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Eager teams of sport lovers wielded their sticks in the searing heat as the Bahrain Hockey Association officially launched its summer season with a memorial tournament in honour of two important figures from the local hockey scene.
The competition, dedicated to ex-BHA committee member Tahir Mir and ex-Bahrain hockey supporter and player Imran ‘Pachi’ Reza who both passed away last year, saw four of the kingdom’s top teams battle it out on the astro-turf pitches of The Football Academy in Saar.
Jude D’Souza, general secretary of the BHA and chief organiser of the event, said: “The event was a tremendous success. Considering that it was in summer, a time of year where we don’t usually host events because a lot of players are on holiday, the turnout was fantastic.
“We decided that it had been a long time since the last event and people were eager to play more competitive games to maintain their interest and fitness instead of playing friendlies. It also fulfils one of our prime objectives, which is to get the hockey community together and to allow people to meet others through the sport.”
The tournament was a bittersweet occasion, as players and members alike gathered before proceedings for a short remembrance prayer in honour of their fallen friends, as passages from the Quran were recited in Arabic and Urdu for the departed souls Tahir and Pachi.
Jude added: “I told the guys that we needed to get together and do this for them. I urged everyone to play fair and disciplined in the true spirit of Tahir, but also play tough like Pachi did. That’s how the tournament started off, and that was how it continued right until the end. It was truly a great tribute.”
The Hungry Hamours, Dadabhai Wizards, Ministry of Interior and the Young Stars duked it out in a series of ferocious 10-minute contests in a round-robin group format, before the final saw the Wizards edge the Ministry 1-0 in a tense, physical encounter with a goal from Nitin Menon.
Wizards captain, defensive midfielder Gareth Mascarenhas, was delighted that his team picked up a second winners’ trophy despite only forming a year ago.
He said: “We played great team hockey and everyone in the team contributed. I couldn’t ask for more! The final was very close but I’m glad we prevailed in the end. On behalf of the whole team, I’d like to thank the organisers for hosting the event. It was a really fun event with entertainment for the whole family, and for a very good cause.”
Four referees were hand-picked for the event; two from the Saudi Hockey Federation, one experienced Bahraini, and UK Lions chairman Fran Treadgold, who lives in the kingdom.
Following the tournament, the kingdom’s inaugural Penalty Shootout contest was played, with the Hungry Hamours taking the trophy after a 3-1 defeat of the Young Stars, thanks mainly to a scintillating display of goalkeeping.
Jude, a player himself for the Hamours, said: “We wanted to do a penalty shootout because it’s a really fun extra thing to do, and also to educate the Bahrain hockey scene on the latest developments internationally.
“Since 2011, if professional hockey matches end in a draw, players now take part in a penalty shootout which gives players eight seconds to dribble from a set point on the field and try to beat the goalkeeper. This is a much more fun and skilful process than the previous ‘strokes’ system, which was essentially the same as penalties you’d see in football, with a dead ball and a set distance and you have to beat the keeper.”
At the event, Jude announced that a new Youth Hockey Programme was being planned for children of all ages. Details are secret for now, but will be revealed in GulfWeekly soon.
