mysportsmysports

For the second straight year Nepali cricketers barely fell short of crowning themselves champions, following their narrow loss to Malaysia in the recently concluded ACC Under-16 Elite Cup cricket tournament held in Malaysia.   The Malaysians not only avenged their defeat in the league stage, but upset the heavily favored opposition by a wicket in a thrilling final to lift the trophy. The home team bowlers' performed magnificently to restrict Nepal to a paltry score. It was an exhibition of lethargic and shaky batting by the side that had totally dominated the proceedings prior to the final. Apparently it was a huge missed opportunity for Nepal to shine. By the way, this is the only ACC age group championship that has eluded us. The coach   sportingly contributed his side's   defeat   to inept batting and batters inability to commit themselves and succumbing to poor shots. Despite a decent start the batsmen failure to ...

National League champions Nepal Police Club’s debacle at the  recently concluded AFC President Cup qualifiers in Cambodia did not surprise me a bit. What I feared most transpired in the end. Personally I was hugely disappointed and felt somewhat let down. I seriously thought Nepal Police Club (NPC) stood a good chance to reach the final round, but that was not to be the case. There is no excuse for their lackadaisical and insipid   showing. As   a   matter of fact, they gave far less than their best, and I have to say they let a chance go by begging. The opener against Dordoi Dynamo was crucial, and they needed a decent start to be in contention. Contrary to expectations, the boys faltered and were a pale shadow of themselves this time. They were literally overwhelmed, outpaced and outplayed by a physically dominant opposition. The cops blew away the match by not sticking to the game plan and becoming   complacent   ...

Fresh off   the heels   of   British Gurkha Cup   success, National League champion Nepal Police Club   is looking to make an impression in the second round of the AFC President’s Cup qualifiers in Cambodia. They take on Dordoi Dynamo, Kyrgyzstan, Phnom Penh Crown FC, Cambodia and Yeedzin FC, Bhutan for a   place in the final round of the competition. This is Nepal Police Club’s (NPC) fifth appearance in the championship. Prior to this they represented   the country in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, and their best ever result was the runners up finish in 2007. Other than that, they have not had great success. They also represented Nepal in the Asian Cup Winners Cup and Asian Club Championship in 1998. Once more they are in the thick of action. The big question is can they pull it off this time? Granted that the opponents lack the name and recognition, but by no means are they pushovers. If they hope to m...

Whenever and wherever the national team participates in a major sporting event, expectations are always high back home. The team’s performance obviously becomes   the   subject of interest and intense debate as well. Speaking   of   performances and   accomplishments, there is a striking similarity between the national cricket team and the national football team of Nepal.  Going by the numbers, it would be fair to say that both teams have under- performed, over the years. As evidenced by the statistics, they have been very inconsistent and struggled mightily in international competitions. The story is one of despair. It is crystal clear that a combination of    increasing politicization of   association, pathetic  state of   infrastructure,  absence of grass roots level development, lack of adequate institutional support and planning, coupled  with  limited inter...

By   lifting the coveted Birat Gold Cup Football Championship, Himalayan Sherpa Club asserted itself as one of the best teams in the country. To the delight of the jam packed vociferous supporters, they sealed the deal by a solitary first half goal against African United Club. The final might have lacked spark and   thrill, but football goers enjoyed every minute of the action. For the Kathmandu based club it has been quite a season in terms of accomplishment. They have    participated    literally   in every major tournament   across the country in recent months. Studded with young and emerging stars the club has progressed   by leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time. Their success has come through sheer hard work, determination and personal sacrifice. The club might not have star power to boast of, but it does have a whole slew of   highly talented players with great potential....

A  tournament concludes  and  I get to write another  report card.  I reckon you are   vexed   and tired of browsing   through my so called observation at times. I acknowledge   sometimes my write-ups   get monotonous and predictable as a Hindi movie, and I am guilty of becoming repetitive in terms of addressing the issues related to domestic football. Trust me, my intentions are not   to   turn off readers   and   scribble words and sentences for the sake of it.  By and large, the issues I embrace are   strictly various   aspects of football, and I try my very best to put things in perspective. As   a   matter of fact, in the context of Nepali football   one is left with very few options when it comes to relevant   issues. You have no choice but attend to, even if it means picking the same talking points. ...

Football   season is in full swing in Nepal.  Despite the national team’s dismal record in international tournaments, there is no love lost for the world’s most popular sport in this part of the world. Football continues to thrive and draw incredible support   across the kingdom. More importantly football fans’ passion, zeal and enthusiasm for   the   sport   remain   intact. The community support for every   tournament   small or big has been crucial. Apparently, there   is   widespread   disillusionment   with the state   of   Nepali football, but   that   does not seem to have deterred young aspirants from playing the game. In recent   years    a bevy of highly talented players have   emerged but not all have been fortunate enough to get the breakthrough.  On the other hand, some...