricket Tournament being held in the capital. In the matches played at the Pulchowk grounds, Arihant Holidays crushed Dhulabari Warriors by 77 runs while Siddhartha edged past Shalimar RMC-XI by 19 runs.[break] Put into bat first, Arihant posted a total of 206 runs for the loss of five wickets as man-of-the-match Shailesh Sethia struck 61 runs. Ajay Rajbanshi (45), Paras Luniya (35) and Abhishek Agrawal (19) also contributed for Arihant. Kunal Malik of Dhulabari claimed two wickets. Chasing the target, Dhulabari could make only 129/6. Ankush Bindal was the highest scorer for Dhulabari with 21 runs as the other batsmen were dismissed cheaply. Paras Luniya claimed two wickets for Arihant. In another match, electing to bat Siddhartha scored 159/9 and then bundled out Shalimar for 140 runs with one ball to spare. Damodar Sharma scored the highest 28 runs while Ikhlaq Ahmad (27) and Manish Garg (20) were the other major contributors for Siddhartha. Abhishek Sharma claimed three wickets. Rajiv Shrestha was the highest scorer for Shalimar with 56 runs, while Sumit Kadmiya contributed 16 runs. Man-of-the match Manish Agrawal claimed four wickets in his four-over spell. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52925 KATHMANDU, April 10: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is organizing the Nepal Bank Junior U-15 Football Tournament from Saturday at the Chyasal ground, Lalitpur. Organizing a press conference in the capital on Wednesday, Dhirendra Pradhan, general secretary of ANFA stated that the tournament to be held in the knockout format will feature altogether 60 teams. [break]The tournament sponsored by Nepal Bank Limited is running in the second year as per the five-year sponsorship deal signed by the bank. According to Nepal Bank, the bank will provide Rs 500,000 as the sponsor. "The event is being organized as part of long-time association with ANFA," said Nepal Bank CEO Maheshwar Lal Shrestha. Meanwhile, general secretary Pradhan stated that the best players from the tournament will be picked for the national U-16 team for upcoming AFC U-16 Qualifiers and SAFF U-16 Championship. The winner and the runner up will be awarded Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. Similarly, best players in four different positions -- goalkeeping, defense, midfield, forward -- and the best coach will be given attractive prizes. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52907 LONDON, April 10: Manchester City´s victory at Manchester United will have only sharpened the defending champions´ sense of frustration at their failure to keep pace with Alex Ferguson´s side in this season´s title race. Twelve months ago when the teams clashed at the Etihad Stadium, Vincent Kompany´s first-half header propelled the league title towards the blue half of Manchester for the first time since 1968.[break] When the Premier League fixture computer spat out another April encounter between the sides, it seemed likely to be another title decider. But City´s inconsistency and United´s ruthlessness have long since drawn any suspense from the battle for the English crown. As a result, though it was cheered into the night by City´s fans, the away side´s 2-1 success at Old Trafford on Monday is likely to matter little in the final reckoning, with United still 12 points distant at the table summit. Instead, victory merely vindicated City manager Roberto Mancini´s pre-match claim that, in a head-to-head showdown, his side are at least the equals of the team on the brink of wresting the title from them. "This win was important for us for the second position but this shows that we did not deserve to be 15 points behind," Mancini said. "The title is finished. It does not matter how many points behind. We are not close to them. They score more than us and that is the difference." Mancini´s last point about City´s relative lack of fire-power has been a recurring theme in his attempts to explain the gulf that has been allowed to open up between the teams. City finished last season with 93 league goals -- a figure matched by only Chelsea´s free-scoring 2009-10 Double-winners in the last 10 years. This season, their ratio of goals per game has shrivelled from 2.45 to 1.84, and with only 57 goals in 31 games, they trail not only United, but also Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the goal-scoring stakes. The goals have dried up throughout the team. Sergio Aguero plundered 23 league goals last season, including the unforgettable injury-time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day that wrenched the title from United´s disbelieving grasp. This season he has found the net only 10 times. Mario Balotelli, who notched 13 goals in 2011-12, had scored just once before he was shipped out to AC Milan in January, while David Silva and Samir Nasri have also endured disappointing campaigns. Laid next to United´s results, City´s goal-shy tendencies are telling. Both sides have only lost four games this season but whereas United have only drawn twice, City have found themselves just a solitary goal from victory on eight separate occasions. Had only half those draws been turned into wins, the gap between the clubs would now be just four points, rather than the chasm it actually is. Mancini has publicly bemoaned his club´s inability to prevent Robin van Persie from choosing United over City when he left Arsenal last August, even pinpointing the Dutchman as the principle difference between the two sides this season. City would doubtless have benefited from van Persie´s eye for goal -- the 29-year-old having found the target 23 times before the goals dried up in February -- but even the players that Mancini did manage to bring in have flattered to deceive. Although Serbian youngster Matija Nastasic has excelled at centre-back, Javi Garcia has played only intermittently, and while Jack Rodwell has been hampered by injuries, Maicon and Scott Sinclair have started only six league games between them. Midfielder James Milner insisted after Monday´s game that a successful title defence was "still mathematically possible", and City also remain alive in the FA Cup ahead of Sunday´s semi-final with Chelsea. However, amid common consensus that this is a far from vintage United team, City must wonder how they ever let their rivals get so far in front. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52906 PARIS, France, April 10: Borussia Dortmund produced a stunning late comeback to beat Malaga and progress to the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, while Real Madrid saw off the challenge of Galatasaray. After a goalless draw in last week´s first leg in Spain, Dortmund looked to be heading out of Europe when they trailed 2-1 on the night with the game at the Signal Iduna Park moving into injury time.[break] Marco Reus gave the Bundesliga club hope when he made it 2-2 in the 91st minute, but at that point Malaga were still heading through on away goals and it took Felipe Santana´s close-range finish to decide the tie in Dortmund´s favour. With Madrid leading 3-0 from last week´s first leg, there was never likely to be as much drama in their quarter-final return against Galatasaray in Istanbul, and even less so after Cristiano Ronaldo put the Spaniards ahead early on. But three goals in 15 second-half minutes gave Galatasaray some hope before Ronaldo´s second of the night in stoppage time finally ended any doubt as to who would progress. Still unbeaten in this season´s Champions League, Dortmund had plenty of reason to be confident of seeing off the challenge of tournament debutants Malaga, but there must have been a nagging concern at their inability to score an away goal at La Rosaleda last week. And they were left with an uphill struggle to qualify when Joaquin gave the visitors a 25th-minute lead on the night, capitalising on slack defending to drive a low shot through the legs of Neven Subotic and past Roman Weidenfeller in the home goal. The Signal Iduna Park´s huge South Stand was momentarily silenced by that goal, with Dortmund now needing to score twice to go through. They got one back five minutes before the interval when Robert Lewandowski ran on to a stunning Marco Reus flick and scored his sixth of the season in the competition. But Malaga looked certain to be heading through when substitute Eliseu, from an offside position, tapped in a Julio Baptista shot in the 82nd minute. Suddenly Dortmund needed two more goals but they got one when Reus finished from close range a minute into injury time and the stadium erupted when Santana bundled in at the very end. The Brazilian looked to be in an offside position, but the goal stood. "There is one very disappointed team at the moment and one lucky team," admitted Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp. "It is unbelievable. It was our worst game in the Champions League this season but over the two games I think we are deserving winners. "If we play like tonight we won´t win the Champions League," he added. "But now we´ve reached our target, a semi-final." In contrast, Malaga were left heartbroken, with striker Roque Santa Cruz saying: "We were four minutes away from the semis. There is huge disappointment in the dressing room. We had the tie in our hands." In Istanbul, Ronaldo´s close-range finish from a Sami Khedira centre put Real ahead on the night and left Galatasaray needing to score five times to turn the tie around. In a remarkable 15-minute spell in the second period, Emmanuel Eboue´s thumping effort levelled the scores on the night before Wesley Sneijder´s neat finish made it 2-1. Didier Drogba, a Champions League winner with Chelsea last season, then back-flicked a Nordin Amrabat cross into the net to make it 3-1, but the Turkish giants still had too much to do, and Ronaldo´s second of the night - his 50th in Europe - made the final score 3-2 on the night. Real progress 5-3 on aggregate and coach Jose Mourinho can now look forward to his seventh Champions League semi-final. "In this kind of match we had everything to lose but nothing to gain," said Mourinho. "Now we have a semi to play, against a great team. We do not know which one yet, but they will be great. It will be hard but now is the time to enjoy ourselves and not to be nervous or afraid." The semi-final line-up will be completed on Wednesday when Barcelona meet Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus take on Bayern Munich in the other quarter-final second legs. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52893 KATHMANDU, April 9: Nepal Taekwondo Association (NTA) has selected 10 young players from its door-to-door talent hunt program that concluded on Tuesday. The selected players had emerged champions in their respective categories at the Best of the Best Taekwondo Championship held in Satdobato on Tuesday. Altogether 80 players from Kathmandu, Baglung, Rupandehi and Nuwakot had vied for 10 gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals up for grabs in the tournament.[break] Som Maya Tamang secured gold in the women´s 49 kg weight category while Reshma Thapa finished second. Nirmala Dangol and Mahima Thing finished joint third in the event. In the women´s 46 kg category, Kajal Shrestha defeated Binika Joshi to claim gold while Kanchan Lama and Priyanka Shrestha settled for the third position. Muna Khawas won the title in the women´s 53 kg section. Puja Shrestha finished second while Sushma Shrestha and Manju Lama were joint third. Meanwhile, Pratima Chand clinched gold in the women´s 57 kg category defeating Jayanti Rai in the final. Kusum Gurung and Sanjit Lama both secured the third position. In the men´s 54 kg section, Jhalak Man Tamang pipped Nirkamal Thakuri in the final match for the title. Niran Ghale and Bikram Lamichhane finished third. Rimon Maharjan beat Bivek Rai in the men´s 58 kg final to lift the title. Raju Tamang and Manoj Shah clinched bronze medals. Likewise, Sajan Maharjan and Tilak Ale secured the top two positions in the men´s 63 kg category while Pemba Lama and Nima Lama stood joint third. In men´s 68 kg, Sujan Tamang and Nabin Shrestha secured gold and silver respectively while Resham KC and Rajin Singh clinched bronze medals. Saksham Karki won the title in the men´s 74 kg category defeating Dharma Raj Waiba in the final. Sabin Kumar Nagarkoti and Horizon Rai finished joint third in the event. In men´s 80 kg, Bijen Khatri defeated Man Bahadur Waiba in the final while Arjun Maharjan and Ashwin Maharjan secured the third position. Earlier, National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama inaugurated the tournament and praised NTA´s initiative to produce talented players. Lama also said NSC would lend support to NTA in the project. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52890 DHARAN, April 9: Hong Kong Nepalese Federation (HKNF) defeated Nepal Police Club 2-1 on Tuesday to advance into the semifinals of the 15th Budhasubba Red Bull Gold Cup football tournament underway in Dharan. Pukar Gahatraj scored both the goals as the Hong Kong-based team pulled off an upset win over three-time champion Police. Gahatraj scored in the 12th and 73rd minutes of the match.[break] Kelvin provided a pass to Gahatraj near the area and the latter struck home to put his side ahead early in the first half. Parbat Pandey scored from the spot to level the scores in the 63rd minute of the match. Referee Laba Khatri had awarded a penalty to Police after Suraj BK was brought down in the danger area by an HKNF defender. However, Gahatraj scored the winner 10 minutes later for HKNF. Capitalizing on a sloppy clearance of Dodoz´s shot by a Police defender, Gahatraj scored on the rebound to make it 2-1 for HKNF. Gahatraj was adjudged the man-of-the-match and awarded Rs 5,000. HKNF will take on Martyrs Memorial League champion Three Star in the semifinal on Thursday. "We won the match though we lacked coordination," said Narad Rai, the coach of the winning side. Dodoz missed a couple of chances for HKNF in the first half, including a one-on-one with Police goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa. Yogesh Shrestha of Police missed a chance in the ninth minute and HKNF goalkeeper Bikesh Kuthu blocked a shot from Suman Subedi later in the match. Police coach Hari Khadka said his boys failed to put up teamwork and coordinated effort. The host Dharan Football Club will take on Nepal Army on Wednesday in the first semifinal of the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52898 KATHMANDU, April 9: Three Star Club signed a three-year title sponsorship deal with Laxmi Bank on Tuesday. The Martyrs Memorial League champion, which is preparing for the upcoming AFC President´s Cup qualifiers, has become the first club to get a title sponsor for the upcoming 2070 BS season. Three Star President Lalit Krishna Shrestha and Laxmi Bank CEO Suman Joshi signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amidst a function in the capital on Tuesday.[break] As per the deal, Laxmi Bank will provide the club Rs 2 million every year while the club will brand itself as Laxmi Bank Three Star Club. Mega Bank had sponsored Three Star in 2067 BS, but the Lalitpur-based club was without a title sponsor in the recently concluded league. Three Star is the first club in Nepal´s football history to sign a title sponsorship agreement. Nabil Bank had sponsored the club for five years in the past. The Rs 2-million deal between Laxmi Bank and Three Star is the biggest sponsorship deal in Nepali football along with the one between Yeti Airlines and Himalayan Sherpa Club for the 2069 BS season. According to Three Star, co-sponsors Western Union and Leon Motors, the authorized distributor of Mitsubishi, have been providing the club Rs 1.15 million and Rs 575,000 respectively every year. If they continue to provide the same amount, Three Star would get Rs 3.725 million in the upcoming season. Laxmi Bank CEO Joshi said they signed the sponsorship deal with the club to stregnthen relations with the club. "Football is the most popular sports in the country and Three Star has been playing a crucial role to give it a positive direction. This is the reason why we chose Three Star for the sponsorship," said Joshi. Joshi handed over the club´s jersey with the logos of the sponsor and co-sponsors to Three Star captain Santosh Sahukhala and defender Biraj Maharjan on Tuesday. Three Star President Shrestha said the sponsorship deal would boost their AFC President´s Cup campaign. Shrestha said that vying for the league title without a main sponsor was a difficult task for the club. All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Ganesh Thapa said domestic tournaments and other programs conducted by ANFA have attracted the corporate houses to sponsor football. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52899 KATHMANDU, April 9: Ailing boxing coach Kishor Thapa received financial assistance for his treatment on Tuesday from former boxers residing in the United States of America. Thirty-six-year-old Thapa was recently diagnosed with paralysis, according to Olympian Umesh Maskey. Maskey told Republica that Thapa´s condition is deteriorating of late as his condition was triggered by stroke while playing boxing in his heydays. Former pugilist Manoj Bahadur Shrestha handed over Rs 36,500 to Thapa´s daughter Arati amidst a function in Kathmandu. [break] Shrestha had collected the amount from other Nepali boxers Sushil Pokharel, Bijay Dangol and Dhruva Shrestha residing in the US. Thapa had won bronze medals in the fifth and the sixth editions of the South Asian Games during the mid-nineties. Khatiwada, Adhikari appointed NSJF members KATHMANDU: Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) appointed Nabin Khatiwada and Niranjan Adhikari as its executive committee members on Tuesday. A meeting of the executive committee chaired by NSJF President Ajay Phuyal appointed Khatiwada and Adhikari to give full shape to its newly-elected body. There are 15 members in the executive committee that was elected on Saturday. Khatiwada and Adhikari were also executive committee members in the dissolved committee. BNS Gold Cup starts Wednesday DHANKUTA: The organizer has increased the prize money for this year´s Martyr Bhim Narayan Shrestha Invitational International Gold Cup football tournament that begins in Dhankuta on Tuesday. Defending champion Birtamod Youth Club will face Clearing Football Club (CFC) Bhutan in the inaugural match of the tournament on Tuesday. Altogether eight clubs, including Nepal Army, Nepal APF Club, CFC, Boys Union and local teams from the eastern region, are vying for the title. The winner of the tournament will get Rs 100,000 while the runner-up will receive Rs 50,000. In the last edition, the winner had received Rs 75,000 while the runner-up had got Rs 35,000. San Miguel Beer is the main sponsor of the tournament while Red Bull, CRS and Rara instant noodles are the co-sponsors. Meanwhile, Dhankuta District Development Committee has provided financial assistance of Rs 350,000 for the tournament while Dhankuta Municipality has provided Rs 100,000. The tournament will conclude on April 17. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52881 KATHMANDU, April 9: Nepal Police Club athletes Tilak Ram Tharu and Sabitri Nepali clinched gold medals in 100m sprint as the 38th National Athletics Championship kicked off at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu on Tuesday. Tharu clocked 10.6 seconds to claim gold in the men´s section while his club-mate Yam Sajan Sunuwar finished second with a timing of 10.8 seconds. Min Bahadur Chaudhary of Nepal Army came third clocking 10.9 seconds.[break] In the women´s section, Nepali completed the 100m sprint in 13.0 seconds to take the gold medal. Nepal APF Club sprinter Sabita Chaudhary (13.1 seconds) and Nepal Army´s Krishna Kumari Chaudhary (13.4 seconds) finished second and third respectively. Nepal Army athletes claimed four gold medals on the opening day of the championship. Kalyan Baniya won the men´s 5,000m race with a timing of 15 minutes 4.1 seconds. Army´s Raj Kumar Bista clocked 15 minutes 5.3 seconds to take silver, while Kiran Kumar Malla of APF claimed bronze with a timing of 15 minutes 31.4 seconds. Army´s Bam Bahadur Gurung clinched gold in the men´s shot put with a throw of 12.13m. Army´s Dhirendra Jung Shah (11.63m) and Nepal Police´s Narendra Jung Shah (10.71m) claimed silver and bronze medals in the event respectively. Anju Kumari added another gold medal for Nepal Army as she won the women´s shot put with a throw of 9.25m. Hiran Chadhary (8.18m) of Nepal Police and Parbati Joshi (8.14m) of Banke claimed silver and bronze medals respectively. Nepal Army´s Prabha Chaudhary jumped 1.45m in the women´s high jump to secure a fourth gold for the departmental side. Shila Chaudhary (1.43m) of APF and Tulasi Khatri (1.34m) of Surkhet secured second and third positions respectively. APF claimed two gold medals on Tuesday as runner Kanchhi Maya Koju won the women´s 5,000m race and athlete Bal Krishna Chaudhary won the men´s high jump. Koju clocked 18 minutes 20.9 seconds to win the women´s 5,000m race while Bishwa Rupa Budha of Jumla finished second with a timing of 18 minutes 58.4 seconds. Geeta Khatri of APF clocked 19 minutes 48.6 seconds to claim the bronze medal. APF´s Chaudhary leaped 1.93m to win gold in the men´s high jump. Surya Khatri of Army and Amrit Nepali of Kaski claimed silver and bronze medals in the event respectively. Khatri jumped 1.91m while Nepali leaped 1.70m. The three-day championship will feature competitions in nine events on Wednesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52883 KATHMANDU, April 9: The women´s team of Western Region stunned title favorite Nepal Police Club in the First National Men´s and Women´s Club League Volleyball with a four-set victory at the National Sports Council covered hall, Tripureshwar on Tuesday. Western Region won the first set 25-17 but Police bounced back to take the second set 25-21. Western Region then edged past Police 26-24 in the third set before wrapping up the match with a 25-15 win in the final set.[break] In the men´s section, NPC defeated University Team 25-19, 25-17, 25-13 in straight sets. In another match of the men´s category, G-4 Sports Club registered a 25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17 win over Western Region while Armed Police Force (APF) Club defeated Tribhuvan Army Club 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21. APF leads the points table in the men´s section with six points while Army is in the second position with three points. Police and G-4 are third and fourth respectively despite having three points each, while Western Region and University Team are in the fifth and sixth spots and have yet to open their accounts. In the women´s category, Western Region is on top with three points. New Diamond with two points and APF with one point are second and third respectively. Police lies at the bottom with no points in its kitty. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52878 KATHMANDU, April 9: GoldenGate has set up a title clash with Gurukul in the First Kirtipur Cup Basketball League. GoldenGate thrashed the tournament host Naya Bazaar Club 95-65 in the semifinal on Tuesday to book a final date with Gurukul, who defeated Whitehouse 72-58 in the first semifinal on Tuesday.[break] GoldenGate dominated Naya Bazaar throughout the match. GoldenGate scored 23 points in the first quarter, whereas the host scored only 16 points. GoldenGate led the other three quarters as well with the scores of 30-21, 29-16 and 13-12 respectively to register a comprehensive win. Sujan Pun topscored for GoldenGate with 19 points while Sushil Gurung, Anish Shahi and Manish Rajopadhyaya scored 14 points each. Earlier, Gurukul beat Whitehouse 72-58 to continue its winning streak in the tournament. Gurukul, which won all 10 matches of the league round, scored 18 points in the first quarter against nine scored by Whitehouse. Gurukul extended the lead with second-quarter scores of 16-15. Whitehouse tried to bounce back scoring 19 points in the third quarter against 14 scored by Gurukul, but the latter took the last quarter 24-15 to win the match by a comfortable margin. Sanjay Byanjankar scored 21 points and Rishi Robertson scored 10 points for Whitehouse. Tournament´s leading scorer Sadish Pradhan and Ajay Manandhar scored 18 points each for Gurukul. Pradhan has scored 243 points in the tournament while Ayush Singh of Naya Bazaar is the second highest scorer with 210 points. The final match of the tournament will be played on Saturday at the host´s court at Kirtipur. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52833 KATHMANDU, April 8: The women´s team of New Diamond Sports Club made a winning start in the First National Men´s and Women´s Club Volleyball League on Monday.New Diamond edged past Nepal APF Club in a five-set thriller in the match played at the National Sports Council (NSC) covered hall at Tripureshwar. New Diamond won the match 25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-11. In the men´s section, APF and Nepal Army started the tournament on winning notes. APF, the winner of the recently concluded National Volleyball Championship, defeated G-4 Sports Club 25-21, 28-26, 25-20.[break] Army thumped University Sports Association Nepal (USAN) 25-14, 25-14, 26-24 in the second match of the day. According to Nepal Volleyball Association, the tournament features the top six men´s teams and top four women´s teams of NVA Cup Volleyball. Three departmental teams -- Nepal Police Club, Nepal Army Club and Armed Police Force (APF) -- along with USAN, G-4 Sports Club and Western Regional Volleyball Training Center are competing in the men´s section. The women´s section features Nepal Police Club, Armed Police Force, New Diamond Sports Club and Western Regional Volleyball Training Center. The top three teams at the end of both the men´s and women´s leagues will be awarded Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. The best player will be awarded Rs 25,000. Similarly, best players in five positions will get Rs 5,000 each. Earlier, National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama inaugurated the tournament organized by NVA, handing over the match ball to international volleyball referee Gautam Prasad Lasiba. Inaugurating the tournament, Lama said NSC is ready to support NVA as it has become very active in recent days. "Earlier, NVA was one of the inactive associations but after the election of new leadership, NVA has impressed NSC with its programs," said Lama. NVA President Dan Bahadur Tamang said the association under his leadership has organized and initiated altogether 22 tournaments -- 13 in men´s section and nine in women´s section -- within a year. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52840 DHARAN, April 8: A lone goal from Nawayug Shrestha helped Nepal Army Club defeat Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) 1-0 on Monday and secure berth in the semifinals of the 15th Budhasubba Red Bull Gold Cup Football Tournament underway in Dharan. Shrestha scored for the departmental team 11 minutes into the second half to send two-time champion MMC crashing out of the tournament from its very first match. The win also avenged Army´s 2-0 defeat to MMC in the Ncell Cup held some six months ago in the capital and the 1-0 defeat in the super league of Martyrs Memorial League on March 13.[break] Army will take on host Dharan FC in the semifinal to be played on Wednesday. Shrestha scored from the area in Tanka Basnet´s cross to break the deadlock. Shrestha´s shot entered the far post taking a deflection off the bar. Contrary to expectations, Army looked too strong for MMC, which finished second in the recently concluded league, one spot ahead of the departmental team. Army dominated the match from start to finish and made more than half-a-dozen attempts on goal. In the 13th minute, Budhathoki fired wide in Bharat Khawas´ pass. A moment later, Jeetendra Karki shot high above the bar. In the 21st, Khawas wasted a scoring chance while scorer Shrestha failed to score in a one-on-one with custodian Bishal Shrestha three minutes later. MMC, which was playing without its four African players, lacked coordination. Sulav Maskey squandered a scoring chance for MMC in the seventh minute when his feeble shot from the area was easily saved by Army custodian Gangaram Deuja. Maskey again shot high above the bar in the 17th minute. During the later stages, Amir Shrestha and Sujal Shrestha both squandered scoring chances. MMC custodian Bishal Shrestha, who made some valiant saves, was declared the man-of-the-match and awarded Rs 5,000. Army striker Bharat Khawas said the win was important as the first match is always difficult. "The pitch was small and uneven, and it is difficult to score on such a pitch," said Khawas, adding that MMC was a strong team. "It was unfortunate that we could not score despite numerous attempts," said Khawas. MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang commented that his players were tired after playing in the league. "We also felt the absence of foreign players. There was no coordination among the players as they have not trained for a single day," said Lopsang, who also lamented his side´s defense lapses. Nepal Police Club will lock horns with Hong Kong Nepali Federation in the last quarterfinal on Tuesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52834 KATHMANDU, April 8: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Monday honored 10 football personalities, including referees, coaches and players, with the Rupak Memorial Award 2069 for their contributions to Nepali football amidst a function held at its headquarters in Satdobato, Lalitpur. ANFA awarded referees Kiran Giri, Surendra Sikhrakar, Binod KC and Kalpana Sharma; coaches Padam Krishna Shrestha, Shiva Bhakta Joshi, Bhim Thapa and Dhan Bahadur Basnet, and players Jamuna Gurung and Surendra Tamang. All the awardees were given Rs 100,000 and a Yamaha motorbike each.[break] CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli and National Sports Council (NSC) Vice-president Pitambar Timilsina gave away the awards. The annual award is set up in the memory of former national team captain and FIFA referee late Rupak Raj Sharma who died in a plane crash in Bhattedanda, Lalitpur in 1992 while returning from Pakistan on a PIA flight. Below are brief profiles of the awardees and their contributions to Nepali football. Kiran Giri Giri, 42, a resident of Biratnagar, started his career as a national referee in 1992 and got the FIFA assistant referee license in 1997. He served as a FIFA assistant referee for 14 years until 2011. Giri has officiated in all three divisions of the domestic league and also in national level tournaments. At the international level, Giri has officiated in the Club Championship Asia Cup (Uzbekistan), U-19 Asian Cup (India), Asian Championship (Thailand), Asian Club Championship (Maldives), 2002 Korea/Japan Qualifying rounds (Saudi Arabia), 2006 SAF Games (Colombo), Nehru Cup (Delhi) and SAFF Championship (Bangladesh), among others. Surendra Sikhrakar Sikhrakar, who hails from Tebahal, Kathmandu, is renowned as a coach but was also a member of the Nepali national squad. Giri started his playing career with Sankata in the C division league in 2038 BS and was a key member of the squad when the club earned promotion to A division four years later. He has played in the A division league, Birthday Cup, Nara Trophy and other national level tournaments. The 46-year-old has represented Nepal in U-13 and U-16 age group tournaments and also at the senior level. He played for Nepal Airlines Corporation, Three Star, Friends Club and Royal Drugs Limited in top level domestic football. Sikhrakar got the batch of national referee in 1995 and FIFA referee in 1997. During his 12-year career as a FIFA referee, he officiated in international tournaments like the 1997 World Cup Qualifiers (Turkmenistan), Asian Youth Qualifiers (India), 1999 SAFF (Kathmandu) and Asian Cup Qualifiers, among others. He also officiated in the Nehru Cup (India). Sikhrakar is currently the president of Referee Association of Nepal as well as instructor and assessor. Binod KC KC, 48, a resident of Lalitpur, played in the top tier domestic football for 11 years from 1979. He got the FIFA assistant referee license in 1997 and served in the same capacity until 2010. He also holds the AFC Elite Referee (2006) certificate. Kalpana Sharma Sharma is the first woman FIFA referee from the South Asian region. She started her career as a referee a year after taking referee training in 1993. She got the FIFA assistant referee batch in 1999 and worked in the same capacity until 2007. Sharma has been working as a FIFA referee after receiving the batch in 2008. She has officiated in international tournaments, including the 1999 Asian Women Championship (Philippines), 2004 Asian U-19 Women´s Championship (China), 2007 ASEAN Women´s Championship (Myanmar), 2011 South Asian Games (Bangladesh), 2010 SAFF Women´s Championship (Bangladesh) and 2012 SAFF Women´s Championship (Bangladesh), in the capacity of referee and assistant referee. Before starting her career as a referee, Sharma had represented Nepal in the 1989 Asian Women´s Football Championship in Hong Kong. She played in domestic women´s football for 17 years starting in 1982 . Padam Krishna Shrestha Shrestha is the first batch coach of NIS Patiala and started his coaching career in 1969. He served as the vice-president of ANFA in 1990 and was also the acting chief of the football governing body for a brief period. He served as coach at the National Sports Council for 20 years and was later appointed as the chief coach. He also took part in an A license coaching course in Germany in 1983. He got Sports Management certificate from Germany (1985) and FIFA License Course from Malaysia (1972). Shrestha played from Friends Union and was a key member of the squad that won the title in 1967. Shiva Bhakta Joshi Former national team skipper Raju Shakya received the award on behalf of Joshi for an undisclosed reason. Joshi, 68, started his coaching career as a physical coach in 1986. He also served as the assistant coach of the national team and the coach of U-15 and youth teams. He was a member of the national football team in 1970. Joshi has taken a diploma coaching course from Patiala and advanced course from Germany. Bhim Thapa Thapa has taken charge as head coach of the national team in various international tournaments such as Pre-World Cup, Pre-Olympic, SAF Games and others since 1984. He has also worked as coordinator of various coaching courses in Nepal. A former general secretary of ANFA, Thapa worked as physical instructor at the Ministry of Education and Sports for eight years. He has also played for various top flight clubs and zonal team of Nepal. Thapa holds an A license from West Germany. Dhan Bahadur Basnet Basnet served as the chief coach of NSC and was the chief of training and coaching department. The 62-year-old joined NSC in 1981. Surendra Tamang Tamang is a former member of the Nepali national team. The 33-year-old featured in various international tournaments from 2003 to 2007. He won the best forward award in the 2004 Martyrs Memorial League and the best player award in the 2008 Governor´s Gold Cup. Tamang has scored more than 50 goals in the domestic league. Tamang is currently associated with Saraswati Club. Jamuna Gurung Gurung is the skipper of the current national women´s football team. Gurung, equally efficient in midfield as well as a forward, has scored a record 25 international goals. The 24-year-old has guided Armed Police Force (APF) to title in various national level tournaments. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52826 KATHMANDU, April 8: The Dasharath Rangashala Tennis Complex Management Committee said on Monday that it is hosting the Citizens Bank Tennis Tournament from Saturday at the tennis complex at Tripureshwar. The tournament, supported by All Nepal Lawn Tennis Association and sponsored by Citizens Bank, will feature men´s singles as an open competition. There will also be men´s singles and doubles events in three age groups -- above 35, above 45 and above 55, while the above-65 age group will have only singles event. Organizing a press conference on Monday, sponsor Citizens Bank and the organizing committee informed that the men´s singles winner will get a cash prize of Rs 20,000 while the runner-up will receive Rs 10,000. Likewise, the winners of singles and doubles events in above-35 and above-45 age groups will receive Rs 10,000 each while the runners-up will get Rs 6,000 each. According to chairperson of the organizing committee Manohar Das Mool, men´s singles is being introduced for the first time in the annual tournament. "We are hopeful that we can add women´s events in the next edition of the tournament," said Mool. Citizens Bank CEO Rajan Singh Bhandari said the bank has been supporting tennis as a continuation of its support to Nepali sports. "We recently supported the national badminton tournament and volleyball tournament held in Mahendranagar. We´ll continue to suppor Nepali sports," said Bhandari. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52839 KATHMANDU: Nepal and host Malaysia have been drawn in the same group for the upcoming ACC U-19 Elite Cup to be held from May 3 to 11. According to the draw published by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Monday, Nepal and Malaysia have been drawn in Group B along with Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, the UAE, Thailand and Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group A of the tournament. Nepal had finished runner-up in the last edition of the tournament held in Thailand in 2011 following its defeat to Afghanistan in the final. Nepal had won the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 editions of the tournament. Nepal had defeated Malaysia in the final in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and in the semifinal in 2007. Nepal will take on Kuwait in its first match on May 3. Likewise, Nepal will play against Qatar on May 5, Bahrain on May 6 and Malaysia on May 8. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup to be held in the UAE in 2014. As the UAE has already qualified for the World Cup as the host, the runner-up of ACC U-19 Elite Cup would qualify for the World Cup if the UAE wins the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52808 LONDON, April 7: Chelsea came from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and deny Paolo Di Canio a sensational start in his first game as a Premier League manager. Chelsea´s victory, in a game that witnessed two own goals, saw them climb above both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur into third place, while Sunderland remain just a point above the relegation zone.[break] Appointed as the successor to Martin O´Neill amid a whirlwind of controversy over his alleged fascist sympathies, Di Canio had dominated the British sporting headlines in the build-up to the game. Chelsea´s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata (L) and Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi (R) celebrate after Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic (not pictured) scores their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge in London, on April 7, 2013. Chelsea won the game 2-1. (AFP) The Italian, who this week denied he was a fascist, saw his side take the lead on the stroke of half-time when Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta inadvertently hooked John O´Shea´s header into his own goal. Di Canio had drafted Matthew Kilgallon into his starting line-up but the centre-back accidentally gifted Chelsea an equaliser in the 47th minute when he diverted Oscar´s pass past visiting goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Branislav Ivanovic completed the Chelsea comeback 10 minutes into the second half but his strike was similarly fortuitous, David Luiz´s strike cannoning off him and trundling into the bottom-right corner. "I am not worried (about relegation)," said Di Canio. "When I decided to move to Sunderland, I knew what players were here but we have to fight until the end of the season. "I won´t say this was a bonus game but it was a test for us to see what we can do. I am not happy we lost 2-1, but there were positive things I can take from this." Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez said: "We needed to improve, obviously. The negative thing is we concede a goal, the positive thing is we recover and come back." Earlier, Gylfi Sigurdsson snatched a late equaliser as Tottenham denied Champions League qualification rivals Everton victory in a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane. Spurs went into the game aiming to tighten their grip on third place and they took the lead after just 34 seconds when a stretching Emmanuel Adebayor toed Jan Vertonghen´s cross past Tim Howard. However, Phil Jagielka equalised with a 15th-minute header before Kevin Mirallas put the visitors in front eight minutes into the second half with a goal to rival his fine strike in last weekend´s 1-0 win at Stoke City. Picking up the ball in the inside-right channel, the Belgian neatly weaved his way past three opposing players before planting a shot in the bottom-left corner. David Moyes´ side were within sight of a fourth straight league win, only for Sigurdsson to tap home an equaliser in the 87th minute after Adebayor´s shot came back off the post. Tottenham finish the weekend in the fourth and final Champions League qualifying place, but although they are two points above Arsenal and six points clear of Everton, both their pursuers have games in hand. "It looks like it will go down to the wire at the end of the season for these Champions League spots," said Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas. "It´s part of the game - everything shifts very, very quickly in the Premier League, but we have been in this position before and you have to deal with the pressure." Meanwhile, Shaun Maloney scored a glorious injury-time free-kick to earn third-bottom Wigan Athletic a 1-1 draw at second-bottom Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Loic Remy´s magnificent 85th-minute strike looked to have breathed new life into QPR´s bid to avoid the drop, only for Maloney to bend a free-kick into the top-right corner with practically the last kick of the game. QPR, who had Bobby Zamora sent off in the first half, now lie seven points from safety with six games to play, while Wigan trail Sunderland on goal difference alone and have a game in hand. Meanwhile, Liverpool´s bid for a European berth faltered as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to West Ham United. Brendan Rodgers´ side lost Stewart Downing to injury in the first half at Anfield and their best chance saw a Steven Gerrard effort blocked on the line by James Tomkins. The result meant Liverpool remained in seventh place, but they are now seven points outside the European qualifying places having played a game more than both fifth-place Arsenal and sixth-place Everton. Elsewhere, Papiss Cisse struck in injury time to earn Newcastle United a 1-0 win at home to Fulham that lifted Alan Pardew´s side five points clear of the bottom three. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52800 DHARAN, April 7: Goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong emerged as the unlikely hero for national champion Three Star Club on Sunday as he headed home a last-gasp equalizer against Sahara Club of Pokhara and then saved two penalties in the tie-breaker to steer his team into the semifinals of the 15th Buddhasubba Gold Cup Football Tournament being held in Dharan. With his team staring at defeat, Chemjong turned the match around with an unbelievable header seconds before the end of stoppage time to level the scores at 1-1 in regulation time. Leaving his position, Chemjong moved forward into the opposition half and scored with a perfect header in a long throw from defender Sandip Rai.[break] Nepali international Chemjong also denied two spotkicks taken by Sahara players in the tie-breaker. The match was decided in penalty shootout instead of additional time citing time constraints. The tie-breaker also failed to decide the winner as the scores were tied at 3-3 after both the sides had taken five penalties. Three Star´s African recruits Adewumi Femi and Victor fired the first two spotkicks off the target. But Bishnu Sunuwar, Bijay Dhimal and Bijay Gurung converted the next three penalties. Subash Gurung missed the first penalty for Sahara while the fifth spotkick by Ibrahim Olusola was denied by custodian Chemjong. Akeen O Babatunde, Hemanta Gurung and Hem Tamang scored for Sahara in the tie-breaker. In the sudden death, Victor, skipper Chemjong and Anil Gurung converted their penalties for Three Star, while Deepak Gurung and Dil Bahadur were on target for Sahara. However, custodian Chemjong denied Manish Tamang´s third penalty for Sahara to send the defending champion through to the semifinals. Earlier, Sahara had taken the lead against the run of play in the 33rd minute. Subash Gurung scored with a brilliant finish from outside the area in Hemant Gurung´s pass. Gurung chipped over advancing custodian Chemjong to stun Three Star. Three Star, playing without its regular skipper Santosh Sahukhala and defender Biraj Maharjan, created frequent chances and made numerous attempts on goal but failed to find the equalizer until custodian Chemjong came to the rescue. In the 28th minute, Bijay Dhimal was denied by Sahara custodian Ajeet Prajapati, who also prevented Victor´s header in the 39th. Prajapati again made a brilliant save to prevent Sandeep Rai´s header during the hour mark. Femi and Victor both missed chances in the 83rd minute as well. Three Star coach Pradip Humagain said his side was made to work hard for victory as they had not trained after winning the A division league recently. "The players had not trained together after the league concluded and they lacked coordination today," said Humagain. Sahara coach Kiran Shrestha blamed referee Laba Khatri for his side´s defeat. "We lost the match due to the referee´s biased decision." The referee conducted the match for nine minutes though only seven minutes of stoppage time were added. We lost the match we had already won. The referee behaved as if the league champion should not be defeated," said Shrestha, expressing satisfaction at his side´s performance. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52780 KATHMANDU : Bibhuti Karki clinched her second gold medal in the Fifth Kesha Group-JTI Junior Open Tennis Tournament on Saturday. Karki defeated Mayanka Rana 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the final of the U-14 girls´ singles event held at the Satdobato Tennis court on Saturday. Earlier, Karki had won gold in the U-16 girls´ singles category. Meanwhile, All Nepal Lawn Tennis Association felicitated Nepal Sports Journalist Forum and Jholendra Man Shakya, who is in the racket stringing business for the last four decades, for their support to Nepali tennis. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52754 KATHMANDU, April 6: Tajikistan qualified for the final rounds of AFC U-14 Championship from Group C on Saturday maintaining its unbeaten run while host Nepal thumped Bhutan 13-0 to wrap up its campaign with its first victory in the tournament. In the match played at the Dasharath Stadium, Tajikistan defeated Afghanistan 2-1 to qualify for the final rounds to be held in 2014 as the group winner. In the last two matches, Tajikistan had defeated Bhutan 15-0 and played a 1-1 draw against Bhutan.[break] Tajikistan lies at the top of the table with seven points, one point ahead of second-placed Afghanistan. Nepal finished third with four points while Bhutan lies at the bottom without a point. Only the group winner qualifies for the final rounds. On Saturday, Tajikistan took an early fourth-minute lead through Fuzaylov Ziyovuddin. But Afghanistan equalized in the injury time of first half. Substitute Muhammadiev Aslaiddin restored the lead for Tajikistan six minutes from time in the 60-minute match. In the second match played at the same venue, Mingma, Prezen and Ashim Rai netted a hat-trick each for Nepal against South Asian neighbor Bhutan. Susan achieved the target twice while Suraj and Kshitiz Raj scored one each for the home team. Earlier, Nepal was defeated 2-1 by Afghanistan and had played a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52749 DHARAN, April 6: Host Dharan Football Club edged past Bhutan Clearing Football Club (CFC) 2-1 in the inaugural match of the 15th Budhasubba Red Bull Gold Cup in Dharan on Saturday. Prakash Budhathoki and Nigerian recruit Segun scored a goal each to seal victory for Dharan FC on home ground. With the win, Dharan FC also entered the semifinals of the tournament. The host had crashed out from the very first match in the last two editions.[break] Dharan FC made an attacking start and was rewarded with an early lead. Budhathoki put his side ahead capitalizing on the CFC goalkeeper´s failure to clear a shot from Deepak Rai in the seventh minute of the match. The visiting side leveled the scores in the injury time of the first half through penalty. The referee awarded spot kick to CFC after Dharan FC captain Charles Rai handled the ball in an attempt to clear the ball. Soren scored from the spot to make it 1-1. Segun scored in the 76th minute to seal the match 2-1 in favor of Dharan. Segun struck home after collecting a long pass from goalkeeper Binay Shrestha. Dharan FC, which has included eight players from various A Division clubs for the tournament, missed several other scoring chances during the match. Budhathoki was adjudged the man-of-the-match. He received a cash prize of Rs 5,000. Dharan FC coach Sagar Ghimire said his team is yet to set properly since some of the players reached Dharan only on Saturday morning. "We could have scored more if we had adequate time to set the team," said Ghimire. However, he expressed delight at the victory. CFC Bhutan coach Bikash Pradhan said his boys failed to perform to their potential. "These boys had only played a league tournament in a year and they are inexperienced," said Pradhan. Dharan FC will take on the winner of the match between Army Club and Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club in the semifinal on Wednesday. Meanwhile, defending champion Three Star Club will lock horns with Sahara Club, Pokhara on Sunday. Earlier, National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama inaugurated the tournament. On the occasion, the organizing committee felicitated Dharan-UK Forum and its treasurer Rajiv Shrestha for their cooperation. Likewise, South Asian Games medalist boxer Nima Lama, karate coach Chandra Kala Rai, boxer Nirmal Ijam Limbu, karateka Jina Subba and District Sports Development Committee office-secretary Kumar Pokharel were also felicitated during the inauguration ceremony. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52752 KATHMANDU, April 6: Ratnajit Tamang and his sister Sara Devi reached another milestone in national badminton on Saturday as the siblings helped Tribhuvan Army Club secure six of the 10 gold medals up for grabs to lift the title of Li Ning 36th National Badminton Championship. Ratnajit claimed three golds while Sara Devi won two golds on the final day of the tournament. The pair had won the singles titles in the Ninth Krishna Mohan Memorial Badminton Championship earlier this year as well as in the Second Pushpalal Memorial Ranking National Badminton Championship held last year.[break] On Saturday, Ratnajit registered a hard-fought 25-23, 21-19 win over defending champion Bikash Shrestha of Bhojpur in the men´s singles final held at the National Sports Council´s covered hall, Tripureshwar. Ratnajit had earlier teamed up with his sister Sara Devi to claim gold in the mixed doubles category. The pair defeated Pooja Shrestha and Indra Mahata of APF 21-11, 21-13 in the final. Ratnajit also clinched gold in the men´s doubles along with his club-mate Ram Rai to complete his three-gold haul in the tournament. They defeated the pair of Suroj Maharjan and Dipesh Dhami 17-21, 21-12, 21-16 in the all-Army final. Meanwhile, Sara Devi of Tribhuvan Army Club claimed her individual gold defeating her sister and club mate Nangsal Devi Tamang 21-18, 21-16 in the women´s singles final. However, Sara Devi was denied a fairytale end as the Tamang sisters lost the women´s doubles final 21-18, 17-21, 21-15 to Pooja Shrestha and Sabina Panthi of APF. Megha Chand added another gold for Army Club as she defeated Jessica Gurung of Jhapa 21-18, 21-8 in the U-15 girls´ singles final while Dipesh Dhami of Tribhuvan Army Club claimed gold in the U-17 boys´ singles event defeating Sawan Shrestha of Sunsari 21-12, 21-10 in the final. In the U-17 girls´ singles final, Shiksha Shrestha of APF defeated Ganga Bista of Kailali 21-13, 21-9 to claim gold. In an all-Bhojpur affair, Nabin Shrestha ousted Bishal Tamang 21-17, 21-14 to lift the U-15 boys´ singles title. In the veterans´ doubles section, APF pipped NPC for gold. APF finished the tournament with three golds and one silver while Bhojpur finished third with one gold and two silvers. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52753 KATHMANDU, April 6: Sonam Ongdi won the Surya Nepal Gokarna Monthly Medal golf tournament at the Gokarna Golf Club on Saturday. Ongdi, Ang Dorjee Sherpa and Joseph Nathan were all tied at two-under 70. Sonam defeated both the players on the countback. Ang Dorjee finished runner-up while Joseph Nathan secured the third position in the tournament. Tashi Ghale won the best gross award. [break] Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Management committee member of Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) Pvt Ltd V Srinivasan gave away the prizes to the winners. After the second edition, TG Shrestha and Sonam Ongdi Lama are on top with 100 points each while Brian Fawcett and Ang Dorjee Sherpa are joint third. Joseph Nathan, Nirakar Shrestha and Keith Harrison share the fifth position. Rekha Ghimire and Dipendra Tandon are tied for eighth and Tashi Ghale is in the 10th spot. Bajracharya wins gold KATHMANDU: Samrakshak Bhusan Bajracharya claimed gold in the U-12 boys´ singles category in the Fifth Kesha Group-JTI Junior Open Tennis Tournament on Saturday. Bajracharya edged past Pranab Khanal 6-1, 7-5 in the final at the Satdobato Tennis Complex, Lalitpur. Anne Mathema registered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-0 win over Ira Rawat to claim the U-12 girls´ singles title while Saksham Karki struggled past Samrakshak Bhusan Bajracharya 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to claim gold in the U-14 boys´ singles final. However, Karki´s hopes of securing a second gold suffered a blow as he lost the final of the U-16 boys´ singles to Aavash Malla 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. Bibhuti Karki won the U-16 girls´ singles title defeating Bijisha Shrestha 6-3, 7-5 in the final. Meanwhile, Aditya Subedi defeated Aki Juben Rawat 8-6 to win gold in the U-9 boys´ singles section. