Kathmandu, January 19

Himalayan Cricket Academy (HCA) and Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) advanced to the final of the Pran Litchi Drinks National Inter-Club Youth Cricket Championship here at TU Stadium on Tuesday.

Himalayan defeated Great Himalayan Cricket Academy (GHCA) by 33 runs, while TAC edged past Baluwatar Cricket Club (BCC) by seven runs. The final is slated for Wednesday.

In the first semi-final match, Himalayan scored 162-3 in 20 overs and restricted GHCA for 129-9 in 20 overs. Amar Singh Rautela remained unbeaten on 46 off 21 balls with three fours and four sixes, while opener Santosh Bhatta made 36 off 28 balls that included six fours for Himalayan. For GHCA, Prakash Bista, Ashish Pokhrel and Subham Agrawal claimed a wicket each.

In reply, Himalayan bowlers not only checked the runs but also claimed wickets at regular intervals. Pradeep Tandan and Rakesh Karn were the top scorer for GHCA with 31 runs each. Bhuwan Karki was the pick of the HCA bowlers with three wickets.

In another semi-final, TAC scored 118-6 in 20 overs and packed Baluwatar for 111 runs in 19.4 overs. Rajesh Pulami top scored for TAC with 31 off 30 balls. Ritesh Singh claimed two wickets for Baluwatar.

In reply, Sharad Vesawakar’s 5-15 in 3.4 overs helped TAC defend the total with two balls to spare. Rabin Joshi top scored for Baluwatar with 25 off 36 balls, while Bijay Gautam made 22 off 27 balls.