Wednesday, 11 March, 2015

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD)'s recent success at the 2nd Skyline Sports Festival in Sharjah has been celebrated in style this week after the outstanding performances from five of the University's sports teams ensured that UOWD took the winner's cup back to their Knowledge Village Home.The male cricket team and female basketball, throwball and table tennis teams showcased UOWD’s sporting prowess by reaching the finals after battling it out against 25 different universities over the course of the five-day festival. As the best performing university overall, UOWD was awarded the winner’s cup with H.E. Ahmed Naser Al Fardan, The Secretary General of Sharjah Sport Council in attendance.A nail biting performance by the UOWD male cricket team in the semi-finals of the festival saw a single wicket victory against Herriot Watt University lead to the team securing a place in the final. Competing against Amity University, UOWD edged to a 6 wicket victory and topped their rival's total of 116 after 15 overs. The team’s captain Mohamed Shahzad Ilyas praised Aggham Shah as man of the match after he hit 38 runs from 22 balls. Success on the cricket pitch at Skyline marks a 10 match winning streak for the successful team, who have won three trophies in a period of just three weeks.Elsewhere on the sports field, UOWD’s female teams showcased their athletic prowess with the throwball team winning two out of three trophies against Skyline University and the table tennis team securing a two set victory against the American University of Sharjah (AUS).“The win was galvanizing and highly motivating. Such victories ensure that players remained focused and committed to their teams. The spirit and self-belief shown by the players ensured that UOWD have had one of their best ever sports seasons to date” commented Mohamed Shahzad Ilyas on the University’s performance.UOWD sports co-ordinator Mehdi Zahedian added, “The constant winning and succeeding on the sports field is all a result of the athletes’ hard work. There is only so much I can do as a coach, arranging practice times and being present at school games, because at the end of the day it all goes down to my athletes, who never fail to uphold UOWD’s strong reputation in sports events like these.”