Volleyball semi-final lineup complete at 13th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament

Al Tadawi and M.I.N. Investment qualified for the semi-finals of the volleyball tournament held as part of the ongoing 13th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament being held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

Hailed as the premier sporting event during the holy month of Ramadan, this annual tournament is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, under the slogan “Unlimited Capabilities”.

Al Tadawi and M.I.N. Investment qualified late on Tuesday to complete the line-up for the semifinals of the volleyball competition.

To be played on Thursday (March 5), Group A leaders and hot favourites Al Samawi will face Al Tadawi at 9 pm, while M.I.N. Investment will be up against Yaazar at 11 pm.

M.I.N. Investment battled out to an exciting 3-2 win over Al Tadawi in an inconsequential Group B match. That win ensured the top spot for M.I.N. Investment with seven points, while Al Tadawi had the same number of points in second spot. Zabeel finished third with three points, while Tiger Zabeel had just one point at the bottom of the group.

M.I.N. Investment took the opening set 25-20, only to see Al Tadawi bounce back by claiming the second 25-18. The Investment team strayed clear with a 25-21 result in the third, only to see Al Tadawi fight right back to draw level while taking the fourth set 25-16. In the decisive final set, and with the top spot in the group on the line, M.I.N. Investment powered their way to clinch the set and match 15-11.

Meanwhile, Zabeel defeated Tiger Zabeel 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 25-18, 23-25 and 15-9) to round off Group B and preliminary round matches of the competition.

Intense Tug-of-War

The tug-of-war tournament is another event that has brought this annual tournament alive with excitement with its fierce competition and a large audience in attendance at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex each night.

In the Government Institutions category, the Ministry of Defence team defeated the Dubai Civil Defence team 2-0, while the Air Force team skipped past the Dubai Police team 2-0.

There was intense action in the Community category as well with AJ Mustafa 1 defeating W World Gym and Al Jawareh beating Transguard team in Group A, while in Group B Al Muqatiloon team defeated Raptor Gym, and Al Mahdawi and Al Harbi team beat IFP Sports Academy team in Group B.

In Group C, Al Ajban handed out yet another defeat on Dutco Construction Group and Wasl team defeated Avalar team, while in Group D, Level Up defeated Olympia and Globa sent the Mangalore Warriors to a third straight defeat.

In the Junior category, A25 Gym defeated Sharjah Self-Defence Sports Club 2-0, and Sharjah Amiri Sports Club beat Sharjah Police Science Academy 2-0 in the second round, while in third round action, Sharjah Amiri Sports Club defeated A25 Gym 2-0, while Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club were a bit too strong for Sharjah Police Science Academy while winning 2-0.

There is going to be plenty of action and excitement in the final week of the competition with all eyes now on the volleyball semi-finals to be held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex on Thursday.