National captain Rubina Chhetry-led Province 1 beat Lumbini Province by nine runs to register its second victory in a row in the Prime Minister Cup National Twenty20 women’s cricket tournament in Itahari on Monday.

Opting to bat first, Province 1 scored 59-4 in a game reduced to nine-overs per side due to low visibility caused by fog. Then they restricted Lumbini to 50-7 at Janata Cricket Park, despite a 31 run knock by Laxmi Chaudhary.

The win puts Province 1 on top of the standings with four points from two matches, while Lumbini are placed second on two points from as many games.

Lumbini openers Kajal Shrestha scored 21 runs off 18 that included four hits to the boundary, while skipper Chhetry played a quickfire 13-ball 17 before she got run out. Chhetry hit two fours and Shrestha was trapped leg before by Saraswati Pun. Apsari Begam was the other major contributor for Province 1, scoring 12 runs off 14 balls.

Lumbini bowlers Kritika Marasini, Saraswati Pun and Bivasana BC claimed one wicket each.

Wicketkeeper batter and opener Laxmi Chaudhary led Lumbini’s run chase slamming four boundaries and a six in her 17-ball knock. She, however, did not get support from the other end and was bowled by Sangita Rai in the sixth over with 44-3 on the scoreboard.

Lumbini’s hope of beating the Chhetry-led side evaporated after other batters fell cheaply. Saraswati Ganga Magar was the second-best scorer for the team, managing just six runs.

Province 1 bowler Sangita Rai, named player-of-the-match, grabbed three wickets in her two-over spell, giving away four runs. Chhetry, Sabnam Rai and Jyoti Danwar shared a wicket each.

Sudurpaschim open with win

Sudurpaschim Province thumped Gandaki Province by nine wickets in the late fixture to make a winning start in the tournament.

Electing to bat first, Gandaki managed to score a meagre total of 60-9 in the allotted 20-overs after a poor batting show. Chasing the target, Sudurpaschim had a cakewalk after captain Bindu Rawal slammed an unbeaten 46 as they made 63-1 in 11 overs.

Gandaki’s Seemana KC was the only player to touch the double digit score. She made 13 runs off 31 balls and was bowled by Manisha Chaudhary. Captain Shristhi Jaisi was the next best scorer, contributing nine runs.

Sudurpaschim bowler Manisha Chaudhary returned with figures of 4-1-14-4 while Ishwori Bist and Sneha Mahara took a wicket each.

Sudurpaschim captain Rawal shone in the run chase, hitting four fours in her unbeaten knock off 43 balls. Shova Rokaya was not out on eight runs.

At the end of the game, Sudurpaschim earned two points while Gandaki scored zero points.