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52751 KATHMANDU, April 6: Host Nayabazar Club, Gurukul, Golden Gate and White House entered the semifinals of the Kirtipur Cup Basketball League on Saturday. Gurukul won all the 10 league matches of the tournament while Golden Gate suffered defeat twice against Gurukul. Nayabazar Club finished third in the league stage with five wins and five defeats while White House won four and lost six games to secure its place in the last four. [break]Army Club won three and lost seven matches while NASA lost all 10 league matches. White House beat NASA 71-58 on Saturday. White House took the first quarter 24-8. Showing some resistance NASA scored 17 in the second quarter against 16 scored by White House. White House extended its lead with a third quarter score of 17-13. In the last quarter, NASA scored 20 points against 14 scored by White House but could not avoid the defeat. Sanjay Byanjankar scored 27 points for the winning side. Nayabazar beat Army Club 62-56 in the second match of the day to pave the way for White House to enter the semifinals. Nayabazar clinched the victory with quarterly scores of 20-9, 9-14, 16-10 and 17-23 respectively. Sagar Thapa played a vital role in Nayabazar´s win as he blocked several of army´s shots. Bishal Tamang also fulfilled his duty of marking Army´s Siddhartha Maharjan, who is fifth on the topscorers list. Ashim Shrestha scored 19 and Ayush Singh scored 16 points for the winning team. In another match, Gurukul beat Golden Gate 101-71. Gurukul dominated the show as it took the first quarter 24-14. The second quarter ended at 22-22 while Gurukul took the final two quarters 29-14 and 26-21 respectively. Sadish Pradhan, the leading scorer of the tournament, contributed 28 points for Gurukul. Gurukul will meet White House on Tuesday in the semifinal while host Nayabazar will take on Golden Gate. The final will be on Saturday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52713 NEW DELHI, April 6: India´s selectors on Saturday left out dashing batsman Virender Sehwag from a 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy in England in June. Seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and veteran seamer Zaheer Khan were also missing from the list, which has to be shortened to 15 players a month before the one-day tournament opens on June 5.[break] Sehwag´s 219 against the West Indies in December 2011 is the highest individual score in one-day internationals and he is only the second batsman to score a double-century in the shorter format after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar. But he was dropped due to recent poor form. The 34-year-old, who has scored 8,273 runs in 251 ODIs with 15 centuries, was also been left out of the last two Tests in the recent series against Australia, which India won 4-0. Harbhajan, 32, last played an ODI two years ago in the West Indies, while Zaheer, 34, missed the entire Australian series due to a calf injury. Uncapped off-spinner Parvez Rasool, 24, was included in the squad, making him the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to join the senior ranks. India are drawn with South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies in group B of the Champions Trophy, from which the top two will qualify for the semi-finals. The other group comprises England, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. India´s 30-man preliminary squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Jalaj Saxena, Parvez Rasool, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Umesh Yadav, Shami Ahmed, Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Ishwar Pandey, Sidharth Kaul. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52694 KATHMANDU, April 5: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has reduced the quota for foreign players in A division teams for the new Nepali football season that begins from April 14 (Baisakh 1, 2070 BS). ANFA took the decision on Friday after holding a meeting with representatives from A division clubs. As per the decision, an A division club can sign only four foreign players and field only three during a match in the new season. Until the previous season, a club could register five foreign players and field four of them during a match.[break] "There will be only 14 A division teams in the new season compared to 16 in the previous season. There won´t be scarcity of players in this season due to fewer teams, therefore we have reduced the quota for foreign players," said Lalit Krishna Shrestha, the vice-president of ANFA and the president of Three Star Club. "Besides this, more Nepali players will get chance to play in top-tier football." According to a press statement issued by ANFA, the registration for new players will also begin from April 14. Similarly, ANFA will organize a knockout football tournament in the Nepali month of Jestha (May-June). A club can register players until 24 hours prior to its first match of the knockout tournament. A team must register at least 16 players prior to its first match. Similarly, the meeting has set April 28 as the deadline for registering clubs at ANFA. There will be 14 A division teams in the new season. The recently concluded season featured 16 teams, of which three -- Bauddha, Bansbari and Madhyapur Youth Association -- were relegated at the end of first round, while B division champion Boys Union Club was promoted to A division. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52696 KATHMANDU, April 5: Samyak Bhushan Bajracharya and Abhilasha Bista clinched the titles of Kesha Group-JTI Junior Tennis Tournament in their respective age groups on Friday. Bajracharya registered a hard-fought 9-8 win over Adit Subedi in the U-10 boys´ singles final held at the Satdobato Tennis Complex, Lalitpur. Sulav Dhital and Utsav Thapa finished joint third in the event.[break] In the U-10 girls´ singles final, Bista eased past Saloni Tamang 8-3 to lift the title. Ashiyana Prasain and Saisa Joshi both secured the third position. Meanwhile, Ranav Singh clinched the U-8 boys´ singles title defeating Aki Juben Rawat 10-8, 10-8 in the final. Aditya Maharjan and Samten Baidya settled for the third position. In the girls´ section of the same age group, Aja Regmi edged out Manavi Shah 19-8, 10-8 in the final. Meanwhile, Mayanka Rana toiled hard to defeat Bijisha Shrestha 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to set up a U-14 girls´ singles title clash with Bibhuti Karki, who ousted Rana´s twin sister Mahika in three sets in the other semifinal. Mahika won the first set but Bibhuti recovered to seal the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and spoil the Rana sisters´ party. Siblings Anne Mathema and Cathy Mathema also had a similar fate as Anne made it to the final of U-12 girls´ singles while her younger sister Cathy crashed out of the tournament. Anne edged out Karuna Gauchan 7-6, 6-2 to secure a place in the final while Cathy lost her semifinal match 4-6, 4-6 to Ira Rawat. Saksham Karki made it to the final of U-14 boys´ singles where he will meet Samrakshak Bhushan Bajracharya. Karki defeated Anjan Thing 6-4, 6-2 en route to the final while Bajracharya ousted Renjen Lama 6-1, 6-4 in another semifinal. Bajracharya also advanced to the final of U-12 boys´ singles along with Pranav Khanal. Bajracharya beat Renjen Lama 6-3, 6-3 while Khanal saw off Samyak Bhushan Bajracharya 6-0, 7-6 in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Avash Malla reached the final of U-16 boys´ singles after his opponent Abhaya Gauchan retired hurt in the third set. Malla had won the first set 6-4 but Gauchan took the second set 7-5. Gauchan was on the verge of victory as he was leading the third and final set 5-2 but he quit the game after sustaining an injury. In another semifinal, Saksham Karki hammered Abhishek Bista 6-0, 6-1 to storm into the final. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52684 KATHMANDU, April 5: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) announced on Friday that the final rounds of Ncell U-15 Football Tournament will be held from Wednesday at Janakpur Cigarette Factory grounds, Dhanusha in coordination with Dhanusha District Football Association. The final rounds will feature a total of six teams -- five regional teams and Armed Police Force (APF), ANFA General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan informed during a press conference organized at the Dasharath Stadium premises on Friday. [break]The regional teams comprise players who were selected on the basis of their performances in district level tournaments across 42 districts affiliated to ANFA. According to Pradhan, they will select the best players of the tournament to form an U-16 team for the SAFF U-16 Championship and AFC U-16 Qualifiers 2014. "Our main target is to pick players for the AFC U-16 Qualifiers to be held in September and the SAFF U-16 Championship to be held in May," ANFA President Ganesh Thapa said. The participating teams of the week-long tournament have been divided into two groups of three teams each. The winner and the runner-up from both the groups will make it to the semifinals. The winner and runner-up teams will be awarded Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. The best players in four different positions -- goalkeeping, defense, midfield and forward -- and the best coach will be awarded Rs 5,000 each. The expected cost of the event is Rs 1.4 million. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52681 KATHMANDU, April 5: Defending champion Bikash Shrestha and Bivek Shrestha of Bhojpur, and Deepesh Dhami and Ratnajit Tamang of Nepal Army Club secured semifinal berths in the men´s singles category on Friday during the Li Ning 36th National Badminton Championship being held in the capital. In the event held at the covered hall of National Sports Council, Bikash registered a comfortable 21-11, 21-9 win over his former teammate Sudip Sedhai of Armed Police Force (APF). Bivek edged past Pankaj Chand of APF 21-1, 21-11. [break] Tamang also eased past Basanta Bajracharya of Palpa 21-8, 21-11 while Dhami ousted Indra Mahata of APF 21-18, 21-13. Meanwhile, all four players to reach the semifinals in women´s singles category are from departmental teams. Defending champion Nangsaldevi Tamang and Saradevi Tamang of Army, and Shiksha Shrestha and Sabina Panthi of APF made it to the last four winning their respective quarterfinal matches on Friday. Nangsaldevi crushed Amita Giri of Jhapa 21-11, 21-9 and her sister Saradevi overcame Sulochana Bhaktaraj of Ilam 21-10, 21-14. Likewise, Shiksha Shrestha defeated Samjhana Khaling of her own team 21-18, 21-9 while Sabina Panthi saw off Punam Gurung of Kaski 21-12, 21-13. Similarly, the U-15 girls´ singles semifinal lineup also completed on Friday. Jessica Gurung of Jhapa thumped Ankita Shrestha of Chitwan 21-1, 21-13, Rosina Karki of Dhading overcame Rama Tamang of Bhaktapur 21-9, 21-12, Megha Chand of Army dispatched Santoshi KC of Kavre 21-18, 21-17 and Shraddha Pradhan of Bhaktapur saw off Safi Khatri 21-16, 21-18 to advance into the semifinals. In the U-15 boys´ singles, Sawan Shrestha of Sunsari defeated Rukesh Maharjan of Army 21-8, 21-16, Bishal Tamang of Bhojpur defeated Sujit Bajracharya of Lalitpur 21-6, 21-10, Gautam Kathayat of Kailali crushed Praful Maharjan of Army 21-8, 21-6 and Nabin Shrestha of Bhoupur ousted Prabin Linthek of Army 21-10, 21-11 in the quarterfinal matches held on Friday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52633 PARIS, April 4: It was a mixed night for England´s trio of contenders in the Europa League on Thursday, with Chelsea winning their quarter-final first leg while Tottenham Hotspur were held to a draw and Newcastle United lost in Portugal. Chelsea are in a strong position against Russian side Rubin Kazan after winning the first leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, but Tottenham have work to do following a 2-2 draw with Basel at White Hart Lane.[break] Newcastle are in trouble following a 3-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon, while Fenerbahce beat Lazio 1-0 in Istanbul. Chelsea got off to a fantastic start in west London, opening the scoring 16 minutes in when Fernando Torres -- sporting a face mask to protect a broken nose -- stabbed in a David Luiz pass. Victor Moses then finished superbly on the half-volley to double the Blues´ lead just after the half-hour mark. Bebras Natcho netted a penalty after John Terry was penalised for handball to give the Russians a precious away goal just before half-time, but much-maligned Spanish striker Torres headed in a cross from compatriot Juan Mata 20 minutes from time to give Chelsea an important cushion. Chelsea coach Rafael Benitez praised Torres. "It´s good for his confidence. His work-rate was really good. I´m pleased for him." Across London, Spurs endured a much less comfortable evening against the Swiss champions. Against a side challenging for a top-four place in the Premier League, Basel were a constant threat going forward, and took the lead on the half hour when Valentin Stocker converted the rebound after captain Marco Streller´s initial effort struck the post. The Spurs fans were stunned when Basel doubled their lead four minutes later, Fabian Frei heading in. Emmanuel Adebayor reduced the deficit before half-time, forcing the ball in after a Scott Parker shot had deflected into his path. Gylfi Sigurdsson then levelled in the 58th minute, his powerful effort deflecting into the net off Fabian Schaer. The concession of two away goals means Andre Villas-Boas´ Tottenham have work to do to progress and their evening ended on a sour note when Gareth Bale was stretchered off with a serious-looking ankle injury. "He rolled on his ankle, at the moment there is a lot of pain, but hopefully it´s not as bad as it could have been," Villas-Boas told BBC Sport. Newcastle got off to a terrific start at the Estadio da Luz, taking the lead in the 12th minute when Papiss Cisse turned in a Moussa Sissoko cross, and they almost netted again soon after, Cisse´s shot deflecting off Ezequiel Garay and hitting the post. Two minutes after that, Benfica were level, Rodrigo stabbing home after Tim Krul had beaten out a powerful shot by Oscar Cardozo. Cisse hit the post again at the start of the second half on a wet night in Lisbon, but Newcastle only had themselves to blame when they conceded again in the 65th minute. Davide Santon was short with a pass back to Krul, and Lima pounced to round the ´keeper and slide the ball home. Three minutes later Benfica won a penalty when Steven Taylor handled in the area, and Cardozo scored to give the Portuguese league leaders a 3-1 victory. Newcastle coach Alan Pardew said qualifying would now be a very tough call. "If we´d taken 2-1 you´d like to think we´d have a fantastic chance but it´s an uphill chance now," he told ITV4. Fenerbahce are in a strong position to progress to the last four after a Pierre Webo penalty 12 minutes from the end and a Dirk Kuyt effort in stoppage time saw the Turks beat Lazio 2-0 in Istanbul. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52618 KATHMANDU, April 5: Although Afghanistan ended Nepal´s quest for a third consecutive title in international cricket, ACC Twenty20 Cup not only gave testimony to growing cricket craze in Nepal but also the progress made by Nepali national team in the recent days. Nepal suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the final played at the Tribhuvan University Ground on Wednesday as Afghanistan lifted the fourth ACC T20 title in a row. [break]However, Nepal secured its berth in the World T20 Qualifiers reaching the semifinals of the tournament alongside the UAE, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Improved performance Nepal, which had won World Cricket League Division 4 and the ACC Trophy Elite some six months ago, started the T20 tournament thrashing minnow Maldives but lost momentum against Hong Kong in the second match, which Nepal lost by six wickets. Nepal bounced back to grab victories against Malaysia and Singapore in the group stage. Nepal edged past higher ranked team, the UAE, by six wickets in the semifinal. A final match between Afghanistan and Nepal. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Nepali team scored altogether 928 runs in the tournament, including five half centuries. Skipper Paras Khadka and Pradeep Airee scored two half-centuries each while Binod Bhandari scored one. Skipper Khadka amassed 207 runs and took four wickets in the tournament to emerge the man-of-the-series. Basant Regmi claimed 10 wickets and became the second highest wicket taker in the tournament. Shakti Gauchan took eight wickets in the tournament while Prithu Baskota claimed six wickets in the four matches he played. “It is the same team it was some 15 months ago. We were not even close to teams like the UAE and Afghanistan. But by now, we have gained a lot of confidence,” said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake. Cricket analyst Ujjwal Acharya said reaching the first ever T20 final is in itself an achievement. “In addition to qualifying for the World T20 Qualifiers, the Nepali team has gained confidence,” said Acharya. “We had reached the semifinals in the last tournament in 2011 but our team was not as confident. I have seen that Nepali players have matured and understand the match situation better,” he added. Paras Khadka greets crowd after a half century. (Photo: Bikash Karki) If Acharya is to be believed, the performance gap between Nepal and Afghanistan is still huge. He claimed lack of match exposure is a major setback for the Nepali team. “After the ACC Trophy, our team had played only a few practice matches against some Indian clubs but Afghanistan had spent 27 days on the ground playing official international matches,” explained Acharya. Prospects for World T20 Cup 2014 Nepal had finished the World T20 Qualifiers in the seventh position in 2012 and we can expect Nepal to climb a notch this time around in the tournament be held in the UAE in November. The World T20 Qualifiers is played among top 16 associate member nations of ICC. Of them, the top six will advance to the World T20 Cup 2014. “We have a chance to reach World T20 Cup but we need good preparations,” said skipper Khadka. “We have a chance but reaching the World T20 Cup is no mean feat. We have to defeat teams, including those with ODI-status,” said analyst Acharya. Overwhelming turnout In every match Nepal played in the tournament, there were more than 12,000 spectators while around 20,000 turned up for the final alone. The organizing committee raised around Rs 4.1 million from ticket sales. However, security was a serious concern during the tournament since the only international cricket ground of the country lacks proper infrastructure. “The crowd of was amazing but we could not manage them properly since we introduced ticket entry for spectators to the TU Ground,” admitted General Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Ashok Nath Pyakuryal. “The overwhelming turnout has underscored the need for CAN to develop proper infrastructure. We will now press the government and also come up with our own plans,” added Pyakuryal. The Nepali cricket fans, known for their notorious conduct, silenced the critics this time around. “We were under pressure in the final. This time the crowd behaved,” said Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi after the final match. Discipline still an issue Nepali cricketers covered the sponsor logos in their jersey in the first match of the tournament saying they were not liable to sponsors. The CAN settled the issue by the next match but the event exposed indiscipline of players and communication gap between players and management. “It was sad to watch the drama unfold on the ground. The matter should have been solved behind closed doors,” said Acharya. Focus now on World T20 Qualifiers: Khadka How do you rate the team´s performance in the ACC T20? We have improved a lot in the T20 format. Until the last edition, none of the teams would take us seriously in this format. By this time, we earned respect from opponents as we have surprised them. However, we know the areas to improve. What was your reaction after losing the final against Afghanistan? We were disappointed. After beating the UAE, which had defeated Afghanistan, we were expecting title victory. As a player we know, how difficult it is to be in the final. After reaching the final, everyone wants to win the cup. We had worked very hard to reach the final and we feel bad to lose the cup. Have we achieved something from the tournament other than the qualification to the World T20 Qualifiers? Yes. The way our youngsters performed is the biggest achievement in the tournament. The way Pardeep Airee, Prithu Baskota and Binod Bhandari performed and gained the confidence is the real achievement for us. Meanwhile, we performed as a team and everyone was able to perform and take the leadership whenever the team needed. We have been qualified for the World T20 Qualifiers for the second time. How far are we from the World T20 Cup? We have a chance to reach the World T20 Cup since six teams are to progress from the qualifiers. What we need is good preparation for the tournament. By the end of this month, ICC World Cricket League Division 3 is to start. How is the team´s preparations? It is the most important tournament for us. If we secure promotion from Division 3, we will not only get closer to the Cricket World Cup but also to the ODI-status. If we achieved the ODI-status, we would get the opportunity to play international cricket throughout the calendar. Thus, all the members of the team are focused to the tournament. What do you expect from the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and other sports authorities in your pursuit of the World Cup and ODI status? We have very weak domestic cricket structure and we lack proper infrastructures. CAN and the government should work to improve domestic infrastructures. If they fail to do so, our World Cup hopes will remain a dream. Meanwhile, they should work toward making players feel secured about their future. They should invite corporate sectors to promote cricket and cricketers. On the technical side, we should play against good teams. We need exposure to better teams to excel and CAN should come up with a proper plan for this. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52614 TERATHUM, April 4: Armed Police Force (APF) came from two sets deficit to beat arch rival Nepal Police Club and defend the title of 27th National Men´s Volleyball Tournament held in Myanglun, Terathum. After losing the first two sets 23-25, 21-25, APF made a valiant comeback to win remaining three sets 25-20, 25-22, 15-12. Champion APF bagged a purse of Rs 50,000 along with the running shield. Runner up APF had to remain contended with Rs 30,000. [break] APF coach Deependra Bista said high confidence level was the key to their success despite disappointment in the first two sets. "We lost the first two sets due to lack of coordination among players," Bista said. Police coach Suresh Rimal opined that absence of his key players due to injury was the reason for their defeat. Meanwhile, Nepal Army Club edged past Central Region 25-17, 26-24, 25-15 in the third place playoff match. Army bagged Rs 20,000 for the feat. APF skipper Kailash Bhatta was declared the best player of the tournament and awarded Rs 5,000. Similarly, Kul Bahadur Thapa, Sumsher Chand and Ramesh Chaudhary of Police were declared the best spiker, defender and server respectively. Mahendra Shrestha and Khusi Chaudhary of APF won best blocker and lifter respectively. Each of them received Rs 3,000 apiece. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52612 KATHMANDU, April 4: Host Nepal crashed out of the Group C qualifiers of the AFC U-14 Championship Thursday after it played 1-1 draw against Tajikistan in a must win match played at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. After going down 2-1 against South Asian rival Afghanistan, Nepal was in a must win situation to keep alive its dream of making it to the final round. In the first match, Tajikistan had blanked Bhutan 15-0 which was humiliated 14-0 by Afghanistan in the kick off match on Thursday. [break] Along with host Nepal, South Asian neighbor also crashed out after completion of second rounds. The results put Afghanistan at the top of the table with six points, two ahead of second placed Tajikistan. Nepal lies at the third position with one point while Bhutan hits the bottom of table without any point. The group champions will qualify for the next stage. All four teams have yet to play next match. Nepal will lock horns against Bhutan, and Tajikistan will meet Afghanistan during their last group stage match on Saturday. "The defeat in first match turned out to be a setback for the team and we were under must win situation," Nepal´s coach Sunil Shrestha said during post match conference. On Thursday, Tajikistan took 14th minute lead against the home team. Abdulloev Khurshed put the visitor ahead collecting custodian Sojit Gurung´s rebounder off penalty taken by Abduloev Shahrom. The penalty was awarded to Tajikistan after Nepal´s defender Laxman Pariyar handed the ball at the area. Kshitiz Raj equalized for the home team in the 25th minute after his scorcher from the edge of area entered the net hitting the inner edge of the bar set by skipper Manish Bahadur Karki. Earlier during the day´s kick off, skipper Abdul Naser Amini alone netted five goals in his side´s 14-0 drubbing over Bhutan. Omid Haidar Saneh netted twin goals while Amanullah Qazi, Sher Ahmad Hamedi, Murtazaa Qambari, Ahmade Mubasher Haidary, Elyas Amiri and Mujtabaa Rezaie were also on target for the winning team. Tandin Wangyel of Bhutan also scored an own goal. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52591 CHARLESTON, South Carolina, April 3: Ex-champions Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki cruised into the third round of the WTA Tour´s Family Circle Cup Wednesday, while Venus Williams had to battle her way through. The second-seeded Wozniacki breezed past Spaniard Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-1 just under an hour, while the third-seeded Aussie Stosur routed New Zealand´s Marina Erakovic 6-1, 6-2 on the green clay at Daniel Island Tennis Center.[break] Wozniacki, who won here two years ago, only entered the tournament on the weekend, after she and golfer boyfriend Rory McIlroy postponed a trip to Haiti. Stosur won here in 2010, while Wozniacki claimed the title in 2011. "I felt like I really served well and returned well today," Wozniacki said. "Playing your first match of the year on clay, it´s always going to be difficult to slide and move unbelievably, but I felt like I did a pretty good job of that out there and I´m pleased with my work." Stosur was playing her first match since withdrawing prior to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in March with a calf injury. "But as the match went on I felt really good and the way I was playing all came together," Stosur said. "And of course, I really enjoy playing on this court, so I always try to do my best every time I´m out there." Williams, the fifth seed who won the title here in 2004, had to work harder to get past 19-year-old Puerto Rican Monica Puig. Puig pushed the seven-time Grand Slam winner to three sets, Williams-advancing 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. Yet another former champion was taken to the limit as seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic, the winner here in 2007, rallied to beat French qualifier Caroline Garcia 5-7, 7-6 (12-10), 6-3. American qualifier Mallory Burdette surprised 15th-seeded 2009 champion Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in their second-round match. Burdette booked a third-round clash with world No. 1 and reigning Charleston champ Serena Williams. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52584 REPUBLICA, April 4: Nepal"s quest for a third consecutive title in international cricket ended in a defeat on Wednesday as Afghanistan registered a seven-wicket victory in the final of the ACC Twenty20 Cup at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Playing its first T20 final, Nepal was expecting to upset Afghanistan, the winner of the all three previous editions of the tournament. However, Afghanistan bowlers made things difficult for Nepal after their captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to field.[break] Afghanistan restricted Nepal to 135/6 and reached 137/3 with 13 balls remaining to maintain its dominance in the shortest version of the game on the Asian associate nations. ´We didn"t get a desired start and we took time to recover from an early damage. We were short of runs though there was no troublesome bowling from Afghanistan,´ said Nepali skipper Paras Khadka. ´We lost two wickets early in the match and took time to recover. We were short by some 30-40 runs,´ said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake. ´When I came here some 15 months ago, it was the same team but we were not even close to Afghanistan. I"m happy with the way we played in this tournament,´ added Dassanayake. Medium pacer Gulbadin Naib dismissed Nepali openers Subash Khakurel (10 runs) and Pradeep Airee (1 run) in his first two overs. Shapoor Zadran dismissed Gyanendra Malla (10 runs off 14 balls) to leave Nepal in panic at 23/3 in 4.3 overs. Skipper Khadka and Binod Bhandari played cautiously for the next three overs to recover from the damage and build a partnership. Khadka and Bhandari put up a 71-run partnership off 71 balls to guide Nepal to a competitive total. Bhandari was caught by Aftab Alam at long off in the second ball of the 17th over bowled by Hamza Hotak. Bhandari scored 32 runs off 39 balls including three boundaries and a six. Sharad Vesawkar joined skipper Khadka at the crease. They put up a 20-run partnership for the fifth wicket. However, Khadka was run out in the last ball of the 18th over, a result of misunderstanding between the batting partners. Khadka scored 50 runs off 40 balls with four boundaries and two sixes. It was his fifth T20 half-century and the second of the tournament. Prithu Baskota (2 runs) also lost his wicket in a similar fashion. Vesawkar remained unbeaten with 20 runs off 11 balls. He struck three boundaries in the last over off Aftab Alam. Captain Mohammad Nabi was the most expensive bowler for Afghanistan as Nepali skipper Khadka smashed two boundaries and a six in the 18th over. Nabi gave away altogether 31 runs in his two overs. Chasing the modest total, Afghanistan openers Karim Sadiq and Gulbadin Naib put up a 43-run opening stand by the completion of seventh over. Sadiq (32 runs off 25 balls) was run out by Prithu Baskota. Naib, then, put up another 25-run partnership with Najibullah Zadran (15 runs) for the second wicket. Shakti Gauchan took the wicket of Zadran in the fourth ball of the 10th over. Paras Khadka dismissed Samiullah Shenwari (nine runs) in the 12th over but Naib stayed firm on the crease. He put up an unbeaten 54-run partnership with his captain Nabi as both of them played Nepali spinners with comfort to seal the victory. Naib remained unbeaten with 43 runs off 42 balls and Nabi clobbered 38 runs off 23 balls. Naib scored a boundary and a six while Nabi struck six boundaries. Naib was adjudged the man-of-the-match. ´We had included some youngsters in the team but all the boys put up a good performance throughout the tournament,´ said Afghanistan captain Nabi. ´We were under a little bit of pressure in the final since it was almost like playing against the crowd but we succeeded,´ he added. Khadka wins man-of-the-series Nepali skipper Khadka was adjudged the man-of-the-series in the ACC T20 Cup. Khadka scored 207 runs with an average of 41.40 and strike rate of 141.78 in the tournament. He also claimed four wickets in the tournament. It is the second consecutive man-of-the-series award for Khadka. He was adjudged the man-of-the-series in the ACC Trophy Elite held in the UAE six month ago. Prizes for Nepali team Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) announced cash reward of Rs 50,000 each to members of the Nepali team for finishing runner-up in the tournament. CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal made the announcement during the presentation ceremony. Meanwhile, Hansraj and Hulaschand Company awarded a Pulsar-200 bike to Nepali skipper Khadka as the best Nepali player in the tournament. Company"s Executive Director Shekhar Golchha handed over the key of the bike to Khadka. Likewise, Sachdeva Entrance Preparation"s owner Samir Jung Karki announced Rs 50,000 cash reward for the Nepali team. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52581 KATHMANDU, April 3: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Ganesh Thapa on Wednesday announced to provide an apartment each to all the members of the men´s national team if they win the upcoming Eighth SAFF Championship to be held from September 18-28 in Kathmandu. Thapa made such announcement during a function organized in the capital to award cash prizes of Rs 50,000 each to members of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers squad.[break] Nepal has not won the SAFF Championship in the seven editions held so far. In the last edition, Nepal had reached the semifinals after 12 years in the regional football fiesta competed by all eight SAARC member countries. In the last edition too, ANFA had declared apartments to all the members of the national squad if they won the title. On Wednesday, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba gave away the prizes to 26 members of the national squad, including 23 players, coach Jack Stefanowski, assistant coach Richard Orlowski and physiotherapist Dejib Thapa. ANFA said the players were given cash reward for their sound performance in international tournaments and international friendlies throughout the year 2069 BS. However, of the 10 matches played during the year, Nepal won one, lost six and drew three matches. In 2069 BS, Nepal played the Nehru Cup in New Delhi and the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers at home in March, one international friendly against Bangladesh and two against Pakistan. Nepali team had failed to qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup finishing third in the four-team group. Nepal had defeated Northern Mariana Island, lost to Bangladesh and played a draw with Palestine. ANFA had announced the cash reward on March 6, the last day of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, to award the team for its performance against Palestine. The match had ended in a 0-0 draw. Nepal had lost both the international friendlies against Pakistan by 1-0, while the friendly with Bangladesh had ended in a 1-1 draw. In the Nehru Cup held some seven months ago, Nepal played a goalless draw with host India and lost 5-0 to Cameroon, 2-0 to Syria and 2-1 to Bangladesh respectively. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52579 BASANTAPUR, April 3: Defending champion Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepal Police Club on Wednesday set up a title clash in the 27th Men´s National Volleyball Tournament giving continuity to the dominance of departmental teams in the sport. In the semifinals held in Basantapur, Tehrathum, APF and Police both registered comfortable wins. APF defeated departmental rival Nepal Army Club in straight sets in the first semifinal. APF won the match 25-19, 25-22, 25-19. The win also avenged the defeat suffered by APF in the Indo-Nepal Volleyball Tournament held a few weeks ago in Mahendranagar. APF had earlier advanced to the semifinals as the winner of group stage. Milan Malla of APF was declared the man-of-the-match.[break] Following his side´s comfortable win, APF coach Deependra Bista opined that his side was favorite to win the title. Army coach Prakash Thapaliya pointed out that failure to defend the opponent´s spike was the main reason for defeat. In another semifinal, Nepal Police Club ousted Central Region 25-16, 25-15, 25-14. Police played without some of its key players. Kul Bahadur Thapa of Police was awarded the man-of-the-match. The final of the event will be played at Myanglung, the district headquarters of Tehrathum, on Thursday. The winner will bag a purse of Rs 50,000 along with the running shield. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52570 KATHMANDU, April 3: Defending champion Nangsaldevi Tamang and Samjhana Khaling of APF advanced to the pre-quarterfinal rounds of Li Ning 36th National Badminton Championship on Wednesday at the APF covered hall in Halchowk, Kathmandu. Tamang ousted Sakila Tamang of Bhojpur 21-7, 21-6 and Khaling dispatched Rakshita Khatri of Kathmandu 21-6, 21-3. In other matches, Amita Giri of Jhapa overcame Shova Gautam of Nepal Police Club 21-4, 21-15 and Bindu Giri of Nawalparasi saw off Nilu Koirala of Baitadi 21-4, 21-3. [break] Similarly, Shiksha Shrestha of APF, Prativa Gurung of Kaski, Shreya Pradhan of Nepal Army Club, Niru Shrestha of Kathmandu, Dilu Subba of Jhapa, Punam Gurung of Kaski, Suja Rai of Jhapa and Sabina Panthi of Kavre secured their places in the last 16 winning their respective matches. In the men´s singles section, defending champion Bikash Shrestha of Bhojpur, Bhim Thapa of Police, Sahadev Khadka of Kailali, Joseph Adhikari of APF, Bishal Tamang of Bhojpur, Deepak Ghimire of Jhapa, Indra Mahata and Sudip Sedhai of APF, Ram Rai of Army, Sunil Barahai of Lalitpur, Dilliram Dangi of Morang, Deepesh Dhami of Army and Bhugol Gurung of Kaski emerged victorious. The other players to advance in the same category were Niranjan Devkota of Kathmandu, Suroj Maharjan of Army, Deepak Bohara of Police, Diwas Shrestha of Kavre, Pankaj Chand of APF, Sasin Dangol of Lalitpur, Bivek Shrestha of Bhojpur, Rabin Kandangwa of Police, Sajan Krishna Tamrakar of APF, Purna Thapa of Kathmandu, Basanta Bajracharya of Palpa, Shambhu Shrestha of Kaski, Bishal Pradhan of APF, Devendra Khadka of Sunsari, Bilas Warsi of Banke and Ratnajeet Tamang of Army. In the men´s doubles section, Pankaj Chand and Indra Mahata´s pair of APF, Rabindra Bhujel and Krishna Rai´s pair of Nuwakot, Tirtha Malla and Purna Thapa´s pair of Kathmandu, and Shrawan Tamrakar and Srijan Tamrakar´s pair of Lalitpur, among others, won their respective matches. In the boy´s singles U-15 age group, Ayush Shrestha of Chitwan, Samrat Singh of Kavre, Subham Agrawal of Morang, Anish Shrestha of Sankhuwasabha, Praful Thakuri of Army, Anish Shrestha of Chitwan, Sujit Bajracharya of Lalitpur, Saharoj Ansari of Banke, Rukesh Maharjan of Army, Sunil Gurung of Taplejung and Nir Bikram Devkota of Kathmandu advanced to the next round winning their respective matches. In the girl´s section of the same age group, Nisha Shishir of Nawalparasi, Riya Karmacharya of Sunsari, Rama Tamang of Bhaktapur, Rojina Karki of Dhading, Santoshi KC of Kavre, Megha Chand of Army, Safi Khatri of Bhaktapur and Neha Gautam of Baitadi emerged victorious. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52569 KATHMANDU, April 3: Mahika Rana and Ira Rawat advanced to the quarterfinals of U-14 girls´ singles in the Kesha Group-JTI Fifth Junior Open Tennis Tournament winning their respective matches held at the Satdobato Tennis Complex, Lalitpur on Wednesday. Rana registered a 6-3, 6-4 win over Cathy Mathema while Rawat saw off Karuna Gauchan 6-3, 6-2 in their pre-quarterfinal matches.[break] Mayanka Rana and Utsavi Joshi had an easy passage to the quarterfinals as both of them received walkovers from their opponents. Meanwhile, the pre-quarterfinal match of the same age group between Alsa Regmi and Medhavi Giri was cancelled due to strong winds, according to tennis coach Surya Bhushan Bajracharya. “We had to cancel the late matches because of strong winds,” Bajracharya told Republica. “The first set was already completed but we couldn´t continue. We will resume the match tomorrow from where we had left it,” he added. Bajracharya said the weather did not allow them to conduct three U-14 boys´ singles matches as well. Earlier, Saksham Karki defeated Subham Chaudhary 6-3, 6-0 to make it to the semifinals of U-14 boys´ singles. Anjan Thing also reached the last four beating Bardan Pokharel 6-2, 6-2 in another quarterfinal match. Meanwhile, Aja Regmi set up a title clash with Manavi Shah in the U-8 girls´ singles category. Regmi defeated Suvashi Shrestha 10-8, 10-3 while Shah received a walkover from her opponent. In the U-8 boys´ singles section, Adit Subedi had a hard time dispatching Suryaditya Rana in three sets to reach the semifinals. Subedi won the first set 10-6 but lost the second by the same scoreline. Subedi managed to scrape a 10-8 victory in the third set to secure a semifinal berth. Subedi was joined in the last four by Samten Baidya, Ranav Singh and Aki Juben Rawat. Baidya defeated Salil Elim 12-10, 10-5 while Singh registered a hard-fought win over Satya Dhwaj Karki. Singh prevailed over Karki 8-10, 10-6, 10-8 in the three-set thriller. Rawat, on the other hand, earned a walkover from Aryan Tamor. In the U-10 boys´ singles, Samyak Bhushan Bajracharya defeated Aditya Subedi 8-1, Sulav Dhital crushed Rahul Singh 8-1, Utsav Thapa beat Bardan Basnet 8-3 and Adit Subedi overcame Utsav Khadka 8-5 to secure semifinal berths. Meanwhile, Abhilasha Bista, Saisa Joshi, Ashiyana Prasain and Agrima Mainali reached the semifinals of U-10 girls´ singles winning their respective matches. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52534 KATHMANDU, April 2: Following Prithu Baskota´s early strikes with the ball, Pradeep Airee struck a half-century and Binod Bhandari played an important cameo with the bat as Nepal registered a six-wicket victory over the UAE on Tuesday to reach the final of ACC T20 Cup for the first time. Nepal, which had crashed out from the group stage in the first two editions and reached the semifinals in the last edition, continued its sublime form to set up a final clash with Afghanistan in the ongoing fourth edition of the ACC T20 Cup.[break] The title clash with Afghanistan at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Wednesday will be Nepal´s third consecutive final in major tournaments. Nepal had won the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Malaysia in September 2012 and shared the ACC Trophy Elite title with the UAE in October 2012 after the final match ended in a tie. However, Nepal moved a step ahead beating the giant associate nation at the TU Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The UAE elected to bat and put up a modest total of 133/9 in the allotted 20 overs as Baskota claimed three wickets and Basanta Regmi and Shakti Gauchan dismissed two batsmen each. Sanjam Regmi took one wicket. Chasing the total, Nepal met the target losing four wickets with five balls remaining as Airee scored 58 runs off 57 balls and Bhandari smashed an unbeaten 16 runs off six balls during his cameo with the bat toward the end. It is Nepal´s third highest successful run-chase in T20 format. Earlier, Nepal had chased 157 runs against Bahrain in 2009 and 149 runs against Kenya in 2012. "Prithu (Baskota) gave us the desired start in bowling and Pradeep (Airee) and other batsmen clicked at the right time," Nepali skipper Paras Khadka summed up the match. "Everybody is taking leadership and every member is capable of doing well. We did the same today and we beat them comfortably," said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake. On Tuesday, Nepal opened the bowling with pacer Amrit Bhattarai but skipper Paras Khadka introduced spinner Baskota in the very second over and the strategy paid off. Sharad Vesawkar caught Bakhtiyar Hamid (five runs) at backward point off Baskota. Baskota then claimed Amjad Ali´s wicket as Gyanendra Malla caught Ali at long-on in his second over. The UAE was at 15/2 in 3.1 overs. Opener Abdul Shakoor (18 runs off 27 balls) and Swapnil Patil put up a 31-run partnership for the third wicket, the highest partnership of the UAE innings. Patil and Roshan Mustafa (16 runs) shared a 29-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Patil contributed the highest 37 runs off 33 balls for the UAE. As wickets kept falling at regular intervals, the UAE was teetering at 90/6 in 15.1 overs. Mohammad Azam (24 runs off 15 balls) and Amjad Javed (12 runs off 15 balls) put up another 31-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The UAE added 39 runs in the last three overs to post a competitive total of 133/9. As Nepali bowlers dominated the show, the UAE struck only one six in the entire innings. In reply, Nepali openers Subash Khakurel (22 runs off 37 balls) and Airee put up a 61-run opening stand. Khakurel was stumped in the third ball of the 10th over bowled by Ahmed Raza. Airee then put up a 39-run second-wicket partnership with Gyanendra Malla, who added 20 runs off 18 balls with a four and a six. Airee, who got dropped twice by the UAE fielders when he was at 12 and 38, smashed five fours and two sixes to reach 58. It was the third T20 half-century for Airee at the international level and the second in the ongoing tournament. He was also stumped in the first ball of the 18th over bowled by Fayyaz Ahmed. Ahmed then dismissed Basanta Regmi in the next ball. Nepali supporters were nervous when Regmi, who was promoted in the batting order to accelerate the innings, returned to the pavilion. Nepal was in need of 18 runs from the last two overs. However, Bhandari came to the rescue hitting two sixes off Arshad Ali in the 19th over. "He (Binod) proved he is a good batsman and can click any time. When I was batting alongside him, I was telling him that we have faith in him and he delivered," said Nepali skipper Khadka about his batting partner. Following Bhandari´s blistering knock, Khadka (12 runs off 8 balls) scored the winning runs in the first ball of the last over to set up a final clash with Afghanistan. Earlier, Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by seven wickets in the first semifinal on Tuesday. Afghanistan bundled out Hong Kong for 109 runs in 19 overs and reached 112/3 in 17.1 overs. "Every game is important for us and we will take the final against Afghanistan as a XI versus XI match," said Khadka about their opponent in the final. "We have an amazing crowd on home ground and they are the real motivation for us. We need them in the final tomorrow (Wednesday) as well," he added. PHOTOS: BIKASH KARKI http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52531 KATHMANDU, April 2: National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama has accused the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan of threatening national sports associations that are following NSC´s orders and guidelines. Inaugurating the 36th National Badminton Championship on Tuesday, Lama said the NOC with international recognition has been threatening associations to bar their athletes from international participation if they continue to obey NSC´s orders. [break] "I´ve been hearing about such threats in recent days. If it [Pradhan-led NOC] barred athletes, National Sports Council will leave no stone unturned to enforce the laws of the land and fight for the rights of athletes," challenged Lama. "The NOC dispute has been hindering the development of sports in the country and the current NSC leadership is committed to resolving the problem. However, if some people threaten associations and try to bar athletes from international participation, we´ll not tolerate," said Lama. Lama asked all the NOC member associations to discuss the dispute and find a common solution. "NSC is clear that none other than the member associations have the right to guide the Olympic Movement in the country and seek solution to the NOC dispute. Neither NSC nor the Supreme Court can guide the Olympic Movement. Only the International Olympic Committee (IOC) can dictate the associations," opined Lama. Meanwhile, NOC Deputy General Secretary Lama Tendi Sherpa, talking to Republica, refuted the allegations. "We have not threatened any associations, instead the current NSC leadership is threatening associations to shun the NOC with international recognition. NSC is engaged in a politics of negation," said Sherpa. "NSC has been warning associations of stopping financial support if they do not shun the NOC," alleged Sherpa. Sherpa said the NOC has been tolerating all the obstacles posed by NSC so as to prevent the situation from getting worse. "The current NSC leadership wrote to several embassies in Nepal not to issue visas to athletes on the recommendation of NOC. What if the NOC does the same?" questioned Sherpa. "Member Secretary [Lama] has been accusing the NOC leadership of aggravating the situation to hide his wrongdoings," alleged Sherpa. "He is boycotting the NOC leadership in public. What would happen if we boycott his leadership in international forums?" challenged Sherpa. Citing the Supreme Court verdict of November 4, 2010, NSC has been asking the national associations to sever ties with the Pradhan-led NOC. Two different NOCs -- one led by Pradhan and the other led by Rukma SJB Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. While the Supreme Court´s verdict recognized the Rana-led committee, IOC has recognized the committee led by Pradhan. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52532 KATHMANDU, April 2: Nepal´s junior national football team slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Afghanistan in the opening match of the AFC U-14 qualifiers on Tuesday despite taking an early lead in the game. Manish Bahadur Karki had fired the home team ahead in the 25th minute but Afghanistan leveled the scores six minutes later as Omid Haider was on target for the visiting side.[break] Afghanistan added another goal early in the second half and then held on for victory. Afghanistan´s Mohammad scored the second goal in an empty net when Nepal´s goalkeeper Suraj Thapa moved forward to collect the ball after the defenders failed to clear the ball inside the danger zone. Nepal´s coach Sunil Shrestha said the team lost the match despite making a good start because they were not able to maintain the same form in the second half. “The first game of the tournament is important for everyone. Unfortunately, we were not able to defend our lead. Afghanistan played better than us in the second half,” said Shrestha. “We will improve our performance in the next match,” he added. Nepal´s second game is against Tajikistan on Thursday. Earlier, in the opening match of the tournament, Tajikistan thrashed Bhutan 5-0 with a hat-trick from Azimov Said Mukhtar. Tajikistan, which took an early lead in the second minute, continued its attack on the hapless Bhutanese side until the final whistle. The winners of eight different groups will advance into the final rounds of the AFC U-14 Cup to be held in 2014. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52521 KATHMANDU, April 2: Ira Rawat handed a double bagel to Saloni Tamang on the second day of the Kesha Group-JTI Fifth Junior Open Tennis Tournament at the Satdobato Tennis Complex, Lalitpur on Tuesday. Rawat eased past Tamang 6-0, 6-0 in the U-14 girls´ singles to secure a place in the semifinals. She was joined in the last-four by Karuna Gauchan, Anne Mathema and Cathy Mathema.[break] Gauchan also registered a comfortable victory as she crushed Medhavi Giri 6-1, 6-0. The Mathema sisters, on the other hand, had contrasting fortunes. Anne was made to work hard en route to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Utsavi Joshi while Cathy made it to the semifinals after her opponent Khushi Pandey retired hurt. Cathy won the first set 6-3 and was leading 2-1 in the second set when Pandey got injured and quit the game. In the U-16 girls´ singles, Mayanka Rana advanced into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Manjita Nyochhan but her twin sister had a disappointing day as she lost to Bijisha Shrestha by the same scoreline. Bibhuti Karki also advanced to the semifinals receiving a bye. In the U-16 boys´ singles, Anjan Shrestha handed a double bagel to Sahaj Thing to secure a place in the quarterfinals. In other pre-quarterfinal matches, Abhaya Gauchan defeated Govinda Pakhrin 6-1, 6-1, Abhishek Bista saw off Bijesh Swar 7-6, 6-4, Akash Lamkhor beat Navin Pun 6-0, 6-1 and Chandra Man Rokaya ousted Bivek Shrestha 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Saksham Karki, Avash Malla and Kastup Raj Pandey reached the quarterfinals after receiving byes. Samrakshak Bhushan Bajracharya was another player to steal the show on Tuesday. Bajracharya defeated Rahul Singh 6-0, 6-0 in the U-12 boys´ singles section. Prashant Basnet and Pranav Khanal also handed double bagels to Saryans Tamor and Abhinav Acharya respectively. Meanwhile, Adit Subedi beat Bardhan Pokharel 6-0, 6-1, Satyap Ilme defeated Sulah Dhital 7-6, 6-1, Samyak Bhushan Bajracharya saw off Subham Chaudhary 6-2, 6-2 and Utsav Khadka defeated Shreeyans Shrestha 6-2, 6-1 in other matches of the same age group. Renjen Thapa advanced into the quarterfinals after receiving a walkover from Utsav Thapa. Subhashi Shrestha defeated Aja Regmi 8-2 to secure a berth in the semifinals of U-9 girls´ singles. Palista Shakya earned a walkover while Abhilasha Bista and Agrima Mainali received byes to reach the semifinals. Meanwhile, Aryan Giri, Aditya Subedi, Abhi Joshi and Aki Juben Rawat entered the semifinals of U-9 boys´ singles winning their respective matches. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52518 TEHRATHUM, April 2: Central Region has became the only non-departmental team to reach the semifinals of the 27th National Men´s Volleyball Tournament being held in Myanglung, Tehrathum. Central Region defeated Mid-Western Region 22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-17 on Tuesday to enter the last four as the runner-up of Group A. Central Region had defeated Far-Western Region in the first match and lost to Nepal APF Club in the second.[break] APF, the departmental team, maintained its winning streak in the tournament thrashing Far-Western Region 25-19, 25-15, 25-12 on Tuesday. APF topped Group A with its third consecutive victory. APF will take on Group B runner-up Nepal Army in the semifinal on Wednesday while Central Region will lock horns with Group B winner Nepal Police Club. Both the semifinal matches are scheduled to be held at the court at Basantapur playground of Tehrathum. Nepal Police Club also registered its third consecutive win on Tuesday as it thumped lowly Eastern Region 25-15, 25-20, 25-17. Meanwhile, Nepal Army bounced back from a set down to beat Tribhuvan University in four sets and top Group B. Army, which had earlier defeated Eastern Region and lost to Nepal Police Club, registered a 22-25, 25-8, 25-13, 25-8 victory over TU on Tuesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52512 KATHMANDU, April 2: Madan Krishna Kayastha of GoldenGate International College clinched the title of the First Cooperative Cup Chess Tournament in Lalitpur on Tuesday. Kayastha edged past FIDE Master Manish Hamal in the final to lift the title of the first ever league-cum-knockout chess tournament in Nepal. [break] Kayastha, who had defeated Hamal only once and held twice in their previous six meetings, improved his record against Hamal with the win. Kayastha won both legs of the final match on Tuesday. Kayastha was awarded a Yamaha motorbike worth Rs 160,000 while Hamal got Rs 50,000. Niraj Niraula of Jhapa, who had completed the league round on top of the leader-board, had to setttle for the fourth position as he lost to Rajan Puri in the third place play-off on Tuesday. Puri won the match in tie-breaker. Puri received Rs 25,000 while Niraula got Rs 15,000. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad handed over prizes to the winners. Altogether 106 players had participated in the tournament organized on the occasion of Lalitpur Festival. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52510 KATHMANDU, April 2: Armed Police Force (APF) Club stormed into the semifinals of Li Ning 36th National Badminton Championship on Tuesday defeating Mahottari 2-0 in the women´s team event on its home court at APF Headquarters, Halchowk. In other matches of the same category, Kaski defeated Jhapa 2-1 and Kailali beat Sunsari 2-0 to advance into the semifinals. APF will meet Kaski while Kailali will take on Tribhuvan army Club in the semifinals.