Rising Cricket Women (RCW) ended Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) Club’s domination in Nepal’s domestic women’s cricket edging the departmental side by 16 runs in the final of the Attariya Cup Women’s Twenty20 here on Tuesday. 

RCW, however, needed their Indian recruit Pooja Nimavat’s all round display to win the highest cash prize women’s cricket tournament of the country so far. In the final at the APF cricket grounds, Nimavat laid the foundation with the bat leading RCW to 152-5 in 20 overs. 

She then returned to pick up four wickets as APF were restricted to 136-9 in 20 overs. The title triumph saw RCW collect a cash purse of Rs 200,000 and APF got Rs 100,000. 

Nimavat gave RCW a desired start after she and Bangladeshi Shahanaz Parveen combined for an opening wicket partnership of 69 runs inside 10 overs. Parveen was out for a run-a-ball 25 with three boundaries, while Nimavat top scored for RCW with a 38-ball 37 that included four hits to the fence. 

After the two openers were dismissed in a space of 16 runs, another Bangladeshi player Shampa Mukharjee chipped 23 from 18 balls hitting four boundaries before Sarita Magar removed her and Nilam Rajput (duck) in a space of three balls. RCW had fielded five foreign cricketers in the tournament.

Nary Thapa hit a six and a four in her nine-ball 13 before her dismissal reduced RCW to 118-5 in 16.1 overs. Shanti Khatiwada and skipper Aarati Bidari (13 not out) then helped the team cross 150-run mark collecting 34 runs from the last 23 balls. Khatiwada contributed 21 from 14 with three fours. Magar (3-29) and Karuna Bhandari (2-24) were  APF wicket takers. 

APF lost their opener Indu Barma (three) - promoted up the order - with 18 runs on the board. Magar then made a run-a-ball 21 with two fours before losing her wicket to Nimavat. With opener Jyoti Pandey anchoring the innings from the other end, Bhandari made some quick runs making 24 from 20 with five fours as APF were right on track for the chase. 

Nimavat, however, dealt a decisive blow running out opener Pandey in the 17th over as APF innings began to crumble at crucial moment 

of the game. Nimavat unsettled the middle order with three more wickets as APF fail agonisingly short. Pandey top scored in the game with 48 from 42 balls with five boundaries. 

Nimavat returned the figures of 4-17 from four overs, while Parveen and Kriti Sen also had one scalp apiece. Nimavat was later adjudged the player-of-the-series for making 107 runs and picking up 11 wickets in the tournament. The honour won her a cash purse of Rs 25,000. 

APF’s Pandey and Magar were adjudged the best batswoman and bowler respectively. Mukharjee walked away with the best wicketkeeper award. All three individuals got Rs 10,000 apiece. The tournament was organised by United Attariya Sports Club.

Summary

Rising Cricket Women 152-5 in 20 overs (P Nimavat 37, S Parveen 25; S Magar 3-29, K Bhandari 2-24) beat Nepal APF Club 136-9 in 20 overs (J Pandey 48, K Bhandari 24; P Nimavat 4-17, S Parveen 1-17) by 16 runs

Player-of-the-match: P Nimavat

Player-of-the-series: P Nimavat