Himachal Pradesh maintained its winning spree, defeating hosts Jharkhand by 22 runs on the final day of the four-day Plate division Group A Ranji Trophy match at Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur on Saturday.

Jharkhand, who scored 218 in their first innings in reply to Himachal's 275, could manage only 155 in their second essay after bundling out the visitors for 120 in the second innings.

Resuming at 110 for six, the overnight unbeaten pair of skipper Sumit Panda and Santosh Lal could not face the onslaught from left-hand medium pacer Ashok Thakur for long under overcast conditions even when the hosts needed only 68 runs for a win this morning.

Panda, who was batting at 11 overnight, could add only four runs before he edged a catch behind the wicket off Thakur for 15.

Lal, who resumed at a well-made 32, followed him to the pavilion after just eight deliveries and adding six runs to his overnight score when he was bowled by Thakur.

The Panda-Lal pair fetched 55 runs, the highest stand for the innings, for the seventh wicket as Jharkhand was reduced to 142 for nine at lunch.

Mihir Diwakar (19, 3x4) and S S Rao (14) resisted the Himachal attack for some time and fetched 35 runs for the last wicket before Thakur teased Rao to play an outgoing delivery only to see the ball land in the hands of the wicketkeeper.

While Himachal Pradesh, which has won five matches in a row to cull 20 points, qualified for the knock-out stage, Jharkhand also made it to the next round despite the loss today as they finished with 11 points from five matches.

Ranji Trophy 2004-05: COMPLETE COVERAGE