Mix work and play at GFC Corporate Cricket League

[email protected] 08:15 19/10/2014
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  • Souvenirs: All participants in DUPLAYS tournaments get a medal.

    Excitement is building ahead of the inaugural DUPLAYS GFC Corporate Indoor Cricket League which gets underway next week.

    There are already 26 teams signed up but there is still time to register. Hurry though as there are less than 10 spots remaining.

    The tournament involves teams with a maximum squad of 10 people playing a minimum of eight games over the next five weeks – all in a 16-over format.

    And there will even be cash prizes on offer for individual performances.

    Games are played every night from Sunday to Wednesday and also on Saturday evenings, from 19:30.

    The league kicks off next Sunday, (October 26) with matches being played at United Pro Sports, the new state-of-the-art indoor sports facility in Al Quoz, Dubai.

    The league is divided into four different divisions – Division A, B, C and D – and the teams will split between them based on ability.

    In this short but exhilarating format of the game, teams are made up of eight players. Every batsman will play four overs each and within those overs, if you get out you score -5, and have to score runs by only hitting the net.

    The league runs over five weeks and each team will play two games per week. Each team will take on the eight opponents in their division, with teams facing off once.

    The top two in each then advance to the Cup and the other two will play in the Plate competition in the knockout stages.

    The league is organised by DUPLAYS, who are experts in managing sports leagues, events and corporate team-building events in the UAE.

    Hussain Badri, the company’s sponsorship and events manager, said: “It’s something we are trying for the first time, and it’s a chance for people to play eight games minimum and twice a week.”

    Hussain said DUPLAYS want to do even more to prove that work and play do mix.

    “We already have a social cricket competition but we want to attract more corporates to compete in this as it’s a healthy way of promoting their fitness and a good way for teams to do team-building, and strengthen skills that will be useful at work,” he said.

    “We have already had a tournament for corporates and we wanted to continue it.

    “It’s basically to get them more active into sport and we feel cricket is a good way of doing it, considering the South Asian population is the largest in the UAE, and we want to connect them through cricket.”

    Every squad will receive 10 adidas dri-fit jerseys on registering a full team.

    The league is sponsored by Gulf Finance, a leading provider of funding solutions for small and medium businesses in the region. The entry fee per team is Dh2,500.

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