Vanuatu finish third after rain-delayed match with Norway; Wesele stars as Fiji finish fifth…,
Gavin Singh delivered a master class again to pick up Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards to help Suriname beat Guernsey and lift the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 trophy.
The all-rounder scored 61 and took 5-42 as his side eased to a six-wicket win in the final of the week-long event at Essex’s County Ground on Sunday. Singh, who already had two Player of the Match prizes from group games, said: “I feel great but everybody chipped in. It was a big team effort and we really played well. We played to the basics and that’s good, and I enjoyed the atmosphere at this ground. Coming up to the tournament, we had really nice preparation, now we’re very excited to be in Division 5. We’ve just got to wait and see who our opposition will be and then plan what’s next.”
Suriname are ICC World Cricket League Division 6 winners
After Guernsey were put into bat, openers Matt Stokes and Oliver Nightingale got off to a steady start and brought up the 50 in ten overs. Then Muneshwar Patandin and Singh made the breakthrough for the South Americans.
Patandin had Stokes caught by Singh for 31 and then Oliver Newey was sent back to the pavilion on one as he was caught by Vejai Hirlal off the bowling of Singh. New man Tim Ravenscroft was stumped by Hirlal, and then Tom Nightingale joined his brother Oliver at the crease; the siblings both made their way to half centuries, with Tom making to 65 and Oliver 59. Singh then dominated the lower order to finish with a five-fer as Guernsey were all out for 237 in 49.5 overs.
Suriname captain Mohindra Boodram and Singh anchored their innings with a 122-run partnership. Boodram crashed his way to 65 and then was caught by David Hooper off Ravenscroft, while Singh continued on to his 61. Sauid Ahmed Drepaul joined Singh at the crease and hit a quick 30 off 37 deliveries to see Suriname over the line with 4.5 overs to spare. The result also meant Suriname exacted some revenge after Guernsey beat them by 43 runs in a Group A match at Halstead on Thursday. Both sides had already secured promotion to next year’s ICC World Cricket League Division 5 by making the final.
Vanuatu eased their semi-final disappointment with a 91-run Duckworth Lewis victory over Norway to finish third in the tournament. Vanuatu excelled in the early stages, scoring at over a run a ball as Jonathon Dunn and Joshua Rasu shared a 120-run opening stand. Dunn top scored with 114 as his side registered an imposing total of 309-3. Then came the rain in Colchester and, after an hour-and-half delay, Norway were set the total of 251 to win via the DL method. But their innings never really got going after captain Raza Iqbal was dismissed for three in the fourth over. Waqas Ahmed, with 46, top scored for Norway as they ended at 159-8.
Fiji avenged Thursday’s Group B defeat to Botswana by beating them in the fifth-place play-off match at Bishop’s Stortford by 133 runs. For the first time in the tournament the Fijians batted out their entire 50 overs and got up to their highest score with 235-9. Their success was set up by a partnership between Player of the Match Jone Wesele (96) and Sekove Ravoka (60), as they put on 99 for the fourth wicket. Wesele’s knock included nine fours and three sixes. Botswana’s innings got off to a disastrous start and they were 64-6 in the 15th over. Their top scorer was skipper and wicket keeper Karabo Motlhanka with 30.
Essex batsman, Jesse Ryder who has been following the tournament with a keen interest said: “It is great seeing a global tournament here in Essex, I remember playing back at home in New Zealand in the Pacifica Cup and we had all the island teams like Fiji and Vanuatu come over and play and it was a fantastic event, this is a great opportunity for the teams playing and to help them develop as cricketing nations.”
Tournament ambassador Ryan Ten Doeschate said: “This has been a fantastic week for Essex bringing together teams from all across the world to play in the ICC World Cricket League Division 6, as someone who has played in this structure, I know what it must mean to the players and would like to congratulate all the teams who participated and to Suriname for being crowned winners.”
Player of the Tournament Surniname’s Gavin Singh
Scores in brief:
Final at the Essex County Ground, Chelmsford
Guernsey 237 all out, 49.5 overs (Oliver Nightingale 59, Tom Nightingale 65; G Singh 5-42)
Suriname 239-4, 45.1 overs (Mohindra Boodram 65, Gavin Singh 61 not out)
Suriname won by six wickets
Player of the Match: Gavin Singh (Suriname)
3rd v 4th Play-Off at Castle Park, Colchester
Vanuatu 309-3 (50 overs) (Jonathan Dunn 114, P Matautaava 50, Nalin Nipiko 58 not out)
Norway 159-8, 36 overs (Waqas Ahmed 46)
Vanuatu won by 91 runs (Duckworth Lewis Method)
Player of the Match: Jonathan Dunn (Vanuatu)
5th v 6th Play-Off at Cricketfield Lane, Bishop’s Stortford
Fiji 235-9 (50 overs) (Jone Wesele 96, Sekove Ravoka 60; Russel Withey 4-41)
Botswana 102 all out, 27.3 overs (Karabo Motlhanka 30)
Fiji won by 133 runs
Player of the Match: Jone Wesele (Fiji)
Suriname promoted as Patandin gets five wickets; Kumar knock helps Fiji beat Cayman Islands…,
Guernsey survived a scare against a spirited Norway side to claim a 22-run win – and promotion to the ICC World Cricket League Division 5. Guernsey will now face Suriname in a mouth-watering final at Essex’s County Ground in Chelmsford on Sunday.
