ABU DHABI 'A' were yesterday crowned Cup champions in the Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships 2009.
They upset favourites Dubai 'A' 15-11 in the title-deciding encounter. This match was the highlight of an exciting final day at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Saar.
Hosts Bahrain also had reason to celebrate with two teams finishing in the Cup's top five for the first time ever. Bahrain 'A' took fourth place after bowing to Doha 'A' 3-9 in their final classification match, while Bahrain 'B' beat Dubai 'C' 10-9 in their last game to finish fifth.
Meanwhile, visitors Hucclecote netball club from the UK won the Invitational Cup. They cruised to an 11-1 victory over Abu Dhabi 'A' in the division's final.
In the other deciding matches, Kuwait 'A' won the Plate after beating Dubai Veterans 30-9, Doha Youth clinched the Bowl with a narrow 7-6 win against Dubai Social, and Dubai took the men's title following a 7-3 win over Kuwait.
In the Cup final, Abu Dhabi 'A' stunned the defending champions with a brilliant all-around performance to deny Dubai 'A' a third straight title.
Goal attack Cherie Mansfield and goal shooter Jen Burridge made the key shots that helped keep their rivals at bay. Dubai 'A' captain and goal attack Kelly Loy missed a chance to tie the proceedings at 12-apiece, with her attempt just wide of the goal.
Mansfield then scored on the other end to give her team a two-goal lead with under two minutes remaining, before Burridge made the final two shots to peg the final 15-11 score and ice the win.
Triumph
Abu Dhabi 'A' led for the entire match. Their triumph helped them repeat their title success of the 2006 competition. Over the last 10 years, Dubai 'A' won every other time.
"We feel so happy; Dubai is always the team that wins, but this year our girls were just brilliant and now we're Gulf champions," said Abu Dhabi 'A' coach Sam Nowakowski.
"We did everything we needed to; we had a game plan and stuck to it."
Added captain Jackie Coetzee: "We felt rattled at one point, but we just kept it together and kept going. We never put our heads down, and we just pulled away and it was brilliant to watch."
In the match for third place, Bahrain 'A' started well and held a 3-1 half-time lead behind the strong play of goal defence Rebecca Otto and goal shooter Ruth Daly.
Things changed completely, however, after the restart. Doha 'A' goal shooter Elna Besselaar single-handedly brought her team back, scoring six straight goals and then contributing one of the final two to seal a come-from-behind win, while holding the home side scoreless the entire half.
Despite the loss, fourth place was Bahrain's best result in the annual competition over the last decade.
"Their defence cut us down and they were just too strong in the end," Otto said. "We were really hoping to finish third, so we're a little bit disappointed. But last year we were fifth, so it's a better result this time and we're pleased with our play."
Besselaar commented: "It was really good how we got back in the game. We would have liked to win the Cup this year, but we're very happy with our final result."
Hucclecote lifted the Invitational Cup for the second straight year and stayed undefeated in the process. Prior to their win in the final, they beat two men's teams in a pair of friendly games.
"We played well today and it's always nice to retain the title," said team captain Jane Hickes. "We've had a fantastic time here in Bahrain; the organisation was better than in the UK, and the level of competition was good. We're representing the UK here and we made sure we did our best."
The teams were presented with their trophies and medals by Riffa Views chief executive Richard Browning along with other tournament officials.
Emma Barranger of Bahrain 'C' was named the player of the tournament, earning her the championship's lone individual honour.
Final standings
Cup: 1 Abu Dhabi 'A', 2 Dubai 'A', 3 Doha 'A', 4 Bahrain 'A', 5 Bahrain 'B', 6 Dubai 'C', 7 Dubai 'B', 8 Abu Dhabi 'B'.
Plate: 1 Kuwait 'A', 2 Dubai Veterans, 3 Dubai 'D', 4 Doha 'B', 5 Bahrain Babes, 6 Abu Dhabi Social, 7 Al Ain 'A', 8 Bahrain 'C'.
Bowl: 1 Doha Youth, 2 Dubai Social, 3 Al Ain 'B', 4 Kuwait 'B', 5 Bahrain Youth.
Men: 1 Dubai, 2 Kuwait, 3 Abu Dhabi, 4 Bahrain.