[break] In the women´s singles category, Durga Kumari Bhandari of Kailali, Dilu Subba of Jhapa and Bindu Shrestha of Nawalparasi won their respective matches to advance into the second round. Bhandari defeated Juna Shrestha of Nawalparasi 21-7, 21-8; Subba crushed Shiva Chand of Kathmandu 21-4, 21-9 and Shrestha ousted Durga Kumari Thapa of Bajura 21-8, 21-9 in their opening matches. In the men´s singles, Bajura´s Prakash Rawal saw off Bishal Shrestha 21-15, 21-12; Gokul Tamang of Kathmandu beat Ram Kumar Thapa of Bhaktapur 21-11, 21-9; Basanta Gurung of Taplejung defeated Bidur Thapa of Ilam 21-8, 21-8 and Prakash Limbu of Sindhupalchowk overcame Min Bahadur Khadka of Nawalparasi 21-8, 21-8 in their first round matches. Earlier, National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama inaugurated the championship. The six-day event features 400 players vying for 12 golds in both men´s and women´s categories. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52503 SAO PAULO, April 2: Football legend Pele was investigated by Brazil´s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, records released on Monday showed. The records are among nearly 300,000 digital files posted on the "Political Memory and Resistance" portal made public by the state of Sao Paulo.[break] "It´s all public," said Governor Geraldo Alckmin, noting that people can access the records from their homes. "It is very important in terms of transparency and freedom of information for the families of victims during the dictatorship period." The portal, accessible at http://www.arquivoestado.sp.gov.br, includes 274,105 files. The Cold War-era military regime often probed leftists, as well as people suspected of being leftists. The file belonging Pele -- whose real name is Edson Arantes de Nascimento -- includes details on money transfers, newspaper article cutouts related to assaults on his home in 1973, and police reports. President Dilma Rousseff, a former leftist rebel who was tortured and jailed by the dictatorship, last year put in place a truth commission to probe human rights abuses. But she did not strike down the amnesty for those who committed crimes of repression, which has been in place since 1979. Pele is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, having won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970, as well as scoring 1,281 goals during his career. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52487 LONDON, April 2: Holders Chelsea kept one hand on the FA Cup by overcoming a lacklustre Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Monday in their quarter-final replay. Senegalese striker Demba Ba settled the tie with a memorable goal early in the second half to send Chelsea into the last four for the sixth time in eight seasons.[break] Winners of four of the last six tournaments, Chelsea will play Manchester City in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium on April 14. Despite his unpopularity with the Chelsea fans, interim manager Rafael Benitez could yet end the season with two trophies, as Russians Rubin Kazan await in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday. "It was a great win," said Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who produced a breath-taking save from Javier Hernandez to preserve his side´s lead. "We love Wembley, we respect the FA Cup as a whole and we always want to win. "For my save, it was a great ball into the box and I just went as fast as I could and let my left arm do the job. Luckily I was able to reach it." United, meanwhile, have now gone nine years without winning the FA Cup, having seen hopes of a league, cup and Champions League treble evaporate in the space of a month. Their 15-point lead in the Premier League means they are virtually guaranteed to succeed City as champions, but manager Alex Ferguson faces the odd prospect of an end to the campaign with nothing to play for. "We spoke about Demba Ba, with the players´ experience of playing against him when he played for Newcastle," said Ferguson. "He scored that exact type of goal against us a while back and we were caught napping." Benitez complained that Ferguson snubbed his offer of a handshake prior to the 2-2 draw in the sides´ first meeting, but the United manager put the matter to bed by offering Benitez a perfunctory handshake as the Spaniard emerged from the tunnel. Instead, the day´s first headlines were created by Ferguson´s team selection. With Wayne Rooney absent due to a groin injury and Robin van Persie on the bench, Danny Welbeck supported Javier Hernandez in attack, while Phil Jones bolstered the midfield. Benitez made six changes to the team beaten at Southampton on Saturday, and if there was unfamiliarity in the two line-ups, it told in a very cautious opening. Neither goalkeeper was tested until United number one David de Gea blocked from Ba in the 31st minute, by which time the hosts had already lost Ashley Cole to an apparent hamstring injury. United´s imprecision in attack forced them to rely on shots from range, with Nani drilling narrowly wide from 25 yards and Hernandez almost embarrassing Cech with a skidding shot that the Czech goalkeeper kicked away in unorthodox fashion. The creative players were beginning to come into the game though, and at the other end Eden Hazard bent a shot over the bar from Oscar´s lay-off. Juan Mata had been quiet, but four minutes into the second half he created the opening goal with a lofted pass that Ba hooked past De Gea with a sublime volley. A United equaliser seemed certain in the 61st minute when Hernandez ghosted in to meet Welbeck´s cross with a close-range header, but Cech showed astonishing reflexes to deflect the ball over the bar. Ferguson sent on van Persie, followed by Ryan Giggs, by which time Mata had threatened to extend the hosts´ lead by thrashing a shot into the side netting. United had another close shave moments later, with Hazard seizing on a loose pass from Michael Carrick and bearing down on goal, only to roll his shot wide from 12 yards. Ramires, Mata and Oscar also shot wide, while van Persie sent both of United´s best chances of an equaliser over the crossbar. Mata could even have made it 2-0 in the 89th minute, but after a neat exchange with Hazard, his shot was fielded by De Gea. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52481 KATHMANDU, April 2: Nepal renews cricket rivalry with the UAE on Tuesday after sharing the honors in their last meeting six months ago. The two teams had shared the ACC Trophy Elite title as the final match ended in a tie. But both teams are gearing up to topple each other in Tuesday’s semifinal encounter during the ACC T20 Cup in Kirtipur. Host Nepal has been saying that the current tournament is the best opportunity to grab title success in the shorter version of the game while the UAE hopes to avenge its defeat to Nepal in the last edition of the tournament.[break] Although Nepal had lost to the UAE by four wickets in the group stage of the last edition of the ACC T20 Cup held in Kathmandu in 2011, the host had qualified to the semifinals at the expense of the UAE on the basis of superior net run rate after both teams finished the group stage on equal points. Nepal had been a perennial loser to the UAE in the ACC Trophy Elite until the last edition, when Nepal had defeated the UAE by four wickets in the group-stage and shared the trophy in the final. Tuesday´s match at the TU Cricket Ground could be a chance for the Nepali team to prove its progressive credentials of late. "We have been going through a good time recently as we won the Division 4 (World Cricket League) and the ACC Trophy Elite. Everyone is pumped up and everybody is contributing for the team," said Nepali Captain Paras Khada after his team cruised to the semifinal beating Singapore in the last group stage match on Sunday. Nepal, which had crashed out from group stage in the first two editions of the ACC T20 Cup, is playing the second semifinal in a row on Tuesday and wants to go a step ahead this time. "This is the best chance for us to win the tournament in a T20 format. I´m really looking forward to that. There is a lot of confidence in the team," said Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake. The UAE has rested some of its key players for the ACC T20 Cup as it is more focused on the World T20 Qualifiers which the Gulf nation will host in November. Former Pakistani pace bowler Aaqib Javed has been looking after the UAE team as its coach. "The UAE has been doing good under Aaqib Javed. However, we had defeated his full-strength side in the ACC Trophy Elite," said Dassanayake. "Meantime, we are aware that there are some good hitters in the second-string side of UAE in this tournament," he added. Nepal defeated the Maldives, Malaysia and Singapore in the group stage but lost to Hong Kong. On the other hand the UAE is undefeated in the tournament, stunning mighty Afghanistan in the group stage. "We have already qualified for the World T20 Qualifiers and this is an opportunity for us to do better. We also don´t have other option than winning the semifinal," said skipper Khadka. "I hope we´ll get good crowd support in the upcoming matches," he added. Nepal’s team will be decided only on Tuesday morning since injured off-spinner Sanjam Regmi will go through final fitness test only in the morning. "We are mulling about including Sanjam (Regmi). There are some left-handed batsmen in the UAE team and if he gets fit, he could be included in the team. However, we´ll decide everything after reading the pitch on Tuesday morning," said Dassanayake. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52486 KATHMANDU, April 1: The best player awards I four different positions—goalkeeping, defender, midfield and forward—were all distributed to the member of the national football squad after the completion of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football league on Monday. All of them, along with the best coach, were awarded with a Yamamha motorbike with champion Three Star taking three of them. A three-member technical committee comprising coaches Bal Gopal Maharjan, Sunil Shrestha and Mrigendra Shrestha had finalized the best players.[break] KIRAN CHEMJON (BEST GOALKEEPER) Chemjong of Three Star conceded 14 goals throughout the league, one more than Gangaram Deuja of Nepal Army Club who had conceded the lowest number of goals. "I am very happy to get this award and I think I have given best performance in 18 out of 22 matches of the league," said the 23-year-old, who was also adjudged the best goalkeeper in the last two editions of the league. Chemjong said that his further aim is to qualify for the final rounds of AFC President Cup to be held next month. Chemjong rated Police custodian Ritesh Thapa as his contender. BIRAJ MAHARJAN (BEST DEFENDER) Maharjan, the left-back, was a key player in Three Star´s path to the title. He is also renowned for overlapping. Maharjan, who was declared best defender for the first time in the league, assisted four goals and featured for the full time in 19 out of 22 league matches. "I am very happy for the award as the team has also secured the championship. The award tome is a fair evaluation of my performance in the league," said the 23-year-old. He also opined that seven point lead achieved by his side at the end of first round became very much crucial in the super league rounds. Maharjan opined that Rabin Shrestha of Nepal Police Club, Jitendra Karki of Nepal Army and Sagar Thapa of Friends were the other contenders for the position. JAGJEET SHRESTHA (BEST MIDFIELDER) Shrestha is the left winger of NIBL Friends Club. He scored four goals in the league and made three assists. He has good ability in cross an acute passes. "I am not much interested in individual prizes though I was hopeful of getting the award," said the 20-year-old. "There were big expectations from the team since our arrival," said Shrestha who joined Friends in the last season along with Sagar Thapa, Nirajan Khadka and Deepak Bhusal. "I tried to fulfill those expectations," said Shrestha, who had rated Bhola Silwal of Police as the contender for the award. BHARAT KHAWAS (BEST FORWARD) The 23-year-old forward is the third highest scorer in the league with 12 goals to his name. Santosh Sahukhala (17 goals) of Three Star and Yona Elias Ndabila (16 goals) of Saraswati are ahead of Khawas. "It is a memorable day for me," said Khawas, who was also crowned the best forward in the last edition. "It is not due to my lone effort that I have got the award but due to support from my teammates and I thank everyone for this," said Khawas. Khawas, who rated Amar Dangol of RCT, Santosh Sahukhala of Three Star and Anil Gurung of MMC as his contenders. PRADIP HUMAGAIN (BEST COACH) Humagain of Three Star was assigned the head coach of the team some seven months ago. This is the first time that the 31-year-old was taking charge of a top tire club. "I was looking for an opportunity since the last six years," said Humagain, adding, he was sure of getting big achievement soon after his appointment as the club´s coach. "Firstly, I thank ANFA for providing me the C-level coaching course. I would not been coaching without taking the course," said Humagain. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52469 KATHMANDU, April 1: Tribhuvan Army Club spoiled champion Three Star´s party with a dramatic 3-2 victory in the last match of the super league round of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League that concluded at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu on Monday. With the victory, the Army Club finished third in the league. [break] "The title celebration could have been far better if we had finished with a victory," said Three Star coach Pradip Humagain,whose side celebrated the title victory with a city parade from the stadium to Patan, Lalitpur. The match did not have much significance to Three Star in terms of results as it was already crowned the champion with two matches to spare. But a victory was a must for Army to move one spot up for the third-place finish at the expense of NIBL Friends Club, which moved down to the fourth position. Army settled for third position with 39 points, two ahead of Friends. Had the match ended in a tie, Army would have finished fourth despite having equal points with Friends on the basis of head-to-head record. Three Star claimed the title with 43 points, two points ahead of second-placed MMC. Along with title, Three Star bagged a handsome purse of Rs 7.5 million while the second and third place finishers received Rs 3.5 million and Rs 2 million respectively. Fourth placed Friends had to be satisfied with Rs 700,000. Though Three Star came from behind twice to level the score 2-2 with just three minutes to go, Bharat Khawas’ heroic in the fading moments of the stoppage time secured the important win for Army. In the first round, Army and Three had played a 0-0 draw. "The win gave the message that Army is also capable of winning important matches," said Army coach Yogembar Suwal during the post-match conference, whose side was tagged of losing vital matches. During the last league match of 2063 BS, a draw against Nepal Police Club could have been sufficient for Army to secure the title while the former was in a must-win situation for the same honors. In such condition, Army was defeated and was forced to surrender the title. Analyzing his team´s overall performance in the league, Suwal said, "Though I am satisfied with the performance, there are lots of rooms for improvement. Our performance was inconsistent and we could have finished second had we not slipped in a few initial matches of the super league." Army had wrapped up the first round of the league on second position. The top eight teams out of 16 then played the super league round. During Monday’s match, Santosh Nepali had given a 38th minute lead to Army when he scored in his own rebounder off Three Star custodian Kiran Chemjong from the six-yard box. But, Three Star skipper Santosh Sahukhala squared the score five minutes into the second half. Sahukhala headed from the crowded six-yard box in Bijay Gurung´s freekick. Tek Bahadur Budathoki restored Army’s lead in the 73rd minute from close range beating the advancing custodian Chemjong. Three Star skipper Sahukhala came to the rescue as he leveled the score score 2-2 in the 87th minute. Sahukhala´s curing freekick from the left flank entered the net dodging Army custodian Ganga Ram Deuja. Three Star’s joys were short lived as Khawas tapped in a cross from Raju Tamang in the injury time wrap up the victory. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52470 KATHMANDU, April 1: Chinese sports brand Li-Ning has announced to sponsor the 36th edition of the National Badminton Championship, which is all set to kick off on Tuesday. Authorized dealer of Li-Ning in Nepal, Kiran Maharjan, said that the sponsorship is aimed at the development of Nepali badminton. Sunny Distillery´s product Minsk is the co-sponsor of the tournament. [break] The host Kathmandu District Badminton Association (KDBA) organized a press conference on Monday in the capital and informed that Li-Nang would provide badminton kits worth Rs 500,000 for the tournament. KDBA President Deepak Thapa said that the stage is all set for the tournament. According to Thapa, matches till the quarterfinals will be played at the covered hall of the Armed Police Force at its headquarters in Hallchowk while rest of the matches will be played at the National Sports Council’s covered hall, Tripureshwar. The tournament, which is being held on the initiative of Nepal Badminton Association, will feature 400 shuttlers from 35 districts and three clubs -- Nepal Police Club, Nepal APF Club and Nepal Army. The six-day tournament will feature 12 events -- men´s singles, men´s doubles, women´s singles, women´s doubles, mixed doubles, U-16 boys´ and girls´ singles, U-17 boys´ and girls´ doubles, men´s team event, women´s team event and veterans´ (above 45 years) event. According to KDBA, the tournament will also have foreign umpires and observers besides four international umpires from Nepal and other national umpires. According to Nepal Badminton Association General Secretary Ramji Bahadur Shrestha, the organizing committee of the tournament has decided to felicitate former Nepal champions and other individuals who have contributed to the development of Nepali badminton. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52473 KATHMANDU, April 1: Nepal Marwadi Cricket Club is all set to organize Arihant Holiday Champion T20 Cricket League from Tuesday. The club organized a press conference in the capital on Monday and informed that eight teams from Kathmandu Valley and four teams from outside the valley will be participating in the tournament. The winner will get Rs 150,000 and the runner-up will receive Rs 50,000. League and super-league matches of the tournament will be played at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground while the semifinals and the final will be played at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Arihant Holidays Pvt Ltd is the sponsor for the tournament while Mahalaxmi cable Pvt Ltd is the co-sponsor.[break] Hamal sets final with Kayastha KATHMANDU: FIDE Master Manish Hamal set up the title clash with Madan Krishna Kayastha of GoldenGate College in the First Cooperative Cup Chess Tournament being held in Lalitpur. Hamal defeated Rajan Puri of Lalitpur in sudden death in the semifinal while Kayastha edged past Niraj Niraula of Jhapa with an identical result to the first semifinal. The winner will receive a Yamaha motorbike while the runner-up will bag Rs 50,000. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52471 KATHMANDU, April 1: Khushi Pandey advanced into the quarterfinals of the Fifth Kesha Group JTI Junior Open Tennis Championship on Monday as she battled back from the first set down to defeat Alsa Regmi in a marathon match that lasted for almost three hours. Despite losing the closely contested first set, Pandey showed her tenacity to fight back to seal the second set in a tie-breaker and then held on her nerves to win the final set with an overall score of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in their U-12 girls’ singles opener.[break] In the other U-12 girls’ singles matches played at the Satdobato Tennis Complex, Utsavi Joshi handed a double bagel to Nima Roka while Medhavi Giri crushed Arya Prasain 6-1, 6-0 to secure their respective berths in the quarterfinals. Saloni Tamang had an easy access to the last-eight as she received a walkover from her opponent. In the U-12 boys’ singles category, Prashant Basnet, Utsav Khadka and Sulav Dhital won their respective matches to advance into the pre-quarterfinals. Basnet defeated Alex Shah, Khadka saw off Saharsha Chand and Dhital beat Utsav Thapa by an identical scoreline of 6-1, 6-0. Likewise, Anjan Thing thrashed Pranav Khanal 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the U-14 boys’ singles to make it to the quarterfinals. Other players to secure the quarterfinal berths were Renjen Lama, Prashant Basnet and Samrakshak Bhushan Bajracharya. Renjen Lama routed Anubhav Chakravarti 6-1, 6-1 while Prashant Basnet ousted Bivek Basnet 6-4, 6-2. Meanwhile, Samrakshak Bhushan Bajracharya edged out Satyap Ilme 6-2, 6-3. In the U-9 boys’ singles section, Bardan Basnet edged past Satya Dhwoj Karki 9-8 and Abhi Joshi hammered Adit Maharjan 8-1 to advance into the quarterfinals. Samden Baidhya, Daniel Krishna Shrestha and Ranav Singh also secured quarterfinal berths after earning walkovers from their opponents. In the U-10 boys’ singles, Samyak Bhushan Bajracharya thrashed Aryan Jung Shah 8-1, Rahul Singh beat Shreeyans Shrestha 8-5, Utsav Thapa defeated Aryan Giri 8-5 and Adit Subedi routed Pratham Manandhar 8-1 to secure their respective places in the quarterfinals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52472 TERHATHUM, April 1: Nepal Police Club and Nepal APF Club on Monday registered second consecutive wins in the 27th National Men´s Volleyball Tournament being held in Terhathum. Nepal Police Club, which had defeated Nepal Army on Sunday, registered victory against Tribhuvan University (TU) on Monday and qualified for the semifinals. Police won the match 25-21, 25-19, 25-18. [break] In the same group, Nepal Army thrashed Eastern Region 25-11, 25-8, 25-13. Eastern Region, which lost to TU on Sunday, has crashed out of the tournament. The second semifinalist form the group will be decided after the match between Nepal Army and TU to be held on Tuesday. The winner of the match will reach the semifinals. Meanwhile, APF entered into the semifinals from another pool. APF, which had defeated Mid-western Region on Sunday, edged past Central Region 25-10, 25-16, 25-16 on Monday. Likewise, Far-western Region defeated Mid-western Region 25-18, 25-21, 25-16 in another match. Suffering second consecutive defeat, Mid-Western Region crashed out of the tournament. Far-Western Region will take on APF on Tuesday while Central Region will take on Mid-Western in their last match in the group stage. The second semifinalist from the pool will be decided only after the completion of the last group-stage match. According to Nepal Volleyball Association Vice-president Birendra Khadka, Western Region pulled out of the tournament as the team-bus met an accident in Hetauda on Sunday injuring four players. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52435 KATHMANDU, March 31: The best footballers in four different positions -- goalkeeping, defense, midfield and forward -- and the best coach will be awarded with a motorbike on Monday as the four-month-long Martyrs Memorial A Division League concludes with the match between champion Three Star and Nepal Army Club. Three Star was crowned the champion with two matches to spare on Wednesday and will receive a cash prize of Rs 7.5 million. Though the awards should be given to players on the basis of their skills and performance on the field, ANFA is known to give priority to members of the national squad for the awards. Though foreign players are better in every position compared to their Nepali counterparts, ANFA does not have a policy to award foreign players. Here is a list of some players likely to win the award in their respective positions. Goalkeeper Gangaram Deuja of Nepal Army Club is the favorite to win the best goalkeeper award. He has conceded the lowest 11 goals during the entire league along with Kiran Chemjong of Three Star. In comparison to Chemjong, Army has conceded fewer goals owing to Deuja"s errors. Similarly, Three Star also has a strong and well-organized defense line-up than that of Army. Ritesh Thapa of Nepal Police, Dinesh Thapa Magar of Machhidnra and Ajeet Prajapati of Bansbari, which got relegated, are the other contenders for the award. Defender Biraj Maharjan of champion Three Star is the favorite for the best defender award. The left back of the national team is better in overlap and was instrumental in the club"s title victory. Maharjan has assisted four goals and played full time in 19 of the 21 matches played by Three Star so far. Rabin Shrestha of Nepal Police and Sagar Thapa of Friends Club are the other contenders for the position. Thapa, the skipper of Friends and the national team, is among seven players in the league to play the full 90 minutes in all 22 matches of the league. Midfielder Prakash Budhathoki and Jagjeet Shrestha, both from NIBL Friends Club, are the strongest contenders for the best midfielder award. Budhathoki has scored a total of six goals in the league, including five in the super league, and also has one assist. Shrestha has scored four goals in the league and has three assists. He is believed to be better in crosses and acute passes. The other competitors for the position are Bijay Gurung of Three Star, Bhola Silwal of Nepal Police, Karna Limbu of Machhidnra and Shiva Shrestha of MMC. Gurung has six goals and four assists, Silwal seven goals and one assist, and Limbu has four goals and four assists. Similarly, Shrestha of MMC has five goals and two assists. Forward Nepali forwards paled in comparison to their African counterparts during the league. Santosh Sahukhala of Three Star, Bharat Khawas of Nepal Army and Amar Dangol of Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) hold superiority among the Nepali forwards. Sahukhala, the skipper of Three Star, is the second highest scorer with 15 goals, one behind Yona Elias Ndabila of Saraswati that did not qualify for the super league. Amar Dangol and Bharat Khawas have scored 11 goals each. Sahukhala has played the full 90 minutes in 20 of the 21 matches played by Three Star and also has one assist. Khawas has three assists and featured in 20 of his team"s 21 matches. Dangol has played in 20 of RCT"s 22 matches. Coach If the tradition of awarding the coach of the champion team continues, Three Star coach Pradip Humagain is the undisputed candidate for the best coach award. The 33-year old Humagain guided Three Star to the league title during his first stint as the coach of a top-tier team. If ANFA breaks with the tradition, MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang and Friends interim manager Meghraj KC are the other contenders for the title. Both Lopsang and KC had taken charge of their respective teams when the super league began. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52419 KATHMANDU, April 1: Pursuing its World Cup dream, Nepali cricket team has inched closer to the World T20 Cup 2014 to be held in Bangladesh after advancing to the World T20 Qualifiers to be held in the UAE in November, thanks to its semifinal qualification in the ACC T20 Cup on Sunday. Nepal registered the biggest ever T20 victory in terms of run margin against Singapore at the TU Cricket Ground on Sunday to secure berth in the World Cup Qualifiers for the second time in a row.[break] The top 16 associate members of International Cricket Council (ICC) will compete in the qualifiers. Of them, the top six teams will qualify for the World T20 Cup. Nepal had finished seventh in the last edition of the qualifiers. Nepal elected to bat and put up a mammoth 210/5 in 20 overs as the middle-order batted brilliantly adding 133 runs in the last 10 overs. The 210-run total is the biggest T20 score by Nepal so far. Nepal´s previous biggest total in T20 was the 183 runs scored against Saudi Arabia in the last edition of the tournament in 2011 in Kathmandu. In reply, Singapore was all out for 89 runs in 15.1 overs as four Nepali spinners shared seven wickets to seal the 121-run victory. Nepal´s previous biggest win in terms of runs was the 95-run victory over Saudi Arabia in 2011, while the team´s biggest win in terms of wickets is the nine-wicket victory over Singapore in 2009. "It was a team effort and I´m happy, but we still have a long way to go," said Nepali captain Paras Khadka, who was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his 44 runs off 25 balls. Following the win, Nepal reached the semifinals of the ACC T20 Cup as the runner-up of Group A, where Hong Kong is at the top of the table with four victories in the group stage. Hong Kong had defeated Nepal by six wickets in the group stage. Nepal will take on the UAE in the semifinal on Tuesday while Hong Kong will lock horns with Afghanistan. UAE has topped Group B with four wins while Afghanistan is the runner-up with three victories. Nepal and Hong Kong secured tickets to the World T20 Qualifiers as semifinalists. Afghanistan by virtue of its ODI status and the UAE as the host have already booked their berths in the qualifiers. Binod Bhandari greets audience after completing half-century. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Shakti Guachan celebrates after taking wicket. (Photo: Bikash Karki) A Nepali supporter. (Photo: Bikash Karki) http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52424 KATHMANDU, March 31: Nepal registered a 121-run victory over Singapore on Sunday in the ACC T20 Cup to secure berth in the semifinals as well as the World T20 Qualifiers. Nepal elected to bat at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur and posted 210/5 in 20 overs -- its biggest ever total in T20 -- as the middle-order batsmen added 133 runs in the last 10 overs. Nepal´s total on Sunday surpassed 183 runs scored against Saudi Arabia in the last edition of the tournament in 2011 in Kathmandu.[break] In reply, Singapore was all out for 89 runs in 15.1 overs as Nepali spinners dominated the show with 121-run victory. Earlier, Nepal´s biggest victory was the 95-run victory against Saudi Arabia in 2011. Following the win, Nepal finished the group stage as the runner-up of Group A, where Hong Kong is at the top. Nepal will take on Group B winner, the UAE, in the semifinal on Tuesday while Hong Kong will lock horns with Group B runner-up Afghanistan. In the match full of records, Nepal made a nervous start as opener Subash Khakurel was caught by Amjad Mahboob off Shoaib Razzak in the first ball of the second over. Khakurel made five runs off three balls. However, another opener Pradeep Airee and Binod Bhandari, who was promoted in the batting order, put up a 55-run partnership for the second wicket. Airee was caught by Chaminda Kumarage off Irfan Madakia in the fourth ball of the ninth over when he was batting at 30 off 32 balls. Nepal accelerated the innings after captain Paras Khadka arrived at the crease when the team was progressing at 64/2. Khadka and Bhandari shared a 72-run partnership for the third wicket off 39 balls. Bhandari scored 54 runs off 34 balls with three fours and four sixes. Bhandari dispatched Singapore bowler Madakia for a four and two consecutive sixes in the first three balls of the 11th over. It was Bhandari´s maiden T20 half-century and the ninth by a Nepali batsman. Nepali captain Khadka has the most half-centuries in T20 with a tally of four. Bhandari was caught by Madakia off Amjad Mahboob in the first ball of the 16th over. Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla joined Khadka at the crease and gave momentum to Nepal´s innings. Malla smashed three sixes and a four in the 17th over bowled by Saad Janjua. Skipper Khadka was caught and bowled by Anish Param in the first ball of the 18th over after making 44 runs off 25 balls with four boundaries and a six. Khadka and Malla shared a 29-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Malla departed three balls later, immediately after hitting his fourth six in the third ball of the over. Malla scored a quick 30 runs off 11 balls. Bhandari and Malla became the third and fourth Nepali batsman respectively to hit four or more sixes in a T20 innings. Mehboob Alam had clobbered six sixes against Saudi Arabia in 2011 and Pradeep Airee had smashed four sixes against the Maldives in the opening match of the ongoing tournament. Prithu Baskota (9 runs off 4 balls) and Sharad Vesawkar put up an unbeaten 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Vesawkar clobbered 26 runs off 11 balls with three sixes to guide Nepal to a mammoth total. The Nepali innings included 12 sixes, the most by Nepali batsmen in an innings so far. Earlier, Nepali batsmen had hit eight sixes against Saudi Arabia in 2011. "Everyone clicked at the right time, be it Binod Bhandari, Gyanendra Malla or Sharad Vesawkar," said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake. "Everyone batted well and this form could help us more in the upcoming matches," he added. "Scoring 200-plus was exceptional and more importantly everybody is contributing for the team," said Nepali captain Khadka. In reply, Singapore batsmen fell victim to poor shot selection and had no answer to Nepal´s spinners. Pacer Chandra Sawad bowled Rezza Gaznavi (one run) in the fourth ball of the first over and skipper Khadka trapped Arjun Mutreja (6 runs) lbw in the next over. Nepali spinners shared seven wickets among the four of them while skipper Khadka was involved in a brilliant run-out of Amjad Mahboob as Singapore was bundled out for 89 runs. Basanta Regmi claimed three wickets with a bowling figure of 4-1-17-3. Shakti Gauchan dismissed two Singapore batsmen while Prithu Baskota and debutant Sagar Pun claimed a wicket each. Pun, the Nepali U-19 star who was a reserve player in the Nepali team, was included in the 14-member team replacing Anil Mandal for the first time on Saturday. The off-spinner won his first cap for the national team as Sanjam Regmi was rested for the match against Singapore. Singapore captain Saad Janjua was the top scorer with 20 runs off 12 balls while Kshitij Shinde (15 runs), Mahboob (16 runs) and Shoaib Razzak (12 runs) were the other major contributors. The 31-run partnership between Mahboob and Shinde for the seventh wicket was the highest of the Singapore innings. "I´m happy to qualify for the semifinals but I can be content only after winning the tournament," said Nepali skipper Khadka. "We have no option other than winning the semifinal against the UAE and I hope we can enjoy the support of home crowd in the upcoming matches," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52434 KATHMANDU, March 31: Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) finished second maintaining its unbeaten run in the super league of Martyrs Memorial A Division Football League. MMC defeated New Road Team (NRT) 2-0 in its last match played on Sunday at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. MMC achieved the highest 15 points from seven matches of the super league with four wins and three draws. MMC also scored the highest 11 goals during the super league and conceded the least four goals. [break]The result confirmed second position and a handsome purse of Rs 3.5 million for MMC. In the first round MMC had finished fifth with seven wins, five draws and three defeats. MMC leapfrogged four spots to finish second with 41 points, two points behind champion Three Star which is yet to play its last league match. At the end of the first round, MMC was nine points behind leader Three Star which had opened a seven-point lead at the top. "I have fulfilled the responsibility assigned to me by the club," said MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang, who had joined MMC following the resignation of coach Krishna Thapa after the completion of the first round. "The club had targeted second position finish and I am happy that we have achieved the target," said Lopsang, who seemed ecstatic for being the only team to remain unbeaten in the super league. In Sunday´s match Shiva Shrestha and skipper Anil Gurung scored in either half for MMC that was reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute following a straight red card to its defender Mbile Leonel Stephen. Midfielder Shrestha had put MMC ahead in the 34th minute when he headed home from the six-yard box in a freekick taken by Sabindra Shrestha. Four minutes later, MMC´s African defender Stephen was sent off by referee Sachin Amatya. Stephen, the last man, was punished for a ´deliberate foul´ on Akeen O Babatunde just outside the danger zone. Skipper Gurung converted the spotkick awarded to MMC in the 65th minute to double the advantage. MMC was awarded the spotkick after Sujal Shrestha was brought down in the danger zone by Subash Gurung A. Meanwhile, NRT´s coach Diken Suwal said inconsistent performance proved to be the major setback for his team in their league campaign. "We performed well during the initial and final stages of the first round as well as the super league. But we lost our rhythm in the middle stages," Suwal said. Meanwhile, Nepal Army Club will vie with champion Three Star Club in the last league match to be held on Monday. Army, which lies in the fourth position, must beat Three Star to finish third and earn a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million, double the amount for the fourth-place finisher. Monday´s match Three Star Vs Army @ 15:00 NST Venue: Dasharath Stadium http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52433 KATHMANDU, March 31: Afghanistan defeated Kuwait by four wickets on Sunday to reach the semifinals of the ACC T20 Cup. Afghanistan put Kuwait into bat first at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground and bundled the latter out for 133 runs in 19.2 overs. Opener Yasar Idrees scored 64 runs off 40 balls and Ali Zaheer added 20 runs off 17 balls for Kuwait. Nasim Baras and Samiullah Shenwai claimed three wickets each for Afghanistan.[break] Chasing the total, Afghanistan reached 136/6 in 19.1 overs as Karim Sadiq scored 42 runs off 37 balls and Fazal Rahman added 24 runs off 21 balls. Najibullah Zadran struck a run-a-ball 26. Following the win, Afghanistan finished runner-up in Group B behind the UAE, which has registered four consecutive victories in the group stage. The UAE thrashed Bahrain by 114 runs on Sunday at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. The UAE put up 226/5 in 20 overs as Abdul Shakoor clobbered 84 runs off 45 balls with 11 fours and five sixes. Mohammad Azam hit 47 runs off 26 balls and Rohan Mustafa added 35 runs off 20 balls. In reply, Bahrain could reach only 112/8 in 20 overs. Arshad Latif was the top scorer for Bahrain with 19 runs off 24 balls. Meanwhile, Malaysia beat the Maldives by eight wickets to finish third in Group A. Batting first, the Maldives was all out for 85 runs in 19.4 overs. In reply, Malaysia reached 88/2 in 11.2 overs. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52429 KATHMANDU, March 31: Nepal is all set to host the Group C qualifying matches of the AFC U-14 Championship at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu from Tuesday. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has introduced the championship as a new age-group competition. The host Nepal will take on Bhutan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the Group C qualifiers. Uzbekistan and the Maldives were also in the same group but pulled out of the tournament at the last moment.[break] According to All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President and AFC Vice-president Ganesh Thapa, all the participating nations have been divided into eight groups for the qualifiers. Winners of all the groups will qualify for the final rounds of the championship. ANFA has appointed Bal Gopal Maharjan, Sunil Kumar Shrestha and Mrigendra Mishra as the coaches of the Nepali U-14 team. ANFA had announced a 20-member youth team on Saturday. Nepal will take on Afghanistan in the opening match of the qualifying round. According to ANFA, Tajikistan and Afghanistan have arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday evening while Bhutan is arriving on Monday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52427 TEHRATHUM, March 31: Nepal Police Club, Nepal APF Club, Central Region and Tribhuvan University registered victories in the 27th National Men´s Volleyball Tournament that kicked off on Sunday in Tehrathum. APF edged past Mid-western Region 25-12, 25-13, 25-11 in the inaugural match of the tournament featuring teams from five development regions, TU and three departmental teams -- Police, APF and Nepal Army.[break] TU pulled off a 25-22, 27-25, 25-16 victory over Eastern Region in the day´s second match while Nepal Police upset Nepal Army in the departmental derby. Police registered a 25-12, 25-20, 25-19 victory over Army. Likewise, Central Region defeated Far-western Region. In the most competitive match of the day, Central Region clinched a 25-21, 25-15, 19-25, 25-19 victory over Far-western. Earlier, National Sports Council Vice-president Pitambar Timalsina inaugurated the tournament, organized by Tehrathum District Volleyball Association on the initiative of Nepal Volleyball Association. The winner of the tournament will receive Rs 50,000 while the runner-up will get Rs 30,000. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52389 LONDON, March 30: Manchester City pounced on a stumble from Chelsea to tighten their grip on second place in the Premier League on Saturday, after Manchester United took another stride towards the title. United´s 1-0 win at Sunderland had given them an 18-point lead but City cut their advantage back to 15 points ahead of the forthcoming Manchester derby by crushing Newcastle United 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.[break] Carlos Tevez slid in to convert Gael Clichy´s cross in the 41st minute and David Silva made it 2-0 before half-time when he collected Samir Nasri´s pass and rifled a shot into the bottom-right corner. Making his first appearance in two months, City captain Vincent Kompany added a third in the 56th minute with a flick from Gareth Barry´s low shot, and an own goal from James Perch made Newcastle´s misery complete. "Samir Nasri played very well and if we play like this we won´t have a problem in the last couple of months of the season," said City manager Roberto Mancini. "It´s important to get second place and to win the FA Cup semi-final next week." City now have a five-point cushion in second place after Chelsea saw their hopes of Champions League qualification compromised in a 2-1 loss at Southampton. Jay Rodriguez put the hosts ahead in the 23rd minute, exchanging passes with Steven Davis and coolly steering the ball past the advancing Petr Cech. Chelsea captain John Terry equalised in the 33rd minute, heading in from a corner, but Rickie Lambert restored the hosts´ lead two minutes later when he swept home a superb free-kick from 25 yards. "We are really disappointed," said interim Chelsea coach Rafael Benitez. "We were giving the ball away too easily. The players playing today were playing to be in the Champions League next season." Southampton have now beaten City, Liverpool and Chelsea at home this year, and Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were the chief beneficiaries of their latest success. Spurs won 2-1 at Swansea City to leapfrog Chelsea into third place, although they have played a game more. Jan Vertonghen´s classy finish put Tottenham ahead in the 17th minute and the Belgian then teed up man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale to beat Michel Vorm with a vicious strike from outside the area. Michu replied with a 71st-minute header, but Spurs held on. Fifth-place Arsenal closed to within just two points of Chelsea after a 4-1 win at home to Reading, who sank to the foot of the table in new manager Nigel Adkins´ first game in charge. Goals from Gervinho, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud saw Arsenal construct a 3-0 lead inside 67 minutes, with Mikel Arteta adding a fourth from the penalty spot after Hal Robson-Kanu had hit back for the visitors. Everton also took advantage of Chelsea´s slip-up with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke City that left David Moyes´ side four points below the top four in sixth. Kevin Mirallas settled the game with a fine solo effort in the 28th minute, surging forward from the halfway line and wrong-footing Geoff Cameron before sliding the ball past goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Earlier, Manchester United took a step closer to a 20th English league title by grinding out a 1-0 win at Sunderland. With an FA Cup quarter-final replay at Chelsea on Monday, United manager Alex Ferguson rested Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, and saw his side score the game´s only goal in the 27th minute when Titus Bramble diverted Robin van Persie´s drilled shot into his own goal. Victory was especially sweet for United as Sunderland´s fans had celebrated exuberantly at the Stadium of Light on the final day of last season when United found out they had been pipped to the title by City. "They weren´t the only fans who enjoyed that, but that´s gone now," United midfielder Michael Carrick told Sky Sports. "It was about coming here, getting the points, ticking the game off, and keeping the run going." Defeat left Sunderland four points above the relegation zone in 16th place, although they have played at least a game more than the teams immediately below them. Elsewhere on Saturday, an 81st-minute goal from Arouna Kone gave Wigan Athletic a 1-0 win at home to Norwich City that hauled Roberto Martinez´s side out of the relegation zone at Aston Villa´s expense. Meanwhile, Andy Carroll scored twice, with Gary O´Neil also on target, as West Ham United eased their own relegation fears by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52388 MIAMI, March 30:  World No. 1 Serena Williams rallied to defeat world No. 2 Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday in the WTA Miami final, winning the event for a record sixth time to claim her 48th career tour title. Williams, who had shared the all-time Miami women´s title mark with Steffi Graf, won the last 10 games in adding to a trophy haul that included crowns in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 and runner-up efforts in 1999 and 2009.[break] "It´s so good to win number six," Williams said. "Start of the tournament, I definitely didn´t feel like I would be here, not with the way I was playing. But it definitely feels good to go through everything." It was the 11th match victory in a row for Williams over Sharapova, coming in their first meeting as the top two players in the world rankings, and gave the 31-year-old American a 12-2 edge in their all-time rivalry. "She definitely pushed me," Williams said. "I definitely look forward to our next matches." Sharapova took a set off Williams for the first time since 2008 and was up a break in the second set before the reigning Olympic, Wimbledon and US Open champion roared back to break the Russian in her last five service games. "I certainly put myself in a much better position today," Sharapova said. "I had my chances. There´s no reason why I couldn´t win the match. I was playing, not well enough to win the match, obviously, but it was a step in the right direction and there´s no doubt that we´ll be playing many more times. "There´s no doubt I´ll be able to beat her." Williams became only the fourth woman in the modern era to win the same event six times, joining Graf, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. "I´m happy to be here holding the championship," Williams said. "It´s definitely not my best tournament but the moments that count is when you can go and do the best you can and still come out on top and always try to improve." Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, also became the oldest women´s champion in Miami history, four months older than Evert when the legend won here in 1986 at 31 years and two months of age. "It´s really cool," Williams said. "I´m really happy to have something going right now, so it´s exciting." Sharapova, 25, suffered her fifth championship-match loss at Miami and still looks for her first Miami title after having been denied a 29th career WTA triumph. The $8.5 million hardcourt event, which also includes an ATP Masters tournament, concludes Sunday with Britain´s Andy Murray facing Spaniard David Ferrer in the men´s final. Four-time Grand Slam title winner Sharapova had won 11 matches in a row without dropping a set since losing to Williams in a Doha semi-final, including a title earlier this month at Indian Wells. Sharapova missed a chance to match Graf and Kim Clijsters as the only women to win at Indian Wells and Miami in the same year. "It has been a really nice month," Sharapova said. "I´m disappointed to end it like this but Serena played a really great match. I´m sure we will be playing a few more times this year." Sharapova´s only two victories over Williams came in 2004 in the Wimbledon final and the WTA Los Angeles final. Sharapova broke in the ninth game of the match, a double fault and netted forehand by Williams giving the Russian a 5-4 edge. Sharapova then held at love and claimed the first set when Williams sent a forehand long. Williams, who made 20 unforced errors to 15 winners in the opening set, smacked her bench with her racquet during a changeover after her 13-set win streak over Sharapova for the past five years was snapped. "I was just making so many errors," Williams said. "It just was like, ´Serena, are you really going to get to the final and not play up to your potential?´ "I don´t think I was as energized as I could be. I may have done too much work yesterday, may have hit too long, done too much gym. At one point, I was just like, ´Conserve your energy and try and relax and play better.´" Williams held at love to open the second set and broke Sharapova for a 2-0 edge. Sharapova broke back at love in the third and fifth games to seize a 3-2 lead, only to have Williams break back at love in the sixth to pull even. "I lost that game and I had 40-15," Sharapova said. "I was a little bit more safer and she took advantage of it just like I did in the previous game when I broke her. I don´t really think that was the game that changed things around." But Williams never lost another game. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52390 MADRID, Spain, March 30: Lionel Messi notched up another goal-scoring record Saturday - but Barcelona´s cruise towards a 22nd title was halted when Borja Oubina hit a late equaliser which handed Celta Vigo a deserved 2-2 draw. The visitors were without a number of first-team regulars and were punished for a slow start when Natxo Insa prodded home from close range to put Celta in front seven minutes before half-time.[break] The lead only lasted five minutes though as Messi released Cristian Tello to curl home a fine equaliser and the roles were reversed 18 minutes from time when Tello cut the ball back for Messi to drill low into the net. The goal was Messi´s 43rd league goal of the campaign and also secured another record for the World Player of the Year. By scoring for the 19th straight game, he became the first player to score against every other side in the Spanish league in consecutive matches. However, Celta gave their chances of survival a huge boost as Oubina headed home Fabian Orellana´s cross at the back post two minutes from time. And Barca assistant manager Jordi Roura admitted that his side lacked the concentration required to see the game out. "I don´t want to point out individual errors," said Roura, whose team are still 13 points ahead at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid were held 1-1 by Real Zaragoza. "We had done the most difficult bit which was to score. In the final few minutes we lacked the collective intensity needed and they have equalised." Despite his disappointment at the outcome though, Roura did take time to laud another incredible individual achievement by Messi. "It is a unheard of record that no one has ever achieved. This shows how great this player is. With time, what this player is doing will be valued even more." Second-placed Real Madrid failed to take advantage of Barca´s slip-up as they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Real Zaragoza. Rodri put the hosts in front after just five minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised seven minutes before half-time. However, manager Jose Mourinho dismissed suggestions that his side had missed an opportunity to get back into the title race. "For some time our ambition has not been to win the title again," he told a press conference. "We already knew that it is a question of points, not of winning it. With the draw today we have lost second place. If Atletico (Madrid) win tomorrow, they will go one point ahead and this is the most important thing." The Portuguese also stressed that his side´s league form should not affect their return to Champions League action on Wednesday. "This result will not affect us. Our objectives are the final of the cup and the Champions League. "In the league we have already achieved finishing amongst the top three and our objective is to finish second and win every game. It will not have any influence looking ahead to Wednesday." With the return to Champions League action against Galatasary in mind, Mourinho rested the midfield quartet of Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria from the start and the visitors were made to suffer by an energetic Zaragoza side early on. Rodri fired the hosts into the lead after Apono pounced on a loose ball in midfield and set the former Barcelona man free in behind the Madrid defence where he finished calmly beyond Lopez. However, Madrid then began to take a hold on the game and after Glenn Loovens´ clearance off his own line had denied Pepe, Ronaldo registered his 28th league goal of the campaign with a powerful left-footed shot. Earlier in the day Malaga moved level with Real Sociedad in fourth as a goal and two assists on his first league start with the club from Pedro Morales guided them to a 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52381 KATHMANDU, March 30: Skipper Paras Khadka"s brilliant innings helped Nepal seal a 19-run victory over Malaysia in the ACC T20 Cup on Saturday and strenghthen its semifinal chances. As Nepal and Malaysia are to face relatively weaker teams of the tournament in their last group-stage matches and Nepal has a better net run rate in the tournament, Saturday"s match was considered a virtual quarterfinal.