David Hooper, who was player of the match with a 37 knock and three wickets for a cost of just 14 runs, said: “Credit to Norway as they bowled in some nice areas but we’ve got a great bunch of lads and we showed fight today in defending 173. As a team going past 200 each game we were evaluating the pitch at 180 to 200, but we just fell away at the end. I think we got the better of the conditions batting first as the sun beat down on the pitch all game, making it harder to bat on later. The final should be a fantastic game. We know what Suriname do and they know what we do, but we are determined to lift the trophy. To play the final on a pitch like the one at the County Ground is great and to win on Sunday would be amazing.”
Guernsey elected to bat first but struggled as seamer Damon Crawford (3-24) and captain Raza Iqbal (3-26) restricted them to a total of 173. In reply Norway were up against it on a deteriorating pitch as they slumped to 6-2 in the first two overs. Suhail Ifthikar made 71 but his side were unable to score late on and lost their last three wickets for just 13 runs. Norway will now play Vanuatu in the third-place play off at Castle Park, Colchester, on Sunday.
All-rounder Muneshwar Patandin inspired Suriname to a four-wicket win over Vanuatu to secure the other promotion spot to World Cricket League Division 5. Patandin dominated the Vanuatu’s tail and finished with bowling figures of 5-18 before scoring a useful 22 as his side comfortably ran down Vanuatu’s total of 140.
Patandin, who will now bid to end his impressive week in style in Sunday’s final with Guernsey, said: “I think it was a good effort to bowl them out for 140. And in the final we need to put our best foot forward and try to win the tournament. The guys are up for it and hopefully everyone will go there and do their best. We just have to stick to our game plan and work as a team. I was pleased with my performance today but I feel I should have scored more runs.”
Vanuatu were put into bat and lasted just 36.4 overs as Joshua Rasu top-scored with 34. They were 48-1 after six overs and Suriname’s bowlers then allowed them just one run from the next 24 deliveries, while taking two wickets. Suriname took no chances in their reply, particularly after opener Shazam Ramjohn was dismissed for three runs. Player of the match Patandin scored his 22 runs with three boundaries and captain Mohindra Boodram made 43 as Suriname eased over the line with three overs to spare.
A knock of 68 from Fiji’s Kunaal Kumar set them up for a 91-run win over the Cayman Islands at the Drapers Farm ground in Maldon. Fiji were all out for 187 as Neil Coley ended with impressive figures of 5-40. But the Cayman Islands’ hopes in the reply looked over before they began as they slumped to 12-5 in 4.4 overs. And Jikoi Kida Vanualevu (3-35) and Viliame Manakiwai (3-19) did the damage with the ball to leave the Cayman Islands all out for 95 in 34.5 overs. Fiji will now play Botswana in the fifth-place play-off match at Bishop’s Stortford Cricket Club on Sunday.
Suriname qualifiy for ICC World Cricket League Division 5 after defeating Vanuatu
Scores in brief:
At Kelvedon Road, Coggeshall
Vanuatu 140 all out, 36.4 overs (Joshua Rasu 34; MC Patandin 5-18)
Suriname 141-6, 46.3 overs (Mohindra Boodram 43)
Suriname won by four wickets
Player of the Match: MC Patandin (Suriname)
At Ashlyns Road, Frinton-on-Sea
Guernsey 173 all out, 48.4 overs (David Hooper 37; Raza Iqbal 3-26, Damon Crawford 3-24)
Norway 151 all out, 49.1 overs (Suhail Ifthikar 71; David Hooper 3-14)
Guernsey won by 22 runs
Player of the Match: David Hooper (Guernsey)
At Drapers Farm, Maldon
Fiji 187 all out, 47.4 overs (Kunaal Kumar 68; Neil Coley 5-40, Ryan Bovell 3-22)
Cayman Islands 95 all out, 34.5 overs (Jikoi Kida Vanualevu 3-35, V Manakiwai 3-19)
Fiji won by 91 runs
Player of the Match: Kunaal Kumar (Fiji)
Sunday, 13 September – Fixtures
Final at Chelmsford: Suriname v Guernsey
3rd v 4th Play-Off at Colchester: Vanuatu v Norway
5th v 6th Play-Off at Bishop’s Stortford: Botswana v Fiji
All matches are scheduled to start at 10.30 local time
Joshua Rasu’s big hitting took Vanuatu to a win over Norway today at The Glebe ground in Essex on day two of the ICC World Cricket League Division 6.
Norway, in their first match of the tournament, kicked off their campaign with the bat in disastrous style as they lost early wickets in the opening six overs to reduce them to 19-2. Suhail Ifthikar (37) and Zeeshan Siddiqui (45) steadied the ship but Norway struggled with their running between the wickets and suffered three run-outs. Vanuata’s Nalin Nipiko (4-30) was the pick of their bowlers as Norway were restricted to 184 from their 50 overs.
It was not enough as Rasu produced an attacking innings with five fours and five sixes in his knock of 95, which included two maximums straight down the ground in consecutive balls. Norway bowler Jawad Mir (4-17) carried their fight but could not prevent a four-wicket defeat.
Apolinaire Liplip Stephen celebrates taking a wicket whilst bowling. photo credit ICC/Nick Wood
Rasu said: “I am glad to get my 95 to set up the game but I am disappointed not to make a century after how close I was, and I would have liked to have seen out the rest of the game.
