There's a new side in the TCL and they're hungry for a taste of the action.
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Comprising members of the North's Nepalese community, Launceston Nepali will play its first official match on Saturday in the TCL's A-reserve division.
The team is a result of two years' hard work and vice-president Sulabh Maskey couldn't be prouder of how far his group has come.
"We're very much excited and it's our pleasure and honour to be a part of the TCL family," Maskey said.
"Our main goal is to get to know each other and get to bring the community together, so it's a new experience and we're very excited."
Having regularly played matches against the North's Indian communities and a Hobart-based Nepalese outfit, the group approached the TCL for the first time last year.
The arrival of sponsors and a registration day helped bring new players on board, and the TCL was as eager to admit them to the competition as the Exeter Show Society was to have them share facilities with Exeter Cricket Club.
After ex-Mowbray all-rounder Sagar Chhetri and Anish Chamling starred in a practice match with Exeter last weekend, Nepali will get their season under way at Longford on Saturday.
"We're working really hard, we're doing practice every day," Maskey said.
"We've heard the Longford team is a very good team in Launceston, we're looking forward to playing with them.
"I believe it's going to be a friendly match and we're going to learn new things."
TCL president Darrell Whyte was only too happy to welcome a new side to the competition following a pre-season where two clubs were forced to drop back from premier league.
"We're really pleased, they came to us last year and I think they've had a few new members this year," Whyte said.
"We did lose Bridgenorth a couple of years ago so it brings us back up to 16 [teams] which will be good."
Chhetri, who was named player of the series at the inaugural Expert Aus-Nepal Cup earlier this year, has been named captain and coach of the side, with Bijay Upadhyay his deputy.
Saturday's clash with Longford starts at 12 noon.
LNCC XI
- Vipul Pandey, Bijay Upadhyay, Pramit Khadka, Sudip Raj, Jay Chand, Sagar Chhetri, Aneel Dhakal, Potion Koirala, Roshan Dallakoti, Anish Chamling, Aditya Singh
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