Experienced Yashwant Subedi played a captain’s knock hitting 42 runs with six fours as Region No 1 Biratnagar made a winning start in the Wai Wai Under-19 National Cricket Tournament here at the TU Cricket Ground.
Biratnagar defeated Region No 6 Baitadi by eight wickets in the first game of Group B. Besides Yashwant’s unbeaten knock, Ashish Lama got 31 off 37 balls as Biratnagar chased 120 runs in 26.4 overs.
Earlier, Baitadi decided to bat after winning the toss in the match reduced to 40-over an innings due to solar eclipse. Opener Deepak Budal (5) went quickly in the sixth over while his partner Dipendra Bhandari got 9.
No 3 Padam KC anchored the rest of the innings remaining unbeaten and hitting 43 runs in his two-hour long stay. He hit four boundaries in his 94-ball knock but was less supported at the other end.
With No 10 Rajendra Bom, he share a vital 36-run partnership. Big hitting Bom got three sixes in his 13-ball innings and scored 24. No other batsmen reached the double figure.
For Biratnagar, Chitra Bista, Ratan Rauniyar, Angel Acharya and Puspa Thapa each took two wickets while Yogesh Chapagain walked away with one.
Biratnagar’s reply was solid with Ashish and Pawan Das adding 50+ runs in 10 overs. Ashish went first caught by Padam off Bom. Pawan went soon scoring 16 in his 42-ball knock before Yashwant guided his team to victory with Laxman Shrestha who got 12 off 31 balls.
On Tuesday, Region No 2 Birgunj will play Baitadi.