“I don’t think we need to see the games out quicker but we do need to keep our net run rate up to win the group.”
Matt Stokes’ unbeaten knock of 135 helped Guernsey make it two wins from their first two games. Guernsey elected to bat against Botswana and it proved a good decision as opener Stokes set about laying the foundations for a 151-run win at Frinton-on-Sea. Stokes was aided by great support from Tim Ravenscroft, who hit 58 off 37 deliveries, and Ben Ferbrache, who smashed an unbeaten 68 off just 27, to give their side an intimidating 313 total.
And the Botswana reply never really got going, with Oliver Newey (3-19) taking three early wickets and Tom Nightingale (3-34) also doing the damage as Botswana were all out for 162.
Suriname sneaked past Fiji with two balls to spare for their second win in as many games at Castle Park, Colchester. After Fiji skipper Josefa Rika’s early dismissal, Jikoi Kida Vanualeva (89) and Giles Smith (24) settled in to bring up the team 50 in the 15th over. But disaster struck as Suriname’s Muneshwar Patandin finished with an outstanding 5-33 in nine overs of work to leave Fiji all out for 205 in 48.4 overs.
Wasim Haslim (53) was the star in the middle of the Surinamese innings then Gavin Singh, the player of the match for the second day running, took the match to the final over, with Suriname needing three runs to win. And despite losing Singh for 53, Suriname were able to scrape over the line with two balls to spare for a six-wicket win.
Suriname captain Mohindra Boodram said: “We were pleased with the bowling performance. “We thought it would have been easier, batting second, to get 206, but they bowled well and credit to them. At the end we came out on top. It was a good game for us.”
Meanwhile, the ICC has confirmed that Saudi Arabia will not take part in the tournament after it was unable to secure visas in time. As such, the Event Technical Committee has decided that all Saudi Arabia’s matches in the tournament will be cancelled. The remaining Group B teams – Cayman Islands, Vanuatu and Norway – will play their remaining matches as scheduled, with the results of these matches to determine group rankings for the purposes of qualification to the second round.
ICC World Cricket League Div 6 match, Matthew Stokes in batting action for Guernsey. Botswana vs Guernsey, Frinton Cricket Club, 8th September 2015, Frinton, Essex. photo credit ICC/Nick Wood
Scores in brief:
At Castle Park, Colchester
Fiji 205 all out, 48.4 overs (Jikoi Kida Vanualevu 89; MC Patandin 5-33)
Suriname 207-4, 49.4 overs (WA Haslim 53, Gavin Singh 53)
Suriname won by six wickets
Player of the Match: Gavin Singh (Suriname)
At Ashlyns Road, Frinton-on-Sea
Guernsey 313-3 (50 overs) (Matt Stokes 135 not out, Tim Ravenscroft 58, LB Ferbrache 68 not out)
Botswana 162 all out, 43.3 overs (A Saiyed 32; Oliver Newey 3-19, Tom Nightingale 3-34)
Guernsey won by 151 runs
Player of the Match: Matt Stokes (Guernsey)
At The Glebe, West Mersea
Norway 184-8 (50 overs) (Zeeshan S Siddiqui 45; Nalin Nipiko 4-30)
Vanuatu 188-6, 46 overs (Joshua Rasu 95; Jawad Mir 4-17)
Vanuatu won by four wickets
Player of the Match: Joshua Rasu (Vanuatu)
Wednesday, 9 September is rest/reserve day
Thursday, 10 September – Fixtures
At Coggeshall: Fiji v Botswana
At Halstead: Guernsey v Suriname
At Kelvedon: Cayman Islands v Norway
All matches are scheduled to start at 10.30 local time
Iranian rider, Davood Pourrezal, galloped to gold in an exciting three-way jump-off against the clock in the closing competition at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2015 in Zhitnica, Bulgaria yesterday. South Africa’s Simon Hendry took silver ahead of Namibia’s Michelle Kuenzle in bronze at the event which was staged at the HRC Trakietz Equestrian Centre.
The Final is open to Category A riders from 10 FEI regional zones and this year attracted 22 riders from 17 countries. And the flags of Bermuda, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria, Swaziland, Uruguay and Venezuela were all flown with pride over the four days of competition.
Underway
The action got underway last Wednesday when 29 horses were presented for the veterinary inspection. The purpose of the FEI World Jumping Challenge series and Final is to introduce less experienced riders in comparatively remote countries to international-level competition. And the first test they face at the Final is building a relationship with a borrowed horse which is no mean feat at any time, even for the most professional of riders.
As always, the horse-and-rider combinations were decided by a draw, which was followed by a training session and then a confidence-building Warm-up competiiton. Run under Table A, article 238.1.1 rules, athletes with equality of penalties shared the prizes, so it was a seven-way divide between Giorgia Iermazzo from Dominican Republic, Uruguay’s Jorge Rossi, South Africa’s Simon Hendry, Chile’s Alfonse Anguita, Colombia’s Alejandro Castilla Galan, Saad Jabri from Morocco and India’s Rushil Patel when they all jumped clear.
The official Opening Ceremony was held that evening with all 22 competitors taking part in the athletes parade, and it was a very special occasion as the Organising Committee put together a programme that included traditional music and a video montage for each competing nation. Afterwards the athletes released air balloons to mark the beginning of the event.
