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An enthusiastic bunch of around 200 youngsters ran out onto the pitches of the Bahrain Rugby Football Club on Saturday to compete in a charity football tournament to raise money for good causes.
Competing in two age categories, U14s and U10s, 12 teams battled in the searing sun for glory.
In the U14 category, which featured a group stage and then play-offs, Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain blew away the competition as they remained undefeated throughout, triumphing over the Rugby Club 2-0 in the final. Al Fursan beat Globetrotters 2-1 after extra time in the third-fourth play-off, gaining revenge after a 2-0 defeat in an earlier group encounter. Vamos Bahrain, Aramco and Tekkers rounded out the classification.
In the afternoon, it was the turn of the U10s to show off their silky skills in a round-robin group format. Once again, one team stood head-and-shoulders above the rest as Tekkers Blue stormed to a dominant victory ahead of Arsenal Red, Tekkers Black, Al Hekma and Arsenal Yellow.
Overall, more than BD1,200 was raised for the ‘Sport4NepalCambodia’ charity, which donates to both the Himalayan country stricken by earthquakes last year and to the Far East nation which urgently requires new educational centres and materials.
The initiative was led by St Christopher’s School students, who spent the day raising money by selling T-shirts and cookies they baked themselves. Roma Vrijhof, 13, and Jessica Gardiner, 12, manned a stall and were helped by friends.
Roma’s dad and event organiser, Paul, said: “Everyone involved had a fantastic time, from the players to the referees, the coaches, volunteers and the sponsors.
“The matches were of a high level and played in a competitive, yet sporting spirit. The appreciation to the referees was demonstrated by the unique medals supplied by Harmony Jewels they received for their great work.
“We were delighted that Arno Storm, COO of APM Bahrain, could hand out the prizes to the winners of the U14 tournament, while rugby club chairman Mehdi Honar did the same for the Under-10s,” added Paul.
The Tekkers Blue boys will have a chance to cool down after their exhausting efforts as they also won a free trip to the Wahooo! water park in City Centre Bahrain to go along with their medals and trophy.
