New Horizon Cricket Club of Butwal and Makwanpur Cricket Club (MCC) of Hetauda won their respective matches of the first Ruslan Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament on Wednesday.

While New Horizon hammered Birat Cricket Society of Biratnagar by nine wickets, MCC edged Nachhetra Cricket Club of Hetauda by two runs. The victories saw the winners qualify for the quarter-finals. 

A four-wicket haul from spinner Susan Bhari helped New Horizon bundle out Birat for just 38 runs in 13.1 overs. New Horizon lost opener Sandeep Sunar in their chase before reaching 39-1 in 5.2 overs. Sunar top scored with 18 off 15, the U-19 opener hit three boundaries. 

Karan KC picked up the only wicket to fall. Earlier, Dhiraj Shahi (3-6) and Devendra Somare (2-10) wreaked havoc in Birat top order before Bhari demolished the middle and lower middle order. Five Birat batsmen were out without opening their account. 

Man-of-the-match Bhari returned the figures of 4-11 from four overs. Manoj Mandel (15) was the leading scorer for Birat hitting a six and a four in 18 balls.

In the first match of the day, MCC made 130-8 in 20 overs and restricted Nachhetra to 128-8. Bishal Mandal was the match winner for MCC removing hard-hitting No 8 batsman Nabin Thapa who was taking away the game with an 11-ball 18 that included two fours and a six. 

No 4 Rabin Chand was unbeaten on 31 off 39 with two fours and a six. Rajesh Rimal (18), Hari Shankar Sah (15), Naresh Rawal (13 not out) and Sharad Khadka (12) were other Nacchetra batsmen to make runs in double figures. Ram Naresh Giri also picked up two wickets for MCC. 

Earlier, man-of-the-match Rabin Gurung lifted MCC to a competitive total, smashing a 23-ball 41 that included five boundaries and two sixes. Gurung put on  52-run partnership for the second wicket with Shahil Kansakar (19). Ramesh Luitel (16), Suman Sunar (15) and Mani Raj Poudel (11) also contributed valuable runs. Rajesh Rimal, Sharad Khadka and Nabin Thapa picked up two wickets each for Nachhetra.