Perfect start
The eventual champion got off to a perfect start the following day when, partnering the nine-year-old Drazki, he topped the one-round First Qualifier ahead of Colombia’s Castilla Galan while Saudi Arabia’s Meshal Alharbi slotted into third. It was an impressive opening effort from all the competitors, with 14 steering their mounts clear over the course.
It was in Friday’s Second Qualifier that South Africa’s Hendry began to look seriously competitive when lining up second in the two-round class over a 1.20m course with the 11-year-old Mirella Freni. Winner here was Saad Jabri with the 10-year-old Finesse whose speedy turn of foot in the second round gave the Moroccan rider more than two seconds of a winning advantage. Giorgia Ieromazzo finished third with Viziorka while Bulgaria’s Zhelyazko Dimitrov was fourth when producing the only other double-clear of the competition with Piquer.
The results of the first two qualifiers decided the top-10 who would go into the final day.
Satisfying result
Sunday’s action began with the Farewell competition for the athletes that didn’t make the cut to the Final, and Bermuda’s Krista Rabain had a particularly satisfying result when finishing third here with Rubine following her elimination for a fall in Friday’s class. There were only two clear rounds, and Venezuela’s Diego Malave Cariello produced by far the quickest of these when taking the win with Charizma who raced through the timers in 62.43 seconds. India’s Rushil Patel opted for a safe clear with Paris, and the decision paid off handsomely when the pair broke the beam in 77.8 seconds but left all the timber in place for runner-up spot.
Now it was down to the Final itself, and when only three managed to stay double-clear over the first two rounds, a thrilling jump-off was guaranteed. And it didn’t disappoint.
First out was Hendry who really put it up to the others when clear and fast in 36.00 seconds with Mirella Freni. And when Namibia’s Michelle Kuenzle had a pole down with her feisty stallion Charodey, then only Pourrezal stood between the South African and the coveted title.
But the Iranian managed to squeeze home with Drazki in 35.23 seconds and that would clinch it. Pourrezal said afterwards that he knew Hendry would be his strongest opponent. He had selected him as the rider most likely to succeed in a survey undertaken earlier in the week by all the competitors. “I knew what I had to do, and when I came into the arena and saw the cup I thought to myself that to win it would be a dream!” His dream came true only a few seconds later.
Iran’s Davood Pourrezal steered Drazki to win gold at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2015 at Zhitnica in Bulgaria. (FEI/Tanya Mladenova)
Eclectic group
Pourrezal said he thoroughly enjoyed competing against such an eclectic group from all around the globe. “I’d really like to compete in an event like this again” he said. Asked about riding an unfamiliar horse he explained that he is used to different rides, so it was not a particular challenge for him. And he was delighted with the performance of the horse allocated to him.
“My first impression was that Drazki was maybe not the best in the lot, but had potential” he said. He changed his mind after riding him for the first time and winning the First Qualifier however. “I could clearly feel that he was a good horse, and we really clicked!” said the delighted new champion.
Results:
FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2014: GOLD – Davood Pourrezal IRI; SILVER – Simon Hendry RSA; BRONZE – Michelle Kuenzle NAM.
From Monday June the 8th at the 6th October Sports Hall in Cairo, Nigeria will join 13 others countries including host – Egypt in competing for honours at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit (WJC) tagged Egypt Junior and Cadet Open.
The tournament will serve off with the team event in the junior and cadet divisions and to emphasis the quality of Nigeria, the West African giant has been listed among the top seeded teams of the competition.
14 events in junior, cadet and mini cadet will be contested for by 138 players from Nigeria, Algeria, Botswana, India, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, Togo, Tunisia and host – Egypt.
National junior champion, Tosin Esther Oribamishe
Meanwhile, organisers of the championship hope to treat players to an exciting time.
According to President, Egypt Table Tennis Federation (ETTF), Alaa Meshref, a lot of things have been lined up for teams.
“The unique thing is that all African and Arab competitors of Egypt are coming this year. It will be an Afro-Arab festival for the youngsters in table tennis. This will provide these countries with a clear vision of where each one stands relative to their rivals. We will provide touristic half day and full day excursions through Sheraton Dreamland with GER special prices to any number of persons on any day,” he said.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced pledges of USD 6.45 million from world governments in the fight for the clean athletes which will create a joint fund of nearly USD 13 million.
One of the first initiatives of Olympic Agenda 2020 was the creation of a USD 20 million fund to protect the clean athletes, 10 million of which was to be used in particular to research new techniques to detect prohibited substances and methods. The IOC had called on governments to match the USD 10 million, and WADA, under the presidency of Sir Craig Reedie, has successfully secured pledges of USD 6.45 million, meaning that the WADA-administered fund will have a starting budget of almost USD 13 million.
The USD 13 million joint fund represents a 50-50 split between the IOC and world governments that responded to a call to match the IOC funding. China, France, Ivory Coast, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and Sweden have pledged their financial support.
The IOC will also administer the balance that remains from the full USD 10 million it approved as part of Olympic Agenda 2020 (remaining balance is USD 3.55 million) as a separate fund for new anti-doping research in the fight against doping. This will be allocated by the IOC to researchers involved in athlete-centred projects, with a science or social focus. Following a call for applications in 2014, the IOC has selected four applications from researchers in Spain and Australia, and further projects will be selected in 2015.
