DUBAI: The inaugural Shuttle Time Dubai Badminton Club Championships are reaching a thrilling climax, with the Group B title winners crowned and the finalists in Group A decided in an exciting day of action at Dubai Sports World last Friday.

Group B minor premiers Badeemonz headed into the finals opposite Arab Badminton Club having won all their previous three round robin matches. Arab Badminton Club had recovered from a first round loss to Badeemonz to take the next two rounds and earn a place in the finals.

Arab Badminton Club proved it had learned from its earlier defeat and proved a force to be reckoned with, defeating Badeemonz 3-2 in a gripping encounter, taking the Group B title much to the delight of the club’s vocal and enthusiastic supporters.

The Group A semifinals action was no less exciting, with the undefeated Professional Sports Academy up against the Shuttle Shooters in the first semifinal. Both teams boasted several highly experienced and very popular players, guaranteeing a great match for the fans. In a nail-biting contest Shuttle Shooters took a surprising 3-2 victory over the fancied Professional Sports Academy and advanced to the final this Friday.

In the other Group A semifinal, India Club, also undefeated in the first three rounds, met Team Victor, whose star player Indonesian born Heri Setiawan is one of the most acclaimed players of the region and a member of the Bahrain national team. Despite India Club fielding teams with top rated UAE players in most categories, Setiawan proved the difference, helping Team Victor to a gripping 3-2 win. Team Victor will now meet Shuttle Shooters in the final at 5 p.m. Friday at Dubai Sports World. Badminton fans are invited to come and enjoy what promises to be a fantastic final.

The 120 players from 12 teams have fought it out over the last three weeks for a shot at the inaugural Club Championships title. The teams have played off in two groups, with two pools of four teams in Group A and one pool of four teams in Group B competing in five categories namely Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Boy’s/Women’s Doubles and Masters Doubles (40 and above).

Shuttle Time Dubai is an innovative, engaging and inclusive development program which aims to encourage participation in badminton across the community. In addition to the Club Championships, Shuttle Time is being implemented through a range of programs and activities including teacher training and coaching development programs; Schools Championships and the provision of free courts at Dubai Sports World. The Shuttle Time Dubai program is being implemented as part of the arrangement between the BWF and Dubai Sports Council, the pinnacle of which is the hosting of the Dubai World Superseries Finals in Dubai each December from 2014-2017.

With the grassroots program flourishing in Dubai, interest in the season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals is building as the world’s best players race to qualify for one of the most prestigious titles on the badminton calendar. Only the top eight ranked players in each category will qualify to battle it out for their share of the $1million prize pool, and after a thrilling event last year, this year’s World Superseries Finals Dec. 9 to 13 at the Hamdan Sports Complex promises to be even more exciting with qualification points for the 2016 Olympic Games also on the line.

Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae, and for further information visit the Facebook page Dubai World Superseries Finals.