Riffa drawn to meet Manama

Mohamed Hussain

THE annual Khalifa bin Salman Basketball Cup promises plenty of exciting action from the very start as holders Riffa were drawn against arch rivals Manama in the quarter-final stage last night. Riffa and Manama were given direct berths into the round of eight, as were Muharraq and Isa Town, who face off in another quarter-final. Both games are scheduled to be held on the opening night on Wednesday. The Cup's official draw was held last night at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam. Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Aymen bin Tawfeeq Almoayyed and Bahrain Olympic Committee Secretary General Mohammed Al Nusuf attended the ceremony along with Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) president Talal Kanoo and other high-ranking officials. Riffa captain Abdulrahman Ghali, Muharraq's court general Ahmed Hassan (203-F-91, college: MiraCosta JC) and Manama skipper Mohammed Hussain were on stage for the draw along with BBA board member Osama Al Kooheji. In the first round of the tournament, Al Ahli face Samaheej, Bahrain Club take on Al Ettihad, Al Hala play Sitra and Al Najma clash with Nuwaidrat. These games will be held on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday's programme, Ahli and Samaheej clash at 5.45pm followed by Najma taking on Nuwaidrat at 7.30pm. The winners of these games move on to the third quarter-final, where they will play against one another for the right to meet the winners of the Muharraq-Isa Town affair.
On Friday, Bahrain Club take on Al Ettihad at 5.45pm and then Hala clash with Sitra at 7.30pm. The winners of these two games will then meet in the fourth quarter-final, with the victor marching on to face the Riffa-Manama winner. Riffa clinched last year's Khalifa bin Salman Basketball Cup beating Muharraq 76-61 in the final. The result earned Riffa their first-ever championship in any national basketball competition. Riffa claimed BD30,000 in prize money while Muharraq had to settle for BD15,000. In this tournament, teams are allowed to field two professional players at any time during the game.
Courtesy of: gdnonline.com

Tags : MOHAMMED HUSSAIN, AL-MANAMA, BAHRAIN BASKETBALL