“With Olympic Agenda 2020, we are changing the philosophy with regard to the credibility of sports competitions and of athletes,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We must consider every cent in the fight against doping as an investment in the future of Olympic sport, not as an expense. This fund clearly shows that we support innovative anti-doping research that will lead to better protection of the clean athletes.”
In December 2013 during discussions on Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, the IOC created a fund of USD 20 million aimed at protecting clean athletes from drug cheats and match-fixing and related corruption. Half of the money was earmarked to fund social and scientific research pertaining to anti-doping, the other half to fight match-fixing.
The IOC, together with WADA, called on world governments to match the amount by 16 November 2014. The funds committed by the 12 governments are payable in full to WADA by 31 March 2016.
“WADA is very pleased with the financial commitments that this partnership has generated for the fight against doping in sport”, said WADA President Sir Craig Reedie. “The fund allocated by the IOC has received the commitment of governments of the world to contribute a total of USD 6,452,296. The funds will provide a tremendous boost to WADA in their efforts to carry out innovative, anti-doping research focussed on protecting the clean athletes.”
The strategy for distribution of this fund is to complement, but not duplicate, existing anti-doping research programmes. Anti-doping organisations agree that alternative strategies are needed so the priority is innovative and novel research in all areas of anti-doping, which have the potential to lead to a significant change in the way anti-doping programmes are carried out and will have a direct impact on the daily lives of the clean athletes.
Qatar Scoops Furusiyya And Olympic Qualification With Win In Abu Dhabi; Saudi Arabia Also Makes Cut To Furusiyya 2015 Final
The Qatari team were in a class of their own when earning both a place at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final and a qualifying spot for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with victory at today’s second leg of the Furusiyya 2015 series in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In a fascinating contest, it was last year’s winners from Ukraine who lined up second ahead of an impressive foursome from Egypt in third, while France slotted into fourth ahead of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany in equal-fifth spot.
Today’s competition was the sole Furusiyya qualifier for the Middle East, and it was the Saudi Arabian side that claimed the second of the two tickets to the series Final in Barcelona, Spain next September.
From a field of 11 nations, Italy lined up seventh ahead of The Netherlands in eighth, but the competitors from Morocco, Jordan and United Arab Emirates were obliged to sit it out after the first round when only the leading eight nations returned to battle it out in the closing stages.
Just enough difficulty
There was a great deal hanging in the balance as the day began, and course designer, Belgium’s Luc Musette, created a track that presented just enough difficulty to test horse-and-rider combinations with differing ranges of experience. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the small number of clear rounds. The time-allowed played a significant role, even after being extended from 72 to 74 seconds, but few could have expected that the only one to return without penalty first time out would be the very last man into the ring, Germany’s David Will with his grey stallion, Colorit, while just three stayed fault-free in round two.
Fences fell all around the course, including the oxer at two, varying elements of the penultimate triple combination and the final vertical. But the most consistently falling poles were at the double at four, where horses often arrived too deep at the first element having been driven forward to the preceding water-tray oxer.
Pictured at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 qualifier in Abu Dhabi, UAE today (L to R) : Faisal Al Ali, Vice-President Emirates Equestrian Federation, Patrick Aoun, Brand Manager Longines, winning Qatari team members Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi and Khalid Al Emadi, Chef d’Equipe Willem Meeus, team member Bassem Hassan Mohammed, coach Jan Tops and team member Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani, Stephan Ellenbruch, Foreign Judge, Saeed Mohammad Bin Hofaan Al Mansouri, Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club and Ahmad Ali Al Nuami, General Manager Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club. (FEI/Richard Juilliart)
Convincing from the outset
The Qatari team were convincing from the outset however, counting only single time faults from Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi (Gunder), Khalid Al Emadi (Tamira IV) and Bassem Hassan Mohammed (Palloubet D’Halong) when Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani’s 10-year-old mare, Vienna Olympic, hit the first element at the double at four.
Qatar led the way with a three-point advantage over France as the second round began, while Germany carried nine faults into round two and Egypt and Ukraine were close behind with 10 faults apiece.
And the Egyptians showed their good result was no fluke when pathfinder Sameh Al Dahan, who had lowered the second fence with Suma’s Zorro in round one, produced one of those elusive clears to start them off in the second round. This looks like the nucleus of a really competitive side, and when they added just 11 more to their tally they always promised to finish prominently.
Germany slipped down the order when adding 16 faults to their scoreline, but Ukraine held firm when adding just nine. Former German team member, Rene Tebbel, demonstrated just what a useful addition he is to the Ukrainian side when posting just a single time fault in each round with the extravagant gelding Cooper, and when the French faltered, with the addition of 17, the Ukrainians and Egyptians overtook them.
Third-line rider
It was all over by the time Qatar’s third-line rider had completed his second course however.
Al Rumaihi’s easy round with the young stallion, Gunder, was marred only by a foot in the water, but Al Emadi’s Tamira was foot-perfect so as Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani rode into the ring he was jumping for both the Olympic and Furusiyya qualifications. And, with characteristic calmness, he steered Vienna Olympic home just fractionally over the time-allowed for a single time fault which wrapped it up nicely. His team’s score could now be no more than eight, but Bassem Hassan Mohammed reduced it to just three faults when negating Al Rumaihi’s single error with a fabulous jumping clear from Palloubet D’Halong for just one time fault when last to go for his side.
