The three Abu Dhabi teams won all three trophies at the tournament.
The three Abu Dhabi teams won all three trophies at the tournament.

Abu Dhabi teams dominate netball tournament



Teams from Abu Dhabi claimed a clean sweep of the trophies at the premier tournament on the country's netball calendar.

The Abu Dhabi Eagles were the cup winners at the 26th Annual Intergulf Championships in Al Ain while the Abu Dhabi Oryx, the B team, took the plate competition prize and the Abu Dhabi Ravens, the C Team, were the bowl winners.

The Eagles, the A team, played Dubai A, the title holders, in the cup final with the capital team winning 20-18 to maintain they unbeaten run through the two-day tournament.

"I am extremely proud of the team, everyone played textbook netball to get us to the final," Jackie Coetzee, the captain, said.

"The team played their hearts out in the decider against Dubai A fighting back after being two goals down. They made me very proud to be the captain. The trophy is once again where it belongs, in the capital."

In the plate final, the Oryx pulled away after a toughly contested first half to score a 16-8 victory over a young Dubai D team. Lara Ridpath led the defensive effort and was named player of the match,

And in the finale to the bowl competition the Ravens claimed a 18-8 win over an experienced Qatar side, with excellent shooting from Aimee Scott and tight defence from Anne-Marie De Beer.

"We have gone from a group of talented individuals into three champion teams," Sandra Du Plessis, the Abu Dhabi coach, said.

"The focus, dedication and commitment from the players during the pre-tournament training has been outstanding and I salute the teams for their courageous victories."

Abu Dhabi Netball's Kellie Pomeroy said: "The Intergulf Championship is the most important date in the Gulf's netball calendar and bring together the regions elite for a weekend of fantastic netball.

"For a number of years the final has always been between the two biggest regions, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and this year proved no different"

Abu Dhabi will host the 2013 championships and Pomeroy said work on the organisation will get underway, once the celebration of this year's victories are over.

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