[break] Malaysia elected to field first at the TU Cricket Ground but Nepali skipper Khadka"s valiant knock of 87 runs off 54 balls helped Nepal reach 163/8 in 20 overs. In reply, Malaysia reached only 144/9 though Shafiq Sharif tried to boost Malaysian hopes by scoring 53 runs off 38 balls. Nepal could not get off to a good start as opener Pradeep Airee was out for a duck in the very first over and Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla added only two runs before Nazril Rahman"s slow inswinger deceived him. Nepal was at 16/2 by 2.1 overs but skipper Khadka not only anchored the Nepali innings but also accelerated the scoring. Opener Subash Khakurel (25 runs off 23 balls) and Khadka put up a 48-run partnership for the third wicket. Khadka then shared a 49-run fourth-wicket partnership with Binod Bhandari. Bhandari scored 20 runs off 16 balls with two fours and a six. Khadka struck 11 fours and three sixes before Ahmed Faiz caught him at long-off in Hassan Ghulam"s delivery. Malaysian skipper Suhan Kumar had a chance to catch Khadka at mid-off when he was on 79 runs but Kumar could not reach the ball despite a valiant dive. Khadka reached his half-century hitting a four off Shahrulnizam Yusof with a skilful cut to third man in the fifth ball of the 12th over. He faced 34 balls to reach the half-century mark. It was Khadka"s fourth half-century in T20. Earlier, Khadka had scored half-centuries against Hong Kong (68), Bermuda (unbeaten 65) and Papua New Guinea (62) during the ICC World T20 Qualifiers in 2012. Khadka"s 87-run knock is the all-time second-highest individual score by a Nepali batsman in T20 at the international level. Earlirer, Mehboob Alam had scored 88 runs against Saudi Arabia during the ACC T20 Cup in 2011. Prithu Baskota scored seven runs off eight balls while Shakti Gauchan remained unbeaten on six runs off four balls. Malaysian bowler Nazril Rahman, Khizar Hayat Durrani, Shahrulnizam Yusof and Hassan Ghulam claimed two wickets each. Defending the 164-run target, Nepali bowlers picked wickets at regular intervals as Malaysia fell 19 runs short of the target. Basant Regmi bowled Faizal Abu Hassan (6 runs) in the second over, when Malaysia was at 20/0. Sanjam Regmi caught Suharril Fetri (6 runs) at long-on boundary off Prithu Baskota in the fourth over. Malaysian opener Hammad Ullah Khan (33 runs off 18 balls) was also caught by Gyanendra Malla at deep mid-wicket off Baskota as the third Malaysian wicket in the second ball of the sixth over. To add to Malaysia"s woes, its captain Suhan Kumar was run out in a bizarre fashion for only one run. Ahmed Faiz didn"t leave the crease even though Kumar had completed the run. Kumar is considered the most destructive Malaysian batsman. Faiz was out in the first ball of the 11th over adding 19 runs off 20 balls. Faiz was caught by Basanta Regmi at long-on off Shakti Gauchan. For Malaysia, the highest partnership was the 31-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Shafiq Sharif and Hassan Ghulam (10 runs off seven balls). Ghulam was caught by Basanta Regmi at long-off boundary off pacer Chandra Sawad in 18.3 overs. Baskota had dropped Ghulam at long-on boundary in the previous delivery. Sharif tried to anchor the Malaysian innings at first and then accelerate the run scoring with four boundaries and two sixes during his unbeaten knock of 53 off 38 balls but he was helpless as wickets kept falling at the other end. Baskota and Sanjam Regmi claimed two wickets each while Sawad, Basanta Regmi and Gauchan took a wicket each. Nepali captain Khadka, who was also involved in two runouts, was adjudged the man-of-the-match. Khadka was involved in the run-out of Malaysian captain Kumar and Durrani (nine runs). ´I am happy to contribute to the team. We were committed not to let our hard work of the last three months go in vain and it was a team performance more than an individual effort,´ said Khadka. Khadka received Rs 60,000 for his performance on Saturday. He received Rs 50,000 from Global Model Visa Consultancy, which had promised to provide the sum to any Nepali batsman scoring more than 75 runs in a match. Likewise, he received Rs 10,000 from the venue management committee for being the man-of-the-match .´Paras (Khadka) is the best captain of the tournament and he played a good innings today (Saturday),´ said Malaysian coach Roy Luke Dias, who was the coach of the Nepali national team for 10 years before Pubudu Dassanayake took charge. ´The innings played by Paras changed the game while the run-out of Suhan Kumar turned out to be unfortunate for my side,´ added Dias. Meanwhile, Nepali team coach Dassanayake said his side put up a good performance as per his plans. ´I am not surprised with today"s outcome. Malaysia didn"t give up until the last moment but our players performed as expected to beat them,´ said Dassanayake. With the win, Nepal strengthened its chances of qualifying for the semifinals as it has four points from three matches. Hong Kong, which remained undefeated in all the four matches of the group stage, is at the top of the points table with eight points. Malaysia is in the third place with two points from three matches and a better net run rate than the Maldives, which also has two points from three matches. Nepal is to take on bottom-placed Singapore in its last group-stage match on Sunday while Malaysia is to face the Maldives. If Nepal wins Sunday"s match, it will reach the last four irrespective of any result in the match between Malaysia and the Maldives. Even if Nepal loses, its fate will be decided on the basis of net run rate. The top two teams of the tournament, along with the UAE and Afghanistan, will qualifty for the ICC World T20 Qualifiers 2013. The UAE has already secured berth in the qualifiers as the host while Afghanistan has guaranteed qualification as a nation with ODI status. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52384 KATHMANDU : Former national champions Keshav Shrestha and Surbir Lama crashed out from the first round of knockout stage during the Lalitpur Festival First Co-operative Cup Chess Tournament on Saturday in the capital. Shrestha, playing with white pieces, lost to Singheshwar Das of Rajbiraj. He had earlier shared points playing with black pieces against Das. Lama lost to Madan Krishna Kayastha in sudden death as the winner advanced into the pre-quarterfinals. Niraj Niraula, Nabin Tandukar, Manish Hamal, Badrilal Nepali, Krishna Thapa, Ganeshman Duwal, Rajendra Bajracharya, Rabindra Shakya, Bishwabijay Ghimire, Prachandaman Malakar, Purnaraj Khadka, Shyam Sundar Shrestha, Rajan Puri, among others, also secured berths in the pre-quarterfinals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52383 KATHMANDU, March 30: The United Arab Emirates beat Afghanistan by six wickets to reach the semifinals of the ACC T20 Cup on Saturday while Hong Kong defeated Singapore by 39 runs to win all four group-stage matches. In the group-B match played at TU Cricket Ground, Afghanistan elected to bat and put up 143/8 in 20 overs. Afghanistan was at 17/5 in 6.1 overs but Mohammad Nabi (72 runs off 46 balls) and Shafiqullah (51 runs off 33 balls) put up a 107-run partnership for the sixth wicket to guide the team to a competitive total. Man-of-the-match Amjad Javed took three wickets while Shadeep Silva and Rohan Mustafa claimed two wickets each.[break] Chasing the total, the UAE reached 146/4 in 19.2 overs as Swapnil Patil scored 34 runs and Abdul Shakoor added 30 runs. Mustafa contributed 28 runs while Bakhtiyar Hamid added 19 runs. With the win, the UAE remaining undefeated has six points from three matches. Afghanistan has four points from three matches and a superior net run rate than the third placed Kuwait, which also has four points from three matches. Kuwait will take on Afghanistan on Sunday to decide another semifinalist from the group. The UAE will take on Bahrain on Sunday. Likewise, Hong Kong defeated Singapore by 39 runs in a group-A match at the Pulchwok Engineering Ground. With the win, Hong Kong became the winner of group A. Hong Kong elected to bat and put up 198/3 in 20 overs. Irfan Ahmed (63 runs off 33 balls) and Waqas Barkat (unbeaten 69 runs off 51 balls) put up 99-run opening stand and Nizakat Khan added unbeaten 41 runs off 26 balls to put up mammoth total. In reply, Singapore reached only 159/8 in 20 overs. Chaminda Ruwan Kumarage scored 57 runs off 44 balls and Arjun Mutreja contributed struck 23 runs off 16 balls but could not resist Hong Kong from winning the match. In a group-B contest between already crashed out teams, Oman and Bahrain, Oman sealed a six-wicket victory. At the Pulchowk Ground, Bahrain elected to bat and was all out for 93 runs in 17.4 overs. In reply, Oman reached 96/4 in 14.4 overs. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52378 KATHMANDU, March 30: NIBL Friends Club ended its campaign in the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League on a high note defeating McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) 2-0 in its last super league match on Saturday at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. With three wins and three draws from seven matches, Friends finished the super league rounds as the team with the highest 12 points along with MMC, which holds a match advantage over Friends.[break] Saturday´s win lifted Friends two spots up to third with 37 points, but the team´s final position will be determined by the two remaining matches of the league. Friends had started the super league in the seventh position. Fourth-placed Nepal Army and fifth-placed New Road Team (NRT) could finish ahead of Friends if they win their respective matches. NRT is scheduled to face MMC on Sunday while Army will take on champion Three Star in the last match of the league on Monday. "Friends was excellent in the super league and earned the highest points," said Meghraj KC, who came to Friends as interim coach on loan from Himalayan Sherpa for the super league round. "We were the best team and I am satisfied with what we have achieved," said KC. Unlike Friends, RCT had a poor run in the league and earned only four points with a win and a draw in the super league round to finish at the bottom of the table with 30 points. RCT had secured fourth position in the first round of the league. "Amar Dangol failed to perform up to expectations after returning from the national team," said RCT coach Madhu Karki referring to the recently held AFC Challenge Cup. "The absence of Olawala Afeez also cost us dearly," Karki said about forward Afeez who was suspended for a year for manhandling the referee during his side´s match against Army. Friends put the opposition under pressure from the beginning but had to wait until the 61st minute to break the deadlock. Jagjeet Shrestha converted the penalty awarded after RCT defender Krishna Kunwar fouled Kuber Singh, who was making his debut in top-tier football. Friends´ African recruit Dodoz sealed the victory in the dying moments with a solo effort. Dodoz sprinted with the ball from the center and made a cool finish from the area after beating defender Krishna Kunwar. Friends created more than half-a-dozen chances while RCT could not threaten the opposition goal even once. Friends´ Jagjeet Shrestha, Prakash Budhathoki and Kuber Singh were unlucky to be denied by the woodwork. Similarly, Santosh Tamang, Deepak Gurung, Dodoz, Jagjeet Shrestha and Prakash Budhathoki squandered a scoring chance each. Sunday´s match MMC Vs NRT @ 15:30 NST Venue: Dasharath Stadium http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52367 KATHMANDU, March 30: Nepal is all set to host the Group C qualifiers of the AFC U-14 Football Championship 2014 from Tuesday, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) said in a press statement on Saturday. According to ANFA, the U-14 national football teams of Bhutan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Nepal will compete in the five-day tournament to be held in Kathmandu. The football governing body of Nepal has also finalized the list of the 21 players of the U-14 squad. The selected players are Aashish KC, Abhishek Rijal, Suraj Thapa, Susaan Shrestha, Anosh Magar, Ashim Rai, Dorje Tamang, Jitesh Gurung, Sojit Gurung and Sujan Karki. [break]Likewise, the other players included in the national team are Kailash Basnet, Kshitiz Khadka, Kshitiz Raj G T, Laxman Pariyar, Manish Bahadur Karki, Mingma Tenzing Sherpa, Pawan Karki, Prezen Tamang, Roman Limbu, Rumesh Bartaula and Sangam Thapa Magar. Rock climbing held in capital KATHMANDU: Shyam Bista of Nepal Army, mountaineer Asha Kumari Singh and Hareram Khadka won different titles on Saturday in the Sixth National Sports Climbing Championship held in the capital under Mountain Sports Festival. Bista of Army secured first position in the top rope section coming ahead of Prakash Shrestha of Nepal Scout. Raju Rai finished third. Khadka won the title under lead climbing. Anup Gurung and Pasang Tendi Sherpa came second and third. Under women´s section Asha Kumrai Singh came ahead of Ning Doma Sherpa to secure the title. Yangdi Sherpa came on third position. The top three finishers of all sections bagged Rs 20,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively. Altogether 93 climbers had competed in the event organized by Nepal Sports Climbing Association. Former champions Shrestha, Lama crash out KATHMANDU: Former national champions Keshav Shrestha and Surbir Lama crashed out from the first round of knockout stage during the Lalitpur Festival First Co-operative Cup Chess Tournament on Saturday in the capital. Shrestha, playing with white pieces, lost to Singheshwar Das of Rajbiraj. He had earlier shared points playing with black pieces against Das. Lama lost to Madan Krishna Kayastha in sudden death as the winner advanced into the pre-quarterfinals. Niraj Niraula, Nabin Tandukar, Manish Hamal, Badrilal Nepali, Krishna Thapa, Ganeshman Duwal, Rajendra Bajracharya, Rabindra Shakya, Bishwabijay Ghimire, Prachandaman Malakar, Purnaraj Khadka, Shyam Sundar Shrestha, Rajan Puri, among others, also secured berths in the pre-quarterfinals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52372 SUNDERLAND, United Kingdom, March 30: Manchester United emerged from a potentially problematic trip to Sunderland with a 1-0 win on Saturday to take another step towards a Premier League triumph that now seems inevitable. An own goal from Titus Bramble extended United´s unbeaten run in the league to 20 games and sent the 19-time English champions 18 points clear of Manchester City, who were due to tackle Newcastle United later on Saturday.[break] Sunderland, who have now gone seven games without a win, have not scored in more than seven hours of football and rarely threatened to find that elusive goal. They are now serious candidates for relegation and the pressure is mounting on their manager, Martin O´Neill. It was an excellent day for United manager Alex Ferguson, who engineered victory with a team that was far from full strength. With the title virtually guaranteed, Ferguson had Monday´s FA Cup quarter-final replay at Chelsea in his thoughts. Wayne Rooney was rested and Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck made cameo appearances as substitutes after their mid-week action for England, although fellow internationals Chris Smalling and Michael Carrick were both involved again. There was also no sign of Rio Ferdinand at the end of a week of controversy sparked by his withdrawal from the national squad and fuelled by abusive chants from England´s fans. There was some early encouragement for Sunderland, who had beaten United only once in 23 previous Premier League encounters. Stephane Sessegnon twice suggested his pace might pose problems for United´s defence and Craig Gardner had two shots blocked. But there was a concern for O´Neill in the way Anderson was allowed space to advance into the area before his shot was repelled by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the 12th minute. That warning was ignored, however, and further slack defending led to United´s opening goal in the 27th minute. There should have been little danger when van Persie collected the ball near the corner flag, but former United defender Phil Bardsley allowed him to advance to the edge of the area. It was a fatal mistake, as van Persie was able to unleash a shot that clipped Bardsley before it took a decisive deflection off the knee of Bramble and flew into the net. Sunderland were unable to craft a genuine first-half threat to the goal of David De Gea and only Mignolet prevented them going further behind before the interval as he twice saved from van Persie and also coped well with a shot from Ashley Young. The second half was a non-event as United, anxious to conserve their energy before the trip to Stamford Bridge, went into cruise control. Their chances dried up, although Sunderland, again lacking firepower in attack, were unable to capitalise on United´s restrained approach. Bardsley did manage a shot in the 59th minute, heralding Sunderland´s best spell of the game, but United´s stranglehold was not seriously jeopardised and they went close to a stoppage-time goal when Mignolet saved from van Persie. In fact, their major concern was a collision on the hour between De Gea and Nemanja Vidic, with the Spaniard requiring lengthy treatment before he could continue. There is no relief in sight for Sunderland, who now face awkward games against Chelsea, Everton and Newcastle United. United, in contrast, have taken 50 points from their last 18 games and are on course to beat Chelsea´s points record of 95. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52371 KATHMANDU, March 30: Rabindra Man Shrestha scored 38 stableford points to win the CG President´s Cup golf tournament at the Chaudhary Udyog Gram Golf Course, Nawalparasi on Saturday. Shrestha, playing with seven handicap allowances, scored 21 points on the front nine and returned with 17 points on the back nine. Chief of Army Staff Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana finished second defeating SK Singh on the countback after both the players scored 36 points. Rana scored 19 on the back nine against Singh´s 17. [break] Tashi Ghale scored 28 gross points to claim the best gross award while Tenzing Palden scored 39 points to clinch the junior title. He also scored six birdies to take home the most birdies award. Kalpana Limbu and Rekha Ghimire accumulated equal 30 points but Limbu scored 19 points on the back nine to clinch the ladies´ title. Rabindra Man Shrestha won the longest drive award, while Aditi Ghimire, who scored 37 points, won the award for closest to the pin. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52332 KATHMANDU, March 29: The School Sports Development Board (SSDB) has decided to organize the First National Junior Championship within the current fiscal year. The second meeting of SSDB on Friday decided to include athletics, football, volleyball, taekwondo, karate, wushu, basketball, chess and baghchal in the championship. The board is, however, yet to decide the date and venue for the championship. ´The next board meeting will decide the date and venue for the championship. We"ll discuss with concerned bodies like PABSON, NPABSON and HISSAN before finalizing the date and venue. The national championship will probably be held in Kathmandu,´ said Kul Bahadur Thapa, secretary of the board.[break] According to SSDB chairman and National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama, basketball and wushu would be open competitions while competitions in other sports would first be held at the district level and then at the regional level to select athletes for the national championship. NSFA officials take charge Meanwhile, the Nepal School Football Association (NSFA), formed by NSC under the School Sports Development Board, has announced to organize National School Level Football Tournament in near future. NSFA President Karma Chhiring Sherpa made the announcement on Friday at a function organized to hand over appointment letters to the officials of the association. Sherpa, who is also the vice-president of All Nepal Football Association, said NSFA would conduct its activities with cooperation from NSC and ANFA. Speaking on the occasion, NSC Member Secretary Lama said the school sports associations are formed to develop the respective sports from grassroots level. Meanwhile, ANFA President Ganesh Thapa suggested to NSC and NSFA to name it as a committee rather than an association. ´The word association could create confusion as a parallel body to the national association of the concerned sport,´ said Thapa. However, he expressed commitment to support NSFA programs in the future. The NSFA executive committee includes principals and directors of various schools. NSFA President Sherpa informed that the executive committee would comprise 45 members though there are only 38 members at present. Sherpa said the executive committee would get full shape within a few days. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52331 KATHMANDU, March 29: Olympic Council of Asia"s Deputy Director Haider Farman has warned Nepal to either follow the Olympic Charter or stay out of the Olympic Movement. Farman, who was in Kathmandu for two days to inspect OCA Project in Nepal, made the statement at a press meet on Friday when asked about the dispute over two contesting Nepal Olympic committees.[break] ´If you want to be in the Olympic Movement, you have to follow the Olympic Charter and follow IOC"s rules and regulations,´ said Farman. ´Otherwise, you are free to walk away and enjoy the law of your land,´ he added. Farman said that only the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the right to give recognition to national Olympic committees. ´Even the Supreme Court does not have the right to give recognition to such committees,´ said Farman. Two different NOCs -- one led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and the other led by Rukma SJB Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. While the Supreme Court"s verdict of November 4, 2010 recognized the Rana-led committee, IOC has recognized the committee led by Pradhan. ´There is a misunderstanding in Nepal regarding the role of the Olympic Committee and a government agency like National Sports Council,´ said Farman. ´There is only one NOC in Nepal and that is led by Mr Pradhan,´ he stressed. However, Farman said he is optimistic after his two-day visit. ´We are fortunate that there are responsible people in NOC and NSC. They have a great opportunity to resolve the problem,´ said Farman. According to IOC-recognized NOC"s President Pradhan, NOC and the government agencies have agreed to exchange official correspondence. ´There are problems regarding the national associations of athletics, karate and others and we have agreed to end all the problems through official correspondence with the international federations of the respective sports,´ said Pradhan. Meanwhile, National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama told Republica that the meeting with Farman was simply a courtesy meeting. ´We have agreed in principle that OCA could help Nepal end the existence of two national sports associations,´ said Lama. ´I"ve found OCA serious toward ending the problems in Nepal. However, no roadmaps were discussed. It was simply a routine meeting,´ he added. Earlier at the press meet, Farman applauded the activities of the Pradhan-led NOC. ´I was surprised to see the NOC office building, which the NOC has been constructing under the OCA Project. The amount we had given to the NOC under the project was meager,´ said Farman. He also refuted corruption charges leveled against the Pradhan-led NOC. He also informed that Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah would arrive in Nepal to inaugurate the NOC office building. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52330 KATHMANDU, March 29: Nepal is all set to face Malaysia in the group stage of the ACC T20 Cup at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Saturday. Nepal, which suffered a six-wicket defeat against Hong Kong on Wednesday, hopes to bounce back on Saturday since the group equation suggests the winner of the match would have practical chance of qualifying for the semifinals. Hong Kong has already secured semifinal berth from Group A with three victories in a row while Nepal and Malaysia are level on two points from two matches each. Hong Kong had defeated both Nepal and Malaysia by six wickets. Nepal had defeated the Maldives by 76 runs in its first match. Likewise, Malaysia had defeated Singapore by six wickets. As Nepal is to take on lowly Singapore and Malaysia is to take on another minnow the Maldives on Sunday in their last matches, Saturday´s match could be a virtual quarterfinal for both the teams. Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who termed the defeat to Hong Kong a ´bad day´, said his side would bounce back and go for win against Malaysia. "I´m confident that the team would put up a good show on Saturday. We are still a good side," claimed Dassanayake. After the defeat to Hong Kong, Nepal could make two changes in the team to face Malaysia. Pacer Chandra Sawad could replace another pacer Amrit Bhattarai while Prithu Baskota could replace either all-rounder Manjeet Shrestha or spinner Sanjam Regmi. Dias factor and Malaysia Roy Luke Dias, the former coach of the Nepali national team, is the coach of Malaysia now and his 10-year-long experience in Nepal could prove to be a challenge for the Nepali team on Saturday. Dias expects the match to be exciting. "We know about Nepal and it is one of the toughest opponents in the tournament. However, cricket is a match of 11 versus 11 and I think the match will not be one-sided," said Dias. This is the third T20 encounter between Nepal and Malaysia. Nepal had defeated Malaysia by 21 runs in the first edition of the tournament in 2007 but lost to Malaysia by six wickets in the 2009 edition. Meanwhile, Malaysian captain Suhan Kumar could be a real threat to Nepal on Saturday. Kumar, who plays professional cricket in Australia, is well-known for his blistering knocks. He had scored 70 runs off 37 balls against Singapore on Thursday in the ongoing tournament to prove how effective he could be in the T20 format. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52321 KATHMANDU, March 29: Hong Kong on Friday became the first team to secure berth in the semifinals of the ACC T20 Cup. Hong Kong defeated Maldives by a huge margin of 153 runs at TU ground, Kirtipur in their Group A match to achieve its third victory in a row. Put into bat first, Hong Kong posted a mammoth target of 199 runs losing four wickets as Waqas Barkat hammered a century and then bowled out Maldives for a paltry total of 45 runs in 10 overs. [break] Opening batsman Barkat blasted 109 runs off 71 balls with 14 fours and a six before being run out in 19.3 overs. It was the fourth century in all editions of the ACC T20 Cup. All three previous centuries were made during the 2009 edition held at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Opener Irfan Ahmed (16), JJ Atkinson (19), Nizakat Khan (18) were the other batsmen to contribute for Hong Kong. Courtney Kruger (20) and Tanwir Afzal (0) remained unbeaten. Mihusan Hamid claimed two wickets of Hong Kong while Ahmed Faiz pocketed one. Fourth-order batsman Hassan Haziq (17) was the only batsman to reach double figures for Maldives, which had lost its second wicket with nine runs on the board. R Madurwala and Ameel Mauroof of Maldives were out for duck while Mihusan Hamid and Ahmed Faiz could score only one run. Mohmad Rishwan (6), I Ali (2), Mohamad Azam (8) and Neesham Nasir (2) also could not make any significant contribution. Tanwir Afzal and Irfan Ahmed of Hong Kong shared three wickets each while KC Shah got two and Nadeem Ahmed took one wicket. In the Group B match played at the Pulchowk ground, Kuwait defeated Oman by 26 runs to strengthen its chances of making to the semifinals with two wins from three matches. Oman, on the other hand, became the first team to crash out from the group stage following its third consecutive defeat. Oman had cross the group stage in all the three previous editions of the tournament. Electing to bat first Kuwait scored 187/7 and bowled out Oman for 161 runs in 18.5 overs. Kuwait´s opener Yasar Idrees hammered 71 off 39 deliveries. His innings included seven fours and five sixes. Mohammaed Ghulam (32), Hisham Mirza (29), Saad Khalid (17), Azmatullah Nazeer (unbeaten 15) were the other Kuwait batsmen to reach double figures. Azeem Ali of Oman claimed three wickets while RJ Ranpura picked two. Chasing the target, Oman received an early shock as its opener Zeeshan Maqsood was out for a duck in the first over. Ghazanfar Iqbal (19), Zeshan Siddiqui (36), VS Wategaonkar (12) Adan Ilyas (23), Aamir Kaleem (12), RJ Ranpura (28) and Aamer Ali (unbeaten 13) were the batsmen to reach double figures. S Rizwan Ali and Haroon Shahid of Kuwait shared three wickets each while Hisham Mirza and Sibtain Raza claimed two each. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52314 KATHMANDU, March 29: Defending champion Nepal Police Club and NMB Bank Machhindra Club ended their super league campaigns of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League with a 1-1 draw on Friday at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. Karna Limbu put Machhindra ahead with a shot from the left side of the danger zone two minutes into the second half after dribbling past defender Suman Subedi. Limbu was set up by Satya Narayan Parajuli. [break] Defender Rabin Shrestha equalized for Police in the 67th minute with a perfect volley from the danger zone in Yogesh Shrestha´s cross. With the draw Machhindra ended its super league campaign in the sixth position with 34 points. In the first round of the league Machhindra had finished third with 27 points. But Machhindra coach Raju Shakya was not satisfied with the team´s performance in the super league. "I am not happy with the sixth-position finish as we earned only seven points from as many matches of the super league," said Shakya, whose side had made a bright start in the league remaining unbeaten and leading the table until the sixth round. "Expectations were high following a good start but we failed to give continuity to it. I had hoped to finish at least in the fifth spot," said Shakya, who also criticized the players for not implementing his instructions. Meanwhile, Police remained unchanged in the seventh position in the super league, one spot ahead of the position it had secured at the end of the first round. However, Police could drop to the eighth position if RCT wins its last encounter against Friends on Saturday. Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha attributed the team´s poor finish to injuries of his key players. "We did not have bench strength and some key players had recurring injuries. Now the team is in the process of recruiting new players. We hope to regain our past honor in the next season," said Shrestha, who termed the last match of his side as a "prestige match". In the evenly contested affair, Rishi Prithakoti, who got a rare start from the departmental team, fired above the bar in the 19th minute from the six-yard box after being set up by Dinesh Gurung. Serge Yannick Fouda replied for Machhidnra in the 26th with a strike from the danger zone but Police custodian Ritesh Thapa punched the ball to safety. In the 41st, Fouda´s powerful shot from 25 yards rebounded from the inner edge of the bar. In the 73rd, Bishal Rai B was denied by custodian Thapa. In the 53rd, Police midfielder Parbat Pandey´s bouncing free-kick was punched to safety by custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar. In the 87th minute, Thapa Magar again prevented Rabin Shrestha low strike from close range. Saturday´s match RCT Vs Friends @ 15:30 NST Venue: Dasharath Stadium http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52310 KATHMANDU, March 29: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Friday called up 32 players for the first phase of the closed camp training for the upcoming ACC U-19 Elite Cup. The ACC U-19 Elite Cup is scheduled to begin on May 1 in Malaysia. CAN has called up five players each from Region No 2 (Birgunj), Region No 3 (Kathmandu) and Region No 4 (Bhairahawa) for the closed camp. Likewise, four players each from Region No 1 (Biratnagar), Region No 6 (Baitadi) and Region No 7 (Janakpur), three players from Region No 8 (Pokhara) and two players from Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) are selected for the closed camp.[break] Amit Dahal, Kalicharan Yadav, Mayanand Chaudhary and Suman Shrestha of Biratnagar and Avinash Karn, Ram Naresh Giri, Suraj Kumar Kurmi, Amit Shrestha and Irshad Ahmed of Birgunj are in the list of 32 players. Likewise, CAN has called up Region No 3 players Prakash Bista (A), Prakash Bista (B), Sarad Khadka, Bibas Thapa and Pawan Shrestha as well as Region No 4 players Sabin Shakya, Nirmal Thapa, Prakash KC, Bibek Chaudhary and Sushant Bhari. Amar Singh Rautela and Inamuddin Halwai of Nepalgunj; Bhuban Karki, Prem Tamang, Arjun Chapagain and Yagyaman Kumal of Baitadi; Sameer Nepal, Avishek Jha, Rahul Pratap Singh and Hari Shankar Shah of Janakpur; and Nischal Pandey, Anil Gurung and Dhurba Karki of Region No 8 have also been selected for the first phase training. "The training camp will start in Pokhara from April 2. We have asked all the players to report in Pokhara on April 1," said Kiran Rana, a member of the CAN executive committee. According to Rana, Jagat Tamata will look after the training camp in Pokhara. "National team coach Pubudu Dassanayake will join the U-19 team in Kathmandu as the second phase of training will be held in Kathmandu," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52275 MIAMI, March 28: Five-time champion Serena Williams wasted no time booking her berth in the WTA Miami final by steamrolling Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-3 to set up a title clash with third seed Maria Sharapova. Russia´s Sharapova, a four-time runner up in Miami, was equally dominant as the newly-crowned Indian Wells winner hammered Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-1 in the other semi-final on Thursday.[break] "Today my game wasn´t great but I had to keep trying," Williams said. "I am excited because I am in the final. "My family and friends are here so I have to do well. I can´t let my friends down." The 31-year-old Williams blasted 12 aces and won 83 percent of her first serves in the 65-minute match against the fourth seeded Radwanska of Poland. Williams is bidding to become just the fourth woman in the modern era to win the same event six times, joining Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. Evert is the only player over the age of 30 to win the title, doing so at the age of 31 years, two months in 1986. "She (Sharapova) is playing so well. It will be a great match. We always have great matches," Williams said of facing Sharapova. Sharapova is in her fifth final in quest of her first Miami title. "It would mean so much to me," Sharapova said. "The fans give me so much support here. I love this city. It was the first city I came to in this country when I was a little girl and I would love to win." Four-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2005 Miami final, to Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2006, Victoria Azarenka in 2011 and Radwanska last year -- all in straight sets. Not only is Sharapova trying to end her Florida frustration, she is trying to become only the third woman to win both major March events, Indian Wells and Miami, in the same year. Graf swept the pair in 1994 and 1996 and Clijsters did it in 2005. "It would be nice, but winning a title, whether it´s here or Indian Wells, is a great achievement on its own," Sharapova said. "To be able to come back from that, recover in just a few days and come back to the final here, it´s great." Sharapova broke Jankovic three times in each set to win her 11th match in a row, ending matters after 63 minutes by breaking the Serb with a forehand winner. In men´s action, reigning US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray reached the semi-finals by ousting Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3, shaking off two early exchanges of breaks to find his form. "I played more solid as the match went on," Murray said. "Once I got back on level terms in the first set I started to do better, so many long rallies, long points, long games." The Scottish second seed, who won the 2009 title and lost last year´s final, will face French eighth seed Richard Gasquet who surprised Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3. "I played more solid as the match went on," Murray said. "Once I got back on level terms in the first set I started to do better, so many long rallies, long points, long games." Murray improved to 8-1 all-time against Cilic, winning five times in a row since the lone loss in the fourth round of the 2009 US Open. Murray beat Cilic in four sets at last year´s US Open quarter-finals on the way to his first Grand Slam crown. Murray broke Cilic to open the second set, exchanged breaks in the seventh and eighth games, then closed out matters in the ninth game on his seventh match point by breaking when Cilic netted a forehand after one hour and 42 minutes. Gasquet is searching for his first career title in the Miami Masters event. No Frenchman has ever won in the tournament´s 28-year history. The other semi-final sees third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer against 34-year-old giant-killer Tommy Haas, who shocked the world number one and two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52262 KATHMANDU, March 28: Nepal Army Club and New Road Team (NRT) missed the chance to level points with second-placed Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) on Thursday in the super league rounds of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League being held at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. Army was held to a goal-less draw by McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) and NRT was inflicted 2-1 defeat by NIBL Friends Club. [break]Third and fourth placed Army and NRT with 35 points apiece could have leveled points with MMC had they won their respective matches. Adding one point in its kitty Army remained unchanged in the third place with 36 points and NRT in fourth with 35 points. MMC lies in the second place with 38 points with only last round match to spare. Three Star with 43 points has already been crowned the champion. Friends moved one spot up to the fifth position with 34 points while RCT remains steady at bottom, eighth position. "The draw has proved costly for us," Army´s assistant coach Babukaji Dhaubanjar said during the post match conference. "Now it will be a very difficult to finish in second position as well." NRT coach Diken Suwal echoed Dhaubanjar. "We failed to achieve vital points today. Our chance for second position got slimmer with the defeat," said Suwal. Now three teams -- second to fourth placed MMC, Army and NRT respectively -- will be battling for second position which carries handsome purse of Rs 3.5 million. MMC will be locking horns with NRT and Army with champion Three Star during their last match. In the kick off match, Army was forced to settle for the draw despite piling up immense pressure from start to finish and creating more than half a dozen of chances. Forward Bharat Khawas missed twin chance for Army in the first half. Tanka Basnet squandered golden chance to break the deadlock three minutes into the second half. Basnet´s delay to shoot at the open net paved the way for RCT custodian Dilip Chhetry to deny him. In the 61st minute, Nawayug Shrestha narrowly missed the target. In the last minute, Mahendra Khawas´s powerful strike from 25-yard was prevented by diving custodian Chhetry. RCT coach Madhu Karki said that his side achieved the target of not losing the match. "The boys are tired playing for long period and lacked fitness as well," Karki said. In the late affair, Friends took fifth minute lead after being gifted by an own goal from Sulaiman Olansile that saw sending off of NRT´s Saheed O Azeez. Olansile scored at own net from the crowded six yard box in his bid to prevent Dodoz. Prakash Budhathoki doubled tally in the 15th minute unleashing an unstoppable shot from the danger zone. Azeez, who cut the goal deficit for NRT in the 40th minute with a curling freekick from the left flank was given straight marching order by referee Shrawan Lama. He was sent off for dangerous tackle on Dodoz with two minutes to spare. Besides this Friends also missed a couple of scoring chances. In the 19th minute, Dodoz´s powerful shot rebounded from the inner edge of the bar after custodian Raju Yogi let it slip from his hand. In the 76th minute, Jagjeet Shrestha´s shot at the crossbar from penalty spot after playing one-two-one with Santosh Tamang. Friend´s interim coach Meghraj KC opined that his side his side failed to continue with the pace that the team played for the first 25 minutes. Friday´s match Machhindra Vs Police @ 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52265 KATHMANDU, March 28: The disciplinary committee of All Nepal Football Association has imposed cash fines on Nepal Police Club and Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) citing bad conduct of their supporters during the super league matches of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League. Police has been fined Rs 150,000 and MMC Rs 38,000. [break] Police fans had broken the chairs at VIP parapet and hurled them toward the ground during their match against Nepal Army Club played on March 22. Army had won the match 1-0. Similarly, MMC supporters had committed similar offences after the completion of its match against Three Star Club on March 19. The match had ended on 1-1 draw. A press statement issued by ANFA states that Police supporters had broken 75 seats of the parapet and MMC supporters had broken 19 seats. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52259 KATHMANDU, March 28: Malaysia defeated Singapore by six wickets in the ACC T20 Cup on Thursday while Afghanistan thrashed Bahrain by 72 runs to register consecutive second victory. With the win, Malaysia garnered its first point in group-stage and kept its semifinal hope alive. Malaysia, which is slated to group-A of the tournament, had lost to Hong Kong on the opening day. [break]Malaysia is to take on the Maldives and the host Nepal during the group stage. Hong Kong has four points after two victories while Nepal, the Maldives and Malaysia have two points each from equal numbers of matches. As Malaysia elected to field at the TU Cricket Ground, Singapore put up a handsome 172-run target. However, Malaysian middle-order stood tall to meet the target in 18 overs at the expense of four wickets. Singapore made 171/6 in 20 overs as Chaminda Ruwan blasted 47 runs off 25 balls and Anish Param remained unbeaten with 44 runs off 29 balls. Chasing the total, Malaysia was 20/2 after 3.2 overs but its middle-order batted brilliantly. Man-of-the-match Suhan Kumar clobbered unbeaten 70 runs off 37 balls and Shafiq Sharif scored 26 runs off 15 balls. Suhan Kumar struck seven boundaries and three sixes. Khaizar Hayat Durrani also remained unbeaten for Malaysia adding invaluable 30 runs off 18 balls including two sixes and a boundary. In a group-B contest, Afghanistan dominated Bahrain in every department of the game and produced a huge 72-run victory at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground as Gulbadin Naib put up an all-round performance. Afghanistan put up 157/5 in 20 overs as G Naib scored 46 runs off 41 balls and Najibullah Zadran remained unbeaten with 45 runs off 31 balls. In reply, Bahrain was all out for 85 runs in 15.5 overs. Man-of-the-match Naib claimed four wickets while Hamza Hotak took three wickets. Hotak, the left-arm orthodox, bowled 1.5 overs and gave away only seven runs to take the three wickets. Tahir Dar (14 runs) and Anasim Khan (13 runs) were the major contributors for Bahrain. Afghanistan, which defeated Oman in its first match on Tuesday, is on the top of the group-B table with four points. The UAE also has four points but is on the second place because of inferior net run rate. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52239 WELLINGTON, March 28: Troubled New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder was in a critical condition in hospital Thursday after being severely beaten as he left a bar in the South Island city of Christchurch, police said. The 28-year-old was in an induced coma with a fractured skull and serious internal injuries, and his family were at his bedside.[break] The attack came just days before the talented batsman was to take up a lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) contract. Ryder has a history of disciplinary lapses and alcohol-related incidents, but although he had been drinking before the early morning attack police said alcohol was not a factor. Detective senior sergeant Brian Archer said there was a brief altercation involving Ryder and "two or three" people when he stepped outside the bar. Ryder then crossed the road to a nearby fast-food outlet where he was attacked by one of the people from the initial confrontation. "The hospital advise he is in a critical condition. He is in an induced coma as a result of suffering multiple injuries," Archer said. A witness, identified only as Adam, told Fairfax Media Ryder tried to fight back as four men "absolutely smashed him". He said he was not sure if the attackers were known to Ryder but said they "damn knew who he was". The incident occurred while Ryder was having a night out with his Wellington team-mates after earlier losing a season-ending one-day match to Canterbury. The batsman is on a self-imposed break from international cricket to address "personal issues" following a series of incidents. New Zealand Cricket Players´ Association chief executive Heath Mills said Ryder was known to have resumed drinking in recent weeks. "It will be an ongoing struggle for Jesse and we need to do all we can to help him. So it shouldn´t be a surprise if, in the future, we have to deal with isolated issues," Mills said. "What I will say is Jesse was having a few drinks with his team-mates at the conclusion of his season. The actual assault was not an alcohol-fuelled incident." Ryder, who last played for New Zealand a year ago, he was due to fly out to India this weekend to compete for the Delhi Daredevils, who paid US$260,000 for his services at an auction. Last year, Ryder, who has a Test average of 40.93 and a highest Test score of 201, took his manager and a psychologist with him to India when he played for the Pune Warriors. "We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse. New Zealand Cricket´s thoughts are with him and his family," said New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52238 MIAMI, March 27:  Maria Sharapova kept her quest for a first Miami title on track Wednesday with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 quarter-final triumph over Italy´s Sara Errani. "With all the tournaments I have played, this one I have been so successful at but yet I haven´t won it," said Sharapova, a four-time finalist at the Miami WTA and ATP Masters hardcourt tournament but never the winner.[break] "I´ve been so close to winning," she said. "I would love to win this. I´ve been coming to this tournament since I was a little kid. It would mean a lot to win it." Sharapova will battle for a place in the final against 22nd-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic. Former world No. 1 Jankovic defeated Italian Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3. The other women´s semi-final was set on Tuesday, with world No. 1 and top seed Serena Williams advancing to take on defending champion and fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer led the way into the men´s semis as he rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over unseeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer. Ferrer, winner of two titles already this year at Auckland and Buenos Aires, steadied after an erratic first set and eventually cruised through the third to improve to 7-2 against the Austrian left-hander. "I was a little bit nervous in the first set and part of the second, but I tried to fight every point, to be focused, and I had a good feeling in the end of the second set and of course in the third one," Ferrer said. Ferrer next faces Germany´s giant-killer Tommy Haas, who defeated France´s Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-1. Haas, at 34 the oldest player ranked in the top 50 in the world, showed no sign of a letdown a day after he toppled world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. The 15th-seeded Haas dispatched 11th-seeded Simon in 64 minutes, never facing a break point. "I used my chances right away in the second set and took that momentum," he said. "Again, I played the way I wanted to, using my all-around game and variety. I think I did that pretty well tonight." Sharapova had her struggles against eighth-seeded Errani, the same woman Sharapova beat in last year´s French Open final to complete a career Grand Slam. Sharapova fired six aces, but also had 14 double faults. Trailing 4-5 in the second, Sharapova saved three set points to knot the set at 5-5. She then broke Errani in the penultimate game and held serve to end it on a forehand winner after two hours and 29 minutes. Although she was pleased to wrap it up in two sets, Sharapova said she should have sealed it even sooner after twice going up a break in the second set. "Of course it´s great that I was able to come back, but I felt like I made things much more difficult than they should have been," she said. Sharapova lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2005 Miami final, to Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2006, Victoria Azarenka in 2011 and Radwanska last year -- all in straight sets. Not only is she trying to fill that gap on her resume, she´s trying to become just the third woman to win both the prestigious Indian Wells and Miami hardcourt titles in the same year. German great Steffi Graf accomplished the feat in 1994 and 1996, and Clijsters did so in 2005. "I think it´s one of the toughest back to backs of the year," Sharapova said. "It´s the amount of matches. It´s also the late matches that you´re playing, the recovery. "Also coming from different coasts. I mean, it´s not just a hop. It´s a five-hour flight." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52223 KATHMANDU, March 28: Three Star Club confirmed its third league title with two matches to spare after second-placed Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) played a goalless draw with Nepal Police Club on Wednesday. Earlier, Three Star was crowned the league champion in 2054 BS and 2061 BS. After ending Three Star´s eight-year-long title drought, little-known coach Pradip Humagain revealed that friendly relations with players was the key to the team´s success in the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League being held in Kathmandu. [break] Humagain, who became known in the domestic football fraternity following his appointment as the head coach of Three Star in September 2012, said, "I have always been on friendly terms with players. That has been a key to the team´s success," said Humagain, who only had the experience of coaching the girls´ football team of KU High School before taking charge of Three Star. Humagain had joined Three Star as an assistant coach in August 2012, when Megharaj KC was the head coach of the club. Three Star players celebrate after winning league. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Three Star, which played a goalless draw with NMB Bank Machhindra Club in the day´s late kick-off, would have required a win to be crowned champion on Wednesday had MMC, the only other challenger for the title, defeated Police. With equal one match to spare, Three Star has 43 points and MMC 38 points. As the league champion Three Star will receive Rs 7.5 million and has also secured berth for the qualifying rounds of AFC President´s Cup, which will feature the league champions of second-tier nations of Asia as classified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The league title was equally special for Three Star skipper Santosh Sahukhala. "I feel very proud that we have been crowned champions. The club trusted me and made me the captain," said the striker of the national team who joined Three Star from MMC during the beginning of the season. "Now I don´t have any wish to leave the club. I want to end my playing career at Three Star." Three Stars supporters. (Photo: Bikash Karki) Humagain, 33, became the youngest coach to win the league title. Humagain not only enjoyed league glory but also helped Three Star win the Aaha-Rara Gold Cup and the Udayapur Gold Cup during his seven months in the club. Humagain also credited the achievement to his education, attitude and dedication. "I have not taken rest for a single day after the league started. My education and attitudes toward the players have also been vital to the success," said Humagain, who has done his Masters in Physical Education, Sociology and Health Education. En route to the league title, Three Star won 13 matches, lost four and played draws in four matches. Three Star was studded with eight members of the current national squad and five foreign players. Three Star could not make a bright start in the league going down 2-1 to lowly Saraswati Club but it improved gradually after fielding foreign players. "The presence of foreign players brought a big change in the team," said Humagain, adding that his side also benefited from the poor results of opponent teams. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52219 KATHMANDU, March 27: Nepal was given a reality check by Hong Kong on Wednesday as the host slumped to a six-wicket defeat against the visitors on the second day of the ACC T20 Cup at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Electing to bat first, Nepal scored a paltry 115/9 in the allotted 20 overs. Hong Kong met the target of 116 runs with the loss of four wickets and with 21 balls to spare.[break] With the victory, Hong Kong also avenged the defeats against Nepal in the last two meetings. Nepal had defeated Hong Kong by one run in the last edition of the tournament. In the World T20 Cup Qualifiers, Nepal had defeated Hong Kong by 28 runs. Asked about Nepal´s chances of qualifying for the semifinals, coach Pubudu Dassanayake said, “We just have to win the remaining two matches to make it to the semifinals.” “We couldn´t do well in batting today. Our batting display was not up to our expectations,” added the Sri Lankan-born Canadian. Nepal´s skipper Paras Khadka also admitted that they couldn´t perform well with the bat. “The pitch was good but we failed to score runs,” he said. Khadka had a disappointing day as he was bowled by Nadeem Ahmed for just four runs and it was left to No 3 batsman Gyanendra Malla to add runs. Malla, who remained at the crease till the 18th over, shared the highest partnership of 24 runs for the fourth wicket with Binod Bhandari. Malla scored 38 runs off 39 balls with three boundaries before he was caught by Anshuman Rath off Aizaz Kham in 18.3 overs when Nepal´s score was 107/8. Nepal did not have an ideal start as opening batsmen Subash Khakurel and Pradeep Airee were able to score only one run by the end of the first over. Except for the three boundaries scored by Airee, the opening pair struggled to make an impact. Khakurel (6) was out soon in the first ball of the fifth over with 16 runs on the board. Khakurel was trapped lbw by Tanwir Afzal. Airee and Malla then shared a 19-run partnership for the second wicket before Airee (21) was caught by Jamie Atkinson off Afzal. Skipper Khadka attempted a boundary off his first delivery but managed to score only three runs. He was soon bowled by Ahmed in 7.6 overs leaving Nepal struggling at 40/3. Except Malla, the wickets of other Nepali batsmen kept on tumbling in regular interval as Nepal´s defeat seemed imminent. Binod Bhandari (15) and Shakti Gauchan (11) were the other contributors for Nepal while the other batsmen failed to reach double figures. Ahmed was the pick of the Hong Kong bowlers as he finished the game with three wickets conceding 18 runs. In the run-chase, Hong Kong made an impressive start with openers Irfan Ahmed (30) and Waqas Barkat (39) sharing a crucial 41-run partnership for the first wicket. Ahmed smashed two sixes and three fours before being caught by Gauchan off Basanta Regmi in 3.4 overs. He shot two sixes and two fours off Amrit Bhattarai in the third over of the innings. Skipper Khadka was also expensive as he conceded 14 runs in the second over. Gauchan gave Nepal a glimmer of hope by removing third-order batsman Jamie Atkinson (0) in the fifth over without conceding a run. The introduction of the left-arm spinner brought a brief halt to the run spree of Hong Kong batsmen but the visitors again found their rhythm as Barkat and unbeaten Nizakat Khan added 70 runs for the third wicket to steer their team toward victory. Barkat was bowled by Regmi in the fourth ball of the 15th over when Hong Kong was at 111/3. Barkat scored 39 runs off 37 balls, including four fours, while Khan smashed two sixes and three fours to score 42 runs off 33 balls. As Hong Kong was eying victory, Khakurel removed No 5 batsman Courtney Kruger for a duck off Basnata Regmi in 14.6 overs but it was too late to deny a victory to the visitors. Babar Hayat and Khan played patiently in the next over to level the scores and then Hayat struck the winning run in 16.3 overs. Despite the defeat, Nepal still has a chance of progressing to the next round as the top two teams will qualify from the group stage. