Al Bateen Secondary School had a week to remember with their Under-13 and Under-15 teams triumphing in the ADISSA volleyball tournaments.
Training since September, the girls’ teams overcame strong competition from top schools in Abu Dhabi.
In the Under-13 category, Al Bat-een faced a tough challenge in the form of hosts Brighton College.
Both sides put on impressive performances in the earlier rounds, but Al Bateen came out on top to win 25-17 in a closely-fought encounter. Al Yasmina School completed the podium finishing third.
Al Bateen had even more reason to celebrate with the Under-15 team winning their age group division a day later.
As hosts, Al Bateen didn’t buckle under the pressure and put on some inspiring performances.
With opponents Raha International School, Brighton College and Al Yasmina School making things tough, Al Bateen did enough to make the final.
And just like in the Under-13 category, they came up against Brighton College.
Both teams rose to the occasion in what was an entertaining spectacle for the fans, which saw Al Bateen secure a double with a 25-15 win.
The victories meant Al Bateen ended their season on a winning note and teacher Matthew Pollock was delighted with the success.
“The girls have put in a lot of hard work and trained once a week,” he said.
“The tournament was a great way to put their practice in a match scenario and they certainly did well in a competition, which attracted some strong teams.”
He added: “We knew it would be tough and the girls did extremely well to finish their tournament in first position.
“To win two tournaments is a fantastic achievement because all the schools were tough to beat.”
Celebration time for DESS following successful year
Following an outstanding sporting season, DESS Primary School pupils were recognised for their achievements in their end of year ceremony.
It has been a busy nine months for the Dubai school with the students, aged between five and 11, taking part in various competitions in different sports including netball, football, rugby, basketball, aquathlon, rounders and golf.
Their hard work paid off as DESS topped their respective tournaments 31 times, while finishing second 17 times.
They also claimed third place on 19 occasions.
Children received medals and trophies while the Year Six pupils received special awards for their overall contribution to sport at the school.
Among the top accolade winners were Isla Crameri and Mark Bezzina.
Crameri was chosen for her contribution to athletics, swimming, basketball, football, netball rugby, aquathlon and cross country. And Bezina received the award for swimming, athletics, football, basketball, aquathlon and cross country.
Chris Rowe, director of sport, said: “It has been inspirational to see the levels of enthusiasm and dedication shown by the children in particular and for me to know I have been able to play a big part in developing a lifelong love of exercise and activity with them.”