Meanwhile Abdullah Al Sharbatly led Saudi Arabia into the second round with a clear from Tobalio, and when they concluded with just eight to add to their first-round scoreline, their final 25 faults would be good enough to secure that second slot at the Furusiyya Final.
No pressure
“The boys finished the job before I jumped so there was no pressure on me!” said Qatar’s Bassem Hassan Mohammed afterwards. “I was just out there to jump for my country, do them proud, and gather some ranking points which is great!” he added.
Qatar coach, Jan Tops, said “I am very proud of what my team did today, particularly (Sheikh) Ali who will keep doing special things! There has been some great jumping today…you needed clever horses to do that track, and that’s what ours did, fortunately!” he pointed out.
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani said, “we can hardly say how we are feeling, the best Arabic team wins the Nations Cup and we qualify for the Olympics which was most important for us! It was a hard job and we put a lot of effort in for this achievement. Jan (Tops) is number one trainer and we are very lucky to have him. He helps us to prepare our horses well and to have them at their best at just the right time” he added.
Asked about his own calm attitude when under pressure as he was today, Sheikh Ali replied, “this is also down to Jan (Tops). He tells me “don’t rush”, but my mare is also very cool, she gives me a lot of confidence too” he explained.
For further information on the second leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 series at Abu Dhabi visit website http://www.eef.ae
Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Trophy
Result:
1. Qatar 5 faults: Gunder (Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi) 1/4, Tamira IV (Khalid Al Emadi) 1/0, Vienna Olympic (Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani) 4/1, Palloubet D’Halong (Bassem Hassan Mohammed) 1/1.
4. France 23 faults: Qlandestin Sas (Louis Bouhana) 4/12, Equador van’T Roosakker (David Frederic) 8/4, Prime Time des Vagues (Alexandre Fontanelle) 1/4, Ohm de Ponthual (Jerome Hurel) 1/9.
5. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 25 faults: Tobalio (Abdullah Al Sharbatly) 4/0, Valuta A (Khaled A Al Eid) 8/4, Chicago 84 (Abdul Rahman Bader Al Rahji) 16/4, Al Capone (Ramzy Al Duhami) 5/4.
11 teams lined out for the second leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 series in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates today.
4 countries – Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates – were battling for the two qualifying spots available for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final which will take place in Barcelona, Spain in September.
The winning team from Qatar, and the Saudi Arabian team that finished fifth, claimed the two qualifying places.
6 teams were competing for a qualifying spot for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
Qatar claimed the single Olympic qualifying place on offer to countries in Group F.
6 teams have already qualified in Jumping for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Netherlands, France, USA, Germany and Sweden at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, and Brazil as the host nation.
Course designer was Luc Musette assisted by fellow-Belgian Frank Van Humbeeck and UAE’s Yousif Al Mahmoudi and team.
Just one horse-and-rider jumped clear in the first round, the very last to go, Germany’s David Will and Colorit.
3 horse-and-rider combinations jumped clear in the second round – Qatar’s Khalid Al Emadi (Tamira IV), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Sharbatly (Tobalio) and Egypt’s Sameh El Dahan (Suma’s Zorro).
There were no double-clear performances.
The next leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 series will take place at Coapexpan in Mexico on Friday 24 April.
Quotes:
Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi – “It is personally the second Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ I ride with my team. It is a real honour for me riding with them all in this special event.”
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani: “This is the first time the Qatari team qualifies for the Olympic Games. I would like to thank my coach Jan Tops for all his hard work and time. I also want to thank our President and all those that have worked so hard to help us achieve this goal. We are not going to stop here and will keep moving forward from here – we won’t settle”.
Jan Tops, Qatar team coach: “After this, some of our horses will have a rest and some will go to the Longines FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas – two of our riders will be competing there. We have a 5-star show in Doha next week as well, so others will be heading out there. All our riders have two rides which helps us significantly plan who is to go where. Despite winning the Asian Games, it was really one of our main objectives to qualify for the Furusiyya Final in Barcelona”.
Qatar Chef d’Equipe, Willem Meeus: “The season is long as we have the season in Europe and the other in Middle East, so we decided to rest some horses for this event.”
Chef d’Equipe, Willem Meeus: “I am very excited about how my riders rode today, we have been working towards this for the last two years”
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani: “it was a nice course, but there were a lot of things that made it difficult and it was very hot. We had a great set of horses though, and we were very well prepared”.
Khalil Ibrahim, President of the Ground Jury: “We decided to extend the time-allowed and I think we did a good job in that. We have some more qualified riders for the Grand Prix with this time extension, but for the teams and the sport as a whole it was important.”
Ocala in Florida, USA joins the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping circuit when the 2015 season gets underway this Friday 13 February. The first leg of the series, which has revitalised and reinvigorated the sport of team Jumping since Furusiyya took up title sponsorship in 2012, has attracted six countries and a sparkling line-up of riders including a crack squad from the host nation.
And, just three years after the introduction of a new format for this much-loved competition which originated over a century ago, pre-season excitement is at an all-time high as horse-and-rider combinations from 45 nations prepare to participate in 20 thrilling qualifying legs all around the globe.