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is now the clear favorite to top Group A having defeated another tough opponent Malaysia earlier on the opening day. Singapore and the Maldives are the other two teams in the group. Maldives stuns Singapore The Maldives stunned Singapore by five wickets in a Group A match of the ACC T20 Cup on Wednesday. The Maldives, which had lost to Nepal by 76 runs on Tuesday, kept its hopes alive with the win at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground on Wednesday. Opting to field after winning the toss, the Maldives restricted Singapore to 132/9 and then reached 133/5 with 20 balls to spare. Mohamed Rishwan topscored for the Maldives with 48 runs while Mihusan Hamid contributed 26 runs. In Group B, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) registered victories in their respective matches on Wednesday. Kuwait defeated Bahrain by three wickets at the TU Cricket Ground while the UAE thrashed Oman by seven wickets at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground. Bahrain elected to bat and was all out for 132 runs in 18.4 overs. Anasim Khan topscored for Bahrain with 27 runs off 45 balls. Hisham Mirza claimed four wickets for Kuwait. Chasing a 133-run target, Kuwait reached 135/7 with five balls to spare. Kuwait was at 54/6 by the end of the seventh over but Sibtain Raza (unbeaten 33 runs off 51 balls) and Saad Khalid (43 runs off 42 balls) put up a 65-run partnership for the seventh wicket to guide Kuwait to victory. Raza, who also claimed two wickets earlier, was adjudged the man-of-the-match. Meanwhile, the UAE elected to field and bowled out Oman for a meager 82 runs in 18.1 overs. Adnan Tlyas (unbeaten 40 runs off 64 balls) and Jatinder Singh (14 runs off 26 balls) were the only Oman batsmen to reach double figures. Roshan Mustafa of the UAE took three wickets. The UAE then met the target in 12.3 overs losing only three wickets. Bakhtiyar Hamid (28 runs off 43 balls), Abdul Shakoor (22 runs off 10 balls) and Amjad Ali (20 runs off 19 balls) were the major contributors for the UAE. Mustafa was adjudged the man-of-the-match. PHOTOS BY BIKASH KARKI http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52232 KATHMANDU, March 27: Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) played a goalless draw with Nepal Police Club in the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu on Wednesday to gift the league title to Three Star Club with two matches to spare. Three Star was also held to a goalless draw by NMB Bank Machhindra Club later in the day.[break] Second-placed MMC needed a win over Machhindra to keep its title hopes alive. With two matches to go, leader Three Star held a five-point lead over MMC and the latter could have cut the deficit to two points with a victory. But MMC´s draw against Machhindra was sufficient for Three Star to become the champion before playing its match. After Wednesday´s matches, Three Star has 43 points while MMC lies in the second position with 38 points. Both the teams are yet to play one match each. Third and fourth placed Nepal Army Club and New Road Team (NRT) are on 35 points each and have two matches in hand. Machhindra and Police remained unchanged in the fifth and seventh places respectively with 33 and 31 points. Three Star players celebrate victory. (Photo: Bikash Karki) With a lackluster show, MMC hardly looked as if it was playing for the title and failed to pile pressure on the opposition even once during the first half. "Players did not show any enthusiasm even as it was a must-win match for them," MMC´s coach Chhiring Lopsang said during the post-match conference. MMC´s first chance came four minutes into the second half but skipper Anil Gurung shot high above the bar from the six-yard box. Gurung had collected a rebounder off Police custodian Ritesh Thapa. In the 70th minute, Yogesh Shrestha´s low strike from the danger zone for Police narrowly missed the target. In the 80th minute, Nirajan Malla of MMC shot above the bar from the six-yard box in a through pass of Sulav Maskey. Three minutes later, Malla failed to connect with Anil Gurung´s pass in the danger zone. Analyzing his side´s performance in the league, Lopsang said the 1-1 draws against Sankata and Saraswati in the first round of the league turned out to be major setbacks for them. Krishna Thapa, who was the team coach, then quit MMC on moral grounds before the super league rounds began. Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha opined that poor start in the league cost the defending champion dearly. "We failed to beat weak teams in the beginning," said Shrestha, whose side had earned nine points from the first eight matches of the league. The late match between Three Star and Machhindra was also a drab affair. None of the teams could produce any chances during the first half. Machhindra piled pressure during the second half after midfielder Bikram Lama was sent off for second booking in the 59th minute. In the 62nd minute, Karna Limbu´s strike for Machhidnra hit the woodwork. In the 84th, Chemjong was forced to make a fingertip save to deny Limbu´s volley from the six-yard box in skipper Dipak Rai´s pass. A minute later Chemjong made a diving punch to deny Bikram Limbu´s 25-yard strike. "Three Star was not under pressure today, as it had already been crowned the champion," Machhindra coach Raju Shakya said, adding, "I still hope we can finish fifth." He opined that his side had still a lot to learn. Meanwhile, Machhidnra skipper Dipak Rai said that differences between the club management and players marred the team´s performance during the middle of the league. Thrusday´s matches RCT Vs Army @ 13:30 NST NRT Vs Friends @ 15:30 NST Venue: Dasharath Stadium http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52226 KATHMANDU, March 27: Chaudhary Group is hosting the CG President´s Cup Golf Championship 2013 at its own golf course in Nawalparasi on Saturday, the organizer said at a press conference held in the capital on Wednesday to announce the date of the annual amateur event. The championship will be played over 18 holes in stableford format with ¾ handicap allowance. About 30 golfers are expected to vie for the title. Chaudhary Group Managing Director Nirvana Chaudhary said the tournament could help develop golf culture in the Tarai region of the country. [break] According to Chaudhary, there will be prizes for the winner, runner-up, second runner-up, best gross, ladies´ winner, junior winner, longest drive, most birdies and closest to the pin. Gokarna Forest Resort has collaborated with Chaudhary Group to conduct three golf tournaments in a calendar year. CG Golf Tournament was held in February while LG Open Golf Tournament will be played later this year. Hamal, Shrestha make winning starts KATHMANDU: FIDE Master Manish Hamal and Candidate Master Keshav Shrestha made winning starts in the Lalitpur Festival First Cooperative Cup Chess Tournament that started on Wednesday. Hamal defeated Mahendra Kumar Sambahamphe while Shrestha edged past Damodar Gaiju in the first round. Likewise, Surbir Lama, Madan Krishna Kayastha, Himal Lama, Rajendra Bajracharya, Niranjan Prajapati, Dirgharaj Joshi, Niraj Niraula, Badri Lal Nepali, Bibek Thing, Manishwar Thapa and Rajendra Prasad Shrestha won their first-round matches on Wednesday. Sajin Maharjan, Bishwa Bijay Ghimire, Shyam Sundar Shrestha, Rabindra Bahadur Thapa, Rabindra Shakya, Sanjay Maharjan, Nabin Chaudhary and Sachin Kumar Chaudhary also registered victories in the first round. The tournament is being held in league-cum-knockout format. After seven rounds under the Swiss League System, the top 32 players will make it to the knockout round. Altogether 105 players are participating in the tournament. The winner will get a motorbike while the runner-up will bag Rs 50,000. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52184 MIAMI, March 26:  World number one Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Miami Masters in the fourth round on Tuesday, losing in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 to German 15th seed Tommy Haas. Defending champ Djokovic lost for just the second time this season, never getting to grips with Haas, who kept the Serb off his game with a solid mixture of shots on a cool southern Florida evening.[break] Haas, who turns 35 next week, advances to the quarter-finals where he will face Frenchman Gilles Simon who outlasted Djokovic´s countryman Janko Tipsarevic 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Haas hit seven forehand winners and won 76 percent of his first-serve points, snapping Djokovic´s 15 match-winning streak in Miami. Haas easily won the first set then clinched the victory on his second match point with a forehand winner to the open court, ending the one hour, 20 minute match on centre court. Haas has won three of seven career meetings with Djokovic but this was his first win on the hardcourts with his other two coming on grass. Djokovic, who had won this event three times (2007, 2011, 2012), had one double fault and won just 54 percent of his second serves. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52182 MONTEVIDEO, March 26: Argentina suffered a scare before coming from behind to secure a 1-1 draw with Bolivia as 2014 World Cup qualifying rivals Colombia slipped up against Venezuela on Tuesday. Argentina had been thrashed 6-1 by Bolivia when the sides last met in the thin air of La Paz in qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.[break] Another upset looked on the cards on Tuesday when Bolivia striker Marcel Martins headed the home side into a 25th-minute lead. But Argentina -- who had impressed in a 3-0 win over Venezuela in Buenos Aires last Friday -- grabbed a share of the points when Valencia´s Ever Banega headed in the equalizer shortly before half-time. Argentina might even have taken all three points, but captain Lionel Messi squandered a golden chance when one-on-one with Bolivia keeper Sergio Galarza six minutes from time. Despite the failure to take maximum points, Argentina remain in control of the South American qualifying standings after Colombia, who had started the day in second place, crashed 1-0 to Venezuela in Caracas. In Quito, Ecuador´s 4-1 victory over bottom team Paraguay lifted them over Colombia into second, four points behind Argentina. The day´s other match saw 2010 World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay suffer another setback after a 2-0 defeat to Chile in Santiago. The loss leaves Uruguay two points adrift of the qualifying places in South America. The first four teams qualify automatically for Brazil, while the fifth placed team goes into a play-off with their Asian counterpart. Earlier, Argentina had been slow to adapt to the rarefied air of the Bolivian capital, the world´s highest capital city standing some 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) above sea level. Bolivia, thrashed 5-0 by Colombia in their last outing on Friday, looked far more comfortable as they pressed the visitors relentlessly. The home side were unlucky not to take the lead after only 10 minutes when only a superb save from Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero denied Bolivian Diego Bejaranao a goal. Argentina´s best efforts came on the counter-attack, but Inter Milan´s Rodrigo Palacio wasted a clear chance on 19 minutes when played in by Angel Di Maria, starting in place of the suspended Gonzalo Higuain. Bolivia continued to carve out openings and Carlos Saucedo should have done better in the 20th minute when he steered a free header over the bar. Edward Zenteno then tested Romero with a thumping long range effort that the Sampdoria keeper punched behind. Moments later however Bolivia got the goal their energetic early play had been threatening. A superb cross from the right flank by Alejandro Chumacero picked out Martins and the 25-year-old wrong-footed Romero with a header back across goal to make it 1-0. The goal stung Argentina into life, but Di Maria squandered a good chance on 35 minutes when his header from a Palacio cross drifted aimlessly wide. It looked as if Bolivia would preserve their lead at the break but moments before half-time Argentina grabbed an equalizer. Boca Juniors fullback Clemente Rodriguez found space down the left and chipped a cross into a crowded area for Banega to head home. Argentina steadied themselves in the second half and hung on for a share of the points. World Cup 2014 South American qualifying zone results on Tuesday La Paz Bolivia 1 (Martins 25) Argentina 1 (Banega 44) At Quito Ecuador 4 (Caicedo 38, Montero 50, 75, Benitez 54) Paraguay 1 (Caballero 15) At Santiago Chile 2 (Paredes 10, Vargas 78) Uruguay 0 At Caracas Venezuela 1 (Rondon 13) Colombia 0 http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52181 PARIS, March 26:  World champions Spain retook control of 2014 World Cup qualifying Group I on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over France, Pedro Rodriguez scoring the only goal of the game in the second half at the Stade de France. Pedro´s scrambled effort just before the hour mark was Spain´s reward for dominating possession and assured play despite coming into the game trailing France by two points at the top of the group.[break] The home team were always a threat going forward but could not find a way past Victor Valdes in the Spain goal and finished the game with 10 men after young midfielder Paul Pogba was sent off late on. With just three matches left to play, Spain now lead France by a point, with only one team qualifying automatically for the finals in Brazil. "I am happy tonight because the three points put us in a good situation, but also because we stuck to our style," said Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque. "We could have won by a greater margin in the end." France coach Didier Deschamps added: "We kept battling, even when down to 10 men, but it is not easy against a team that dominates like Spain do. "You need to take your chances and get some breaks, and that wasn´t the case for us." Del Bosque welcomed Xavi Hernandez back into the Spain starting line-up after injury, while Xabi Alonso, Pedro and left-back Nacho Monreal also came in as four changes were made from Friday´s surprise 1-1 draw with Finland. Meanwhile, Deschamps kept faith with youngsters Raphael Varane and Pogba after both impressed on their debuts in last Friday´s win against Georgia as the hosts matched Spain´s 4-3-3 formation. Spain, playing all in red, should have taken the lead from their first attack, Monreal cutting the ball back for Xavi to blaze over from a glorious position inside the penalty box five minutes in. Karim Benzema had been criticised for his recent poor form at international level, but he was not afraid to try his luck at the other end with a first-time attempt from Christophe Jallet´s cutback as France pressed. Despite that opening, Spain soon settled into their rhythm, controlling possession and removing the sting from the game. Chances followed, with Xavi firing rather tamely wide after being picked out by Alonso, before a Pedro shot was easily held by Hugo Lloris. Then came a moment of real controversy on the half-hour mark when Pedro went to ground under a challenge from Lloris as both players went for a through ball. Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai waved away the vociferous Spanish appeals for a spot-kick as television replays suggested the Barcelona player was already going to ground before contact was made. The visitors´ anger would have been even greater had they fallen behind seven minutes before the interval. Mathieu Valbuena found Franck Ribery, whose first touch, with his head, took him clean through on goal, but Valdes won his duel with the Bayern Munich winger. The game remained level at the interval but Spain´s share of possession in the first-half was upwards of 75 percent, and the world champions did not have to wait too much longer to break through. In the 58th minute, Monreal cut in from the left flank and drilled the ball across goal, with Pedro reacting quickest to divert it goalwards. A desperate Lloris got a touch but just couldn´t stop the ball crossing the line and the little winger from Tenerife raced away to celebrate with the travelling fans. France were now chasing the game but Pedro came close to scoring again from substitute Jesus Navas´ centre soon after. The home side, who came from behind to draw 1-1 in the reverse fixture in Madrid in October, remained a threat on the break and Blaise Matuidi forced a save out of Valdes after being picked out by Ribery. But their hopes of finding a way back into this match bit the dust when Pogba was dismissed with 12 minutes remaining. Having been booked just moments before, he was cautioned again for a studs-up tackle on Xavi. Montenegro peg England back to preserve lead PODGORICA, Montenegro, March 26: Montenegro produced a rousing second-half display to earn a 1-1 draw at home to England on Tuesday that enabled them to preserve a two-point lead in their World Cup qualifying group. Wayne Rooney appeared to have atoned for his red card on his last visit to Podgorica by giving England a sixth-minute lead that looked set to send Roy Hodgson´s side to the top of Group H. However, the hosts rallied after the interval at a raucous Podgorica City Stadium and claimed a deserved equaliser in the 76th minute when substitute Dejan Damjanovic bundled home. "We stopped playing after the break for 20 or 30 minutes and away from home you can´t afford to do that," England captain Steven Gerrard told ITV. "They took control in the second half apart from the last 10 minutes, but we are still confident we can finish top of the group." The result means that, if Montenegro win at home to Ukraine in June, England will be five points off the pace by the time they play their next qualifier at home to Moldova in September. On his team´s mid-game revival, Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic explained: "I told them clearly there´s nothing to be afraid of. We should put the ball on the ground and be calm in starting the action again." England coach Hodgson made six changes to the team that outclassed San Marino 8-0, with Gerrard returning alongside Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick, James Milner and Danny Welbeck. England had been promised a caustic atmosphere, and fighting broke out between the home fans before the game had even begun, but if there had been any pre-match nerves in the visiting ranks, they did not show. In the third minute, Rooney beat Mladen Bozovic with a delicately measured lob that came back off the post, and three minutes later, the hosts´ goalkeeper had to touch a rising drive from Johnson over the bar. From the corner that followed England went ahead, Rooney resisting the attentions of his marker to meet Gerrard´s delivery with a header that found the bottom-right corner for his 35th international goal. Brnovic had put his faith in his "two Ferraris", Stefan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic, but they were initially subdued; Jovetic dragging wide in the 15th minute. Milner drilled a shot wide for England, while Rooney narrowly failed to find Welbeck with a cross before being unable to adjust himself quickly enough to convert a low centre from Milner. The visitors might even have had a penalty shortly before half-time, when Stefan Savic appeared to clip the escaping Welbeck inside the area, but instead the Manchester United forward was booked for diving. Brnovic introduced striker Damjanovic at half-time and the early stages of the second half saw the home side procure a glut of chances. Jovetic hit the side-netting with a header, Marko Basa headed wide, Jovetic hooked a volley off-target, and Vucinic should have done better than place a half-volley over the bar when a half-cleared corner fell to him. England goalkeeper Joe Hart also had a heart-in-mouth moment, patting down a shot from Vucinic and then leaping on the ball after it bounced off his leg towards the net. Still Montenegro came, and in the 72nd minute Vucinic bent a shot inches wide of the right-hand post despite the unmarked Damjanovic screaming for the ball to his right. Hart flew to his right to parry a crisp half-volley from Jovetic and from the corner that followed, a scramble saw the ball squirt out and hit the post. The compact stadium was rocking, and England´s resistance did not last long. Damjanic claimed the equaliser, at the third attempt, bundling the ball home after Hart had saved his bullet header from a corner and his initial follow-up had been blocked. Smoke from several flares drifted across the pitch as England struggled to respond, but Gerrard saw first a last-minute volley and then an injury-time free-kick repelled by Bozovic. European Zone 2014 World Cup qualifier results on Tuesday: Group A At Brussels Belgium 1 (Hazard 62) Macedonia 0 At Novi Sad, Serbia Serbia 2 (Djuricic 60, 65) Scotland 0 At Swansea, Wales Wales 1 (Bale 21-pen) Croatia 2 (Lovren 77, Eduardo 87) Group B At Copenhagen Denmark 1 (Agger 63-pen) Bulgaria 1 (Manolov 51) At Yerevan Armenia 0 Czech Republic 3 (Vydra 47, 81, Kolar 90) At Valetta Malta 0 Italy 2 (Balotelli 8-pen, 45) Group C At Dublin Ireland 2 (Walters 25-pen, 45+1) Austria 2 (Harnik 11, Alaba 90+2) At Nuremberg, Germany Germany 4 (Reuss 23, 90, Goetze 27, Gundogan 32) Kazakhstan 1 (Schmidtgal 46) Group D At Amsterdam, Netherlands Netherlands 4 (van der Vaart 12, van Persie 56, 65-pen, Lens 90) Romania 0 At Istanbul Turkey 1 (B. Yilmaz 62) Hungary 1 (Böde 71) At Tallinn Estonia 2 (Anier 45+1, Lindpere 61) Andorra 0 Group F At Baku Azerbaijan 0 Portugal 2 (Alves 63, Almeida 79) At Belfast Northern Ireland 0 Israel 2 (Rafaelov 78, Eden Ben Basat 84) Group H At Odessa, Ukraine Ukraine 2 (Yarmolenko 61, Khacheridi 71) Moldova 1 (Suvorov 80) At Podgorica Montenegro 1 (Damjanovic 75) England 1 (Rooney 6) At Warsaw Poland 5 (Lewandowski 21-pen, 50, Piszczek 28, Teodorczyk 61, Kosecki 90+2) San Marino 0 At Paris France 0 Spain 1 (Pedro 58) http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52176 KATHMANDU, March 27: The title of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League is likely to be decided on Wednesday. With only two rounds to go, Three Star and Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) are the only teams in the title race. MMC will lock horns with holder Nepal Police Club, which has won all four editions of the league held in the last six years. Three Star will face NMB Bank Machhindra Club on Wednesday.[break] After the completion of round 20, leader Three Star Club has a strong possibility of lifting the trophy. Three Star with 42 points holds a five-point lead over second-placed MMC, which is still a contender for the title. But, even wins in both its remaining matches would not ensure the title for MMC as its fate would also depend on the outcomes of Three Star´s matches. In such a situation, the result of Wednesday´s match could be vital in determining the title. Unlike MMC that has not won the league title since 2062 BS, Three Star is in a comfortable position. The last time Three Star won the title was in 2061 BS. If MMC loses or draws Wednesday´s first match against Police, Three Star will become the league champion irrespective of the results of Three Star´s remaining two matches. But if MMC wins, Three Star must defeat Machhindra to claim the title with a match in hand. Otherwise, the title will be decided in the last match. "We want to claim the settle on Wednesday," Three Star coach Pradip Humagain said. "Our priority is the title rather than to extend the league thrill to the last match. The players are also prepared for this," said Humagain, who began his coaching career in the top-tier team from this current season. "We are also eagerly waiting for MMC´s encounter with Police as the result will be of great significance to us as well," said Humagain. "If the match ends in a draw or defeat for MMC, we will be crowned champions before our encounter with Machhindra. But we are more focused on our match. Irrespective of any situation, we wish to become champions beating Machhindra." "The club as well as players are taking Wednesday´s match as the final. Players are mentally prepared for this," said Humagain. Meanwhile, Machhindra coach Raju Shakya has a different strategy. "If MMC beats Police, Three Star will come under pressure and we will take advantage of that against the leader," Shakya said, adding that his side´s priority was to climb up in the league. Meanwhile, MMC is in no mood to give up despite Three Star holding an edge over his side. "First we should win our match, then only we will be in a position to wait for Three Star´s match," said MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang. Lopsang plans to come up aggressively and take the title race into the last match. Meanwhile, Police must beat MMC to keep afloat its hopes of finishing third. Wednesday´s matches MMC Vs Police @ 12:30 NST Three Star Vs Machhindra @ 15:30 NST Venue: Dasharath Stadium http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52173 KATHMANDU, March 27: National cricket team captain Paras Khadka achieved two personal milestones during Nepal´s match against the Maldives in the ACC T20 Cup that started in Kirtipur on Tuesday. Khadka won his 100th cap for the national team and claimed his 100th international wicket as well. "I am happy that we achieved victory in my 100th match. I knew I was playing my 100th match but was unaware that I also claimed my 100th wicket today," said the 26-year old. [break]Khadka, who claimed two wickets on Tuesday, reached the 100-wicket milestone when he dismissed Mohamed Rishwan. "Rather than focusing on my 100th cap, I was more focused on winning the tournament," said Khadka. Khadka also became the third player after former captain Binod Das and Shakti Gauchan to win 100 caps for the Nepal. Khadka, who made his national team debut in a three-day match against Malaysia during the Intercontinental Cup in 2004, said he had never imagined that he would reach this far. "Ever since I started playing for the national team nine years ago, I had never imagined that I would reach here. I have reached this level by playing continuously," said Khadka. In 2004, Khadka had donned the national jersey for the first time in a one-day match during the ACC Trophy. Khadka is also among the players to have played all 28 T20 matches for the national team since Nepal made its debut in the short format of the game in 2007. "I don´t know how long I will play, but I will continue as long as I can perform well," said Khadka, who has led the national team since the ACC T20 held in the UAE in 2009. Khadka has also played 26 matches in U-19 and five in U-17 age group categories. Under Khadka´s captaincy, Nepal has played 54 matches, of which Nepal has won 37. Among 30 matches played under his captaincy in the one-day format, Nepal has won 24 while one ended in a tie. Five months ago, Nepal had finished joint winner of the ACC Trophy Elite along with the UAE following a tie. The title was the biggest achievement of Nepali cricket team. Khadka, however, opines that he still has a lot to contribute to the team and that his best is yet to come. "I am yet to play my best innings. Until Nepal reaches Division 1, I cannot say that I have contributed a lot." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52180 KATHMANDU, March 26: Pradip Airee struck a brilliant half-century as host Nepal made a flying start in the ACC T20 Cup crushing Maldives by 76 runs in the opener held at the TU cricket grounds, Kirtipur. Opening batsman Airee smashed 59 runs off 28 balls as the home team reached 171/5 and then restricted Maldives to a paltry total of 95/7. Airee shared an 80-run opening stand with Subash Khakurel (26) before being bowled in 6.3 overs by Mohamed Saafee. Airee struck eight fours and four sixes during his knock. [break] It was Nepal´s second highest score in the short-format cricket. During the last edition held in 2011, Nepal had scored the highest 183 runs against Saudi Arabia. Airee´s half-century was also the second fastest by a Nepali player. Two years ago, Mehboob Alam had reached half-century in 20 balls. Earlier, Airee had scored a half-century against Denmark in the World Cup T20 Qualifiers in Dubai. But he had been playing in the middle order after he failed as an opening batsman in the U-19 World Cup. "I was a bit nervous to play as opener on home ground. But the ball connected well from the beginning and runs came easily. I was hoping to reach century after a good start," said man-of-the-match Airee."But I was out after playing a wrong shot." He was bowled while trying to sweep Saafee´s delivery. Nepal made a solid start in batting scoring 13 runs in the first over. Nepal scored the highest 24 runs in the third over with Airee smashing two sixes and two fours off Neesham Nasir. Airee reached 50 off just 21 deliveries. "He could destroy any attack and that´s his strength," said Nepal´s Sri Lankan coach Pubudu Dassanayake. "But now is the time to step up, as we are playing with good teams from tomorrow." "Overall, we had a great start in the tournament and I am happy for that," Nepal´s skipper Paras Khadka said after the match. "Airee was exceptional today and he had a good start with Khakurel," said Khadka. Sixth order batsman Sarad Vesawkar was the second highest scorer for Nepal with an unbeaten 36 off 18, while Manjeet Shrestha made 20 in his T20 debut. The two shared a 43-run partnership. Binod Bhandari (15), Paras Khadka (10) and Gyanendra Malla (2) were the other batsmen to contribute to Nepal´s total. Coach Dassanayake opined that his team was 25-30 runs short despite making a good start. "We had a great start, but the total was still short by 25-30 runs when we play against a good team." Mohamed Saafee took two wickets for Maldives, while Abdullah Shahid and Ahmed Faiz claimed one each. Eighth order batsman Neesham Nasir (unbeaten 20) was the highest scorer for Maldives that lost wickets at regular intervals. Openers I Ali (3), Mohamed Rishwan (15), Abdullah Shahid (12), I Jayakody (0), Shafraz Jaleel (10), Ahmade Faiz (17), Mihusan Hamid (11) and R Madurwala (5) also contributed for Maldives. Skipper Khadka was the most successful bowler for Nepal as he claimed two wickets in his two-over spell conceding seven runs. Shakti Gauchan, Manjeet Shrestha, Basanta Regmi and Sanjam Regmi took a wicket each. PHOTOS BY BIKASH KARKI http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52167 POKHARA, March 26: Indian amateur Trishul Chinnappa clinched the individual title at the Surya Nepal Open Third Amateur Championship in Pokhara on Tuesday. Chinnappa carded four-over 74 in the final round on Tuesday for a three-day total of 10-over 220 at the par-70 Himalayan Golf Course, Pokhara. He finished six strokes ahead of Sri Lankan Arumugam Masanam. Masanam submitted a card of eight-over 78 on the final day for a 54-hole total of 16-over 226. [break] Chinnappa carded three-over 38 on the front nine and one-over 36 on the back nine on Tuesday. He shot birdies on the second and 15th holes but suffered bogeys on the eighth and ninth holes and double bogeys on the fourth and 14th holes. Masanam carded a birdie on the second hole against bogeys on the fourth and sixth holes to finish the front nine at one-over 36. However, he faltered on the back nine and finished it at seven-over 42 as he suffered bogeys on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th holes and a double bogey on the 14th hole. Lakhan Singh of Delhi Golf Society finished third in the tournament with a total score of 229. He carded nine-over 79 on the final day. Another Indian golfer Samarth Dwivedi finished in the fourth position with a total score of 231. Nepal No 2 Dinesh Prajapati and Mohammad Liton shared the fifth position with the total scores of 22-over 232. Tshendra Dorji of Bhutan finished seventh at 236 while Ashish Pariyar of Nepal and Chanaka Perera of Sri Lanka shared the eighth position at 237. Three Nepali golfers -- Ramesh Gurung, Tirtha Paudel and Sunil KC -- were tied for the 10th position with the total scores of 28-over 238. Pokhara´s local golfer Ramesh Gurung, the overall leader of the first round, became the winner in the nett section. Playing with nine-handicap allowances, Gurung carded 71, 84 and 83 respectively in the three-day tournament for a nett score of one-over 211. Dinesh Prajapati, who played with five-handicap allowances, came second at 217. Shankar Baniya finished third at 218. Earlier, Chinnappa and Dwivedi had teamed up for India in the team event of the tournament and lifted the title with a 36-hole total of 305 on Monday. Sri Lankan team of Masanam and Chanaka Perera had finished second on count back, leaving behind the Delhi Golf Society team of Lakhan Singh and Prince Kajotia. Western Regional Administrator Suman Prasad Sharma, Nepal Golf Association (NGA) President Madhukar Yakthumba, General Secretary of Mountain Sports Federation Govinda Bhattarai, NGA Vice-presidents Prachanda Bahadur Shrestha and PB Rai, and NGA General Secretary Tashi Ghale handed over the prizes to the winners. Altogether eight teams and 47 individual golfers had participated in the tournament organized by Nepal Golf Association under the Mountain Sports Festival. The tournament was sponsored by Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52208 KATHMANDU, March  26: Nepal will lock horns with Hong Kong in its second match of the ACC T20 Cup on Wednesday. In the last edition of the same tournament, Nepal had defeated Hong Kong by one run. In the world T20 Cup Qualifiers, Nepal had defeated Hong Kong by 28 runs. [break] CAN introduces ticket system KATHMANDU: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), which collected gate money for the first time in Nepali cricket, raised about Rs 585,000 on the first day of the ACC T20 Cup. The ticket price was fixed at Rs 100. According to CAN Member Kiran Rana, about 8,000 spectators watched the game. Nepali players cover logos KATHMANDU: Expressing dissatisfaction over sponsors, Nepali players covered their jersey logo with duct tapes during the team’s match against Maldives Tuesday. Pepsi and the Standard Chartered Bank are the sponsors of Nepali team. Nepal’s skipper Paras Khadka said, “The players have not been benefited by the sponsors.” http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52143 AUCKLAND, March 26: A defiant, unbeaten century by Matt Prior saw England snatch an unlikely draw in a dramatic end to the third Test Tuesday as a fired up New Zealand attack were denied an historic victory by one wicket. England were holding on by a thread at the close as Prior sought to shield last man in Monty Panesar from the bowling for the last three overs in a cliff-hanger finish to the Test and the series.[break] At the close, Prior was unbeaten on 110, his seventh Test century, and England were 315 for nine. A despondent New Zealand were left wondering what the outcome would have been had two regulation catches in the final over before lunch not been dropped. All three Tests ended in draws, denying New Zealand the chance of a rare series win over England. They have only won three of 32 series against the English and the last was in England in 1999. New Zealand, with innings of 443 and 241 for six declared, batted England out of the Test and the tourists were never serious about chasing their 481-run second innings target. Instead they faced a battle for survival and when they resumed the final day at 90 for four the odds were heavily in New Zealand´s favour. At lunch, the Test still belonged to New Zealand with England at 158 for five and Joe Root gone for 29. But there were signs of luck going England´s way with Ian Bell and Jonny Bairstow both surviving catch opportunities when New Zealand took the second new ball just before lunch. Bairstow was gone for six soon after play resumed but Bell made the most of his opportunity as he and Prior put on 78 before he was removed in the last over before tea and England were 237 for seven. But luck stayed with Prior who beat two appeals for caught behind that went to review on 18. On 20 he was dropped by Neil Wagner and on 28 the ball deflected off his helmet and on to the stumps but the bails did not come off. As he continued to march towards his seventh Test century after tea he was joined by a record low-scoring Stuart Broad who blocked and shouldered for 61 deliveries and 102 minutes before finally getting off the mark. His scoreless reign beat the previous record of 101 minutes without scoring set by New Zealand fast bowler Geoff Allott against South Africa 14 years ago. With a possible victory slipping away, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum again turned to part-time spinner Kane Williamson who had removed Alastair Cook and nightwatchman Steven Finn the previous day. Again Williamson delivered. In the space of three deliveries he had Broad and James Anderson caught at first slip by Ross Taylor and England found themselves nine down with only Panesar left to support Prior and 19 balls remaining. Prior was able to protect Panesar from all but five deliveries which the England spinner was able to keep out. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52140 MIAMI, March 23:  Reigning US Open champs Andy Murray and Serena Williams stepped up their bids for another title while China´s Li Na halted the giant-killing run of a Spanish teen to advance at the Miami Masters Monday. Second seed Murray blasted nine aces en route to a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory over disgruntled Grigor Dimitrov to reach the fourth round of the hardcourt tournament.[break] Murray, who won this event four years ago, needed one hour and 54 minutes to oust the 29th-seeded Bulgarian Dimitrov. Murray said he started slowly but soon figured out how to cause problems for his opponent. "I was leaving the ball a bit short. Once I started to improve my depth a bit I made it tough for him and he started to make mother mistakes after that," Murray said. Dimitrov, last year´s runner-up to Novak Djokovic, would have faced a tougher task had not the 21-year-old lost his composure when serving for the first set at 5-3. Dimitrov double-faulted three times to allow Murray to break back and the Scot duly prevailed in the tie-break. It is the second time in as many tournaments that Dimitrov has cracked when serving for a set against a top-ranked player, serving up four double faults when he led world number one Djokovic 5-3 in the third round at Indian Wells. "He probably got a little bit nervous, and that helped me," Murray said. Murray, who committed 22 unforced errors to Dimitrov´s 38, will face Italian Andrea Seppi in the fourth round, the 16th seed having beaten experienced Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet rolled over 28th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-4 and 10th-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro beat Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 6-4. Gasquet faces Almagro in the fourth round. Sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, of France, cruised past Finland´s Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-3 as Canada´s Milos Raonic withdrew from the tournament with strep throat just moments before his match against Sam Querrey. In the women´s draw, China´s Li set up a quarter-final against world number one Williams with an error-strewn 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 win over teen Garbine Muguruza. The 31-year-old Li is playing in her first tournament since suffering an ankle injury in January´s Australian Open final. Williams also struggled having to come from a set down to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Slovakia´s 13th seed Dominika Cibulkova. Williams, who is bidding for a record sixth Miami title, admitted she had not been at her best and at 4-1 down to Cibulkova in the second set and staring defeat in the face she had had to pull herself together. "I was struggling mentally, I was making so many errors," said Williams, who regained the number one spot in Doha in February but has not played since. "I could not pull myself together. Someone (a fan) kept telling me to relax and I listened to him." Li - the 2011 French Open champion and two-time Australian Open finalist - made 39 unforced errors, including four double faults, and allowed her 19-year-old opponent to battle back to 5-5 in the first set having led 5-1. Even at 6-1 in the tiebreaker Li faltered as Muguruza fought back to 6-6. Li pulled herself together to take the next two points and the set, before wrapping up victory in the second set. In the night match, third seed Maria Sharapova routed Czech Klara Zakopalova in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Sharapova, who is one of the favourites, has never won in Miami. "It would be special to win this and add it to my collection," she said. Sharapova advances to the quarter-finals where she will face eighth-seeded Sara Errani who rallied to beat former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Also, defending champ Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Sloane Stephens 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 to book a quarter final clash with Belgian Kirsten Flipkens. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52136 LONDON, March 25: Fred spared Brazil´s blushes with a last-gasp equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw against Russia in Monday´s friendly at Stamford Bridge. Luiz Felipe Scolari is still waiting for the first win of his second spell as Brazil manager following this lacklustre display on a freezing evening in west London, but it would have been even more embarrassing for the former Chelsea boss without Fred´s late intervention.[break] Russia took a deserved lead when Zenit St Petersburg winger Victor Fayzulin scored his third goal for Fabio Capello´s side in the 73rd minute. But Fluminense forward Fred snatched a dramatic equaliser when he tapped home Marcelo´s cross from close range in the last minute. For Scolari the fixture marked a return to Chelsea, where he spent seven months before being sacked by Roman Abramovich in 2009, but he failed to take the opportunity to prove a point to the Blues´ Russian owner. The Selecao, continuing on their global tour in the build up to staging the 2014 World Cup, clearly have plenty of room for improvement. Capello, who has been linked with a possible move to Chelsea in the close-season, was back in the city he called home for four years during his England reign. This impressive result suggested he may yet get a call from Abramovich to return to English football. Russia´s Sergey Ignashevich called Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar into action after just two minutes when he unleashed a powerful 30-yard drive. The CSKA Moscow centre-back´s low shot skidded across the turf, but QPR´s Cesar was equal to his effort. That wasn´t Brazil´s only early scare. Ten minutes later Cesar´s goal was again threatened as the ball was pumped into the box and Roman Shirokov and Aleksandr Kerzhakov both saw shots blocked. Cesar then had Real Madrid midfielder Kaka to thank for some last-ditch defending as the playmaker got another block on a shot from Kershakov and Shirokov´s follow up. Brazil, five-time world champions, saw their goal continually peppered as defensive midfielder Shirokov then tried his luck from range in the 15th minute. It took nearly 30 minutes for Scolari´s side to click into action and even then Neymar shot high and wide of Russia keeper Vladimir Gabulov´s goal after surging into the box. Five minutes before the break, Fayzulin cut in off the left touchline, beat Barcelona´s Daniel Alves before lashing into the side netting as Russia regrouped. Neymar again wasted another chance, and for all their trickery and intricate passing, Brazil just couldn´t find a way past Russia´s resolute defence in the opening 45 minutes. Brazil´s Chelsea defender David Luiz looked eager for a goal on his home club ground, only for Russia´s wall to deny him when he stepped up to strike a 25-yard free-kick on the hour mark after Shirkov fouled Oscar. And that was to be the Blues star´s last contribution as he was replaced by Hulk as Scolari went for the win. Brazil had dominated for the majority of the second half without causing any damage. Russia always looked efficient in possession and it was third time lucky as Capello´s men finally broke the deadlock 18 minutes from time. Brazil failed to clear as Russia bided their time before Fayzulin picked his spot and stroked the ball home from 15 yards. Two minutes later Marcelo missed the target as he ran onto Hulk´s pullback before Fred finally restored a measure of Brazilian pride with his 90th minute strike. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52138 KATHMANDU, March 25: Nepal moves a step closer to its dream of participating in the T20 World Cup on Tuesday when it takes on south Asian rival Maldives during the inaugural match of the ACC T20 Cup, which is the first hurdle toward the qualification for the World Cup. Nepal’s Sri Lankan coach Pubudu Dassanayake is looking forward for a flying start in the tournament which begins at TU cricket ground in Kirtipur as he believes that the first match will have a great impact throughout the tournament.[break] “We want to start well, keep the level throughout the tournament and finish the game on a high note,” said Dassanayake on Monday after his team’s last practice session before the tournament. “The first match is always vital and a resounding victory will boost the morale of team throughout the tournament,” said the Sri Lankan, who guided Nepal to back-to-back titles of the World Cricket League Div 4 and ACC Trophy Elite last year. The tournament is also a gateway for Nepal to realize its World Cup dream in the shortest format of the tournament. Top two finishers will get direct entry to the tournament. But if the UAE and Afghanistan secure the top two spots, then the semifinalists will also get a chance to qualify as Afghanistan has already qualified by the virtue of its ODI status and UAE as the host nation. “Although we are ready, we have some hiccups underway. Nevertheless, we trained really well in Pokhara. The boys are confident and very clear about their roles,” said Dassanayake. Dassanayke is in no mood to take the Maldives lightly. “We are not going to underestimate any team. Though we are better team than the Maldives, bad wicket and bad condition can bring the teams to equal terms.” Maldives coach Nilantha Cooray of Sri Lanka, who has been looking after the team since last month, is optimistic of his side beating the host. “I hope to win the match against Nepal,” said Cooray. “We had good training session for the last three weeks but we don’t have natural turf like that of Nepal. However, we trained in Sri Lanka last week,” said Cooray, who believes bowling is the strongest part of his team. He rated Nepal as a strong side with good spinners. Captain Khadka aims memorable start Nepali squad’s captain Paras Khadka wants to make a memorable start to the tournament that falls on the day of Holi, the festival of colors. “We want to make colorful beginning by beating Maldives and we are confident about it,” said Khadka. “We are well prepared and have not spared anything. In comparison to the previous tournaments, we have worked quite very hard,” said Khadka. “The training in Pokhara had been very fruitful to us. Everyone in the squad knows his responsibility and can adopt in different situation. If we play up to our potential, we can win the match.” Meanwhile, Khadka has also asked Nepali fans to maintain restrain during the match irrespective of any outcome. “Winning and losing are part of a game. I request fans to behave well,” said Khadka, referring to the incident in which Nepali fans had pelted stones against the America team during World Cricket League Division 5 in 2010. ixteen months ago, too, Nepali cricket fans had hurled stones at the ground during Nepal´s ACC T20 Cup match against the UAE bringing disrepute to Nepali cricket. Nepal’s record against Maldives Both Nepal and the Maldives began their international debut in the cricket in 1996. The two teams were regular rivals about 10 years ago. Nepal had defeated the Maldives by five wickets in ACC Trophy back in 2000 with 91 runs from Kiran Agrawal. Within a span of six months, Nepal and the Maldives faced each other four times in 2003 during the Emerging Nations Cup consisting of three nations including Bhutan. Nepal hosted the event twice and defeated the Maldives on all four occasions. It was the first official international tournament won by Nepal. Tuesday’s match will be the second meeting between Nepal and the Maldives in the shortest format of cricket. The last time these two sides met was during the 2013 Guangzhou Asian Games in China. Nepal had defeated the Maldives by 75 runs then. The Maldives could manage 54/8 in reply to 130-run target set by Nepal. Nepali team Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake said he would decide the starting XI only on Tuesday morning after inspecting the wicket condition. However, he has almost set the team. The Sri Lankan has confirmed Subash Khakurel and Pradip Aire as the opening batsmen. If the condition is not favorable, he is also likely to test Binod Bhandari as opener. Anil Mandal will not be listed in the starting XI. One of the seamers among Amrit Bhattarai and Chandra Saud is likely to be the in starting line-up. Similarly, one among Sarad Vesawakar, Prithu Baskota, Sanjam Regmi and Manjeet Shrestha will not be in the starting line-up. Shrestha is likely to feature in the top order due to his aggressive nature in batting. Regmi is likely to come as the third spinner. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52128 KATHMANDU, March 25: The final rounds of the Red Bull District League Football in all three divisions – A, B and C -- will begin from March 29 at separate venues around the country, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) announced on Monday. ANFA has classified its affiliated districts into the three divisions, with the top 10 among its 45 member districts listed as A Division teams. [break] The district qualifiers for all three divisions have already concluded with the participation of 42 district associations. Three districts of the capital -- Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur -- were excluded in the district league. "The A Division District League has 10 teams from among the 45 district associations and the final rounds of A Division will be held in Jhapa," ANFA General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan said during a press conference in the capital. The A division league will be played on the league-cum-knockout basis after dividing them into two groups. Winner of each group will advance to the final. The districts represented by the teams finishing at the bottom of each group will be relegated to B Division. The winner and the runner-up teams will receive Rs 400,000 and Rs 200,000. Meanwhile, ANFA President Ganesh Thapa said that the winner of the A Division League will be given an opportunity to compete in some national level tournaments. The B Division League, which consists 12 teams, will be held at two separate venues of Nawalparasi. The teams will be divided into four groups with winner of each group securing a semifinal berth. The winner and runner-up will be awarded a purse of Rs 300,000 and Rs 150,000 along with promotion to the A Division. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the C Division. The C Division will be contested by 19 teams, divided into five groups, and will be played in five different districts. The winner of each group will again play a single round-robin game to determine the champion. The winner and the runner-up will be elevated to B Division and will receive Rs 200,000 and Rs 100,000. The total cash prize for all three divisions is Rs 1.5 million while the expected cost for officiating the event is Rs 7.5 million. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52129 KATHMANDU, March 25: The Nepali Cricket Fan Club (NCFC) has installed an LED scoreboard at the TU cricket ground replacing its age-old scorecard which used to be operated manually. The new scoreboard will come into operation during Nepal´s ACC T20 Cup opener against the Maldives on Tuesday. [break] According to NCFC President Birat Rayamajhi, the total cost for installing the LED scorecard was Rs 130,000. Cricket enthusiast Sanjiv Khadka raised Rs 100,000 from among the Nepali of the UAE and Ramesh Bhandari collected Rs 84,000 from South Korea for the LED. "The scoreboard could not be viewed clearly in the past. The spectators are used to watching matches live in the television and they wish to see results in the same way. Thus we decided to install the scoreboard," said NCFC secretary Bhola Neupane. The technical aspect for the construction of LED was undertaken by NCFC member Santosh Mishra who is an engineer. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52127 POKHARA, March 25: Indian pair Samarth Dwivedi and Trishul Chinnappa clinched the team championship title of the Surya Nepal Third Open Amateur Championship being held at the Himalayan Golf Course, Pokhara on Monday. The Indian team won the championship with the total score of 15-over 305. Sri Lankan team comprising Arumugam Masanam and Chanaka Perera remained ahead of Delhi Golf Society´s Lakhan Singh and Prince Kajotia in count back to finish in the second place. Both the teams were tied on 307.[break] Bangladesh ´A´ team of Mohammad Liton and Mohammad Sobhan finished fourth with a score of 314 while Nepal ´A´ team of Bikash Bogati and Tirtha Poudel remained a distant fifth on 321. Bhutan, Nepal ´B´ and Bangladesh ´B´ finished sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. In the individual section, Indian amateur Chinnappa submitted a card of one-over 71 on Monday and took an overall two-stroke lead over Sri Lankan Masanam. Chinnapa is on the top of the leader-board with a total score of six-over 146. Masanam, who played three-over 73 on Monday, is second with the total score of 148. Delhi Golf Society´s Lakhan Singh and Bangladesh´s Mohammad Liton shared the third place with the total score of 10-over 150. Tirtha Poudel of Nepal carded four-over 74 on Monday and moved up to the fifth position at 14-over 154. First round leader Ramesh Gurung had a forgettable second round display as he slipped down to the sixth position jointly with Dinesh Prajapati at 15-over 155. Gurung played 13-over 83 on Monday while Nepal No 2 Prajapati improved his performance on Monday carding five-over 77. Nepal Golf Association is organizing the tournament under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd as a part of the Mountain Sports Festival. The tournament will conclude on Tuesday, when the top 33 and ties of the individual section will played. