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West End Park chairman Mana Ibrahim al-Mana and other officials yesterday launched two cricket tournaments aimed at local cricket clubs based in Qatar. The West End Park Challenge Cup will take place in June, followed by the inaugural Ramadan Tournament starting from July 1, 2014. |
Both the tournaments will be played under floodlights in the evening.
The Challenge Cup will be open to 16 member clubs of divisions B and C of the Qatar Cricket Association (QCA). The two finalist teams will earn qualification to enter the Ramadan Tournament, a higher standard of competition.
The Ramadan Tournament will be limited to ten teams, including the eight Division A clubs and two Challenge Cup finalists.
To add to the excitement, participants will be permitted to recruit 4 ‘guest players’, leaving a possibility of few international cricket stars playing in the tournament.
The registration fee is QR5,000, and it will cover technical staff, cricket balls, team uniforms and refreshments during the tournament. The tournament will be played in a league format, and then progress to knockouts.
“I am excited to launch the first ever Challenge Cup and Ramadan Tournament at West End Park Stadium. Ramadan is a traditional period to promote Qatar’s sporting heritage and I’m sure both tournaments will be popular amongst the local cricket fraternity,” al-Mana said at a press conference yesterday.
“I am also thankful for the generous support of HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (secretary general) and the Qatar Olympic Committee.
“The two tournaments are designed to give local cricket clubs of all levels the opportunity to compete at the finest facilities in the country. Interest is sure to be high and I would urge teams to register ASAP to avoid disappointment.”
The tournament will be the first of many initiatives around West End Park Stadium, which aims to become a hub of cricket in the Middle East.
“It is my vision to create a cricket community at West End Park and the Challenge Cup and Ramadan Tournament are the first steps to achieve this. It is also my goal to develop the stadium in to a member’s club with full facilities. In addition, plans to develop the stadium to ICC certification, an Academy and new practice facilities are currently in the pipeline. I believe cricket will have a wonderful future in Qatar,” al-Mana added.
Other officials in attendance included Michael Scallon, director of Euphoria Sports (event organisers), and tournament director Gul Jadoon.