Muscat, Nov 14
Northern Batinah team, Saham, retained the Oman National Senior Table Tennis Championship title after they thumped their rivals Bahla 3-1 in the concluding fixture on Sunday night.
At the indoor hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Saham paddlers managed to lift the title for the second consecutive time after they won the title in the last edition in 2019 beating Seeb in the final match. Bahla, who finished third in the last edition, ended this edition of the tournament as runners-up while Seeb paddlers beat Masirah Club 3-1 in the third/fourth play-off match.
Post the final match, chief guest Mohammed bin Khamis al Sunaidi, Chief Finance officer at the Oman Fiber Optic Company, presented the award, medals and trophies to the top three winners in presence of Abdullah bin Mohamed Bamakhalif, Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) Chairman, and other dignitaries.
Saham team comprised of Iranian paddler Afshin Norowzi, Muhannad al Balushi, Nasser al Balushi, Haitham al Mandhari and Mashal al Shahi. Saham topped the group stage matches as they got full mark from three matches. They beat Salalah 3-1, Suwaiq and Qurayat with a 3-0 margins. In the knockout stage, Saham defeated Ahli Sidab 3-0 in the quarterfinals while they beat Masirah 3-1 in the semifinal before stunning Bahla in the concluding game 3-1.
Abdullah Bamakhalif, OTTA chairman, said that the technical performance of the senior TT event is getting better every year. “Congratulations to all the winning teams and thanks to all the teams which took part in the event. We are looking forward for more attendance of the domestic clubs in the upcoming edition,” he said.
“There are many international events which will be hosted by the OTTA in the next period including: 2023 ITTF World Veteran Championship. As many as 64 teams confirmed their attendance in this event and more players from different countries will be present in the world class event,“ he concluded.
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