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52097 ROME, March 25: In the slowly shifting landscape of Italian football, the past week has marked a relatively quick change of focus. From old to new. Past to present. [break] From Francesco Totti to Mario Balotelli. The homegrown Roman senator vs. the son of Ghanian immigrants. It all started a week ago, when the Azzurri opened their training camp and Italian media latched onto a comment from coach Cesare Prandelli, who said that if Totti keeps up his form he would consider bringing the forward to next year´s World Cup in Brazil just a few months short of the Roma captain´s 38th birthday. Never mind that Totti retired from the national team seven years ago. Or, as Totti himself eventually said, that he could be retired altogether by 2014. The next day´s headlines were total Totti — Totti this, Totti that — while the current crop of Italy players, the group that reached last year´s European Championship final, were left to prepare for a friendly vs. Brazil in near oblivion. AS Roma forward Francesco Totti, right, celebrates after scoring on a free kick during a Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and Parma, at Rome´s Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 17. (AP) Fast forward to Thursday´s match in Geneva, which concluded 2-2 after Balotelli´s stunning equalizer, a screamer from about 25 yards (meters) that took his tally to eight goals in eight matches in 2013 for club and country. It was the type of goal that only a highly skilled and confident player would even attempt — and reminiscent of Balotelli´s second strike in Italy´s 2-1 win over Germany in the semifinals of Euro 2012. After the goal against Germany, Balotelli stripped off his jersey and flexed his muscles in a defiant pose, an emblematic moment that announced his arrival on the sport´s biggest stage — in the face of his wide array of critics and the fans who still direct racist chants at him. This time, Balotelli simply waved his hand in a common Italian gesture, as if to say, ´Look at what I´ve done´ — indicating that he had impressed even himself. From total Totti, the discussion surrounding the Azzurri was now squarely focused on ´Super Mario,´ who will be expected to score more goals in Tuesday´s World Cup qualifier in Malta. "Balomania: Can he become the greatest?" said the front-page headline in Saturday´s Gazzetta dello Sport. "Forget about Neymar, he´s the real star," said former Italy defender turned TV analyst Fulvio Collovati, a member of the squad that won the 1982 World Cup. "Down 0-2 he carried the squad on his shoulders and leveled the match practically by himself. ... If he plays like that he´s among the best in the world." For now, best in the world still means Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While Totti was never really considered best in the world, it is remarkable how long he´s been among the best in Italy, which is now being documented by his steady climb up the Serie A record books. Earlier this month, Totti scored his 226th league goal in Roma´s 2-0 win over Parma, surpassing Swedish great Gunnar Nordahl for second place on Serie A´s all-time scoring list, 48 behind Silvio Piola´s record. Piola played for Pro Vercelli, Lazio, Torino, Juventus and Novara from 1929-54 and his mark of 274 goals had seemed insurmountable for more than half a century. Now, though, the discussion in the capital´s myriad bars and cafes is whether Totti can catch Piola, which would be a just reward for an entire career dedicated to one club — 21 seasons and counting. Totti has 11 goals with nine matches remaining this season. If he can keep up that level of production for a few more seasons, it´s possible. Of course, age is working against the 36-year-old Totti, who credits his current form to his preseason preparation under Zdenek Zeman, the Roma manager who was fired last month. "It won´t be easy, because I´m not 20 anymore," Totti said. "But when I get an idea inside my head I try to realize it." Totti also appears rejuvenated by a stable family life, as evidenced when his two children, Cristian and Chanel, ran onto the pitch to celebrate his 225th goal. His kids presented him with a T-shirt that said, "Sei forte papa!!" — "Dad, you´re great!!" The decision to leave the national team, made after helping Italy to the 2006 World Cup title, has also helped — leading to fewer matches and more rest time for Totti´s surgically repaired left ankle, which was injured in 2006. Totti is still sensitive when opposing players get overly aggressive with his ankles, and he was memorably handed a red card for retaliating against Balotelli by kicking the younger striker in the back of the thigh in the 2010 Italian Cup final when Balotelli was with Inter Milan. Balotelli also claimed that Totti racially abused him in that match, which Inter won 1-0 under then manager Jose Mourinho. But all appears forgiven now, with the 22-year-old Balotelli back in Italy with AC Milan after 2 1/2 seasons with Manchester City. On Sunday, Balotelli was asked if he would mind Totti rejoining the national team. "Why not? He´s a phenomenon," Balotelli replied. "Champions like him are always well accepted by the squad." While it´s unlikely that Totti would be able to play a full 90 minutes every four days, he could represent a veteran option off the bench for Prandelli in Brazil, or fill in for an injured starter now and then. It´s worth remembering how Italy fared when midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo missed most of the group stage with an injury at the 2010 World Cup, when the Azzurri made an embarrassing first-round exit as defending champion. Who knows, maybe Totti and Balotelli — the best Italian players of the past and present generations — could be the right combination. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52080 MIAMI, March 24: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic cruised into the fourth round of the Miami ATP Masters and WTA tournament on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over India´s Somdev Devvarman. Djokovic remained on course for a third straight title on the hard courts of Key Biscayne -- a fourth overall -- and will battle German veteran Tommy Haas for a place in the quarter-finals.[break] The 25-year-old Serbian, who won the title in 2007, 2011 and 2012, had little trouble against Devvarman, who has fallen to 254th in the world after a near-seven month absence last season with a shoulder injury. Djokovic, who saw a 22-match winning streak halted in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week, hasn´t lost to a player outside the top 100 since 2010. Devvarman never looked like reversing that trend against the Serbian, who has reached the final in Miami every time he has made it past the second round. "Considering the wind, it was a nice day," Djokovic said. "Conditions not so great. It was very difficult to kind of get into the rhythm because you couldn´t really serve at your 100 percent and you had to go more for precision and you had to put twice as much effort in the step adjustments. "All in all, I´m just happy to get through the rough day." In other men´s action, third-seeded David Ferrer of Spain continued his dominance of Italian Fabio Fognini with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. In the late match, Austria´s Jurgen Melzer rallied to beat Tobias Kamke 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4. Ferrer broke Fognini four times en route to the victory in 79 minutes. It was his third win over the Italian this season and his sixth in six career meetings. Ferrer, winner of two titles already this season, was playing his first match of the tournament after advancing to the third round on a walkover when his scheduled opponent Dmitry Tursunov of Russia withdrew. The 30-year-old Spaniard will battle for a quarter-final berth against 13th-seeded Nishikori, a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Belgian Xavier Malisse. The two have split their four prior encounters 2-2. Ferrer triumphed in their last meeting, notching a straight-sets victory over the Japanese in the fourth round of the Australian Open. "It´s going to be a very difficult match," Ferrer said. "The last time I played him at the Australian Open I beat him in three sets, but I will have to run a lot. We will play a lot of rallies on the baseline. Nishikori has unbelievable shots. He plays with a lot of power." Haas, the 15th seed, set up his shot at Djokovic with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov. Seventh-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic also advanced, beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-0. Tipsarevic will face France´s 11th-seeded Gilles Simon, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Slovenia´s Grega Zemlja, for a quarter-final slot. Women´s third seed Maria Sharapova, seeking a first Miami title after four runner-up finishes, defeated fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2. Sharapova was broken early to fall 1-3 down in the opening set, but battled back on a muggy afternoon to book a fourth-round clash with Czech Klara Zakopalova, who ousted Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). After leveling the first set at 3-3, Sharapova held on to break Vesnina in a marathon seventh game that went to deuce seven times. Vesnina finally surrendered her serve with a double fault on break point. "It was a very important game," Sharapova said. "After I broke back, I held my serve, I felt like I had a bit of momentum. "But then with that game you swing back and forth. That was a very important game." Sharapova never trailed from there, benefitting from eight double-faults from her opponent. In the late women´s matches, Ana Ivanovic, of Serbia, surprised Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-3 and eighth seeded Sara Errani, of Italy, steamrolled Simona Halep 6-1, 6-0. In other women´s matches, Romania´s Soran Cirstea upset sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-0, and Serbia´s Jelena Jankovic, a former world No. 1, ousted 11th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova 7-6 (9/7), 6-4. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52079 AUCKLAND, March 25:  Black Caps opener Peter Fulton celebrated his recall from the cricket scrapheap on Monday by becoming only the fourth New Zealander to score back-to-back centuries in a Test. The at times ungainly opener belted the prime of English bowling to all corners of the ground in a rollicking second innings 110 to give New Zealand a stranglehold on the third and deciding Test in the series.[break] At stumps on Monday, with one day to play, England were fighting for survival at 90 for four with a target of 481 to win. Fulton, who toiled hard to resurrect New Zealand´s second innings after they were three down for eight, brought up his boundary-laden 110 in 165 balls. In the first innings, when New Zealand were intent on building a competitive total, he made 136 off 346 balls. After scoring 55, 1 and 45 early in the first two England Tests, the 34-year-old Fulton has now raised his average to 33.05, from the mediocre 20.93 when he was cast into the wilderness four years ago after 10 Tests. The Canterbury opener, who has a first class 301 not out to his name in domestic cricket, said he always backed himself as a batsman with a range of shots in his repertoire. "But it´s not often in a Test match you get the chance to swing the bat with no consequence of getting out so it was nice," he said. Fulton and Dean Brownlie worked hard to pull the New Zealand second innings around and put on 74 for the fourth wicket. After Brownlie´s removal he belted 117 off 101 balls in partnership with Brendon McCullum. "We did a lot of hard work last night, myself and Dean, getting through to stumps, and the game was right in the balance there this morning when we came out so we had to some more hard work," said Fulton. "I guess at the end of that session Baz (McCullum) and I had a little bit of fun." Fulton brought up his 100 by nonchalantly driving Stuart Broad over the bowler´s head for six but said reaching his second century was not weighing on his mind. "If I got a 100 I did, but it was not going to worry me. I was lucky I got one in the slot and it was a great feeling." It was only the fourth time a New Zealand batsman has scored back-to-back centuries in a Test and it was the first time the feat had been achieved since Andrew Jones produced a double against Sri Lanka 22 years ago. The other New Zealanders to complete the double are Glenn Turner and Geoff Howarth who both made the list in the 1970s. With Fulton and New Zealand´s other opener Hamish Rutherford both excelling in the series, their places in the New Zealand team to play in England later this year seem assured. It also poses the selectors with a welcome headache as regular opener and reigning New Zealand cricketer of the year Martin Guptill, who missed this series because of injury, is expected to be fit for the tour. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52078 KATHMANDU, March 24: For the first time in four appearances, Nepal has been dubbed as a title contender in the ACC T20 Cup that begins in Kathmandu on Tuesday. In the last three editions, Nepal could not rise above the average teams but things have changed this time around. It is not the home advantage that makes Nepal the favorite but rather the national squad’s performance in the last four international outings has given the team the title credentials.[break] In the first two editions, Nepal couldn’t cross the group stage of the ACC T20 Cup. However, Nepal reached the semifinals in the third edition held in Kathmandu 16 months ago and has been improving ever since. That was the tournament which also heralded a change in Nepal’s playing style. Reaching the semifinals also opened the gates for Nepal to participate in the World T20 qualifiers in which Nepal finished seventh. Then, Nepal clinched the titles of World Cricket League Division 4 and ACC Trophy Elite within one month to cement its status as the title favorite for the upcoming ACC T20 Cup. “We have good chances of winning the ACC T20 Cup,” says skipper Paras Khadka. “This tournament is also a great opportunity to improve our game. But this is T20, so we have to begin from scratch,” he added. “We have worked quite hard as a team. We are optimistic that we will reap the reward for our endeavors,” said Khadka. Khadka says the team is looking for nothing less than the title. “We will be selected if we finish in the top two. But we will be playing for the title,” he said. Showing his respect to the other teams, skipper Khadka said, “We will not take any opponent easily. We cannot predict anything about the opponents in T20.” Coach Pubudu Dassayanake considers Nepal as the best among the 10 participating teams. “I have full confidence in my team,” he said. “We have to move toward global competitions from this tournament and then we are aiming to play the World Cup. We are qualified to play at that level too. Therefore, this tournament is vital for us as it is the beginning of our long journey,” added the coach. The UAE will hosts the T20 World Cup qualifier and Afghanistan has qualified for the qualifiers of the World Cup. Besides the two, other top two teams from the ACC T20 Cup will qualify for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers. Skipper Khadka is not taking the UAE and Afghanistan lightly and has ruled out possibility of exclusion of key players because they have already qualified. “What they do is not our concern. We have to play our own way. Both the UAE and Afghanistan were there during the ACC Trophy Elite but we won the title. So we have to focus our attention on our team, not theirs,” he said. “The only thing that should concern us is that T20 is a game played in a different format,” he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52071 POKHARA, March 24: Local golfer Ramesh Gurung took a one-shot lead over Indian golfer Lakhan Singh at the top of the leader-board on the first day of the Surya Nepal Open Amateur Championship at the Himalayan Golf Course, Pokhara on Sunday. Gurung submitted a card of one-over 71 in the tournament being played in stroke-play format. Leader Gurung carded two-over 37 on the front nine and one-under 34 on the back nine. He shot birdies on the eighth, 10th and 12th holes against bogeys on the fourth and 16th holes and a double bogey on the ninth.[break] Delhi Golf Society´s amateur Singh carded two-over 72. He shot three-over 38 on the front nine and one-under 34 on the back nine. Singh suffered bogeys on the first and fourth holes and a double bogey on the second hole on the front nine. He shot the only birdie of the front nine on the eighth hole. On the back nine, he shot birdies on the 10th, 15th and 18th holes against bogeys on the 12th and 16th holes. Another Indian golfer Trishul Chinnappa and Sri Lanka´s Armugam Masanam are joint third with the scores of five-over 75. Nepal Golf Association General Secretary Tashi Ghale ended the day in the fifth place with a score of 77. Mohammed Liton of Bangladesh shared the sixth place with Nepal No 2 Dinesh Prajapati and Kamal Thapa with a score of eight-over 78. NJ Rayamajhi of Nepal and Indian golfers Samarth Dwivedi and Prince Khajotia are in the ninth position with the scores of nine-over 79. Nepali golfers Kamal Tamang and Tirtha Paudel are tied for the 12the position with Mohammad Sobham and Mohammad Sagor of Bangladesh at 10-over 80. It was a horrible day for Nepal No 1 Bikash Bogati as he carded 13-over 83. He made a brilliant start carding one-over 36 on the front nine but faltered on the back nine. Nepal No 4 Bishnu Sharma carded 12-over 82. In the team championship, Lakhan Singh and Prince Kajotia of DGS shared the top spot with a total score of 11-over 151. Singh and Kajotia are three strokes ahead of another Indian team of Samarth Dwivedi and Trishul Chinnappa (154). Bangladesh ´A´ team of Mohammad Sagor and Keon Jun Youn is third at 158 while Nepal ´B´ team of Dinesh Prajapati and Bishnu Sharma is tied for fourth with the Sri Lankan pair of Arumugam Masanam and Chanakya Perera at 20-over 160. Altogether eight teams -- two each from Nepal, India and Bangladesh and one each from Sri Lanka and Bhutan -- are participating in the team competition, which concludes on Monday. In the individual section, 47 amateurs are competing in the three-day competition. Cut will be applied after 36 holes and only the top 33 and ties will play the final round on Tuesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52077 KATHMANDU, March 24: Nepal Volleyball Association is organizing the First Men´s and Women´s Club League Volleyball -- the first ever club-level volleyball league in the country -- from April 8 to 13. The event to be held at the covered hall of National Sports Council will feature six teams in men´s section and four teams in women´s section. "A team can field four foreign players in its squad," said Jeetendra Bahadur Chand, the general secretary of NVA, during a press conference organized in the capital on Sunday.[break] "A former player of Iran´s national women´s team and a male player who had featured in national level tournament have almost confirmed participation in the event," said Chand. "New Diamond Academy has shown interest to include the Iranian female player. It will be confirmed soon after her trial." Meanwhile, G4 Sports Club is preparing to hire Indian players in the men´s squad. Three departmental teams -- Nepal Police Club, Nepal Army Club and Armed Police Force (APF) -- University Team, G4 Sports Club and Western Regional Volleyball Training Center will compete in the men´s section. According to NVA, the best teams of NVA Cup Volleyball were included in the league. The women´s section will feature Nepal Police Club, Armed Police Force, New Diamond Academy and Western Regional Volleyball Training Center. The top three finishers at the end of the league will be awarded with Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. The best player will be awarded with Rs 25,000. Similarly, best players in five positions will get Rs 5,000 each. The league tournament is the last event of the calendar year. Meanwhile, NVA President Dan Bahadur Tamang claimed that the association organized the highest number of events during the current year. "We are trying to make this tournament a grand success as it is the last event of the calendar," said Tamang, adding, "We organized 13 men´s and 11 women´s tournaments during the year." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52068 KATHMANDU, March 24: The Lalitpur Festival First Co-operative Chess Tournament that begins from Wednesday at Gabahal, Patan, will carry a total cash prize of Rs 376,000, the organizers said during a press conference held in the capital on Sunday. The tournament is being organized on the occasion of 56th National Cooperatives Day, which falls on April 2. The event will be held in league-cum-knockout format. "In the initial stage seven round matches will be held in Swiss League format and the top 32 players will qualify for the knockout stage," said Indra Muni Shayka, a member of Lalitpur Festival organizing committee and the president of Padmawati Savings and Co-operative Limited. "The knockout stage will be conducted in two legs." [break] The winner of the week-long event featuring around 150 players will be awarded with a Yamaha YBR motorbike. The second to fourth place finishers will get Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively. Altogether 40 players will be awarded with cash prizes. Responding to queries about match-fixing in chess, Rajesh Hari Joshi, coordinator of the tournament and president of Nepal Chess Association, said, "If anyone is found involved in match-fixing they will be banned for five years." The event is being jointly organized as part of the Lalitpur Festival by Lalitpur Festival 2013 Management Committee and Lalitpur Sports Club under the aegis of Nepal Chess Association. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52060 KATHMANDU, March 24: New Road Team´s (NRT´s) title challenge ended on Sunday after it succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Nepal Army Club in the super league rounds of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. With only two round matches remaining, the result left NRT seven points behind leader Three Star which could now be challenged only by MMC. Three Star has 42 points, second-placed MMC has 37 points while NRT and Army are on 35 points each. Army climbed one spot to third, pushing NRT down to fourth on the basis of head-to-head record.[break] . Nawayug Shrestha stole the show scoring both the goals in the departmental team´s victory. Shrestha was on target for Army in the 33rd and 50th minutes. Segun A Eyitayo pulled one back for NRT in the 53rd minute through penalty. "We lost vital points today and that has also dented our hopes of finishing second," NRT coach Diken Suwal said during the post-match conference. "There was lack of coordination among our defenders. Army players were superior to us in terms of strength as well as fitness." Army´s assistant coach Babukaji Dhaubanjar opined that the win has boosted his side´s chances of finishing second. "Our hard work paid off today and the story could have been different had we won the initial matches of the super league," Dhaubanjar said. Army had lost the first two matches of the super league and played a draw in the third. Nawayug Shrestha of Nepal Army Club scores. (Dipesh Shrestha) Shrestha open the scoring with a textbook finish when he tapped home from the six-yard box in Tanka Basnet´s cross. He then doubled the advantage in the 50th minute taking advantage of a misunderstanding between the NRT defenders and custodian. Shrestha beat defender Dhimal and fired past advancing custodian Raju Yogi into an open net. NRT pulled one back three minutes later through penalty awarded after Santosh Nepali handled the ball in the danger zone. Nigerian recruit Eyitayo converted the penalty. NRT´s only threatening move came in the 42nd minute when Segun A Eyitayo struck at the far post after dribbling past Army custodian Ganga Ram Deuja but his shot went inches wide. Army could have added another in the 81st minute, but Saheed O Azeez cleared Bharat Khawas´ header in Tanka Basnet´s cross from the goalline. Police, Friends share points in dramatic match Defending champion Nepal Police Club and NIBL Friends Club shared points after playing a 2-2 draw in the day´s late match. It was Friends´ third draw in a row and 10th in the league. Prakash Budhathoki was on target for Friends twice while Pradeep Baniya and Bhola Silwal netted one each for Police. Budhathoki put Friends ahead in the 21st minute beating inexperienced goalie Bishal Shrestha. Shrestha got a rare opportunity to start for the departmental giant as its first choice custodian Ritesh Thapa was out of action due to a one-match suspension. But Baniya equalized for Police in the 40th minute tapping home from the six-yard box in veteran Parbat Pandey´s cross. Bhola Silwal made it 2-1 in favor of Police four minutes into the second half after being set up by Jumanu Rai. Rai was excluded from the starting line-up due to injuries, but Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha was forced to field him in the 30th minute as a replacement for Ramesh Katuwal. Budhathoki salvaged a point for Friends in the 67th tapping in from the six-yard box. Cheik Oumar had rounded a couple of Police defenders before picking out Budhathoki with a brilliant pass. Besides this, Budhathoki´s twin post attempts in the second half were unsuccessful while Jagjeet Shrestha´s goal-bound corner in the 78th minute was cleared by Police defender Rabin Shrestha. In the first half, Oumar squandered two chances and Dodoz wasted one. Police could have restored the lead in the 80th minute, but Jumanu Rai´s well-placed shot was prevented by glovesman Toyin Bashir in a one-on-one situation. In the 17th minute, Yogesh Shrestha hit off the target from close range. Police climbed one spot to seventh with 30 points while Friends remained unchanged in the sixth place with 31 points. Meanwhile, there are no league matches on Monday and Tuesday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52036 SEPANG, Malaysia, March 24: Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel pulled off a daring overtaking manoeuvre against Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber to snatch victory in a pulsating Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday. The German ace went wheel-to-wheel with his stablemate late in the race, earning a stern rebuke from team principal Christian Horner, before emerging in front and taking his 27th race win.[break] Former world title-holder Lewis Hamilton was third, claiming his first podium spot for new team Mercedes, after his frustrated stablemate Nico Rosberg was ordered not to overtake as they duelled in the closing stages. Ferrari´s Felipe Massa finished fifth, stealing the limelight from Fernando Alonso after the two-time world champion went out on the second lap with a collapsed front wing. France´s Romain Grosjean was sixth, outshining his team-mate and last week´s winner Kimi Raikkonen in seventh. Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Jean-Eric Vergne rounded out the top 10 while McLaren´s Jenson Button was a late retirement. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52028 AUCKLAND, March 24: New Zealand imploded at the start of their second innings as they set out to build on a daunting 239-run first innings lead on the third day of the final Test against England on Sunday. At stumps at Eden Park in the series-deciding final Test, New Zealand were three for 35, leading by 274 after dismissing England for 204. [break] Opener Peter Fulton, who scored his maiden Test century in the first innings, was unbeaten on 14 which included three boundaries, with Dean Brownlie on 13. In a chaotic final session of play, eight wickets fell for 39 runs as the England tail collapsed and the New Zealand top order followed suit, increasing the chances of a decision in the deadlocked series. The rain-abbreviated first two Tests were drawn but only fine weather is forecast for Auckland over the next two days. New Zealand decided not to enforce the follow on after ripping out the England tail after tea as they gambled on bowling last on a deteriorating wicket. But the strategy appeared to backfire as Hamish Rutherford fell on the third ball he faced to start a collapse that reduced New Zealand to eight for three after eight overs before Fulton and Brownlie steered them through to stumps. The New Zealand batting failure came after their strike bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult had ripped through the England tail, taking the last five wickets for 31 runs. The eight dismissals after tea occurred in the space of 18 overs as the wicket which supported the New Zealand batsmen to a first innings 443 began to show assistance for the bowlers. For New Zealand, left-armer Boult produced his best Test figures of six for 68 while Southee finished with three for 44. Broad had the remarkable figures of two for seven from seven overs for England. He removed Rutherford for a duck with a rising delivery that was flicked to Ian Bell in the gully and trapped Ross Taylor (three) leg before wicket. Kane Williamson had scored one run from 11 balls when he chopped a wayward delivery from James Anderson on to the stumps England, who started the day at 50 for two, staged two spectacular collapses in an innings that was boosted by the single partnership of Matt Prior and Joe Root. They lost three early wickets for 22 runs as Nick Compton (13), Bell (17) and Jonny Bairstow (3) struggled to cope with the morning swing generated by Southee and Boult and all fell leg before wicket. At 72 for five and their backs firmly against the wall, Prior and Root set about salvaging the England innings and produced a 101-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Prior was dropped by Brownlie at second slip on 24 and went on to top score for England with 73 when he was caught at point slashing at a wide Neil Wagner delivery just before tea. Root produced England´s second highest score, working his way to 45 when he was bowled by Southee to end the innings. Broad caused a brief flurry of activity on the scoreboard, and distorted Boult´s figures, when he belted 16 runs in the space of four deliveries. But the bowler had the final word when Broad´s next attempt to reach the boundary saw him caught at cover by Rutherford. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52014 KATHMANDU, March 23: Three Star Club strengthened its lead on Saturday even as Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) continued its title chase in the super league rounds of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. MMC defeated NMB Bank Machhhindra Club 3-0 in the day´s early kick-off while Three Star edged past McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) 2-0 in the late match.[break] Saturday´s victory for Three Star meant that it could emerge champion if it wins one of its two remaining matches. Three Star is yet to play against Machhindra Club and Nepal Army Club in the super league. The win gave Three Star a five-point cushion at the top of the points table. After playing equal 20 matches, Three Star has 42 points while MMC, which climbed one spot to second, has 37 points. New Road Team (NRT) dropped one spot to third with 35 points but has a match advantage over them. MMC and NRT still have a chance to win the title but their fate will depend on the outcomes of Three Star´s matches. Three Star players celebrate goal. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) "Today´s victory has boosted our confidence," said Three Star coach Pradip Humagain, adding, "But we still have two matches to play and mathematically we can not rest assured. We want to become champions winning both the remaining matches." Bijay Gurung and Adewumi Femi scored before the interval in Three Star´s win over RCT, which has lost four of its five games in the super league. The defeat left RCT unchanged in the seventh position with 29 points. Gurung, left unmarked, put Three Star ahead in the third minute with a superb one-touch strike from the six-yard box in Victor´s cross. Femi doubled the advantage in the 40th minute after a freekick taken by the Sierra Leonean forward from the edge of the area deflected off RCT defender Krishna Kunwar to enter the net. Besides this, Bishnu Gurung and Bikram Lama´s late strikes were denied by goalie Chhetry. Earlier, in the injury time of first half, RCT´s Komal Khawas cleared Femi´s header from the goalline. "We conceded an early goal which turned to be a setback. It is difficult to bounce back in the match after conceding early goals against stronger teams," RCT coach Madhu Karki said during the post-match conference. In the first match, MMC´s Cameroonian forward Fils Sergio Chico netted two second half goals in its 3-1 win over Machhindra. The defeat leaves Machhindra unchanged in the fifth position with 32 points. Three Star vs RCT. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) Skipper Anil Gurung, returning after a match suspension, gave a 28th minute lead to MMC. Gurung scored a perfect header from the six-yard box in an acute cross from Sulav Maskey from the right flank. Chico doubled the advantage three minutes into the second half collecting custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar´s rebounder. Chico sealed the victory with a skilful display after he collected the ball released by custodian Emmanuel Dare, dribbled past Devendra Tamang and shot from the area sending the ball beneath diving custodian Thapa Magar´s arm. MMC´s Shiva Shrestha missed a scoring chance in the 27th minute firing wide from the danger zone. In the 35th, Chico fired off the target while goalie Thapa Magar denied Nirajan Malla in the 41st. Machhindra´s skipper Dipak Rai´s powerful shot in the fifth minute was denied by custodian Dare who prevented three simultaneous attacks from Serge Yonnick Fouda, skipper Rai and Bishal Rai A in the 52nd minute. Two minutes before the end, Dare made a brilliant save to deny Rai A in a one-on-one situation. Sunday´s matches NRT Vs Army @ 13:30 NST Friends Vs Police @ 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52021 POKHARA, March 23: Ajay Pandit Chhetri clinched the title of 12th Open Mountain Bike Cross Country Tournament held in Pokhara on Saturday. Defending champion Chhetri took 2 hours 9 minutes 6 seconds to cover the six laps of the 37.2-km circuit. Narayan Gopal Maharjan (2 hours 18 minutes 5 seconds) finished second while Buddhi Bahadur Tamang (2 hours 20 minutes 32 seconds) settled for the third position.[break] Altogether 34 cyclists had participated in the tournament organized by Nepal Cycling Association. The top three finishers bagged Rs 10,000, Rs 7,000 and Rs 3,000 respectively. The organizers had planned to include competitions in both male and female categories. However, only one female participant turned up for the tournament, which forced the organizers to scrap the women´s competition. Laxmi Thapa Magar, the only female contender, nevertheless took part in the tournament for a joyride. “We were expecting at least five girls to compete in the event,” said Dilipraj Shrestha, president of Kaski District Cycling Association. "But sadly, only one girl turned up for the tournament,” he added. Though the women´s competition was scrapped, Magar was awarded Rs 10,000 as a sign of encouragement. The race began from Pokhara´s Pharsyang, took an upward spiral route to Sundari Danda and returned to the starting point to make a lap of 6.2 kilometers. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52022 KATHMANDU, March 23: A week-long badminton umpire development course concluded in the capital Saturday. Altogether 30 umpires had participated in the workshop organized in view of the 36th National Badminton Championship to be held from April 2. A total of 30 umpires participated in the course organized by Kathmandu District Badminton Association. Nepal Badminton Association General Secretary Ramji Bahadur Shrestha distributed certificates to the participants. [break] Ram Rai claims Bulls Badminton KATHMANDU: Ram Rai of Host Bulls Club on Saturday clinched the men´s singles title of Bull Second Indoor Badminton Championship held at Nakkhu, Laliptur. Rai defeated Suman Limbu of Armed Police Force (APF) in the title clash. Aakash Chhantyal and Raju Bajracharya´s pair took home men´s doubles title defeating Mahesh Bajracharya and Birendra Bista´s pair from Butwal. Women´s doubles title went to Trina Rai and Bina Tulachan´s pair of host Bulls. The duo overcame Kabita Karki and Sita Dahal´s pair of the same club. Narayan Man Shrestha and Bina Tulachan´s pair of APF edged past Dilman Pakhrin and Trina Rai´s pair of host in veteran mixed doubles final. Narayan Man Shakya and Hari Shrestha´s pair of APF won veteran double´s title, and Madhav Prasad Thapa and Pushpa Tamrakar´s pair from AFP won the super veteran doubles title. Ramhari Karki wins equestrian title KATHMANDU: Ramhari Karki of Nepal Army claimed the title of Equestrian Tournament held on Saturday in Pokhara. The tournament was part of the Mountain Sports Festival. Karki was declared winner on the basis of timing, fault and diffuse. Karki bagged Rs 20,000 for his feat and Sagarmatha trophy. In the event contested by six players, Jagat Singh Ghising finished runner-up and received Rs 10,000 and the Lumbini trophy. Rajendra Baniya came third. Baniya was awarded Rs 5,000 along with the Annapurna trophy. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52019 POKHARA, March 23: Ram Sharan Thapa on Saturday clinched the Friendship Tournament title of the Surya Nepal Third Open Amateur Golf Championship played at the Himalayan Golf Course in Pokhara. Thapa scored 42 points to win the title of the event played under stableford 3/4 handicap format. Thapa, playing with 14 handicap, scored 23 points on the front nine and 19 on the back nine. Kamal Subedi, playing with 18 handicap, came second with 39 points. Neeraj SJB Rana took home the best gross award with 24 points.[break] Ambika Rana took home the women´s trophy scoring 20 points to finish two points ahead of Connelly. Bejoy Moktan emerged winner in the senior section scoring 33 points while Man Bahadur Limbu finished second with 32 points. LP Gurung won the award for most birdies, Puran Shrestha for longest drive and Bejoy Moktan for closest-to-the-pin. Altogether 52 golfers had competed in the event. NGA President Madhukar Yakthumba and General Secretary Tashi Ghale distributed the prizes to the winners. Meanwhile, the main event, the 54-hole Open Amateur Championship, will tee off on Sunday. Altogether eight teams will compete in team and individual categories during the championship. Two teams each from Nepal, India and Bangladesh and one each from Sri Lanka and Bhutan will compete in the event that features 39 golfers in the individual section. Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd and Western Union are the sponsor and co-sponsor of the tournament. The event is organized by Mountain Sports Federation-Nepal under the aegis of National Sports Council. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52020 KATHMANDU, March 23: Gurukul maintained its winning streak in the seventh round defeating NASA 86-67 on Saturday in the First Kirtipur Cup Basketball Tournament being held in Naya Bazar, Kirtipur. Sadish Pradhan and Robin Khatri netted 20 points each for Gurukul against NASA that is yet to register a win in the tournament. Gurukul remained unchanged in the top spot with 14 points while NASA has seven points. According to tournament regulation, the losing team gets one point. [break] WhiteHouse and Goldengate emerged victorious in other matches of the day. WhiteHouse edged past host Naya Bazar Club 93-62 to avenge the defeat suffered in the first leg. With two wins and five defeats WhiteHouse has nine points, while Naya Bazar has 11 points with four wins and three defeats. Rishi Robertson was the top scorer for WhiteHouse with 27 points. WhitHouse took all the four quarters 21-19, 19-13, 26-8, 27-22. Goldengate crushed Nepal Army Club 93-74 riding on 28 points from Sujan Pun. Goldengate dominated the match and was ahead in all quarters. Goldengate led the first quarter 20-18 and took the other sets 21-13, 20-15, 32-26 respectively. Goldengate lies in the second spot with 13 points. Goldengate has won six matches and lost one. Army has nine points in its kitty with two victories. Altogether six teams are competing in the tournament being held under double round robin format. The top four teams at the end of the league will qualify for the semifinals. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=52017 KATHMANDU, March 23: The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has urged Nepali fans to behave during the ACC T20 Cup that kicks off in Kathmandu on Tuesday. CAN made such appeal on Saturday keeping in mind the unruly behavior of Nepali supporters during the last edition of the tournament held in the capital some 16 months ago. [break]On that occasion, Nepali cricket fans had hurled stones at the ground during Nepal´s match against the UAE bringing disrepute to Nepali cricket. “We have got the opportunity to host the tournament only after assuring proper security for the tournament,” said Ashok Nath Pyakurel, general secretary of CAN. “We are trying to do our best to maintain security. But it would be better if the the fans refrain from unruly activities,” he added. Nepal has been hosting international tournaments regularly since 2004. However, Nepal was denied opportunity to hold any international event last year. Pyakurel said CAN has requested the government to provide security personnel to meet security standards set by the International Cricket Council. CAN believes that it will be easier to manage security this time around as it is introducing ticket system, which is basically aimed at keeping gatecrashers at bay. The tickets are priced at Rs 100. CAN President Tanka Angbuhang said they are ready to reward the Nepali team if it wins the tournament. “If the Nepali team excels in the tournament we are ready to double their incentives,” said Angbuhang. Six months ago, CAN had awarded each member of the Nepali squad with Rs 30,000 each for their success in the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 and ACC Trophy Elite last year. Meanwhile, CAN has made a change in the team management. Anup Thapa, who was given the responsibility of team manager, will stay out due to his personal obligation. CAN member Sanjeev Pandey will replace Thapa as the team manager. Three teams have already arrived in Kathmandu to participate in the tournament. Bahrain was the first team to arrive on Friday, followed by Singapore and Malaysia on Saturday. Malaysia is being coached by Nepal´s former coach Roy Luke Dias. Other six teams will arrive in the capital on Sunday while it is still not known when Afghanistan and the UAE will arrive for the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51947 KATHMANDU, March 23: Current leadership of National Sports Council (NSC) has stressed promoting sports at the school level and has already started executing plans and programs in this direction. "Till date we are focusing on the national level. We now need to develop sports from the grassroots level," said NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama. "Developing sports from school level could provide the start," said Lama.[break] Lama said around 800 athletes under the age of 15 had participated in the 2012 London Olympics. "The average age of athletes in the London Olympics was 26. This amply shows what age group we should focus on," explained Lama in his attempt to justify NSC´s program aimed at school level. "The international medals won by our athletes are the results of their individual effort and luck. It would be ridiculous for us to expect more medals at the international level since we do not have any program to produce athletes for international competitions," said Lama. School Sports Development Board To implement the idea, NSC has already formed School Sports Development Board (SSDB). The NSC board meeting on January 6 had decided to form SSDB under the leadership of NSC member secretary. The newly formed board includes representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education, Private and Boarding School Organization Nepal (PABSON), National PABSON, Higher Secondary Schools Association of Nepal (HISSAN) and experts as well as representatives of other concerned agencies. NSC has also established a separate department -- School Sports Development Department -- within it to implement its plans and programs. School Sports Federation Meanwhile, NSC has initiated the process to form School Sports Federation as the umbrella organization of 16 different school sports associations. NSC has already formed school sports associations of cricket, athletics, karate, taekwondo, wushu, volleyball, football, basketball, judo, badminton, table tennis, kabaddi, swimming, gymnastics, chess and baghchal. "We have appointed principals and directors of renowned schools to lead the school sports associations and they are enthusiastic about contributing from their respective associations," said Lama. According to Lama, the school sports associations will host national tournaments for junior athletes. School Sports Teacher Course Meanwhile, NSC has launched School Sports Teacher Course in order to prepare trained manpower for schools. Sports Academy Nepal (SAN), a department under NSC, has already completed level-I courses in different places. "This program will not only provide employment to the current and retired athletes but also provide trained sports teacher to the schools," said Lama. Lama described it as one of the ambitious programs under his leadership. "We will prepare trained manpower for at least 9,000 schools in three years´ time," said Lama, "Private schools are showing great interest in this program and they are asking us to provide them trained teachers," claimed Lama. In the level-I course, the participants were trained basic lessons of sports such as athletics, table tennis, football, volleyball, cricket and martial art games. Sports Science in +2 Meanwhile, Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) is all set to introduce Sports Science Education and Sports Education as a new subject for +2 students. Subject Committee at HSEB has already approved the curriculum for grade XI and XII while the board meeting of HSEB and the Ministry of Education are preparing to approve the curriculum. "Our ultimate aim is to establish Sports University and sports colleges in the country," said Lama. "We aim to develop trained manpower for sustainable development of sports," he added. Five more sports added in President´s Running Shield Meanwhile, NSC has decided to add five more sports in the current structure of the President´s Running Shield from next year. The current format of the President´s Running Shield, the school-level tournament, includes only athletics and volleyball events. "We have decided to add five more sports -- karate, taekwondo, wushu, football and cricket -- in the President´s Running Shield. We have forwarded the NSC´s decision to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for approval," said Lama. "We hope it would be approved and the school level tournament would grow bigger and better," he added. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51962 KATHMANDU, March 22: A penalty goal in the dying moments sealed a 1-0 win for Nepal Army Club over arch rival Nepal Police Club on Friday in a tense super league match of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. It was Army´s first win in the ongoing super league and also its first ever win over Police in league football. [break] Police custodian Ritesh Thapa was red-carded by referee Sachin Amatya in the 86th minute for a foul on Nawayug Shrestha in the danger zone. After collecting the ball, Thapa had kicked Shrestha who was vying for the ball. Army´s Raju Tamang easily converted the penalty to seal the historic win for his side. Thapa was replaced by second-choice custodian Bishal Shrestha. Tension ran high after Thapa was sent off. The Police supporters from VIP parapet broke more than a dozen plastic seats and hurled them toward the ground along with water bottles and other objects. Volunteer collect pieces of chairs thrown by rowdy crowd. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) The incident obstructed the match for about five minutes. Police players, coach and other officials had to plead the supporters not to throw such objects. The match was also attended by some of high-ranking Police and Army officials. Police had equalized one minute after Army took the lead. But Police skipper Jumanu Rai´s diving header was ruled offside. "Hurling of objects was disappointing and we tried to stop the spectators from doing so," Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said during the post-match conference. He, however, opined that the referee´s decision to award penalty was wrong. "It was not an intentional foul. Nawayug Shrestha had gone down during mix-up with Thapa as he was chasing the ball in high speed," said coach Shrestha, adding that the goal scored by his side was not offside. Army´s assistant coach Babukaji Dhaubanjar, however, claimed that the foul was deliberate. "It was an intentional foul committed by the custodian after gripping the ball," said Dhaubanjar, adding that his team´s performance was improving. Meanwhile, the win lifted sixth-placed Army two spots to fourth with equal 32 points as that of Machhindra that lies fifth on the basis of goal difference. Police remained unchanged at the bottom of the table with 29 points following its second defeat in a row. The defeat also ended all possibilities of winning the league title for Police. Leader Three Star has 39 points with only three round matches to play. Police coach Shrestha opined that his side´s chance of finishing second had also almost ended. "Our chance of finishing second now rests upon the results of other teams." Tribhuvan Army Club players celebrate goal. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) Earlier, in the fast-paced match, Army dominated the first half and created as many as four chances. Army could have taken the lead in the 18th minute, but Tanka Basnet failed to score in an open net as he fired above the bar from the six-yard box. Basnet had received the ball in the area following a deflection off a Police defender. In the third minute Basnet of Army fired wide from close range. In the 14th, Basnet´s powerful freekick from 30 yards was punched to safety by custodian Thapa. During the half-hour mark, Bharat Khawas headed wide in Tanka Basnet´s cross. In the first minute of six-minute injury time, Police´s second choice custodian Bishal Shrestha made a long stretched dive to prevent Raju Tamang´s freekick taken from the edge. Police could not make any remarkable attempts in the first half. Defender Rabin Shrestha´s strike for Police in the 74th from the area went off the target. Police wasted as equalizing chance during the fading moments of the match when Dinesh Gurung headed above bar the in Rabin Shrestha´s cross. Saturday´s matches MMC Vs Machhindra @ 13:30 NST Three Star Vs RCT @ 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51968 KATHMANDU, March 22: Host Nepal is yet to name the assistant coach for the ACC T20 Cup that begins in the capital from Tuesday. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has named executive member Aunp Thapa as the team manager on Thursday. [break]Coach Pubudu Dassanayake and physiotherapist Prayus Neupane are the other members picked under the three official quota provided by Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Coach Jagat Tamata had been working in the capacity of assistant coach after Nepal started preparations for the tournament. Nepali coaches have opined that denying opportunities to coaches on the home turf would have negative impact on them. "Next one year is vital for Nepali cricket and denying opportunities would have a negative impact on the team as well as the coach," a coach said on condition of anonymity. Ironically, CAN has decided to send its vice-president Tarini Bikram Shah as manager and Raman Siwakoti as technical analyst for the ICC World Cricket League Division-4 to be held after one-and-half months in Bermuda. CAN President Tanka Angbuhang will also accompany the team. Meeting of main organizing committee The meeting of ACC T20 Cup main organizing committee was held on Friday in the capital under chairmanship of Yuvaraj Lama, the member secretary of National Sports Council. The meeting was attended by ACC Development Manager Bandul Warnapura. CAN General Secretary Ashoknath Pyakurel presented a budget of Rs 25.2 million for the event. Of the total budget CAN would have to manage nearly Rs 2.5 million through its own resources, Pyakurel said. ACC Development Manager Warnapura is satisfied with Nepal´s preparation, CAN member Kiran Rana informed. Warnapura has completed the inspection of both venues -- TU ground and Pulchowk ground -- as well as the under-construction Mulpani ground. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51957 KATHMANDU, March 22: Ram Rai of the host Bulls Club set up a final clash with Suman Limbu of APF Club in the Bulls Second Indoor Badminton Championship being held in Nakkhu, Lalitpur. Rai defeated Rajiv Dahal of APF 21-17, 20-22, 21-17 while Limbu edged past Suraj Maharjan of Sunrise Badminton Club 21-19, 11-21, 21-15 in the semifinals held on Friday. [break] In the men´s doubles, Akash Chhantyal and Raju Bajracharya of the host Bulls Club overcame Sirjan Tamrakar and Shrawan Tamrakar´s pair of Prayag Pokhari Club 21-19, 21-18 for a place in the final. In another semifinal, Mahesh Bajracharya and Birendra Bista´s pair from Butwal overcame Bishwa Gurung and Ram Baniya´s pair of GSC 21-15, 21-18 in straight sets. In the women´s doubles, the Bulls pair of Trina Rai and Bina Tulachan ousted APF´s Badi Gurung and Maya Gurung 21-14, 21-9 to set up a title clash with club mates Kabita Karki and Sita Dahal. Karki and Dahal defeated the pair of Prativa Gurung and Maya Pun from Pokhara 21-6, 23-21. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51956 POKHARA, March 22: More than 50 local and international golfers will vie for the title in the Surya Nepal 3rd Amateur Open Golf Championship that begins Saturday at the Himalayan Golf Course in Pokhara. Eight teams from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan will compete in the event, which is also a part of the First Adventure Sports Festival being held in Pokhara from March 1 to 30.[break] The golf event will begin with the Friendship match on Saturday in which around 60 amateur golfers will vie for the main three-day event. On the final day, 33 golfers making the cut will vie for the title. "Nepal is fielding two teams," Tashi Ghale, general secretary of Nepal Golf Association, said during a press conference on Friday. "Team A consists of Bikash Bogati, ranked first, and Tirtha Poudel, ranked sixth, while Dinesh Prajapati, ranked second, and Bishnu Sharma, ranked fourth, are in Team B." Tashi Tshiring, ranked third and Wangchen Dhondup, ranked fifth, pulled out of the event. