The Razdan Report: ACC Women's Tournament tour diary part 3

LB Chhetri captained Nepal in 1998 and hung up his boots in 2000 when he was offered a position as programming manager by the United Nations Development Programme. The job entailed a lot of travel into rural parts of the country so he no longer had the time needed to play at a high level. However, although he is not playing any more he is still heavily involved in the game, which he describes as "a passion and an obsession".

Along his travels, he noticed that the women he met in rural parts of Nepal were somewhat socially backward and he wondered if the game of cricket could push their cause and give them more confidence on a broader level. He thought a lot about starting up a women's cricket programme but anyone he asked about it scoffed at him.

Being a determined sort of man, in 2004 he approached some people at Plan International Organisation, an NGO, and told them that he had a project that could further their cause.

"Luckily, the director Minty Prabha Pandey (who is Indian) thought women's cricket was a great innovation and she gave me NPR 237,000 for my project which I called 'School Reach'," said Chhetri.

"We directed the project at all schools at the district and regional level. We hired national players to visit the school and conduct a three-day camp. There they engaged in interactive sessions along with sports and physical instructors who we also made part of the camp," he said.

"An evaluation and supervision team was formed and we went to remote areas. Our hard work paid off and 33 schools came forward to include cricket in their plans for girls' physical education. There was a danger that the boys would make fun of the girls during practise sessions so the schools decided to conduct the training sessions when the boys were in classes.

"Some parents were worried that their girls would be injured playing the game and then who would want to marry them! But they soon came around when they saw how much fun the girls were having and how it benefited them socially and in their health.

The first inter-school girls' cricket competition was played in 2005 using tennis balls and 15 schools participated in the tournament. The following year there were 43 schools.

Chhetri is now a committee member of the Nepal Cricket Board and ultimately a small amount was granted for women's cricket. The regions were divided and regular tournaments are now played. At an event late last year, they discarded the tennis ball and for the first time the normal cricket ball was introduced. 23 players were selected from the 16 schools and the final 18 attended the 11-day camp before their departure for the ACC Women's Cricket Tournament.

"The most satisfying feeling was when the girls from the regions insisted on continuing to play despite the temperature reaching as high as 43 degrees. I was very happy and I cannot explain the feeling. Women's cricket had come to stay in Nepal," he said with a triumphant smile on his face.

The ACC has awarded LB Chhetri with its Women's Cricket Promotion and Development Award. He has also received an ICC global award for his commendable work in promoting women's cricket culture in Nepal. I think the world of cricket needs more LB Chhetris.