KATHMANDU: A 10-member Nepali chess team left for Rajasthan on Monday to participate in the first Lake City International FIDE Rating Chess Tournament slated for December 17-22. The team includes FIDE Master Manish Hamal along with Purushottam Chaulagain, Harish Chandra Chaulagain, Bikram Priye, Milan Rokka, Ram Surat Shah, Niraj Niraula, Jeevan Mainali, Birendra Kumar Mahato and Man Bahadur Gurung.The Rs 360,000 tournament will be played under the Swiss League Format in 10 rounds. The team is also scheduled to take part in the Bhimani FIDE Rating Chess Tournament slated for December 24-30 in Hariyana.

LALITPUR: Little Angels’ (LA) School and Dolphin advanced to the semi-finals of the fourth Fr Moran Memorial Invitational Inter-school Football Tournament here on Monday. In

the first quarter-final, Prashant Awasthi scored a hat-trick as LA eased past hosts St Xavier’s of Godavari 3-0. In the second, Dolphin saw off Puspanjali 2-1. Akash Magar scored both the goals for Dolphin while Biswas Bhandari replied for Puspanjali. Rejina Amoris will take on Machhapuchhre and Nepal Armed Police Force School will face St Xavier’s of Jawalakhel in the remaining quarter-finals on Tuesday.

POKHARA: A 19-member Nepali national handball team, currently under closed camp training for the upcoming 11th South Asian Games, left for Lucknow on Monday to play friendly matches. Among the players are Sandesh Regmi, Bishal Nepali, Bishal Basnet, Rajendra Hamal, Padam Bahadur Nepali (captain), Amar Shrestha, Tara Bahadur Thapa, Prakash Rawal, Dinesh Kumar Bista, Bishnu Raj Giri, Phool Dev Chaudhary, Kodi Lal Chaudhary, Dipak Singh Bohara, Bipin Bista, Bipin Chand, Jivan Bahadur Basnet and Prakash Singh Thakuri. Accompanying them to India were senior coach Jivan Basnet and manager Ram Krishna KC. The Nepali team will play friendly matches against the six local teams, informed the association. The squad will be reduced to final 14 after they return home. The 11th South Asian Games is slated for January 29 to February 9 next year in Dhaka.

KATHMANDU: Himalaya International Model School (HIMS) clinched the first Midland Inter-school Mini-boys Basketball Championship with a narrow 28-26 win over New Shrine on Monday. Jigme Norbu of HIMS and Ajay Sapkota of New Shrine contributed 12 points each. Ajay was declared the most valuable player of the tournament. Sky Lark ended up third. President of the Nepal Basketball Association Lama Tendi Sherpa gave away the prizes to the winners.