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51904 MIAMI, March 21: Serena Williams got her quest for a record sixth Miami WTA title off to a brisk start on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Italian Flavia Pennetta. The world No. 1 and top seed, playing her first tournament since falling to Victoria Azarenka in the final at Doha in February, said she didn´t feel too rusty, although her footwork could improve.[break] "I think I missed a few shots, but only because I think I was off footwork-wise," she said. "But it´s always just good just to win a match and stay in the tournament and keep going." Despite the lopsided scoreline, Williams said Pennetta´s ability to extend the rallies made the match difficult, although the American fended off all seven break points she faced. She had 18 break chances against Pennetta, and converted five, saying she felt a little frustrated that she wasn´t doing more. "I felt like I should be putting the balls away for my opponent quick, but she was so quick and she was running every ball down," Williams said. Her elder sister Venus Williams also advanced, holding on for a 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4 victory over Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krum. Fourth-seeded defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, fifth-seeded Li Na of China and seventh-seeded Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic all joined Williams in the third-round. Radwanska parlayed an early break in each set into to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Taiwan´s Hsieh Su-Wei. "I was happy to have a quick match," she said. "The first match is always a little bit tough and tricky, especially after Indian Wells, where we had a little bit of different conditions." Li, playing her first tournament since suffering an ankle injury in her loss to Azarenka in the Australian Open final, downed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1. Former Wimbledon champion Kvitova defeated China´s Peng Shuai 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Serena next faces Japan´s Ayumi Morita, a 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-3 winner over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer. Her five titles in Miami tie her with Steffi Graf, and while she thinks it would be "really cool" to take sole possession of the record, she said she must focus on the matches as they come. "I have a lot of matches to play," Williams said. "If I can just stay relaxed -- I really feel like I can do it, but, you know, I´m sometimes my own worst enemy. "I just want to get through every match one at a time." Williams is also vying to maintain her spot atop the rankings. A failure to reach the quarter-finals could open the door for either Azarenka or Maria Sharapova to overtake her. "It always feels better when you´re No. 1," Williams said. "There´s nothing like when they announce you and they say, The No. 1 player in the world. "It definitely gives you a little bit more confidence ... a little more pep in your step." World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will lead men´s seeds into second-round action in this combined WTA and ATP Masters tournament on Friday, against Czech Lukas Rosol. Third-seeded David Ferrer of Spain will take on Dmitry Tursunov of Russia. In men´s first-round matches on Thursday, 20-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic beat French qualifier Marc Gicquel 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) to set up a second-round meeting with second-seeded Scot Andy Murray. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51901 AUCKLAND, March 22: New Zealand withstood England´s new-ball attack to reach 79 for one at lunch on the opening day of the third and final Test at Auckland´s Eden Park on Friday. Opening batsman Peter Fulton was unbeaten on 41 and Kane Williamson yet to score at the break, with paceman Steve Finn taking England´s only wicket of the session.[break] Finn dismissed Hamish Rutherford for 37 late in the session but it was scant return for the tourists after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and sent New Zealand into bat on the drop-in wicket. With the fixture set up as a series decider following rain-affected draws in Dunedin and Wellington, Cook was hoping the wicket would offer his bowlers more pace and bounce than the flat tracks seen in the previous Tests. But there was little to challenge New Zealand´s openers, who racked up a 79-run opening partnership before Rutherford threw away his wicket five minutes before lunch going after a loose Finn ball, which carried to Cook in the slips. Until then, the New Zealanders had worked patiently to see off the new ball, making only 17 in the first 10 overs. Fulton had a life on 16 when a James Anderson inswinger flew off the edge of his bat and narrowly avoided the slips cordon before running away to the boundary. He made another mistake going after a short Broad delivery a few overs later but the short wickets at Eden Park, which is normally used for rugby, meant the ball flew over the boundary for six. Rutherford smashed two sixes off Monty Panesar when the spinner was brought into the attack but came undone trying to do the same to Finn just as New Zealand appeared to have survived the opening session http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51887 KATHMANDU, March 21: Football without doubt is the most popular sports in the Nepal, unlike other countries in the South Asian region where cricket dominates all other sports. The Dasharath Stadium is jam-packed in every international match Nepal plays, be it the senior or age group match. Nepal´s former national team coach Graham Roberts of England had often compared Nepali fans with the British football fans. [break] “Nepal is a football mad country like England,” Roberts, the former England international had shared with the scribe. England is often known as the mother of football and comparison of Nepali fans with the British might be a little farfetched. Moreover, there is a huge gap in the number of spectators in domestic and international football. But there is no denying that football remains the biggest crowd puller in the country. Sadly, the Super League round of the Martyrs Memorial A Division Football League contested by eight best teams of domestic football has not been able to pull expected number of spectators. The presence of spectators has declined sharply after the Qualifiers of AFC Challenge Cup compared to the first stage of league. “The presence of spectators in the league is not as expected,” ANFA CEO Indraman Tuladhar told Republica. “We expected more spectators than the first round.” Tuladhar said, “The results in the Challenge Cup have discouraged spectators. The tournament would have pulled more spectators had Nepal reached the next stage.” “Low presence of spectators has hit the clubs´ finances,” said Tuladhar. ANFA distributes 80 percent of the game money to teams concerned. The entry fee is Rs 200 for VIP and Rs 100 for ordinary parapet. “The bad climatic condition and the break in league after the first round is the other reason for low turnout of spectators.” Meanwhile, an ANFA official, who did not want to be named, has claimed that the turnout for the match played between NIBL Friends Club and NMB Bank Machhindra Club on Thursday was the lowest in four years. Former national player and senior player of Nepal Police Club Parbat Pandey also echoed Tuladhar. “Poor performance and results of the Challenge Cup is largely responsible for the sharp decline in spectators´ turnout.” Pandey, 33, who has played top tier domestic football for the last one-and-a-half decade classifies spectators into three categories. “The first types of football fans watch almost all the matches and are well informed about individual players and teams.” “The second category of spectators is choosy and looks out for internationals and encounter between giants. And the third type comes for the match only when the entry is free of cost. The third type neither comes for a particular club nor to watch standard level football,” said Pandey. The other reason according to Pandey is lack of consistent performance by players and unfavorable match schedule. “Had there been matches two or three days per week the turnout might have been different.” http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51883 KATHMANDU, March 21: Nepal Police Club has recruited midfielder Ganesh Khadka and defender Ajeet Bhandari in its football team. Khadka, a product of ANFA Academy is currently associated with the Himalayan Sherpa Club and had scored three goals for the team. "I have started training with Police for the past two weeks and will play for the team from the next season," said Khadka. [break] The new season in Nepali football begins from Nepali New Year (April 14). Bhandari is the defender of Bauddha Club that was relegated to B division finishing at the bottom of table. He has scored one goal for the team. "They are young players with good sense of football and their arrival has made the entire team happy," Parbat Pandey, senior player of the Police Club said to the Republica. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51889 KATHMANDU, March 21: NMB Bank Machhindra Club and NIBL Friends Club played 0-0 draw on Thursday in the super league rounds of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League under way at the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu. The result left both the teams unchanged in their respective positions with Machhindra remaining in the fourth position with 32 points, two points ahead of fifth placed Friends. [break]Three Star (39), NRT (35) and MMC (34) are in top three spots after playing four out of seven matches in the super league. “The result turned to be setback for both the teams,” said Friends coach Meghraj KC, hinting that any of the team could have moved closer to second position with a victory. “The slippery ground also might have hampered the level,” said KC. The match had started after downpour. Machhindra coach Raju Shakya said his team came up with better performance than previous matches of the super league despite absence of striker cum regular skipper Dipak Rai due to a match suspension. Friends custodian Bashir Toyin prevented attacks on goal from Karna Limbu. Friends had also created as many as three scoring chances but failed to utilize them. Friday´s match Police Vs Army Time: 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51874 KATHMANDU, March 21: Nepal Weightlifting Association postponed the First Shalimar Open Men´s and Women´s National Weightlifting Tournament. The tournament scheduled to be organized in Birgunj from March 20 to 23. NWA informed that the tournament is postponed due to technical reasons but would be organized by mid April. Birgunj Swimming Pool and Health Club is the co-organizer of the tournament.[break] Nat´l Wushu Championship KATHMANDU: Nepal Wushu Association announced to organize the Ninth National Wushu Championship in Kathmandu on the third week of April. According to the association, the tournament would be organized at the National Sports Council Covered Hall from April 18 to 20. Basketball tournament with biggest cash prize KATHMANDU: University Sports Association Nepal (USAN) announced to host the First University Basketball Tournament from May 8 to 24 in Kathmandu. USAN General Secretary Purna Singh Bohara claimed that the tournament would be the biggest basketball tournament in terms of cash prize. According to Bohara, the winner of the tournament will receive Rs 110,000 while runner-up will bag Rs 70,000. The third-place holder will get Rs 35,000 while the most valuable player of the tournament will receive Rs 10,000. "Around 200 male basketball players from the colleges affiliated to the five universities of the country are expected to participate in the tournament," said Bohara. According to Bohara, the tournament would be a base for the USAN to select Nepali team for the Summer Universiade to be held in Kazan, Russia in July. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51832 KATHMANDU, March 20: New Road Team (NRT) overcame McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) 2-1 on Wednesday to close the gap on leader Three Star Club to four points in the super league rounds of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. Subash Gurung A and Akeen O Babatunda scored in either half for NRT, while Bhim Darlami cut the goal deficit for RCT with a late strike. RCT´s Yugal Kishor Rai was sent off in the 81st minute. [break] NRT´s third win from four matches in the super league lifted it one spot to second with 35 points, four points behind leader Three Star. MMC dropped one spot to third with three matches to play. RCT remained unchanged in the seventh place with only one win from four matches. "If we win the remaining matches as well we have a chance of winning the title," NRT coach Diken Suwal said during the post-match conference. NRT will face Army, Friends and MMC in the remaining matches of the league. "None of the teams has performed consistently," said Suwal. "Any outcome is possible and we can expect winning results if the players put in all their efforts." Though Suwal was happy with the points earned by his team, he expressed dissatisfaction over the performance. "They were not able to perform to their potential," said Suwal. Subash Gurung A put NRT ahead with a spectacular finish after he hit a half-volley from the danger zone in a cross from his namesake, Subash Gurung B, from the left flank. NRT doubled the advantage 20 seconds into the second half when its African player Babatunda scored at the far post in a one-on-one with custodian Dilip Chhetry. Babatunda was also set up by Gurung B. "The second goal conceded in the beginning of the second half put us under pressure," RCT coach Madhu Karki said. "Despite coming up with a better performance in the first half, we failed to score." NRT tested RCT custodian Dilip Chhetry in the very first minute when he had to make a long stretched dive to block Segun Akinado´s strike from the arch and then prevented Gurung B´s shot on the rebound. In the 20th minute, Chhetry again denied Akinado´s strike from 20 yards. RCT replied in the second minute, but Dipesh Thapa Magar´s close-range strike in Komal Khawas´ pass was saved by custodian Raju Yogi. Despite playing with a man down, RCT cut the goal deficit in the 87th minute when Darlami scored into the far post with a well-placed shot from the danger zone after a keepie-uppie. Earlier, RCT´s Yugal Kishor Rai was given marching orders by referee Shrawan Lama in the 81st minute for his dangerous tackle on Olaide R Ibrahim. Thursday´s match Friends Vs Machhindra Time: 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51844 KATHMANDU, March 20: Newly-appointed Youth and Sports Minister Ram Kumar Shrestha said that the dispute over the legitimacy of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) could be resolved through non-political initiatives. Taking charge of the ministry on Wednesday, Minister Shrestha said he would work toward ending the dispute. "I´ve heard about the controversies. We cannot develop sports if we continue to engage in such disputes," Shrestha told reporters. [break]"There are solutions to every problem and we can solve the dispute," he added. Two different NOCs -- one led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and the other led by Rukma SJB Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. While the Supreme Court´s verdict of November 4, 2010 legitimized the Rana-led committee, IOC has recognized the committee led by Pradhan. "We´ll find the root cause of the dispute and seek a non-political solution," said Minister Shrestha. Shrestha also claimed that he is aware of the problems facing athletes. "Athletes are facing individual and institutional problems and I urge the concerned authorities to come up with concrete programs to solve such problems," said Shrestha. Shrestha said that the sports sector needs more budget to catch up with the developed nations. "Athletes should get the best training facilities and we need to provide more budget to the sports sector. I´ll work in this direction," said Minister Shrestha. National Sports Council (NSC) Vice-president Pitambar Timalsina complained that some national sports associations are not following the directives of NSC to shun the programs of NOC led by Pradhan. Meanwhile, Hari Prasad Nepal, secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said that the NOC dispute has hindered the development of sports in the country. Nepal also informed that the ministry is looking for land to build a stadium of international standard. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51850 MAHENDRANAGAR, March 20: Nepal Police Club lifted the title of Hotel Opera-CMG Indo-Nepal Invitational Volleyball Tournament defeating Western Railway of Gorakhpur, India 3-1 in the final played in Mahendranagar, Kanchapur on Wednesday. After going down 23-25 in the first set Police won three sets in a row -- 30-28, 25-19, 25-16 -- for the title. Sanjay Aryal of the winning team was adjuged the man-of-the-match.[break] Champion Police bagged a purse of Rs 150,000 while runner-up Western Railway received Rs 100,000 along with trophies, medals and certificates. Jeetendra Bahadur Chand, general secretary of Nepal Volleyball Association (NVA), had sponsored the cash prizes for the winner and the runner-up. Earlier, in the third place playoff match, Nepal Army Club edged past Sagar Sports Club of Uttarkhand, India 3-1. Army lost the first set 22-25 but bounced back to take the next three sets 25-18, 25-18, 25-23. Deepak Thapa of Army was declared the man-of-the-match. As the second runner-up, Army bagged a purse of Rs 50,000. The cash prize for the second runner-up was sponsored by NVA Treasurer Niroj Maskey. Meanwhile, Yuvaraj Lama, member secretary of the National Sports Council, announced a cash reward of Rs 5,000 each to all the members of the winning team. The winners. (Photo: Bikram Giri) Aryal of Police was declared the best player of the tournament and was awarded Rs 10,000. Kul Bahadur Thapa and Im Rana of Police took home the best server and setter awards. Omkar and Sandip Singh of Western Railway were declared the best blocker and spiker respectively. Pushpa Jung Malla of Armed Police Force (APF) won the best defender award. All the five best players received Rs 2,000 each along with the trophy. Meanwhile, NVA General Secretary Jeetendra Bahadur Chand, national captain Bharat Shah, coach Kapil Kishor Shrestha and former national player Rakesh Srivastav were felicitated for their contribution to the development of volleyball in Nepal. Altogether six teams -- three each from Nepal and India -- had competed in the tournament. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51839 KATHMANDU, March 20: Nepal No 1 professional golfer Shiva Ram Shrestha won the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play at the Royal Nepal Golf Course on Wednesday to take his tally of career titles to 21. Shrestha defeated Nepal No 7 Sanjay Lama on his home course in the final to defend the Match Play title. Shrestha defeated Lama with a hole to spare in the final played over 36 holes. He was 2-up after the 35th hole.[break] Shrestha was 2-up after the completion of the first nine holes. He maintained the lead until the completion of the 18th hole. Shrestha had moved up to 3-up in the 27th hole but by the end of the 35th hole he was ahead by only 2-up, which was enough to clinch title. Shrestha termed the final a competitive one. "I had expected a better result but I missed putting on several occasions," said Shrestha. "Meanwhile, Sanjay (Lama) put up a good show and prolonged the competition until the 35th hole," he added. Champion Shrestha received Rs 50,000 while runner-up Lama got Rs 30,000. Meanwhile, Nepal No 14 Deepak Acharya claimed the third position. Gokarna Golf Club professional Acharya won the third place play-off played over 18 holes as his opponent Nepal No 4 Surya Prasad Sharma pulled out midway through the round. Acharya was 4-up after the completion of 12 holes when Sharma pulled out. Third-placed Acharya bagged Rs 22,000 while fourth-placed Sharma got Rs 18,000. The top 16 players as per the Order of Merit of 2011-12 season had participated in the ninth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13. The losing quarterfinalists -- Ram Thapa, Yelamber Singh Adhikari, Deepak Thapa Magar and Pashupati Sharma -- received Rs 10,000 each. President of Royal Nepal Golf Club Prachanda Bahadur Shrestha, General Secretary of Nepal Golf Association Tashi Ghale, Advisor of Nepal PGA Ghana Shyam Thapa and President of Nepal PGA Rabindra Man Shrestha gave away the prizes to the winners. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51831 KATHMANDU, March 20: Kathmandu District Cooperatives Association and Kathmandu Division Cooperatives are organizing badminton and road race tournaments, among others, next week to mark the 56th National Cooperatives Day that falls on April 2. The three-day badminton tournament to be held from March 28 to 30 will be played at the APF Club, Halchowk, said KB Upreti, coordinator of the main organizing committee of the event, during a press conference in the capital on Wednesday. [break] Only the officials from cooperatives will be eligible to compete in the event. The tournament will feature men´s and women´s singles, men´s and women´s doubles and veterans´ competitions. The road race in both men´s and women´s categories is open to all. The men´s road race will be of 10 km and women´s of 5 km. The top three players in both men´s and women´s categories will bag Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. Besides the sports events, the weeklong celebrations will also include blood donation, motorbike rally and fruits distribution at old-age homes. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51856 KATHMANDU, March 20: Raju Bajracharya and Purushottam Dahal won their first round matches of men´s singles as the Second Bulls Badminton Tournament kicked off in Lalitpur on Wednesday. Bajracharya defeated Bal Mukunda Dhungana while Dahal edged past Kanchan Thaguna. Likewise, Ashish Thapa of APF beat Anupam Neupane while Rajiv Dahal registered victory over Ram KC in the first round. [break] Meanwhile the pairs of Shiva Thapa and Ajay Thapa, Rakesh Singh and Saron Shrestha, Ballav Maharjan and Sumit Maharjan, Ram KC and Ajay Thapa, and Mitra Joshi and Suraj Shrestha registered victories in their respective matches under the men´s doubles section. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51796 KATHMANDU, March 19: Nepal´s league champion, which is yet to be decided, will meet 2011 champion Taiwan Power Company in the group stage of the AFC President´s Cup 2013. Nepali league champion has been drawn in Group A of the President´s Cup along with Abahani Limited (Bangladesh) and Erchim FC of Mongolia. Nepal is to host the Group A matches in Kathmandu from May 7 to 11.[break] The participating league champions of 12 countries have been divided into three groups and altogether six teams -- the winners and runners-up of each group -- will qualify for the final rounds. According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)´s official website, two-time champion and four-time runner-up Dordoi FC of Kyrgyzstan will travel to the Philippines for the group stage of the AFC President´s Cup 2013. Dordoi will face debutant and host Global FC, KRL Football Club of Pakistan and Yazdeen FC of Bhutan. Cambodian champion BeoungKet Rubber FC will host the matches of Group C, which also includes Palestine champion Alquds Hilal Club, Balkan of Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka Army Sports Club. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51789 KATHMANDU, March 19: Three Star Club maintained its five-point lead at the top of the table as it played a 1-1 draw with second-place Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) in their super league match of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League at the Dasharath Stadium on Tuesday. The match turned out to be one of the most exciting contests of the ongoing super league round as Three Star was eyeing victory to extend its lead to eight points and inch closer to the title while MMC was looking to cut the gap on the leader to two points.[break] Santosh Sahukhala struck from the box in the 15th minute of the match to put Three Star ahead but MMC´s African recruit Fils Sergio Chico equalized eight minutes later. Otherwise, the match was evenly poised. Sahukhala sent the ball home taking advantage of a misunderstanding between advancing MMC goalkeeper Emmanuel Dare and defender Bikash Singh Chhetri while trying to clear a goal kick from Three Star goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong. Chico leveled the scores in the 23rd minute as he headed home a long-range free-kick taken by Nabin Neupane. A combination of photos shows MMC scoring goal against Three Star. (Photo: Chandra Shekhar Karki) Anil Gurung had a chance to put MMC ahead in the 25 minute but the team captain´s powerful shot from the edge went wide. Shiva Shrestha also shot wide in a pass from Sulav Maskey in the 32nd minute. In the 41st minute, MMC suffered a scare but goalkeeper Dare blocked all the attempts from Three Star players Adewumi Femi, Victor Amoebi and Bikram Lama in a goalmouth melee in a corner off Biraj Maharjan. Dare made a full-stretched dive to deny Sahukhala in a one-on-one situation in a pass from Femi in the 53rd minute while Femi shot an acute cross from Victor wide in the 64th minute. In the dying moments of the match, unmarked MMC forward Chico failed to connect with the ball after Anil Gurung had provided a sublime cross beating Three Star defender Bishnu Sunuwar. Mbile Leonel of MMC gets red card after a scuffle with his friend following the match. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) Likewise, Three Star substitute Bishnu Gurung, who replaced Bijay Gurung, shot above the bar in a cross from Bijay Dhimal in a one-on-one situation in the fourth minute of injury time. Match referee Sudish Pandey showed a red card to MMC defender Mbile Leonel after the final whistle as he manhandled his teammate Sulav Maskey on the ground. "It was a sad incident. I could not see what happened since I had left the box to attend the post-match conference. I´ll ask the players later," said MMC coach Chhiring Lobsang during the post-match conference. Following the draw, Three Star has 39 points from 19 matches while MMC has 34 points playing equal matches. New Road Team (NRT) has 32 points from 18 matches. "MMC is always a good team and the draw has kept us on course for the title, but there are still three matches to go," said Three Star coach Pradeep Humagain. "We want to give all our fans a reason to celebrate in our next match against RCT [Ranipokhari Corner Team]," he added. Lobsang said that his team played as per expectations but could not produce better result. "We made a mistake and conceded a goal. Though we made a good comeback to equalize, we could not score later," said Lobsang. "I sent in winger Amir Shrestha to replace defender Chhetri and assigned defense duty to Zambo Anatole in the second half. It changed the course of the match but we could not produce real chances," he added. Lobsang claimed that MMC would still fight for the title despite Tuesday´s draw. Wednesday´s Match NRT Vs RCT @ 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51801 KATHMANDU, March 19: Nepal Basketball Association (NeBA) felicitated members of the national basketball team, which claimed bronze medal in the second edition of South Asian Basketball Championship held in Dhaka two months ago, with cash awards on Tuesday. Former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal felicitated the players amidst a function in the capital on Tuesday.[break] It is the first ever official medal won by Nepali basketball team. Nepal had defeated the Maldives and Bhutan in the tournament to claim the bronze medal. NeBA awarded a total cash prize of Rs 80,000 to the players, Rs 10,000 to coach Dinesh Chandra Nakarmi and Rs 8,000 to assistant coach Bikash Shahi. Sadish Pradhan, Bikram Joshi, Sanjay Byanjankar, Binod Shrestha, Rajiv Joshi, Sanjay Byanjankar, Yukta Ram Bhakta Mathema, Binod Maharjan, Subrat Rajopadhyaya, Sujan Pun, Sushil Gurung and Paresh Krishna Shrestha were the members of the national team. Assitant coach Shahi announced to donate his prize money to the organizer of the Naya Bazaar Cup First Double League Basketball Championship being held in Kirtipur. Likewise, NeBA felicitated the players who participated in the 3x3 Youth World Championship held in Italy and the 3x3 World Championship held in Greece last year. The 3x3 team that participated in the Youth World Championship comprised Bijay Burja, Norbu Tsering Sherpa, Manish Tamang and Sujan Pun. Likewise, the men´s 3x3 team comprising Sadish Pradhan, Binod Maharjan, Rajiv Joshi and Robin Khatri and the women´s 3x3 team comprising Sadina Shrestha, Luniva Singh, Sneha Shrestha and Samichin Bista had participated in the World Championship. Lifetime achievement award On the occasion, NeBA also felicitated veteran players Bipindra Maharjan and Rabindra Man Joshi with the lifetime achievement award. Jeevan Ram Shrestha, general secretary of the IOC-recognized Nepal Olympic Committee, handed over Rs 10,000 each along with letters of appreciation to Maharjan and Joshi. Maharjan and Joshi were part of the Nepali team that participated in the First SAF Championship Basketball, the first international tournament contested by Nepali basketball team. Maharjan and Joshi played basketball for a decade. NeBA President Lama Tendi Sherpa said that Maharjan and Joshi were felicitated for their invaluable contribution in popularizing basketball at the college level. Maharjan, 33, said he was happy to have received the honor while Joshi, 36, requested NeBA to develop professionalism in basketball. Maharjan and Joshi had played for the national team in seven different international tournaments. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51791 MAHENDRANAGAR, March 19: Nepal Police Club set up a title clash with Indian Railway Team in the Hotel Opera-CMG Indo-Nepal Invitational Volleyball Tournament being held in Mahendranagar. Nepal Police defeated Nepal Army in the semifinal on Tuesday to enter the final. Nepal Army won the first two sets of the match but NPC bounced back to win the last three sets. [break] NPC won the match 21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-7. NPC is the only team to have won all the matches in the tournament including the three group stage matches. Sanjay Aryal of NPC was adjudged the man-of-the-match. In the second semifinal, Western Railway of Gorakhpur, India edged past Sagar Sports Club Uttarakhand, India in straight sets. Railway won the match 25-21, 25-23, 25-19. Binod Singh of the winning side was adjudged the man-of-the-match. The winner of the tournament will receive Rs 150,000 while the runner-up will get Rs 100,000. The final match will be played on Wednesday, while Nepal Army will take on Sagar Sports in the third place play-off. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51778 KATHMANDU, March 19: Sanjay Lama set up a final showdown with Nepal No 1 pro and defending champion Shiva Ram Shrestha in the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play on Tuesday. Shrestha defeated No 4 Surya Prasad Sharma 3-2 in the semifinal round played at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Tuesday. [break]Meanwhile, No 7 Lama registered victory over No 14 Deepak Acharya on the fourth playoff hole. Shrestha took the turn at 2-up and sealed the victory over Sharma on the 16th hole. Acharya also had taken the turn at 2-up but Lama forced the playoff with a win on the 18th hole and came up with victory on the 22nd hole. The final between Shrestha and Lama will be played over 36 holes, while the third-place match between Sharma and Acharya will be played over 18 holes on Wednesday. The top four players will receive Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000, Rs 22,000 and Rs 18,000 respectively. A total of 16 players in the 2011-12 season´s Order of Merit took part in the ninth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13. The tournament carries a total cash prize of Rs 200,000. The losing quarterfinalists -- Ram Thapa, Yelamber Singh Adhikari, Deepak Thapa Magar and Pashupati Sharma -- will receive Rs 10,000 each, while the eight pros, who lost in the first round, will get Rs 5,000 each. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51766 MIAMI, March 19 Tiger Woods, the 14-time major golf champion whose infamous sex scandal with multiple mistresses led to a 2010 divorce, is dating ski star Lindsey Vonn, the two US sports icons announced on Monday. "I guess it wasn´t a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods," Vonn said in a Twitter posting and a longer statement on her Facebook page that included pictures of the couple.[break] "Our relationship evolved from a friendship into something more over these past few months and it has made me very happy. I don´t plan on addressing this further as I would like to keep that part of my life between us, my family and close friends. Thank you for understanding and your continued support! xo LV" Woods posted a Twitter message that said, "Just posted some pictures of @Lindseyvonn and me on Facebook" and wrote his own statement revealing his relationship with Vonn on his Facebook page. In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. (AP) "This season has been great so far and I´m happy with my wins at Torrey and Doral," Woods said. "Something nice that´s happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating. "We thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. We want to continue our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as athletes." Woods dominated golf until 2009 when his marital infidelity with several women was revealed, leading to a televised public apology and a break from golf in a spectacular fall from grace that cost him several rich endorsement deals. Woods divorced Elin Nordegren the following year. The couple had a daughter, five-year-old Sam Alexis, and a four-year-old son, Charlie. In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. (AP) It was one year ago this week that Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for his first PGA victory in 30 months, ending a drought that coincided with the aftermatch of the sex scandal. World No. 2 Woods has already won twice this year, at Torrey Pines in January and at Doral earlier this month, and will resume his quest to beat the record 18 career major titles won by Jack Nicklaus next month at the Masters. Woods, 37, is not the only star golfer with a sporting love connection. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is dating ninth-ranked women´s tennis star Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. For Vonn it is a rare bright note in a season that has been marred by problems off and on the piste with a stomach ailment seeing her hospitalised, her revelations of battling depression for several years and her divorce with Thomas Vonn being finalised. The 28-year-old´s season came to a premature end when she tore right knee ligaments in the Super-G event at the World Ski Championships in Austria in February and underwent surgery to repair the damage. She has said she plans to be ready to defend her Olympic downhill title at next February´s Sochi Winter Olympics. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51760 COLOMBO, March 19: Rangana Herath celebrated his 35th birthday with a career-best 7-89 as Sri Lanka dismissed Bangladesh for 265 in their second innings at lunch in the second and final Test in Colombo on Tuesday. Sri Lanka, who gained a 106-run lead, now need 160 to win the match and the series after the opening Test in Galle ended in a draw.[break] Bangladesh added 107 to their overnight total of 158-4, with Herath taking four of the six wickets in the morning session. The Sri Lankan spinner, who bagged 5-68 in the first innings, also completed his third haul of 10 or more wickets in a Test. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (40) offered some resistance before becoming Herath´s 200th Test victim, caught by Angelo Mathews at first slip after hitting one six and three fours in his 87-ball knock. Tailender Abul Hasan cracked two sixes in his unbeaten 25 to help his team cross the 250-mark. Herath struck in his opening over of the morning, having Mominul Haque caught by Dimuth Karunaratne at short-leg with a delivery that turned and bounced. Mominul managed to add just one to his overnight score of 36. Herath, who struck three times on Monday, claimed his fifth wicket when he bowled Nasir Hossain for a duck in his third over to reduce Bangladesh to 171-6. Bangladesh counter-attacked, with Rahim smashing Herath for a straight six and Sohag Gazi (26) later lofting the spinner over long-off for his first six. Gazi kept playing his shots despite being dropped on 14 by Karunaratne at second slip off paceman Nuwan Kulasekara. Gazi hit the next two deliveries for fours but his flourish did not last long. He was caught by Suranga Lakmal at long-on while attempting a big slog off Herath, who shared the new ball with Kulasekara. Sri Lanka on Monday were bowled out for 346 in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh´s 240. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51731 KATHMANDU, March 18: Nepal Army Club scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a 1-1 draw against NMB Bank Machhindra Club on Monday and earn its first point of the super league rounds of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. Nawayug Shrestha headed home the equalizer in the second minute of four-minute stoppage time to deny Machhindra full three points. [break]Shrestha scored from the right side of the area beating an offside trap after being set up by Santosh Nepali. Machhindra had earlier taken the lead against the run of play in the injury time of first half through an own goal. Karna Limbu´s feeble cross from the left side of the danger zone rolled into the net taking a deflection off defender Jeetendra Karki´s leg dodging custodian Ganga Ram Deuja. Soon after Machhindra conceded the equalizer, its skipper Dipak Rai was sent off for a second bookable offense. Rai, earlier booked in the 87th minute, was flashed a second yellow card for arguing with referee Bikash Mahat. Bharat Khawas (Green) of Nepal Army Club and Amar Subbha of Machindra Football Club. (Photo: Bijay Rai) "Skipper Rai´s card will be a setback for us in the next match against Friends," Machhindra coach Raju Shakya said. Leader Three Star benefited the most from the result. After the completion of third round matches of the super league, Three Star holds a five-point lead at the top of the table while Machhindra remained in the fourth place with 31 points. Army moved two spots up to sixth with 29 points. Fifth-place Friends, seventh-place RCT and eighth-place Nepal Police all have 29 points each, but Friends is ahead on the basis of goal difference. Earlier, Army had lost its last two matches against Friends and MMC respectively, while Machhindra had gone down 1-0 to NRT and defeated RCT 2-1. Army dominated ball possession and piled immense pressure throughout the match. The team made over half-a-dozen attempts on goal but was rewarded only during the dying moments of the match. Machhindra, on the other hand, could make only a couple of attempts on goal. Army´s first chance came in the 12th minute, but defender Raj Kumar Biswas volleyed high above the bar from the six-yard box in Raju Tamang´s cross. In the 20th, Tek Bahadur Budhathoki headed wide from the danger zone as he could not connect properly with a cross from Tanka Basnet. In the 31st, Machhindra custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar made diving saves to foil two simultaneous attempts by Bharat Khawas from the area. Two minutes before the interval, Khawas hit a powerful shot from the area after dribbling past three defenders but was denied by goalie Thapa Magar. In the 74th, tightly-marked Khawas fired above the bar from the penalty spot in Budhathoki´s cross. Machhindra came close to doubling the advantage in the 68th minute, but striker Bishal Rai A was prevented by custodian Ganga Ram Deuja in a one-on-one situation. Machhindra coach Shakya expressed satisfaction at his side´s performance. "Draw against a fast and strong team like Army is a satisfactory result," said Shakya, also lauding his players´ efforts. Army´s assistant coach Babukaji Dhaubanjar said they were unfortunate not to score despite frequent attempts on goal. "The performance was far better than the last two matches and we still have a chance to finish second or third," Dhaubanjar said. Tuesday´s match MMC Vs Three Star Time: 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51732 MAHENDRANAGAR, March 18: Two teams each from Nepal and India made it to the semifinals of Hotel Opera-CMG Indo-Nepal Invitational Volleyball Tournament being held in Mahendranagar on Monday. Police entered the last four as the winner of Group A winning both its matches while Sagar Sports Club of Uttarkhand, India progressed as the group runner-up with a win and a defeat. [break]Western Railway of Gorakhpur, India and Nepal Army Club made secured semifinal berths as the winner and runner-up of Group B winning one match each. Police will lock horns with Army while Sagar Sports will meet Western Railway in the semifinals to be played on Tuesday. In the league round matches played on Monday, Western Railway edged past Army 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-11. Sandip Singh of the winning team was declared the man-of-the-match. In another match, Police crushed Ranabir Singh Club of Punjab 25-12, 25-14, 25-11 in straight sets. Chandra Kunwar of Police was adjudged the man-of-the-match. In another league match of the day, APF defeated Western Railway in five sets but failed to qualify for the knockout stage. APF beat the visiting side 25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13. Kailash Bhatta of APF won the man-of-the-match award. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51720 KATHMANDU, March 18: Nepal No 1 pro and defending champion Shiva Ram Shrestha, Surya Sharma, Deepak Acharya and Sanjay Lama entered the semifinals of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Monday. In the quarterfinals, Shrestha defeated Ram Thapa 2-1 while No 4 pro Sharma registered a 5-4 win over No 12 Yelamber Singh Adhikari. [break]Likewise, No 14 Deepak Acharya beat No 6 Deepak Thapa Magar 2up, and No 7 Sanjay beat No 15 Pashupati Sharma 2-1. Shrestha will take on Sharma, while Acharya will be up against Lama on Tuesday in the semifinals of the ninth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13. The third-place and final matches will be played on Wednesday. The top 16 pros as per the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2011-12 season´s Order of Merit participated in the tournament. Earlier in the first round, Pashupati Sharma stunned No 2 Rabi Khadka 2up, while Deepak Acharya upset No 3 Ramesh Adhikari on the 20th hole. Likewise, Yelamber Singh Adhikari ousted No 5 Ramesh Nagarkoti 3-1, whereas Ram Thapa outplayed No 8 Mani Rai 4-3. In other matches, Shiva Ram Shrestha defeated No 16 CB Bhandari 6-4, Surya Sharma beat No 13 Krishna Shrestha on the 19th hole, Deepak Thapa Magar registered a 2-1 victory over No 11 Dhana Thapa and Sanjay defeated No 11 Umesh Nagarkoti on the 19th hole. The winner of the event will receive Rs 50,000 while the runner-up will bag Rs 30,000. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51703 INDIAN WELLS, California, March 18: Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his third Indian Wells ATP Masters title and cement his return from a seven-month injury layoff. The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain claimed his first hard court title since 2010 and a record 22nd title in an elite Masters event. He had previously shared the record of 21 with Roger Federer. [break] Nadal hadn´t played a hard court tournament since pulling out of the Miami Masters last March with tendinitis in his left knee -- the same sort of knee trouble that would sideline him from his second-round Wimbledon exit in late June until February. Rafael Nadal of Spain holds the championship trophy after defeating Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in three-sets on March 17, 2013 in Indian Wells, California, in the men´s tennis final at the BNP Paribas Open. (AFP) He came back last month to post a runner-up finish in Vina del Mar, followed by victories at Sao Paulo and Acapulco. In all his 17-1 win-loss record is his best start to a year. But none of those modest clay court tournaments posed the challenge he faced at Indian Wells, where the field featured 49 of the top 50 players in the world. Seeded fifth, his route to the final included a quarter-final clash with defending champion Roger Federer and a semi-final win over world No. 6 Tomas Berdych. In the final, Nadal halted the giant-killing run of seventh-ranked Argentinian del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 3 Andy Murray en route to the final. "It is very emotional," Nadal said. "A lot of things happened the last seven months, to be back here and to have this trophy with me is amazing, no? "Beating three top-10, three very important players, and winning a title like this is just something unbelievable for me." Nadal was quick out of the blocks, breaking del Potro in the second game of the match en route to a 3-0 lead. But del Potro won eight of the next nine games to claim the first set and take a 2-0 lead in the second. The Spaniard was clearly struggling against the hard-hitting del Potro, his trademark forehand failing him on numerous occasions as he failed to convert break chances in the fourth game and a game point in the fifth. "I was in tough situation," Nadal said. "After starting the match 3-0, playing fantastic in my opinion, I had a big chance for 4-0, and then I had a good chance for 4-1. "I lost all of these opportunities, I lost a little bit my calm." Nadal looked re-energized as he broke del Potro to level the second set at 3-3, and he unleashed a series of forehand winners to break del Potro again to go 5-3 up. Gaining the break back in the sixth game was key, he said, because it let him relax and reformulate his strategy. "I was able to play against his backhand and wait for the right moment to change the direction of my ball," Nadal said. I put the match in a little bit slower rhythm and waited for the right moments to go for the point and it worked well." He served out the second set with a love game capped by an ace, walking back to his chair with a business-like air. Del Potro, perhaps tired from his lengthy duels with Djokovic and Murray, couldn´t match Nadal´s physicality in the third set. While those three-setters in the desert heat were draining, del Potro wasn´t leaning on that as an excuse. "The finals are finals," he said. "They are special, and you get the energy from everywhere to play the finals. Rafa played yesterday also. Just he played better in the end, and he deserved to win." Nadal broke for a 2-1 lead in the third set and didn´t face a breakpoint himself in the set. "He played unbelievable for like an hour there," del Potro said. "The last hour of the match he didn´t make errors. He played so solid and put me so far to the baseline and made winners from there." Del Potro summoned enough energy to save three match points on his own serve in the ninth game, forcing Nadal to serve it out. When del Potro´s forehand swung wide on the fourth match point, Nadal slid to his back, then rose to his knees and lifted his arms in triumph. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51702 WELLINGTON, March 18:  England´s hopes of snatching a win in the second Test against New Zealand dissolved in the Wellington rain Monday, with the match declared a draw after the final day´s play was washed out. The clash at the Basin Reserve ended with New Zealand at 162 for two in their second innings, still 49 runs in arrears after the tourists set an imposing first innings total of 465 and enforced the follow-on. [break] Not a ball was bowled Monday in a finish England captain Alastair Cook admitted was frustrating after his team dominated but ran out of time pressing for victory. With the series still evenly poised, Cook said there were some positives to take into the third and final Test in Auckland beginning on Friday, pointing to a much-improved display after the first Test in Dunedin. "We got ourselves in a really good position to win the game, so we can take a lot from that (after) our first performance," he told reporters. England´s batting was far better than in Dunedin, with centuries to Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton, while Matt Prior made 82, and Kevin Pietersen (73) was also among the runs after two failures in the first Test. Stuart Broad also returned to his potent best, taking six for 51 in New Zealand´s first innings. Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum admitted his side were outplayed but said the result evened out the ledger after the drawn Dunedin Test, where New Zealand were on top but rain delays let England off the hook. "It was a draw at the end of the day and if it´s viewed as a points decision I guess England will take this one," he said. "Both teams go to Auckland and we´ll just try to make a result in the last game." The weather is forecast to clear for the Auckland Test and the wicket is expected to provide more bounce than the docile pitches in Wellington and Dunedin, boosting the chances of a series-deciding result. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51670 KATHMANDU, March 17: Surya Nepal Match Play, the ninth event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13, is to tee off at Royal Nepal Golf Club from Monday. Top 16 professionals who are in the order of merit of season 2011-12 have qualified for this match play event to conclude on Wednesday. All match play events will be over 18 holes except the final, which will be played over 36 holes.[break] Eight matches of the first round and the quarterfinal matches will be played on the first day of the tournament. Semifinal matches will be played on Tuesday and the final match and the third place play-off will be played on the last day, Wednesday. Nepal No 1 Shivaram Shrestha will face CB Bhandari, Mani Rai of Dharan faces Ram Thapa in the first match. Other matches in the top tier of the draw are Surya Sharma against Ram Krishna Shrestha and Ramesh Nagarkoti against Yelembar Singh Adhikari. In the bottom tier, veteran and winner of the last event Deepak Thapa Magar will play against Dhana Thapa, Ramesh Adhikari against Deepak Acharya. Sanjay Lama´s opponent is Umesh Nagarkoti while Rabi Khadka will face Pashupati Sharma. Winner of the tournament will receive a check of Rs 50,000 while the runner-up will receive Rs 30,000. Third-place holder will bag Rs 22,000. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51685 KATHMANDU, March 17: McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) achieved its first win in the super league rounds of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Nepali Police Club at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. RCT´s victory also ended Police´s winning run in the super league. Amar Dangol scored the all-important goal in the 32nd minute to hand Police its first defeat in the super league rounds. Dangol scored into the top right corner with a brilliant strike from the inner edge of the area stunning the Police defenders and custodian Ritesh Thapa.[break] "Dangol was given opportunity to strike as he was left free," Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said during the post-match conference. "We failed to put pressure on the opponent from the beginning and RCT´s performance is also improving with every match of the league." Shrestha said he was still optimistic about finishing either second or third in the league. "There is only a four-point difference with the second-placed team and we still have four matches to play." With the win, RCT climbed two spots from the bottom to sixth with equal 29 points as that of seventh-placed Police that dropped one spot following Sunday´s defeat. Friends also has 29 points but occupies the fifth position due to a better goal difference. In the competitive match, RCT had included its custodian and skipper Dilip Chhetry in the starting line-up for the first time in the league after January 2. The last time Chhetry started was the match against Police in the first round of the league that had ended 1-0 in favor of the departmental team. "Chhetry is a senior player and was not included in the starting line-up in previous matches due to his own wish. He wanted to give match experience to second custodian Prem Kumar Tamang," said RCT coach Madhu Karki, adding, "But Tamang lacked confidence in the last few matches. Hence, we have asked Chhetry to play in all four remaining matches of the league. Today he fulfilled his duty properly." Police tested RCT custodian Chhetry in the 16th minute but skipper Jumanu Rai´s feeble shot was easily stopped by the custodian. Two minutes later, Chhetry sent the ball out of play preventing Bhola Silwal from collecting a pass from Rai in the danger zone. RCT replied in the 25th minute, but glovesman Ritesh Thapa caught a 25-yard low strike from Bhim Darlami in Komal Khawas´ cross. In the 36th minute, RCT´s custodian Chhetry again denied skipper Rai´s powerful shot from the right side of the area. Four minutes later Chetan Ghimire headed wide from the six-yard box in Rabin Shrestha´s header pass off Yogesh Shrestha corner. Police could make only one attempt on goal in the second half, but custodian Chhetry against punched Parbat Pandey´s 25-yard freekick to safety three minutes from time. RCT´s scorer Dangol´s powerful strike in the 68th minute went inches wide off the target. RCT coach Karki opined that his side´s resolute defense prevented Police from penetrating into the danger zone. "We´ve witnessed improvements in every match and we achieved victory due to the sound performance of players." Today´s Match Machhindra Vs Army Time: 15:30 NST Points Table Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 Three Star 18 12 2 4 33 9 24 38 2 MMC 18 9 6 3 29 14 15 33 3 NRT 18 9 5 4 29 16 13 32 4 Machhindra 17 9 3 5 24 18 6 30 5 Friends 18 7 8 3 23 11 12 29 6 RCT 18 9 2 7 26 21 5 29 7 Police 18 8 5 5 18 15 3 29 8 Army 17 8 4 5 20 9 11 28 http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51681 MAHENDRANAGAR : Sagar Sports Club of Uttarakhand, India and Nepal Army Club won their respective matches on Sunday in the Hotel Opera-CMG Indo-Nepal Invitational Volleyball Tournament being held in Mahendranagar. Sagar Sports defeated Ranabir Singh Club of Punjab, India 25-17, 25-15, 25-20, 25-12 for its first win in the tournament. Prabin Kumar of the winning team was declared the man-of-the-match. In the inaugural match played on Saturday, Sagar Sports had lost by three sets to one against Nepal Police Club. In another match, Nepal Army Club crushed departmental rival Armed Police Force Club in straight sets 25-10, 25-18, 25-23. Deepak Thapa of Army was declared the man-of-the-match. Katuwal wins kayak c´ship KATHMANDU : Mahadev Katuwal of Gorkha claimed the title of Flat Water Kayak Championship on Sunday on the Phewa Lake in Pokhara, Kaski. Katuwal completed the 1,400 meter distance in 11 minutes 48.89 seconds to take the title while Bivin Gurung of Kaski finished runner-up with a timing of 11 minutes 51.30 seconds. Som Bahadur Magar of Tanahun secured the third position clocking 11 minutes 56.68 seconds. Along with the Everest award, winner Katuwal received Rs 20,000 and the trophy. The runner-up received the Lumbini award and Rs 10,000 while the third-place holder got the Annapurna award and Rs 5,000. Altogether 80 kayaks had participated in the two-day event organized under the First Mountain Sports Festival. