Samakhushi advance

KATHMANDU: Pradip Shrestha sco-red twice as Samakhushi Youth Club beat Cannon Club 3-0 in the opening match of the Martyrs’ Memorial ‘C’ Division League Football Tournament. In the other match, Ram Kamal scored a hat-trick as Samajik Club thrashed Yellow Star Club 6-1. — HNS

Sportspersons feted

KATHMANDU: J S Research and Technology Pvt Ltd honoured sch-ools, Basketball and Table Tennis officials and coaches and journalists amid a function today. B N Sharma, vice president of PABSON, felicitated Gyanodaya, CPS, Shuvatara, Campion, Bal Dikshya, Lyceum, RIBS, LA and Bhanubhakta schools. Helga Rana Rayamajhi, Krishna Maharjan, Narendra Thapa, Anmol Rai, Niranjan Satyal, Abhisekh Basnet of Basketball and CN Baidya, Ramesh Raj Joshi, Shankar Gautam, Sushil Kumar Poudyal, Rajendra Kapali of TT were feted. Likewise, NSJF president Niranjan Rajbansi, treasurer of FNJ and NSJF general secretary Hemanta Kafle, and sports journalists Bhaskar Gyawali, Tapas Thapa and Kripa Sharma were also honoured. — HNS

Eknath Solkar dead

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Eknath Solkar — known for his outstanding close-in fielding — died after a cardiac arrest on Sunday. Solkar, 57, who played 27 Tests in the late 1960s and early 70s as a left-handed all-rounder, helped the famed spin quartet of the era rout opposing teams with his support in the field. Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar and Srinivas Venkatraghavan always had Solkar fielding close to the bat, most often at short-leg or forward short-leg. — AFP