Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
HOCKEY in Bahrain came alive again in the first regional five-aside tournament to be held since the newly formed committee had been recognised by the Bahrain Olympic Committee.
To maximize the profile of the sport, Bahrain hockey was delighted to welcome the current centre-forward of Great Britain, Sam Ward.
Despite being only 25 years old, Ward can boast three Premier League titles to his name alongside 49 caps for Great Britain in which he has notched 18 goals, including three at the Rio Olympics.
Stepping straight off an overnight flight, Ward was happy to conduct a number of school visits, thrilling over a thousand enthusiastic youngsters at various schools by conducting demonstrations, inviting their participation and then answering myriad questions, despite being hampered by a lingering ankle injury.
In between signing autographs and posing for photos, the dynamic goalscorer spoke about topics ranging from his experiences at the Olympics (on and off the pitch) through to how he started his career playing for Leicester Ladies!
Fitness regimes and the intricacies of training were reserved for time spent with GCSE and A-level students while he also managed to squeeze in time to talk about his beloved Leicester City.
Of course, he was also here to watch hockey and there was plenty of that on offer as the St Christopher’s senior school in Isa Town played host to two days of matches with ten teams competing on the first day for the Bahrain Hockey National Day International 5’s trophy.
This new format of the game is being heavily promoted by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) in an attempt to make the sport more accessible to all, while creating a lively allaction spectacle.
With boards around the perimeter of the pitch the ball is rarely out of play while the ability to score from anywhere ensures a constant goal threat.
The semi-final line-up provided a spread of teams from around the Gulf with Bahrain, represented by the All-Stars, facing the Naqi Strikers from Saudi Arabia while the Oman Hockey Association Veterans faced Don Bosco Kuwait.
A hat-trick from Savio saw Don Bosco through to the final with a 4-2 victory that was only settled in the final minute while Al Naqi qualified thanks to four goals from Junaid. Mudassar (2) and Mushtaque scored for the All Stars.
The final proved to be a one-sided affair with Don Bosco giving themselves an uphill battle by conceding three goals to Ali from distance, thereby allowing the Saudi team to dictate the pace of play. Al Naqi was good value for the trophy easing home 7-1 with Junaid collecting another four to add to his impressive tally.
Bahrain was represented in the final with three locals, Avalon, Gareth and Sarfraz, battling hard for the Kuwait team. To their credit they pressed until the final whistle although it was all in vain as Al Naqi wound down the clock.
Junaid claimed a trophy for player of the tournament while Ashfaque Gilani was rewarded for a number of stunning saves while marhsalling a resolute Saudi defence.
Despite the trophies disappearing over Bahrain’s borders the future of Bahrain hockey appears to be in good hands. Under the guidance of experienced coach Fran Treadgold, Bahrain Hockey agreed to enter a team of juniors to help them gain experience with few expectations of success.
Boosted by Bahrain resident and former Zimbabwe goalkeeper, Chris Bloodworth, and James Treadgold, early defeats to the Oman Veterans (3-2) and All Stars (2-1) only hinted at the drama to unfold later. If there was one match that epitomised the talent within the squad it was their game against KSA hockey.
With the Saudi team top of the group and needing a win to qualify for the semi-final the Bahrain youth pulled off a remarkable 3-2 win that allowed the All Stars to progress. Despite playing in defence James Treadgold scored three times.
Having been identified as a threat and targeted by the opposition he was dismissed with two minutes remaining. Yet the Bahrain quartet of Freddie Salmon, Llewelyn Forward, Olli Bloodworth and George Axtell kept their nerve and possession of the ball to create delirious scenes amongst the onlookers.
The following day saw nearly fifty children arrive for a unique opportunity to receive coaching tips from the British Olympian, in addition to watching him display his greatest asset – in his words “smacking the ball as hard as I can at goal”, regularly firing the ball inches inside the uprights!
A league tournament was held for the juniors with the Bahrain Baboons claiming the trophy thanks to a goal with the last shot of the final game.
President of Bahrain Hockey, Saleem Elias, who presented the trophies to the winners of the international competition, said: “This is my first occasion introducing a British Olympic player thanks to the support received from the Bahrain Olympic committee. “It was a great pleasure to meet Sam and I feel that he was a great ambassador for his sport and his country. His attendance at the tournament was a real success while the school visits are highly important as we aim to grow the sport, particularly amongst Bahrainis. I would like to congratulate all involved.”
General Secretary Jude D’Souza also presented a special memento to HE Mr Abdulrahman Askar, General Secretary of Bahrain Olympic Committee, to recognise his support of Bahrain Hockey.
The tournament was partnered with UK Embassy as part of their 200-year celebration with Bahrain and Aqua Cool
