Record number of teams boost the Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships

A record of 26 teams will participate at the Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships which will be held at the Bahrain Rugby Club in Saar on the 13th and 14th March.

21 Ladies’ teams from Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait will battle it out for the Cup, Plate and Bowl during the two-day event. Four men’s teams and the award-winning team from Hucclecote Netball Club in England will join them. The men will play in their own division, while the Hucclecote team will play against the top 8 ranked Gulf teams in a separate competition called the Invitational Cup.

Dubai leads the field with 7 registered teams for the 23rd annual tournament. Top seed Dubai A will have to fend off previous winners Abu Dhabi A who are keen to re-claim the title. Abu Dhabi spokeswoman Jaqueline Coetzee said: “The Abu Dhabi teams are so excited to return to Bahrain for the Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships, which was extremely successful in 2008.”

“The tournament is the highlight of the Abu Dhabi netball season and we have a formidable record in the event which we hope to build on. We are particularly excited to field a men’s team, which will be a first for the capital. The 3 Abu Dhabi teams have been training rigorously and the competitive spirit is high in the camp!” Mrs. Coetzee ended.

Over 150 matches will be played at the Bahrain Rugby Club’s netball courts over the two-day competition. Teams will be divided into three pools for the first stage of the competition to establish rankings before moving into the finals on the second day in which they will play knockout matches.

The Riffa Views Bahrain Netball League will enter 5 ladies’ teams and 1 men’s team into this year’s tournament. The Bahrain Premier Team (Bahrain A) has been training as a unit since September in order to maximise their chances of breaking in to the elite “Top 4” at the tournament, which has traditionally been dominated by Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Team captain Mel Goosen said: “We’ve trained extremely hard for this tournament and the dedication from the players has been outstanding. We have strong combinations throughout the court, we have depth on our team and we believe in ourselves. We’re really looking forward to the challenge of meeting the top teams this year.”

Richard Browning, CEO of Riffa Views, commented: “As title sponsors of this tournament it is gratifying for us to see that Bahrain’s reputation as an excellent sporting venue continues to grow. We are pleased to know that this year’s tournament attracted a record number of regional teams. The Bahrain Netball League has done a great job by further improving the tournament and raising its profile throughout the international netball community.”

The Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships will take place on March 13th and March 14th at the Bahrain Rugby Club. For more information please contact Michaela Milne 3660 0308 or see the website: www.intergulfnetball.com

Riffa Views presents Performance Award to top contractor

Riffa Views presented Projects Construction Co. with the “Contractor Overall Performance Award” in recognition for providing high standards of work and for a clear focus on achieving Riffa Views’ requirements for the construction of the Villas in the North and Central areas of the Park Estate.

Steve Russell-Rayner, Riffa Views Project Director, commented:” Despite the difficult times experienced over the last months, Projects Construction Co. has been progressing extremely well with the construction of over two hundred and fifty Villas at Riffa Views. Their commitment to fulfilling their obligations is clearly visible and for this reason we are pleased to present them with the ‘Contractor Overall Performance Award’. We are positive that they will continue to lead by example, setting the bar for the other contractors on-site.”

Richard Browning, Riffa Views CEO stated:” The project continues with full force to achieve its target completion and Projects Construction have done a great job. They have taken on the project even with the lack of materials available in the market. We are hosting the Contractor Overall Performance Award to showcase the current climate of the development and to reiterate our commitment to deliver both the Villas we contracted and the lifestyle we promised.”

Stan Bontoft, Projects Construction Managing Director was presented with the award by Mr. Russell-Rayner. Mr. Bontoft declared: “There is no denying in the fact that we have faced a difficult time regarding the shortage in building materials; however, being awarded professionally for all of our hard work gives us immense pleasure.”

The Contractor Overall Performance Award is presented quarterly and is based on a positive evaluation of the performance, consistency in providing high level of professionalism and a strong drive to meet the development’s deadlines.

Khawla school takes top seniors spot in Riffa Views Eden Challenge

In the second of our profiles of the winning schools in the 2009 Riffa Views Eden Challenge, this week’s spotlight falls on the Khawla Secondary Girls School, winners of Category D – for senior students between 16 and 18 years of age. The Khawla School, founded in 1979 and currently ‘home’ to 917 students, came out on top against eight other schools in the secondary school category, all of whom were submitting detailed project designs for ‘water conscious gardens’.

The School’s Eden Challenge project team was selected based on those students showing most interest in participating in the Riffa Views Signature Estates organised schools’ environmental competition. According to the School’s Vice Principal and teachers, the girls on the Eden Challenge team worked incredibly hard to research the Challenge – using the internet and libraries, visiting gardens and plant nurseries all over the island to get ideas for their project.

And their efforts certainly came through, based on what the judges thought of the final project submission; Chris Beardshaw, Chairman of the judging panel, commenting that the judges viewed the Khawla School’s entry as “…. a well considered and well worked scheme that demonstrates a good understanding of the possibilities offered by a designed landscape. The incorporation of the Riffa Views Eden Challenge logo was well received, as was the level of detail and thought demonstrated in the model and associated works.”

Taking part in the Eden Challenge gave the students a great opportunity to learn more about plants and gardens and the environment. They were able to use this new appreciation in their project entry – a water conscious garden, demonstrating a space of beauty and energy where it is possible to enjoy and engage with the outdoor environment. In addition to including innovative water saving devices, the Khawla School students also considered safety aspects such as security exits, facilities for special needs people and the use of environmentally friendly natural products.

All of which found great favour with the Eden Challenge judges, “The standard of workmanship involved in the submission was highly praiseworthy and clearly this represented a significant investment of time and skills.” And not only with the judging panel, also with the rest of the School and the parents of the students taking part in the Challenge, who were all very supportive of the girls’ efforts and delighted to hear of the project’s success.

The School plan to use the category winning cash prize of BD1,000 to improve the School garden and add to the School’s environmental focus in the class-room. The School will also have the pleasure of seeing their entry turned into a real, live garden on the Eden Challenge stand at the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show 2009 (“RVBIGS 2009”) – the judges felt that “…..for the purposes of the Show, a section through the project entry design would be the best way of demonstrating the principles of water movement, use in the landscape and water conservation issues.”

And it won’t just be the design on display at RVBIGS 2009 – the School are looking forward to being as interactive and as creative as they can with visitors to the Eden Challenge stand and already have ideas of printing information flyers and having staff and students, all dressed in relevant costumes, present on the stand during the Show as a way of explaining more about their garden.

Richard Browning, CEO of Riffa Views Signature Estates, welcomes the School’s enthusiasm, “I think it’s great that the School want to be so involved with the stand. They are very proud of their winning entry and rightly so; their desire and commitment to share their garden and its ideas with visitors to the Eden Challenge stand are exactly the type of ongoing interest and commitment to the environment that we were hoping for when we established the Eden Challenge competition. We look forward to working closely with the students and the School at RVBIGS 2009.”

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