Shakya wins

LALITPUR: Jagat Raj Shakya won

the National Veteran (above 60) Chess Championship here on Saturday. On the last day, Shakya defeated Ratna Bahadur in the sixth round and beat Keshav Narayan Tamrakar in the next match to accumulate seven points. Sita Ram Agrawal came second with six points. Agrawal defeated Ashok Maharjan in the sixth round and Ratna Bahadur Tandukar in the seventh. Despite the loss, Tandukar finished third with five points. — HNS

Valley Public qualify

KATHMANDU: Valley Public and Mouth Glory qualified for the first Xavier International Inter-school National Basketball Tournament. In the Northern Zone selection tournament, Valley Public defeated Golden Peak 44-42, while Mount Glory routed TIA 55-23 to enter the final. Siyog Adhikari scored 18 for Valley Public, while Niraj Pariwar netted 14 for Mount Glory. — HNS

Ideal triumph

KATHMANDU: Ideal English School defeated Brain Land 15-4 in the inaugural match of the first Kwik’s Ideal Inter-school Basketball Tournament here on Saturday. Sumi Sherpa top-scored in the match with 12 points for the winners. In the other match, Samadin Bista scored 12 points as Valley Public beat Mahendra Bhavan School 32-16. — HNS

Akhtar ban reduced

LAHORE: An appellate tribunal of Pakistan Cricket Board reduced fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s ban from five years to 18 months and fined him $102,900, head of the tribunal said. “We have reduced the ban on Akhtar to 18 months,” retired judge Aftab Farrukh said. A disciplinary committee of the PCB had banned Akhtar for five years on April 1 on a number of disciplinary charges. On Saturday, Farrukh said the ban on Akhtar “starts from April 1 and ends on September 30 next year.” — AP