The Netherlands closed out a comprehensive 7-wicket win over Nepal in the first of two World Cricket League Championship matches, skittling the visitors for 94 before knocking off the requisite runs inside 17 overs.

Pieter Seelaar's first match as Netherlands captain began auspiciously when the hots won a crucial toss, before the Dutch bowling unit vindicated the neophyte skipper's faith in them by bowling Nepal out for just 94 runs, Timm van der Gugten and Michael Rippon the stand-out performers with matching returns of 3-21, and Stephan Myburgh and Wesley Barresi ensured the Dutch would complete the chase inside 16.5 overs.

The chase did not go entirely smoothly, Michael Rippon slicing Karan KC to point early and Stephan Myburgh offering early chances, either to be dropped or caught off a no ball. Myburgh and Barresi would nonetheless  put on a brisk 57 run partnership, Barresi dominating the scoring as he hit 33 from just 24 balls before the lunch break.

Basant Regmi would clean Barresi up after the interval for 37, but it was not enough to prevent the inevitable. Ben Cooper would also perish trying to force the pace, but the result was never in doubt, the damage having been done in the morning.

Nepal's innings had started positively, With Anil Mandal and Gyanendra Malla taking 23 off the first 25 balls, but neither looked comfortable against the extra pace of Timm van der Gugten, who would remove Malla in the 5th over, playing the ball down into the stumps off the face of the bat.
Mandal and Sarad Vesawkar would press on for another 8 overs, but the introduction of spin brought rapid results as Roelof van der Merwe struck twice in two balls to remove Mandal for 20 and claim the crucial wicket of Paras Khadka as Nepal struttered to 38-3.  Vesawkar would dig in, batting through more than halfof the innings to compile a belaboured 14 from 71 balls before gloving Bukhari down the leg side.

By then three more wickets had already fallen, Michael Rippon's left arm wrist spin accouting for Sagar Pun and Bind Bandhari whilst Paul van Meekeren had Raju Rijal caught behind, likewise down leg. Seven down and still well short of triple figures, Nepal struggled past their total on Thursday against Netehrlands A, but would get little further. Van der Gugten struck twice in three balls to remove Kami and Karan KC, and Rippon wrapped things up with the first ball of the 39th, Nepal all out for 94, their lowest score in a completed first class innings.

The two sides meet again at the same ground on Monday