Staged a year ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 series will be a valuable testing ground for athletes and horses and, once again, competitors from six regions will battle it out ahead of the Final which will be held at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) in September.
First event
Ocala presents the first competition in the three-leg North America, Central America and Caribbean League. Organised by the New York-based events management company HITS, Inc., the Florida fixture will feature teams from Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, USA and Venezuela, but only the Canadians, Mexicans and Americans will be eligible for qualifying points in their region.
And the home runners promise to be a tough act to beat, headed up by super-star Beezie Madden whose packed trophy cabinet includes multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. The 51-year-old rider, currently number 12 in the Longines Rankings, brings the horse with which she won the 2013 FEI World Cup™ Jumping title, Simon, and will be joined by Laura Kraut, Lauren Hough, Georgina Bloomberg and Todd Minikus.
It is always a big battle between the Americans and Canadians in this league, and with 2008 Olympic gold medallist Eric Lamaze, and the extraordinary 11-time Olympian Ian Millar in action, the Canadians are unlikely to be a push-over.
The competition gets underway at 13.00 local time, and promises to get the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 series off to great start.
Team USA won the Challenge Cup at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final 2014 in Barcelona, Spain today (L to R) Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland with Margie Engle, Beezie Madden, Lauren Hough and McLain Ward. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)
Single qualifier
The second leg will take place in Abu Dhabi (UAE) a week later, and this single qualifier for the Middle East region is open to teams from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE. The remaining two leagues, Europe Division 1 and Europe Division 2, get underway in April and May respectively.
Lummen in Belgium launches the premier Europe Division 1 league, and once again this will be contested by teams from 10 countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. And of course all eyes will be on the Dutch, who swept to victory at the 2014 Furusiyya Final just a few short weeks after claiming gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA). Dutch riders have been on a roll for some time now, and it will be fascinating to witness the strategy of their popular Chef d’Equipe, Rob Ehrens, who will be hoping to follow through with another strong result this year while also thinking ahead to the Olympic challenge of 2016.
Most competitive
Europe Division 2 is also an eight-round affair, but what makes this the most competitive league of all is the high-octane pressure of trying to finish as one of the top two nations from a start-list of 16 ambitious countries. Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine will all be battling it out through heated afternoons from the outset at Linz (AUT) until the final leg at Arezzo (ITA).
The leading country at the end of this series will be promoted to Europe Division 1 for the following year, but while the second-placed team will earn a place at the Furusiyya Final in Barcelona only a top-eight finishing spot there will allow them to also earn promotion.
Allocation of teams to Europe Division 1 and Europe Division 2 events has been finalised, and you can check out the detail at this link http://goo.gl/EUDnnX
Sweden, France, Belgium, Ireland and Italy will all be hunting down early points at the opening leg of Europe Division 1 in Lummen on 1 May, while The Netherlands will begin the defense of their title at the second round in La Baule (FRA) two weeks later.
This week, however, Ocala in Florida will set the stage for another much-anticipated season of top-quality and thrilling team sport.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Riders from around the globe in Barcelona for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final draw inspiration from the iconic Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, home of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Diving Finals, with its magnificent city backdrop. [L-R], Simone Coata (ITA), Alexander Zetterman (SWE), Andres Rodrigez (VEN), William Whitaker (GBR), Julia Hargreaves (AUS), Ben Asselin (CAN), Pedro Vennis (BRA), Margie Engle (USA), Simon Delestre (FRA), Paula Amilibia (ESP) and Dirk Demeersman (BEL). (Jude Edginton /FEI)
Facts and Figures:
The FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series celebrates 106 years of team competition in 2015.
The forthcoming season comprises 20 qualifiers in as many countries.
A total of 45 nations will compete in the qualifying rounds.
Qualifying events will take place in four regions – Europe Division 1 & Europe Division 2, North America, Central America & Caribbean and Middle East.
There will be eight qualifying legs in Europe Division 1 and 2, three in the North America, Central America & Caribbean region and a single event in the Middle East.
The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final will once again take place at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP), venue for the Jumping events during the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.
A total of 18 teams, plus the home team if not qualified, will compete at the Final which will take place from 24 to 27 September 2015.
A total of six nations will compete at the season-opener in Ocala (USA) – Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, USA and Venezuela. Only Canada, Mexico and USA will be competing for qualifying points.
The 10 teams qualified for Europe Division 1 this season are Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Watchmakers, Longines, are the official timekeepers for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series.
Furusiyya finalised a 16 million Euro four-year sponsorship package with the FEI in November 2012.
Last week the host nation of South Korea claimed all the gold on offer in Dressage and Eventing at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon. This week however Jumping took centre stage at the Dream Park Equestrian Centre where Qatar claimed the top step of the team medal podium on Sunday and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Sharbatly took the individual title today.
The Asian Games succeeded the Far Eastern Championship Games staged in Manila, the Philippines, in 1913 and the West Asian Games held at New Delhi, India in 1934. The Asian Games Federation was established in 1949, and the Olympic Council of Asia, established in 1982, now oversees this major fixture which embraces 36 separate sports and which this year celebrates its 17th edition.
Clean and clear-cut
The Qatari team victory was clean and clear-cut as they completed on a zero score to leave the result beyond doubt. Saudi Arabia had to settle for silver with a total of just four faults while Japan slotted into bronze medal position on a total of 12. Time faults proved costly for Team UAE who finished just off the podium in fourth place.
