An ‘exceptional’ performance

Bahrain’s netball coaches had nothing but high praise for their players’ exceptional performances in the 2014 Inter-Gulf Netball Championship and … they are already gunning for a win next year.

The Bahrain A team had to settle for fourth place as Dubai A were crowned champions at the biggest netballing tournament in the region staged last weekend at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club.

Former England netball player and president for the Netball South West Region in England, Gilly Salter, along with Sue Wainwright, a UK sports teacher, had flown into Bahrain for the weekend to coach the island’s netball enthusiasts.

Salter said: “I had been coaching here in Bahrain from 2007-2008 and I find that the squads are very committed with a loyal group of players who are extremely proud to represent Bahrain. They have a great work ethic and are open to new ideas and strategies.

“Bahrain has a much smaller netball community than the likes of Dubai and Abu Dhabi whose leagues attract many more teams and therefore have more strength and depth to select from.

“The fact that we competed at the semi-final stage shows how determined Bahrain was to contest at the highest level. They only lost out to Abu Dhabi A for third place by one goal. That is an amazing achievement.

“I am extremely proud of the Bahrain squads and the organising committee who made this event one of the best I have ever attended.” 

Mel Goosen, co-captain of Bahrain A team and who has played in the Inter-Gulf 18 times, was awarded Player of the Tournament by all of the umpires.
 
Goosen said: “I’m so excited to have won the award and I am proud of everyone on the team. We went out hard to win every game.

“Bahrain’s netball teams can hold their heads up high and be exceptionally proud of what has been achieved. I thought our team was amazing on the court and off. We tried our best and were a very united group. I can’t ask for more than that.

“As a member of the organisation committee I can say that a lot of people had to come together to make this event so successful. The Rugby Club is a fantastic venue and they worked with us tirelessly to pull it all together.

“The atmosphere was great and perhaps attracted the biggest Inter-Gulf attendance for many years. I hope the next tournament will be in Bahrain next year.”

Championships event manager, Helen Edwards, was thrilled. She said: “All of the teams had a brilliant weekend with a lot of netball played. Running a tournament of this size involves a lot or organising. The whole weekend ran like clockwork only made possible by the dedication of the team that have been working so hard over the past few months to make sure it was truly memorable for everyone. 

“I would like to thank our sponsors DHL, Alba, Bahrain Financing Company (BFC), Al Osra, Aquacool, BMMI, ‘A and E’ and especially the Bahrain Rugby Football Club for providing such a terrific facility for international netball.”