Hussain wins table tennis championship

Sayed Murtada Hussain lifted the Bahrain Table Tennis Association Championships senior category trophy in dramatic fashion at Isa Sports City in Riffa. The Saar Club junior performed an outstanding comeback in the final match against fellow club opponent and national team star Mohammed Abbas to win the match 4-2 and with it the trophy. Going down 0-1, Hussain put on a spirited show to claim the next three sets at 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, but Abbas avenged a second set to stay in the tie.

However, the rising national team player regained momentum late on to easily clinch the seventh set 11-4 and secure the tie. In the youth category final, Salman Mohammed Ali of A’ali Club clinched the trophy after a 3-0 win over Tubli Club’s Fadel Abbas, who settled for runners-up spot.

The final was held under the patronage of Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa, deputy chairman of the Supreme Council for Environment and president of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation, who honored the players in both age categories. Supreme Council for Youth and Sports assistant secretary general and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) secretary general Abdulrahman Askar, along with BTTA president Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Bahrain Volleyball Association president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Bahrain Handball Association president Ali Isa Esaaqi as well as BOC board members and other federations representatives were also present.

The closing ceremony of the championships concluded with Shaikh Faisal receiving a memento from BTTA, presented by Shaikha Hayat, who said she was pleased with the closing ceremony of the championships. She also congratulated the winners of both category championships, the organisers as well as the media authorities for their contributions in making this event a great success.