Saham club paddlers hogged the limelight at the Sultanate Table Tennis Championship as they were crowned champions of the Junior and general categories.
The four-day tournament which concluded on Sunday at the indoor hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, saw Ibri emerge champions of the cadet category while the Sultanate’s top team player Asad al Raisi regained the singles (General) title as he outplayed his opponent Muhannad al Balushi 3-1 in a thriller.
The biggest domestic table tennis event saw a tough competition among the participated teams. In this edition, Oman Table Tennis Committee (OTTC) allowed participation of the professional players in the local clubs which added another technical challenge to the championship as many Iranian, Egyptian and Jordanian players represented different Sultanate teams. Saham clinched the general teams category title as they edged Bahla 3-1, outplayed Al Nasr 3-1, won against Dhofar 3-1, beat Ahli Sidab 3-2 and stunned the defending champions Seeb 3-1 in a thriller. Seeb came in second while Bahla club finished in third position.
The Batinah club, Saham, claimed the junior title as they won against Seeb 3-1, Al Ettifaq 3-0 and Dhofar 3-1. In the cadet category, Ibri lifted the title as they registered wins against Seeb 3-0, Al Ettifaq 3-0 and Saham 3-0. Saham were positioned in the second place while Al Ettifaq bagged the bronze medal in third position.
At the end of the final, Sayyid Salim bin Musallam Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Civil Service for Administrative Affairs Development, who was the chief guest, distributed the awards to the top winners in presence of top dignitaries, officials and clubs representatives.
The top tier TT event was officiated by many international umpires including Masoud al Abri, Shaikhan al Abri, Hamood al Hajri, Maryam al Alawi, Aysha al Saidi, Anwar al Tamimi. The other referees who featured were Fatma al Hadabi and Buthina al Ghafri. Hashim al Salmi will be the chief umpires while Khaid al Zaabi appointed as tournament manager and Mohammed al Gassasi as chairman of organising committee.
“It is great to see the developed technical performance levels of the domestic clubs. Also, our local players gained good experience and the final singles category match showed the top level of the club’s player,” Abdullah BaMukhalef, OTTC chairman, said.
OTTC chief appointed that OTTC is gearing up to host an ITTF Premium junior circuit in Muscat at the end of October. “More than 141 players from 17 countries will take part at the world class event alongside the technical coach and administration staff. We are looking for an exceptional edition,” OTTC chairman concluded.
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