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51663 MELBOURNE, March 17: Ferrari ace Fernando Alonso sees his second place in the Australian Grand Prix as a pyschological win over Red Bull as the Italian team made an encouraging start to the new Formula One season on Sunday. Alonso was runner-up to Finland´s Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus. But importantly for Ferrari, they finished ahead of the world champion Red Bull constructors´ team in the first of this season´s 19 races.[break] Red Bull´s three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel started off the pole but despite the car´s superior speed they were brought back to the field by degrading tyre wear. Alonso, who was overhauled by Vettel in last season´s final Brazil race for the world championship, knew the significance of his second placing and teammate Felipe Massa´s fourth place on Sunday. "Finishing ahead of the Red Bull tastes like a win, even if we know that despite today´s race result, they are still the quickest," Alonso said. "Now we can expect another weekend (in Malaysia) with very changeable weather and one that also puts a lot of stress on the cars from a mechanical point of view and on the drivers, from a physical one. "But we can tackle it calmly on the back of this good result." Alonso was encouraged by Ferrari´s forward showing in the season-opener after troubled starts in the last couple of years. "We can claim to have started this season on the right foot, immediately in the fight with the best," he said. "Along with the results from winter testing, it is a very encouraging sign that we managed to get the most out of a weekend that was full of unknown factors, both in qualifying and the race," Alonso said. "I think the three-stop strategy was the right one: with the tyre degradation we had, it would have been impossible to manage on one less, and bringing forward the second one by a few laps meant I was able to pass Vettel and Adrian Sutil." Team principal Stefano Domenicali was thrilled that Ferrari were leading the constructors´ championship after the opening round. "This is only the first of 19 races and we are happy to see Scuderia Ferrari at the top of the constructors´ classification," he said. "It is an encouraging start on which we must continue to build our championship and today´s result should serve as a motivational push for all of us, both here at the track and back home in Maranello." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51661 INDIAN WELLS, California, March 16: Juan Martin del Potro stunned Novak Djokovic on Saturday to end the world No. 1´s 22-match winning streak and book an ATP Indian Wells Masters final against Rafael Nadal. Argentina´s Del Potro defeated Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, ending the Serbian´s winning streak that had stretched back to October 31.[break] Nadal, an 11-time Grand Slam champion seeded fifth in his fourth tournament back from a seven-month injury absence, beat sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5. "I´m playing with confidence, I´m finding a way to win with my forehand," del Potro said. "I played well in the important moments and finished with a fantastic ace. "It was such a tough match, especially in the hot conditions. I need to recover now and be ready for Sunday." Djokovic´s 17 match wins this year had included a run to a fourth Australian Open title and the ATP title at Dubai. He looked and sounded weary as he philosophically offered his congratulations to del Potro. "It happens," Djokovic said. "All the credit to my opponent today. He deserved to win because he was more composed in the important moments and he played the right shots. "He stepped into the court, where, on the other side, me, I made a lot of unforced errors and was at back of the court too passive. It´s sport." Del Potro had beaten Djokovic just twice in 10 prior meetings, although one of those victories was a sweet one for the bronze medal at the London Olympics last year. Djokovic had since re-established his authority with wins over Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters, US Open and ATP Finals last year, and at Dubai in February. Down a set, the determined del Potro broke Djokovic to open the second, but the set would prove a see-saw affair featuring five breaks of serve. Djokovic appeared to have regrouped when he sped to a 3-0 lead in the third with one break of serve, but del Potro broke back to narrow the gap to 3-2. While del Potro was unable to convert two break chances in the seventh game, he came through in the ninth. A well-judged forehand to the corner gave him a second break point in the game, and when Djokovic sailed a backhand long, del Potro was serving for the match. He polished it off in style, with a 133 mile per hour ace. Del Potro´s reward will be a title showdown with former world No. 1 Nadal, who has already exceeded his own expectations with a runner-up finish and two titles in his first three comeback tournaments. "I don´t have nothing to lose after seven months," Nadal said. "I did much more than what I dreamed." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51647 KATHMANDU, March 16: NIBL Friends Club interim coach Meghraj KC expressed serious objection to the comment Pradip Humagain, the coach of Three Star Club, made on Friday regarding MMC Vs Friends encounter due to take place on Saturday. After his side´s 1-0 defeat to New Road Team (NRT) on Friday, Humagain had suspected that Friends would not play up to its full potential against MMC. [break]"The match will most likely be a formality," Humagain had said, adding, "Friends and Police are the strongest teams of the super league and I am eagerly waiting for the Saturday´s match." "Football is a 90-minute game to be played on the ground. If anyone plays it outside the ground it is better for them to quit playing football," said a furious KC during the post-match conference. Earlier, KC said he did not believe that a team like Three Star and its coach would make such a "cheap" comment. "Such comments from a club like Three Star reflects the level of Nepali football. KC, the coach of Himalayan Sherpa, would be in charge of Friends till the super league round of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League. KC also lauded his team´s effort against MMC. "Three points were vital for the team and we could have aimed for the second position had we earned it," said KC expressing satisfaction at his team´s performance. MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang said that he was shocked at the allegation made by Humagain. "Such comments would have negative effect on the players. Why will they put in their efforts if the result is pre-determined," said Lopsang. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51646 KATHMANDU, March 16: Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) suffered a big blow to its title hopes on Saturday after it was forced to share points with NIBL Friends Club following a 2-2 draw in the super league rounds of c being held at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. The league title appeared to be within MMC´s reach after leader Three Star lost two of its three matches in the super league. [break]However, following the draw against Friends, even wins in all the four remaining matches would not secure the title for MMC and it must also hope that the outcomes of Three Star´s remaining matches will be in its favor. After playing equal 18 matches, Three Star leads the table with 38 points, five points ahead of second-placed MMC. Three Star will lock horns with MMC in their next match on Tuesday. Friends climbed one spot up to fifth with equal 29 points as that of sixth-placed Nepal Police Club on the basis of goals superiority. "Had we defeated Friends today our title hope would have rested on the outcomes of our remaining matches," said MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang, insisting that his side was still contending for the title. "We still have four matches to play." PHOTO: DIPESH SHRESTHA In Saturday´s match, MMC, without its regular skipper Anil Gurung due to a match suspension, had to come from behind twice to earn a draw. Midfielder Shiva Shrestha, who was not included in the starting line-up due to ankle injury, was forced to play as a substitute in early second half. In the most entertaining match of the super league Prakash Budhathoki put spirited Friends ahead in the 16th minute with a dramatic goal. Budhathoki´s shot on the far post changed its course and entered the other side of the net following deflection off defender Zambo Anatole´s foot. MMC squared the score one minute before the interval through African player Fils Sergio Chico in a counter attack. Collecting a pass from Anatole, Chico fired past custodian Bashir Ibrahim Toyin after beating defender Segun Peter. A minute earlier, Nirajan Malla´s header in Bikash Singh Chhetri´s cross hit the crossbar. PHOTO: DIPESH SHRESTHA Striker Cheikh Oumar restored the lead for Friends eight minutes into the second half with a well-placed shot from the danger zone after collecting an acute pass from Dodoz. MMC defender Mbile Leonel Stephen again hit back the equalizer for MMC in the 66th minute. Taking advantage of inattentive defenders Peter and Bishnu KC Stephen fired home from the six-yard box in a header pass set by Chico. In the 78th minute, Bikash Singh Chhetri´s long-range shot for MMC rebounded off the bar. In the fifth minute MMC custodian Emmanuel Dare denied Oumar´s header in Dodoz´s cross. Sunday´s match RCT Vs Police Time: 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51648 KATHMANDU, March 16: Nepal Tourism and Hotel Management College (NTHMC), Pokhara claimed the title of Suzuki PU Cup 2013 Football Tournament on Saturday. NTHMC came from behind to stun the host Apex 2-1 in the final played at Nepal Police Academy, Maharajgunj. Bir Bahadur Thapa Magar scored in the 40th minute for NTHMC to cancel Apex´s early lead taken in the seventh minute through Pramesh Khatri. Ridesh Gurung scored the winner in the 75th minute. The winner and the runner-up teams received Rs 35,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively along with trophies and certificates. [break] Pramesh Khatri of the host was declared the best player of the tournament while his teammate Siddhanta Basnet and Nitish Lama were adjudged the best midfielder and defender respectively. Dinesh Gurung and Bir Bahadur Thapa Magar of NTHMC won the best goalkeeper and striker awards. Bibhav Chand of Apex was adjudged the best coach. Pandey wins golf title KATHMANDU: Binay Raj Pandey on Saturday claimed the title of Sixth Ballantine´s Monthly Medal Golf Tournament held at the Royal Nepal Golf Club, Kathmandu. Playing with a handicap of 20, Pandey scored one-over 68 nett to lift the trophy of the event played under strokeplay full handicap format. Pandey is the former president of Cricket Association of Nepal. Fakhre Shah came second at 69 finishing ahead of Neeraj SJB Rana (70). Altogether 22 golfers had competed in the tournament. Shrestha victorious KATHMANDU: Tsetan Gyurman Shrestha lifted the trophy of Surya Nepal Gokarna Monthly Medal on Saturday at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu. Shrestha, playing with a handicap of 13, carded seven-under 65 nett in the event played under the strokeplay full handicap format. Brian Fawcett finished runner-up with a nett score of three-under 69, ahead of Nirakar Shrestha at even-par 72. Keith Harrison won the best gross award with six-over 78. Altogether 33 golfers had competed in the tournament. Rayamajhi wins K2-Everest Cup KATHMANDU: Nischaya Jung Rayamajhi secured the title of K2-Everest Friendship Golf Tournament played at the Tribhuvan Army Officers Golf Club, Kathmandu on Saturday. In the tournament played under stableford format, Rayamajhi finished ahead of MD Khand on countback following a tie at 37 points. Pavan Jung Thapa took home the third place honors with 35 points. Altogether 60 golfers took part in the event organized by the Pakistan embassy. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51645 LONDON, March 16: Ten-man Everton sounded a probable death knell on Manchester City´s title defence with a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Premier League champions at Goodison Park on Saturday. Despite the second-half dismissal of Steven Pienaar, Everton dug deep for a victory that means Manchester United can go 15 points clear at the top of the table by winning at home to Reading later.[break] Leon Osman made the breakthrough for the hosts in the 32nd minute, meeting Seamus Coleman´s lay-off with a swerving shot from 25 yards that deceived goalkeeper Joe Hart and flew into the top-left corner. The momentum tilted in City´s favour with half an hour to play when Pienaar was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a shin-high foul on Javi Garcia. However, Everton´s second-choice goalkeeper Jan Mucha kept the visitors at bay, producing fine saves to thwart Carlos Tevez, James Milner and Pablo Zabaleta. City were also denied a clear penalty in the 86th minute when referee Lee Probert awarded the visitors a free-kick for a hand-ball by Marouane Fellaini that occurred inside the 18-yard box. Substitute Nikica Jelavic curled in Everton´s second goal in injury time to seal a win that lifted David Moyes´ side to fifth place and banished memories of last weekend´s abject loss to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup. "We have had one or two dips but that was more like us today," said Everton manager Moyes. "I thought we had a bad performance last week, which the fans rightly reminded us about, but we just reminded them they are supporting a really good team." On the Fellaini hand-ball, City assistant coach David Platt told Sky Sports: "You´ve just played it to me (on a television replay) and it´s not even on the line of the area, it´s three yards inside. "People can draw their own conclusions, but we didn´t get it. Perhaps we could have got more out of the game if the decisions had gone for us." Later on Saturday, Arsenal will bid to put their Champions League elimination by Bayern Munich behind them when they visit Swansea City. Liverpool go in search of a fourth consecutive league victory at Southampton, while Stoke City host West Bromwich Albion. There is also a potentially crucial relegation tussle at Villa Park, where bottom club Queens Park Rangers visit fourth-bottom Aston Villa. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51641 KATHMANDU, March 16: Armed Police Force (APF) Club was crowned the team champion in the 39th National Lumbini Karate Championship on Saturday. The departmental team clinched seven gold and seven silver medals during the tournament to finish ahead of Nepal Police Club, which secured six gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Tribhuvan Army Club secured the third position with two gold, three silver and four bronze medals as the departmental teams made a near clean sweep of the gold medals. [break]The three teams clinched 15 golds out of the 19 up for grabs. The University team, which made its debut in the tournament, settled for the fourth position with two gold, one silver and six bronze medals. Ganesh Paija of Gandaki was adjudged the best player in the men´s section while Ganga Devi Adhikari of APF took home the honors in the women´s section. Adhikari won gold in the women´s above 68 kg event after her opponent Nirmala Rai of Bagmati retired while trailing 5-0 during the game . Likewise, on the closing day of the three-day tournament, Anu Adhikari of APF won gold in the women´s 50 kg event defeating Roji Nagarkoti of the national team 7-2. Mallika Thapa of NPC clinched the title in the women´s 55 kg weight category. Thapa, an emerging star currently with the national team, defeated 10th South Asian Games silver medalist Amrita Shakya of the University team. Thapa was declared the winner after taking an eight-point lead much before the end of the contest as the final score stood at 9-1. In the women´s 61 kg category, Sapana Lama of APF, who is also in the national team, beat Roshani Khadgi of NPC 7-2 for the title. Likewise, Rita Karki of Tribhuvan Army Club defeated Kalpana Basnet 6-2 in the title clash of the women´s 68 kg category. Meanwhile, the University team clinched gold in the team kumite event. In the men´s section, Binod Maharjan (60 kg) of NPC, Mukunda Maharjan (67 kg) of APF, Diwas Shrestha (75 kg) of NPC, Bhim Bahadur Tamang (84 kg) of APF and Sitaram BK (above 84 kg) of Tribhuvan Army Club won gold medals in their respective weight categories. NPC lifted the title in the men´s kumite event. National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama and Nepal Karate Federation President Dawa Gurung gave away the prizes to the winners. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51601 INDIAN WELLS, California, March 16: Juan Martin del Potro toppled Andy Murray on Friday to book a semi-final showdown with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the Indian Wells Masters. Del Potro, ranked seventh in the world and the seventh seed in this combined ATP and WTA tournament, beat World No. 3 Murray 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-1.[break] The 2009 US Open champion from Argentina didn´t face a break point until the third set and benefitted from Murray´s eight double faults -- the last coming on match point. On Saturday, Del Potro will become the latest player to try ending Djokovic´s impressive winning streak, which totals 22 matches dating to October 31 and includes 17 victories this year. Djokovic dispatched eighth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-3, 6-1. The departure of Murray, on the heels of defending champion Roger Federer´s quarter-final ouster by Rafael Nadal, leaves only two of the "big four" of men´s tennis in the tournament, which was the first with all four playing since Wimbledon. Nadal, playing his fourth tournament since a seven month injury layoff, will face sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in Saturday´s semi-finals while del Potro will tackle Djokovic. Del Potro beat the Serbian in the bronze medal match at the London Olympics last year, but noted wryly that Djokovic has since beaten him four times -- most recently in the semi-finals at Dubai. "I need to play better," he said of his chances of beating the dominant player in men´s tennis. On the bright side, he called his performance against Murray his best match of the tournament. "I played my game," del Potro said. "I was aggressive all the time, I hit the ball hard all the time with my forehand and I played a few slices as well as drop shots. I think I did a very good game today." Murray characterized his game as "decent". He was unable to penetrate del Potro´s serve, never mustering a break point until he had two in the third set. On the first, del Potro came up with a big second serve, and on the second Murray was caught off guard when his opponent´s shot clipped the net cord and slowed down. Such points can be all the difference, Murray said. "I´m not necessarily saying I would have won the match, but you get back on level terms and the momentum is with you," he said. As for the eight double faults, Murray insisted it wasn´t a major concern. "There was a lot of long rallies ... sometimes if your legs are just a little bit tired you can miss serves. The timing might go off a little bit and you´re not quite getting up to them." Djokovic made short work of Tsonga, needing just 54 minutes to get past the lackluster Frenchman. Djokovic didn´t didn´t drop a point in four service games in the second set against Tsonga. No sooner had the world´s top player given himself triple match point with a pair of aces then the demoralized Frenchman casually knocked a backhand wide. "I thought Jo didn´t play his best -- his serve wasn´t going well and that made life easier on court," said Djokovic, who added that he couldn´t concern himself with his opponent´s struggles either mental or physical. "I really didn´t care about how my opponent felt," he said. "I just tried to focus on the job I need to do, and my performance was really good. "I served really well and used the shots around the court well, and that´s what matters for me." http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51600 WELLINGTON, March 16:  A six-wicket haul by England paceman Stuart Broad left New Zealand fighting for survival as they were forced to follow on in the second Test at Wellington´s Basin Reserve on Saturday. At stumps, with two days remaining, New Zealand were 77 for one in their second innings, requiring a further 134 runs to make England bat again as they struggle to keep the series all square.[break] After the early loss of Hamish Rutherford, Peter Fulton (41 not out) and Kane Williamson (16 not out) negotiated the rest of the final session. Earlier, Broad destroyed New Zealand´s first innings with six for 51, his seventh five-wicket haul in 54 Tests, as New Zealand collapsed to 254 all out in reply to England´s first innings 465. The home side started the third day precariously poised at 66-3 and after overnight batsmen Kane Williamson (42) and Dean Brownlie (18) departed Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling put on 100 for the sixth wicket. As the last recognised batsmen, New Zealand needed the pair to remain in the middle as long as possible but both foundered in the 60s, opening up the tail. The only other sign of resistance for the Black Caps came from Bruce Martin, in only his second Test, who finished unbeaten on 21 after producing figures of 4-130 in England´s first innings. McCullum was able to keep Broad out but was undone by Steven Finn, edging the ball to the slips where Jonathan Trott made no mistake after earlier dropping Watling. New Zealand fell apart after McCullum´s departure for 69, losing their last five wickets for just 65 runs, ending up 12 runs short of avoiding the follow-on. Broad, who removed Hamish Rutherford and Ross Taylor in consecutive balls on Friday, took the first wicket of the day when he had Williamson caught and bowled. After Finn exposed the tail by dismissing McCullum, Broad removed Watling, who had looked comfortable until he nicked the ball through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior when on 60. The Broad-Prior combination then accounted for Neil Wagner, who faced 13 balls without scoring, and Trent Boult, who contributed two as the last man. With the pitch posing few problems for the batsmen, despite scuff marks appearing, Fulton and Rutherford made a cautious start to New Zealand´s second innings. They reached 25 before the breakthrough came for England midway through the 11th over when the decision to move Ian Bell to leg slip paid immediate dividends. Rutherford´s attempt to steer Monty Panesar down the leg side produced a one-handed diving catch by Bell and the first-Test centurion was gone for 15. As New Zealand battle to avoid defeat after the first match in the three-Test series ended in a draw, there is the outside prospect of rain affecting the outcome with occasional showers forecast for Sunday and Monday. The third and final Test starts in Auckland on Friday. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51575 KATHMANDU, March 15: The super league of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division League took an interesting turn on Friday after 10-man Three Star Club slumped to a 1-0 defeat against New Road Team (NRT) at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. The result meant second-place Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) could replace leader Three Star, which started the super league with a seven-point lead, at the top if it wins all the five remaining matches. [break] Three Star, which has lost two of its three matches in the super league, still enjoys a six-point lead at the top of the points table. But second-place MMC with 32 points has a one-match advantage over Three Star. MMC takes on Friends Club on Saturday and is also yet to lock horns with Three Star, among other teams. African player Segun A Eyitayo scored the decisive goal for NRT in the 73rd minute. Eyitayo took advantage of a misunderstanding between defender Bijay Dhimal and custodian Kiran Chemjong to beat the advancing goalie with a cool finish from outside the danger zone . The win lifted NRT one spot to third with equal 32 points as that of second-place MMC. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) Three Star was reduced to 10 men in the 51st minute when defender Sandeep Rai was given straight marching orders by referee Shrawan Lama. Rai was punished after the last man ´deliberately´ handled the ball outside the danger zone while vying with Segun A Eyitayo. "The match became easy for us after Three Star got restricted to 10 men," NRT coach Diken Suwal said during the post-match conference. "We came under pressure after the red card to defender Rai. Besides this, the boys also failed to convert goal-scoring opportunities," said Suwal´s counterpart Pradeep Humagain, adding that his side still has a chance to lift the title as they still have four matches to play. NRT piled consistent pressure on Three Star after the interval unlike in the first half when Three Star dominated the show and made as many as three attempts on goal. Victor´s twin attempts for Three Star were denied by custodian Raju Yogi in the first half. In the 12th minute Yogi blocked Victor´s shot from the right flank paving the way for Sulaiman Olansile to clear the ball. In the 23rd minute Victor´s strike from the right side was also prevented by the custodian. In the 43rd minute, Yogi punched Santosh Sahukhala´s 25-yard freekick to safety. NRT missed a golden chance to open the scoring in the 69th minute when an unmarked Akeen O Babatunde shot wide from close range in an acute pass from skipper Laxman Ruchal. Earlier, in the 10th minute Eyitayo´s low strike from the edge was caught by custodian Chemjong. Humagain suspects match-fixing Three Star coach Pradip Humagain has raised questions over the fairness of the match to be played between MMC and Friends Club on Saturday. "Friends and Nepal Police Club are strong teams in the league, but I don´t think Friends will show their mettle against MMC. The match will most likely be a formality," said Humagain adding, "I am eagerly waiting for the match." If MMC beats Friends, the former will close the gap on leader to three points. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51568 KATHMANDU, March 15: Bishnu Shrestha and Bijay Lama claimed gold medals in the 39th National Lumbini Karate Championship being held in Mailawar, Rupandehi on Friday. Shrestha of Armed Police Force (APF) defeated Rabindra Dahal of Nepal Police on the basis of superiority in the final of men´s 55kg kumite. [break]The competitive final ended with the scores tied at 3-3 but the judges decided in favor of Shrestha. Earlier, Shrestha had defeated 11th South Asian Games gold medalist and national team player Sunil Lama in the quarterfinal. Shankar Sunuwar of Mahakali zone and Mani Kumar Sunuwar of Nepal Army secured bronze medals in the event. Likewise, Bijay Lama of the national team edged past Sonam Lama of Bagmati zone 9-5 in the men´s 50kg final. In the women´s 45kg kumite final, Ramila DC of University Sports Association Nepal (USAN) defeated Ishwari Thapa of APF to take gold. Pabitra Shrestha of Lumbini zone and Nirmala Tamang of Nepal Police claimed bronze medals in the weight category. Parshuram Bastola of the national team won the men´s individual kata. Bastola outclassed Suvash Karki of Nepal Army 5-0 in the final. Bikash Moktan (Bagmati zone) and Anil Tamang (USAN) claimed bronze medals. In the women´s individual kata, Chanchala Danuwar of the national team clinched gold. She defeated Jyoti Giri of Bagmati zone 5-0 in the final. Pushpa Gurung (Lumbini zone) and Jini Subba (Koshi zone) had to settle for bronze medals in the event. The national team, which comprised Subhadra Shrestha, Sangita Dangol and Suman Lama, won gold medal in women´s team kata. The national team defeated the Mechi zone team 5-0 in the final. Meanwhile, the national team and APF reached the final of men´s team kata. The national team comprises Kedar Bahadur Simkhada, Ganesh Bahadur Thing and Mandekaji Shrestha while the APF team includes Narayan Datta Pant, Shatrudhan Rana and Gopiram Ghale. In the women´s 50kg kumite, Anu Adhikari of the national team and Roji Nagarkoti of APF secured berths in the final. Likewise, national team player Binod Maharjan and Mohan Karki of APF reached the final of men´s 60kg kumite. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51561 KATHMANDU, March 15: South Asian Games medalist Nepali boxer Krishna Man Shrestha died on Thursday night at the age of 48. Shrestha, who was suffering from motor neuron diseases (MND), breathed his last at the TU Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu. Shrestha had won a silver medal in the Fifth South Asian Games held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1991 and a bronze medal in the Seventh South Asian Games held in Madras, India in 1995.[break] Shrestha was serving the National Sports Council (NSC) as an assistant coach. Players and sports personalities paid final tribute to Shrestha at the NSC premises on Friday morning. Nepal Boxing Association (NBA) President Rajiv Shrestha draped Shrestha´s body with the NBA flag while former NBA President Rabi Raj Thapa and others paid floral tribute to the late boxer. A permanent resident of Naxal, Kathmandu, Shrestha is survived by two sons and a daughter. Shrestha was cremated at the Pashupati Aryaghat on Friday afternoon. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51559 KATHMANDU, March 15: All Nepal Lawn Tennis Association (ANLTA) will host the fifth edition of Kesha Group JTI Junior Open National Tennis Tournament from April 1 to 6. At a press conference organized in the capital on Friday, ANLTA informed that the tournament will inlude 14 events and all the matches will be played at the Satdobato Tennis Court, Lalitpur.[break] "The tournament is being organized to hone tennis players´ skills as the International Tennis Federation´s Junior Tennis Initiative Program is supporting us," said ANLTA President Manoj Rana. The tournament will feature boys´ and girls´ singles events in U-8, U-9, U-10, U-12, U-14 and U-16 age groups as well as boys´ and girls´ doubles events in U-16 age group. The U-8 age group event is being introduced for the first time in the tournament. Altogether 250 players from Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara are expected to participate in the tournament. "When we started this tournament five years ago, there were only 20 to 25 players. The number of participants has increased over the years," said Basant Mathema, the co-sponsor of the tournament. Kesha Group is the main sponsor of the tournament. "We have allocated around Rs 90,000 as scholarship money. Winners and runners-up of U-10 age group and above will get cash as scholarship while U-8 and U-9 players will get sports gears," said Keshab Pandey, the chairperson of Kesha Group. ANLTA President Rana also informed that the association is planning to conduct at least four junior tournaments in a calendar year. "As our age group players have started securing good ranks in Asian Junior Rankings, we are excited," said Rana. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51512 INDIAN WELLS, California, March 14: Rafael Nadal continued his return from injury with a straight-sets triumph over defending champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters on Thursday. Nadal broke Federer three times in the second set en route to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the 17-time Grand Slam champion, who has been nursing a nagging back injury.[break] "I don´t think Roger was 100 percent tonight," said Nadal, who nevertheless said the victory over his great rival was an important step in his comeback from a seven-month injury absence. He returned in February and notched one runner-up finish and two titles in a three-tournament Latin American clay-court swing. But Nadal hadn´t tested his troublesome left knee on hard courts since pulling out of the Miami Masters last March. Nadal improved to 19-10 against Federer in a rivalry stretching back to 2004 and including some epic clashes on the game´s biggest stages. But they hadn´t met since their semi-final meeting here last year, which Federer won en route to his fourth Indian Wells crown. Now the Swiss great is planning to take several weeks off. He had already said he wouldn´t play in the Miami Masters that starts next week. Nadal, seeded fifth, next plays sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over South African Kevin Anderson. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51511 SYDNEY, March 15: Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed Shane Watson as a team player and said the Cricket Australia official who suggested he was not would live to regret his comments. Watson returned to Sydney late Tuesday from the tour of India after he was dropped for failing to prepare feedback on how the team could improve and deliver it to management. Three other players received the same punishment.[break] It prompted Cricket Australia general manager Pat Howard to say Watson needed to start toeing the team line, implying he was only "sometimes" a team player. Ponting, who retired from international cricket in December and has been in sizzling form for his Sheffield Shield side Tasmania since, said he knew the 31-year-old well and had no doubts about his commitment. "Shane worked as hard as anybody around his cricket, there´s no doubt about that," he said Thursday after making another century against Victoria. "He´s obviously made a blue here -- I don´t like to refer to it as homework because it wasn´t homework -- not getting his tasks done that were given to him by the coach. "I´ve never known him to be anything other than a very good team player and a great bloke to have around your team," he added. Ponting told Australian Associated Press he made a point of getting to know Watson, whose wife gave birth to a boy on Thursday, during his time as Australian captain. "To tell the truth I think I understood him and his personality as well as anyone that I ever played with," he said, adding that Howard would likely handle his comments differently if he had the chance again. "I think he´d regret saying that... but people are going to make judgements," Ponting said. "Pat´s known Shane for 12 months and (Australian captain) Michael (Clarke) and Shane have known each other for the best part of 20 years." Shattered by being axed for one Test as punishment, Watson said earlier this week that he was reviewing his future. Australia, who face an Ashes double header against England starting in July, trail 2-0 in the four-Test series in India. AFP is not covering the India series after the Board of Control for Cricket in India failed to lift restrictions on picture agencies. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51502 KATHMANDU, March 15: Two days after the national football team´s painful exit from the AFC Challenge Cup Group D qualifiers, the super league rounds of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League kicked off in a hurry last Friday. The organizer All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) seemed to be in a rush to start the tournament. One important reason to start the league in a hurry was to cover up Nepal´s poor performance in the Challenge Cup and divert the critics´ attention toward the league. [break] Haste makes waste and this has been seen in the super league rounds. Without adequate homework for the super league, ANFA has implemented some rules against the universal footballing practice. The super league participated by top eight out of 16 teams has some strange provisions. The points earned in the super league will be added to the points already earned in the first round of the league and the number of goals scored and conceded in the second round will also be added in the first round figures. But, surprisingly, and, against the accepted norms of football, the head-to-head record of the first round of the league will not be counted in the second round. Another strange provision is of the yellow card ´warnings.´ In the first round, ANFA had introduced the system of a match ban after three yellow cards in three different matches which is also in contravention of the international practice, according to which a player gets a match ban after getting two yellow cards. The same system is in effect in the super league round as well. ANFA has also courted another controversy by deciding to slap a one-match ban in the first match of the league round on those players who have been shown three yellow cards in the previous round. But surprisingly, players booked with one or two yellow cards in the first round can get away with the rule because their cards will be scrapped and new counting will begin for them in the super league. Meanwhile, ANFA has introduced head-to-head system in the league scrapping goal difference provision to determine a team´s position in case points are tied. Although the provision created much confusion in the initial stage, it has been helpful in minimizing match fixing to some extent. For instance, In the 2010 league, Boys Union Club become the last team to be relegated to the second-tier B Division on the basis of goal inferiority with Armed Police Force (APF) despite having equal 22 points. In its last match, APF had defeated Machhindra FC 8-0 which turned out to be the highest margin results in the league. Boys Union blamed the unexpected result to a pre-planned strategy of APF, which retained its top-tier status at the expense of Boys Union. Had the head-to-head system been used then, APF wouldn´t have been tempted to score so many goals, by fair means or by foul play, because the goal superiority would have counted for nothing. Although any outcome is possible in football, the result between relegation struggler APF and sixth place finishers Machhindra gave enough reasons to cast doubt if the result was fairly achieved. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51488 KATHMANDU, March 14: Bulls Indoor Sports Club is organizing Bulls 2nd Indoor Badminton Championship from March 20-23 with the view to producing new badminton players; it was informed during a press meet organized in the capital on Thursday. The event to be held on the premises of Bulls in Nakkhu, Lalitpur, will feature competitions in men´s singles and doubles, women´s singles and doubles, veteran mixed doubles, veteran double and super veteran, stated Krishna Pun, the president of the club. "Players holding the ranking below 16 as classified by Nepal Badminton Association will only eligible for competition in the event," stated Pun, adding, "The intention behind excluding top rated players is to contribute to production of new players."[break] The organizers have expected participation of more than 100 players in the championship. Top three finishers in men´s singles and doubles, women´s singles and doubles will be awarded with cash prizes of Rs 30,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 7,000 respectively. The expected cost of the event is Rs 1.2 million. Three Star-NRT match rescheduled for Friday KATHMANDU: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) postponed Thursday´s super league round match of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League scheduled to be held between leader Three Star Club and New Road Team (NRT) owing to technical reasons. According to ANFA sources, the match was postponed due to Nepal Banda called by some political parties effective from 12:00 NST to 17:00 NST Thursday. "The match will be played on Friday at 15:30 NST if the situation remains normal otherwise it will be conducted at 17:30 NST under floodlights," a press release issued by ANFA on Thursday stated. After the completion of the 17th round, Three Star leads the points table with 38 points, six points ahead of second placed MMC. NRT is in the fourth place with 29 points. Lumbini Karate kicks off KATHMANDU: Ishwari Thapa of the Armed Police Force (APF) reached the quarterfinals of the women´s 45 kg weight category as the 39th National Lumbini Karate Championship kicked off in Rupandehi on Thursday. Thapa beat Anusha Bista of Sagarmatha zone to reach the last eight. Likewise, Arun Kunwar of Seti, Chandra Khadka of University Sports Association Nepal and Sanam Lama of Nepal Police reached the quarterfinals of the men´s 50 kg weight category. National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama inaugurated the tournament, participated by 399 players from 14 zones and three departmental clubs -- Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51500 ROME, March 14: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona says the fabled "hand of God" was at work once more in delivering the papacy to his country. "What joy," Maradona wrote to Italian daily Il Messaggero. "In my country the ´hand of God´ has now brought about an Argentine pope."[break] Maradona, whose handball goal helped Argentina to beat England and pave the way to World Cup glory in 1986, described himself as a "fervent Catholic". "Having a pope from our country is a great honour for all of Argentina," he wrote in the letter published Thursday. Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Latin American pontiff, defied expert predictions with his election Wednesday, becoming Pope Francis. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51498 KATHMANDU, March 14: Among South Asian countries Nepal holds better position only than Bhutan in the FIFA rankings published for the month of March on Thursday. Nepal dropped one spot below in the rankings and lies in 175th position, two behind Sri Lanka which leapfrogged 20 spots up. Bhutan, the only other nation behind Nepal lies in 207th position. [break] Afghanistan made a giant stride in the table to lead rankings among South Asian country. Afghanistan elevated 48 spots up to occupy 141st position, two ahead of second placed India that moved 24 spots up. Bangladesh climbed 12 spots up to 157th position while Maldives is in 161st position and Pakistan 171 position. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51444 KATHMANDU, March 14: Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) defeated Nepal Army Club 1-0 in the super league second round match of Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Wednesday to strengthen its bid for the title and close the gap on leader Three Star Club to six points. Skipper Anil Gurung scored the all-important goal early in the sixth minute to hand the departmental team its second defeat in as many matches of the super league. Gurung was sent off in the 64th minute for a second bookable offense.[break] The win, MMC´s second in the super league, left the team unchanged in the second position with 32 points, six behind leader Three Star Club. Meanwhile, Army, which had started its super league campaign as a title contender in the second place, dropped one spot to seventh with 28 points. MMC dominated the show until its skipper Gurung was sent off and created as many as half-a-dozen attractive chances. Gurung used his hand to score from the area prompting referee Laba Khatri to slap on him a second yellow card. He was earlier booked in the 33rd minute. "Gurung´s use of hand in the danger zone was a blunder," MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang said during the post-match conference, adding that his absence will impact the team´s next match against Friends. Lopsang, however, expressed happiness at the three points earned by his team. MMC vs Nepal Army Club. (Photo: Dipesh Shrestha) "I had hoped for an easy victory but we came under pressure during the later stage of the match due to our own mistakes," opined Lopsang. MMC´s African forward Fils Sergio Chico wasted as many as three clear scoring chances. In the very first minute Chico´s free strike from the six-yard box sailed inches above the bar. In the 31st minute, the African fired wide in a one-on-one with custodian Ganga Ram Deuja after stealing the ball from Army skipper Ram Kumar Biswas. In the 59th minute, Chico again shot above the bar from close range after exchanging one-touch passes with Sabindra Shrestha. MMC squandered a chance to double the advantage in the fading moments as its substitute forward Ram Thapa, an injury time replacement for Chico, was denied in a one-on-one by custodina Deuja. Army could not create more than a couple of chances throughout the match and wasted a chance to level the score in the 83rd minute when Daimoj Dhimal was denied by custodian Emmanuel Dare in a one-on-one situation. Dhimal was set up by Tek Bahadur Budhathoki. "We conceded the goal before the team was set and the boys also failed to convert chances," Army´s assistant coach Babukaji Dhaubanjar said during the post-match conference. "The performance was better than the first match against Friends. We still have a chance to finish in the top three." Late goal secures Machhindra win In the day´s first match, a late goal from Bishal Rai A helped NMB Bank Machhindra Club defeat McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) 2-1 and climb three spots to third in the points table. Rai A scored the winner with a low strike from the arch of the danger zone in the 88th minute after collecting a pass from Karna Limbu. RCT custodian Prem Kumar Tamang could not prevent the goal despite getting his hands on the ball. Earlier, skipper Deepak Rai had put Machhindra ahead in the 29th minute. Rai, who was left unmarked, made an unstoppable header in a corner taken by Bishal Rai B. RCT squared the score in the 77th minute when forward Amar Dangol´s free header in Bijay Gurung´s cross entered the net after deflecting off the post. Following its second consecutive defeat in the super league, RCT is at the bottom of the table with 26 points while Machhindra leapfrogged to the third position with 30 points. Laxmi Nath Shrestha´s header in the 23rd minute for Machhindra was off target while RCT defender Krishna Kunwar´s clearance in the 62nd minute went out after hitting the bar. In the 38th minute, Ntolo Ngoumou´s shot for RCT from a crowded danger zone was punched to safety by custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar. The custodian later made a long stretched dive to deny Amar Dangol´s volley from the arch. Thursday´s Match Three Star Vs NRT Time: 15:30 NST http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51418 PARIS, March 13: Barcelona completed a remarkable comeback against AC Milan to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday, while Galatasaray eliminated Schalke. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Barcelona levelled the tie on aggregate thanks to two brilliant Lionel Messi strikes in the first half, before David Villa put them ahead in the tie early in the second period.[break] Jordi Alba then made sure of the Catalans´ place in the quarter-finals for the sixth season running when he secured a 4-0 win on the night. Meanwhile, Turkish giants Galatasaray beat Schalke 3-2 in Gelsenkirchen to advance 4-3 on aggregate and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001. No team had overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League without having the benefit of an away goal, so Barcelona´s task against Milan was an ominous one. But the Catalans chose the perfect moment to produce their best performance in a long time, even if they had to survive a nervy ending. They had the momentum from the moment Messi opened the scoring five minutes in, controlling and then instantly finishing brilliantly into the top corner from the edge of the area despite being surrounded by five Milan defenders. The near-95,000 crowd then had their hearts in their mouths when M´Baye Niang broke through at the other end only to see his shot rebound to safety off the far post. But, moments later, Messi smashed home his second through the legs of Philippe Mexes to level the tie on aggregate and take his overall tally in the Champions League to 58. Villa clinically converted the third goal 10 minutes into the second half, but the home side endured some nervy moments towards the end before the indefatigable Alba broke through to secure the win in stoppage time. It is the third time in eight seasons that Barcelona have knocked out Milan in the knockout stages of the competition. "We believed from the first moment, from the moment the first leg finished," Villa told Spanish television TVE after the game. "We were switched on right from the start. The early goal helped us, but we went looking for it straight from kick-off." Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted: "The pressure that Barcelona put us under in the first half-hour was devastating. "We created chances but couldn´t finish them. Barca remain the best team in the world, with great players, players like Messi and Iniesta who can dribble past any defenders easily." Schalke´s 1-1 draw in the first leg in Istanbul meant the Bundesliga side had a slight advantage going into the return in Germany and they took the lead on the night 17 minutes in when Roman Neustaedter netted from close range. But the Turks turned the tie on its head before the interval, with Hamit Altintop striking from long range against his former club before Burak Yilmaz pounced on poor defending to net another five minutes later. Remarkably, Yilmaz has now scored eight goals in eight Champions League games this season, making him the competition´s leading scorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Schalke now needed two without reply to go through, and they got one just after the hour when Michel Bastos netted after a Marco Hoeger shot had hit the bar, causing chaos in the visitors´ defence. But the Galatasaray defence held firm, before substitute Umut Bulut made sure of their progress at the death, sparking wild celebrations among the huge visiting support. "We played very well in the first half this evening," said Altintop. "In the second half Schalke tried to put pressure on us and created a few important chances to score, but that is normal. Eventually, we got what we needed. I hope we get a good draw on Friday." Barcelona and Galatasaray join Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in Friday´s last-eight draw. The final two names in the hat will be decided on Wednesday, when Bayern Munich face Arsenal and Malaga host Porto. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51417 INDIAN WELLS, California, March 13:  Maria Sharapova stepped it up when she had to on Tuesday to set up an Indian Wells quarter-final clash with Sara Errani, a rematch of last year´s French Open final. Russia´s Sharapova defeated Errani in straight sets in the championship match at Roland Garros to complete a career Grand Slam. The Russian star, who won Indian Wells in 2006 and finished runner-up last year to Victoria Azarenka, started slowly against Spain´s Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino but turned up the heat to win 7-5, 6-0. Sharapova dropped her first service game to hand the Spaniard a 2-0 lead. She then broke Arruabarrena-Vecino twice, but was broken again before winning the last three games of the opening set. From there she never looked back. "I just didn´t get a good rhythm on her game from the beginning," Sharapova said. "I think maybe I was going for the lines a little bit more than I had to, especially in the first few games when you don´t know too much about your opponent or haven´t played her. "I thought towards the end of the first and beginning of the second set I really stepped it up, was being more aggressive and really gave myself a better margin than I did throughout the first set." Sharapova delivered a stellar serving display in the second set, firing four of her five aces and never facing a break point. Errani, who won the women´s clay-court title in Acapulco in the build-up to Indian Wells, advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over ninth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France. "I think one of her biggest keys is her consistency and her ability to make her opponent play," Sharapova said of Errani. "She doesn´t make many mistakes. You´ve really got to win the match out there." Top-seeded Azarenka also advanced, shrugging off a sore ankle to beat Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-1. Azarenka remained unbeaten in a 2013 season that has included an Australian Open triumph and a WTA title at Doha. But the win over Radwanska, ranked 37th in the world, was tougher than the scoreline might suggest. "I think it was pretty obvious that I wasn´t feeling that well," said Azarenka, who had three double faults in dropping her serve in the fourth game of the opening set. "My ankle was bothering me. It has been bothering me for a while, so it hasn´t been really getting better. "But on the bright side, I won the match," added Azarenka, who next faces eighth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Wozniacki, the 2011 Indian Wells winner, beat Russian Nadia Petrova 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Russian Maria Kirilenko upset third seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. Kirilenko, seeking a second title of 2013 after her triumph in Pattaya City, will play former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the fifth seed, who beat Klara Zakapalova 6-2, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany and Aussie Samantha Stosur complete the quarter-final line-up. Kerber defeated Spanish qualifier Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 7-5 and Stosur downed Germany´s Mona Barthel 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51409 BIRATNAGAR, March 12: CMG Club Sankata lifted its first title in 12 years defeating Nepal APF Club 1-0 in the final of Rumpum Birat Gold Cup Invitational Football Tournament in Biratnagar on Tuesday. Sankata had lifted its last title in 2057 BS winning the Lifan Cup. Sankata´s African recruit Aba Norbert Cedric scored the winner in the 74th minute. APF goalkeeper Samit Rajbhandari punched a shot from Ibrahim and also denied Sudip Limbu´s attempt in the rebound, but Cedric ultimately sent the ball home to upset APF.[break] APF tried to bounce back but could not get past Sankata´s stubborn defense. Earlier, Sankata had a chance to take an early lead in the 18th minute but Ritan Shrestha´s shot rebounded off the woodwork. Sudip Limbu attempted a shot in the rebound but it went wide. With the win, Sankata exacted its revenge on APF, which had defeated it in the quarterfinals of the Simara Gold Cup last month. Sankata received Rs 325,000 along with the trophy while runner-up APF bagged Rs 150,000. Sankata goalkeeper Ando Pier was adjudged the man-of-the-final and received Rs 5,000. APF striker Ganesh Lawati was adjudged the best player of the tournament. Lawati received a Honda Dreams motorcycle and Rs 25,000. Lawati, who was also the highest scorer of the tournament, received additional Rs 25,000. During the closing ceremony of the tournament organized by Birat Gold Cup Trust, referees Madhusudan Khanal and Kiran Giri were felicitated for their contribution. Nepali women´s team captain Jamuna Gurung, who hails from Morang, was also awarded with Rs 50,000 and a letter of appreciation on the occasion. http://myrepubl