Armed Police Force defeated Nepal Police Club by eight wickets and Tribhuvan Army Club hammered Bagmati Province by nine wickets in their first match of the Jay Trophy on Saturday.

Top four teams of the previous edition of the Men’s PM Cup are competing in the multi-day cricket tournament.

By the end of the first day, Police were trailing by 24 runs against Army, which had declared at 234/9 while chasing Police’s score of 187/8. Bhim Sharki was the highlight of the opening day of Jay Trophy with a century for Army, which was only the second in two editions of the Jay Trophy.

And while Sharki’s century showed that batters were going to have their moment, bowlers rose to the limelight on the second day.

While Police could manage 187 in the first inning at the TU International Cricket Stadium, they were bundled out at 88 in 38.2 overs in the second inning.

Kushal Bhurtel (48 off 99) scored more than half of the total score for Police in the second inning. None of the other Police batters reached individual double figures on Saturday.

Bhurtel, who was batting at 12 off 16 before the umpires called for Stumps on Friday, was the sixth wicket to fall for Police, which were then at 82. Police then lost four of the remaining wickets for six runs.

Kushal Malla was the hero for Army in the second inning. While Malla bowled only one over in the first inning, he got four overs in the second inning. On Saturday, Malla bagged the wicket of Bhurtel alongside Rashid Khan and Sarwan Yadav during his four overs, in which he bowled a maiden over and gave away only five runs.

Basir Ahamad, meanwhile, was the highest wicket taker for Army as he picked four. Similarly, Shahab Alam took two and Aakash Chand claimed one.

After a low total by Police in the second inning, Army required only 42 runs to win. And it was scored solely by Malla, who opened the second inning.

At 39/1 after losing Imran Sheikh (1 off 6), Malla, who stayed not out at 42 off 24 studded by six fours and two sixes, hit a four in the first ball of the sixth over by Sagar Dhakal, who had a six-wicket haul on Day 1, to complete the chase before Lunch. Bhim Sharki, who had come in at two, did not need to face any delivery.

Sharki was the player of the match for his century on Day 1.

On the other hand, Bagmati were trailing by 24 runs when they resumed play on Saturday in the other match of Jay Trophy at Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.

There was not much time remaining when APF were bundled out at 249 in 49.2 overs after Bagmati declared at 207/9 on Day 1. Bagmati had sent bowler Surya Tamang to open at the ending moments of Friday, and he departed at 1 off 14 leading the match officials to declare Stumps with the only provincial team in the tournament at 1/1 in 3.2 overs. Bagmati were then trailing by 32 runs.

On Day 2, Bagmati lost wickets quickly. If it was not for skipper Ishan Pandey’s 84 off 107, Bagmati could not have managed to score 168 by the time they were all out in 47.1 overs.

Irshad Ahmad was the hero with the ball for APF as he bagged a fifer against Bagmati in the second inning. Abhishesh Gautam and skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel also picked two each.

Requiring 137 runs to win, APF’s two of the most experienced players—Paudel and Aasif Sheikh—took the team to the win in 20.2 overs.

Both Paudel and Sheikh scored individual fifties. When Sheikh (59 off 59) departed, APF were at 128/2 in 19.1 overs. Paudel, on the other hand, stayed not out at 56 of 43 alongside Lokesh Bam (5 off 5) to complete the chase with eight wickets in hand.

For his two fifties in the two innings—87 off 113 not out on Day 1–alongside picking four wickets in total, Paudel was adjudged the player of the match.

After a day’s rest, two matches will begin on Monday with Bagmati facing Army at Mulpani and APF coming up against Police at the home of Nepali cricket.