It was double-clear performances from three of the four Qatari team members that put gold in their grasp. Nasser Ghazallijahromi (Delloren), Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani (Vienna Olympic) and Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi (Tamira) were all foot-perfect, while Bassem Hassan Mohammed (Anyway) collected only 3 time faults for the discount score.
This is a team full of promise because Sheikh Al Thani, who celebrates his 32nd birthday tomorrow, was the oldest member of the side. Bassem Mohammed is 27, Al Emadi is 19 and Ghazallijahromi is the youngest at just 18 years. Keeping calm and concentrating on the task at hand was key to their success as Sheikh Ali said in the aftermath.
Saudi Arabia shared the lead with Qatar at the halfway stage when each team had nothing to add to their scorelines. Faisal Al Shalan (Talan), Salman Hamed Almazadi (Senorita) and Abdulrahman Bader Alrajhi (New Orleans) all kept a clean sheet for the Saudi side, with Al Sharbatly picking up just one time fault. But the man who would go on to win the individual honours had a fence down at his second attempt, and when Alrajhi racked up a 12-fault score then Al Sharbatly’s result had to be counted despite two more clears from their team-mates.
Second round began
The Philippines made a fantastic start when lying third with just two faults on the board as the second round began, following a clear from Joker Arroya (Didi De Goedersede) and only single time faults from both Marie Leviste (Maximillian) and Martin Diego Lorenzo (Contino). But it all fell apart for them in round two with the addition of 15 faults.
Japan meanwhile finished the first round with just four faults on the board after clears from pathfinder Satoshi Hirao (Ulan) and achorman Taizo Sugitani (Avenzio), and single errors from both Takashi Utsunomiya (Touche Pas a Riversuite) and Tadahiro Hayashi (Loretto Classic). Only Sugitani managed to leave all the poles in place second time out however, but, even with eight more to add, their final tally came to 12 and that proved plenty good enough to clinch the bronze.
The United Arab Emirates’ total of 14 left them tantalisingly close to a medal-placing. On nine faults after the first round they had to add five more despite second-round clears from Abdulla Mohammed Almarri (Sierra Antika Joter) and Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum (Peanuts de Beaufour).
On the podium for the Individual Jumping Final at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon (KOR) today: L to R – silver medallist Satoshi Hirao (JPN), gold medallist Abdullah Al Sharbatly (KSA) and bronze medallist Taizo Sugitani (JPN). (FEI/www.horsemovethailand.com)
Individual decider
There were 20 horse-and-rider combinations in today’s individual decider, and this time Al Sharbatly’s 11-year-old bay Hannoverian by Contendro never put a foot wrong to help his rider finish top of the order. It would be a hard-fought affair however, with two separate jump-offs to decide the medals, and a great day for Japan when taking both the silver and bronze.
Only the 32-year-old Saudi Arabian rider and Satoshi Hirao managed to stay clear over the first two rounds. and Al Sharbatly posted yet another clean run at this third attempt in the quick time of 33.64. So when 39-year-old Hirao faulted just once with his 13-year-old Canadian Warmblood, Ulano, the Japanese rider had to settle for silver.
It was another watershed moment for former Arab champion Al Sharbatly who rocketed onto the radar when taking individual silver at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky, USA before going on to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s team bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Before the medal ceremony could take place however there was more work to be done as there were eight riders tied on a four-fault tally at the end of round two so another gallop against the clock ensued to decide where the bronze medal would go.
And five horse-and-rider combinations left all the fences in place this time around, but Taizo Sugitani’s super-fast run in 30.95 seconds firmly clinched it for the 38-year-old double-Olympian who finished 10th individually in Kentucky four years ago. Once again it was a case of so near and yet so far for Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum who missed a place on the podium when finishing fourth when just over a second slower than Sugitani in the final round.
Results:
Jumping Team Competition:
Gold – Qatar 0 faults: Delloren (Nasser Ghazalliahromi) 0/0, Vienna Olympic (Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani) 0/0, Tamira (Khalid Mohammed Al Rmadi) 0/0, Anyway (Bassem Hassan Mohammed) 1/2;
Silver – Saudi Arabia 4 faults: Talan (Faisal Al Shalan) 0/0, New Orleans (Abdulrahman Bader Alrajhi) 0/12, Senorita (Salman Hamad Almaqadi) 0/0, Callahan (Abdullah Al Sharbatly) 1/4;
Bronze – Japan 12 faults: Ulano (Satoshi Hirao) 0/4, Touche Pas a Riversuite (Takashi Utsunomiya) 4/8, Loretto Classic (Tadahiro Hayashi) 4/4, Avenzio (Taizo Sugitani) 0/0.
![LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Riders from around the globe in Barcelona for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final draw inspiration from the iconic Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, home of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Diving Finals, with its magnificent city backdrop. [L-R], Simone Coata (ITA), Alexander Zetterman (SWE), Andres Rodrigez (VEN), William Whitaker (GBR), Julia Hargreaves (AUS), Ben Asselin (CAN), Pedro Vennis (BRA), Margie Engle (USA), Simon Delestre (FRA), Paula Amilibia (ESP) and Dirk Demeersman (BEL). (Jude Edginton /FEI)](https://finixsports.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/furusiyya-fei-nations-cup-final-barcelona-8oct2014-e1412897697242.jpg)
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