Hosts Sudur Paschimanchal Academy (SPA) of Dhangadi rode on an allround display from Sharad Vesawkar to reach the quarter-finals with a 46-run victory over Jagannath HS School of Baitadi.

In a run-glut, Pentagon posted a mammoth 193-6 on the back of half centuries from Binod Bhandari and Rajesh Pulami Magar. Shrestha held firm in reply but after other batsmen failed to support the opener, Sunrise ended up making 177-5 in 20 overs.

Sunrise lost opener, their first match’s centurion Sunil Dhamala (15), with just 15 runs on the board before Shrestha began to rebuild their innings. Shrestha shared 60 runs for the fourth wicket with Hasim Ansari (21) and an unbeaten 34 with Bhim Sharki (19) but was unable to avert the defeat.

Shrestha finished unbeaten on 85 off 61 with seven sixes and six boundaries. Mehboob Alam picked up 2-26 for Pentagon. Karan KC, Chandra Saud and Rahul Kumar BK also took a wicket each.

Earlier, Sagar Pun scored 36 off 31 from Pentagon top order with four boundaries and two sixes. Bhandari kept firing in after his arrival and watched Anil Mandal (five) and Mehboob Alam (five) lose their wickets cheaply as Pentagon were reduced to 87-4 in 11.5 overs.

Magar then took over from Bhandari doing the bulk of scoring in their match-winning 106-run stand. Magar smashed 68 off just 28 balls with six sixes and five boundaries, losing his wicket in the last ball of their innings.

Bhandari was unbeaten on 56 off 37 with four boundaries and three sixes. Avinash Karn, Akhil Chaudhary,

Sunil Dhamala and Dinesh Agri picked up a wicket each for Sunrise.

In the last first round match of the tournament, which was reduced to 16-over-a-side, SPA made 152-4 with their top three batsmen contributing almost all the runs scored. Vesawkar, who had scored 25 with the bat, returned to take 4-29 from three overs to restrict Jagannath for 106-8. Opener Dipendra Chand top scored with a run-a-ball 29 for Jagannath with three fours and a six.

Rabindra Chand (18), Surendra Chand (15) and Kishor Waghela (13) were the other batsman to make runs in double figures. Dipendra Airee, Bikram Thagunna, Bhuwan Karki and Alpes Ramjani also grabbed a wicket each for SPA.

Opener Subash Khakurel anchored SPA innings with a 57-run first wicket stand with Subendu Pandey, who made 30 off 19 with three boundaries and two sixes. Khakurel added another 64 with Vesawkar. The national team middle order batsman hit three fours and a six in 21 balls.

Although other batsmen didn’t contribute big scores, Khakurel completed his half century and took SPA beyond 150-run mark. Khakurel remained unbeaten on 68 off 49 balls which included five boundaries and four sixes. Prashant Marku, Kishor Wagela, Kamal Airee and Basant Khatri claimed a wicket each for the losing side.