RIYADH, 16 March 2007 — The Arab News Cup that concluded in Riyadh last week sent out two powerful messages to the people. First, it reflected an abiding interest in the game across the broad spectrum of the expatriate community from the sub-continent. Second, it showed that even the women have got into the spirit of the game and can cheer up the players with their presence.
The tournament this year attracted a lot of attention from schools, some of which have requested the Riyadh Cricket Association to conduct the event at least twice a year. The RCA management has indicated that that it would try to organize as many youth matches as possible.
Some of the budding stars who stole the show have been approached by many of the RCA league teams. This is an encouraging sign as these youngsters will get more exposure and also a lot of tips from the veterans of RCA.
The young players showed a strong commitment and sportsmanship spirit as they fought courageously to clinch each match. There was never a moment when the rules were flouted or breached under any pretext. The players also demonstrated a high level of discipline and professional conduct. “For this, RCA thanks and appreciates the management of all schools including their sports teachers,” Abdul Qadir Mirza, president of RCA, told Arab News.
He said there has not been a single incident during the last 12 years of the cricket tournaments. “All the players and enthusiasts from the four cricketing nations of the sub-continent have displayed a high degree of discipline and conduct. Even the presence of a large number of women in a separate tent has not disturbed the tranquility of the atmosphere on the field. This aspect has been noticed even by the police authorities who have commended the maintenance of law and order on the grounds.”
Mirza said RCA would also like to have young blood in its teams so as to enhance their exposure to the game at the highest professional level. In this regard, RCA is playing matches every year with associations from other regions of the Kingdom participating in the Inter-City matches.
RCA is also planning to send a youth team from the Riyadh region to England so that they can shape up under different playing conditions. The cricket season, incidentally commences in England during May. This trip will be one more feather in the RCA’s cap, according to Mirza.
The organizers point out that the string of successes scored by RCA has definitely given a big boost to RCA, which hopes to increase next year the number and scale of tournaments not only from Riyadh City but also from the surrounding areas of the capital.
The RCA president has paid tributes to Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), to which Arab News belongs, for its pivotal role in contributing to the success of the game. He said Arab News has always been in the forefront in giving full support in terms of media exposure. “This has had a tonic effect on our players who got the much-needed encouragement and motivation to outperform themselves. When young players see their names or photographs in the newspaper, they feel inspired. And this is exactly what has prompted the players to lift their game beyond their potential.”
For the last twelve weeks, according to Mirza, every Thursday brought in dozens of families to the Riyadh Cricket Association (RCA) grounds at Sulay area, exit 18. These families came in from far and near to cheer their kids or friend’s kids who were competing in the Arab News Cup for the Inter-School Cricket in Riyadh. The tournament was sponsored by the Arab News and organized by the Riyadh Cricket Association.
The RCA grounds had a carnival atmosphere as both the friends and well-wishers of the players cheered them wildly, blew whistles for their favorite teams, clapped and sounded horns. In fact, anything to make their presence felt.
A total of 14 teams vied for the AN Cup. RCA launched the preparations in November last year, when it presented the schools with a whole package of the tournament, including the rules of the fixtures, score sheets, players’ registration forms and the team registration forms. The management of all schools also pitched in with their own contribution to the success of this tournament. Not to be left behind, even the teachers kept a close watch on the schoolchildren, thus extending the discipline of the classroom to the playing fields.
A total of 14 teams participated in the Arab News Cup, which brought forth a lot of exciting performances from the players of different schools and nationalities. During the run-up to the finals, the schools’ players would assemble on the ground an hour earlier and play in a competitive environment with other schools. The fans brought the flags of their respective schools on the ground and could be seen waving enthusiastically whenever their team was victorious.
This year, the main slogan for the RCA was “Youth, Discipline and Competitiveness” in line with RCA’s strategy to turn the spotlight on the youth this year. The Arab News Cup was part of that grand design to involve the youth so that their energies could be harnessed into productive channels to boost their level of competitiveness in true sporting spirit.
Among the players who impressed in this year’s Arab News Cup, mention may be made of Mohsin Baksh a Saudi national. Mohsin is from Manarat Al Riyadh School and one of the many Saudi nationals taking part in this competition. He created history this year as he achieved the distinction of registering not one but two hat tricks.
His bowling throughout the tournament enabled the Manarat School to reach the finals in under-19 category. Rizwan Manzoor of Pakistan International School (Naseriya) also was one of the brightest stars of the tournament with his sterling all-round performance throughout the tourney. Sameer Lodhi (Manarat), Hassan Javed (Jawaher Al Riyadh), Mohammad Rasheed (Sri Lankan International School), Saurabh (International Indian School Riyadh), Opu (Bangladesh International School) and Omar (Delhi Public school) also gave a good account of themselves and left a mark on the tournament.
