splash hit!

The first outdoor Bahrain Water Volleyball Championship held at the Lost Paradise of Dilmun in Sakhir was a splashing success with Al Areen taking the top honours.

The tournament attracted teams representing several of the kingdom's top companies and was played over four weeks with the final and award ceremony taking place on Saturday.

Competition was fierce and the four group stages involved the Central Bank of Bahrain, Arcapita, Bahrain TV, Bahrain Saudi Bank, Geant, Kanoo Travel, Memac Ogilvy, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Menatelecom, Al Areen, American Mission Hospital and the new double act, Orbit / Showtime.

The final attracted more than 100 supporters who swarmed the Oasis pool to watch the Central Bank of Bahrain and Al Areen battle it out for glory.

In two full-action tussles Al Areen walked away with gold medals, special Splashdown passes to the attraction and held the contest trophy aloft after securing two straight victories 25-11 and 25-18.

Mohammed Qattan, 23, the winning team's captain from Nabi Saleh, said: "I think we played very well. Most of the team have played beach volleyball but playing in the water is different and much more difficult."

Paul Blunt, the water park's general manager, said: "The tournament was a huge success and everyone really enjoyed it.

"We noticed people started to play volley ball as soon as we placed a net in the pool and began to receive a lot of positive feedback about it.

"So this year we thought of introducing a corporate volleyball tournament and received tremendous feedback.

"We selected the first 12 companies for this year's tournament and although this was the first of its kind, it will definitely not be the last.

"We expect an even bigger competition next year with Al Areen returning as the defending champions."