The 6th edition of the Evenlode Badminton Team Championship, organized by Evenlode Badminton Club (EBC), came to a successful end at Evenlode Badminton Complex here recently. The championship was conducted in the same format of Indian Badminton League conducted by the Badminton Association of India. Players from top ranked clubs Sinmar Badminton Club from Riyadh, Noble Badminton Club, Dunes Badminton Club and Dossary Badminton Club from Dammam, Jubail Badminton Club and Jeddah Badminton Club took part in the event. Five teams — Spartans, led by Deric Gonzalves, Fighters (Ammar Awad, captain), Gladiators (Renin Wilson, captain). Warriors (Fahad Khalid captain) and Smashers (Shihab Mohammed, captain) — battled for honors. In the final, Smashers prevailed over Warriors 4-3 to lift the championship crown. Smashers: Shihab (captain), Aslam (vice captain), Kaja, Murugan, Faisal, Sherin, Sabeer, Thahir, Tanveer, Nawas, Vinayan, Kaizer, Ganesh, Sijo and Noor. Warriors: Fahad (captain), Najeeb (vice captain ), Akhil Shetty, Arif, Baig, Ashik, Jojo, Nawab, Shanavas, Shiju, Sijil, Shoaib, Shanid, Rahim and Ratheesh. The semifinals (6 doubles and 1 singles) witnessed a stiff competition. Smashers registered a 4-3 victory over Spartans and Warriors won 4-3 against Gladiators. Points standings after the first round: Gladiators 24 points, Smashers 23, Spartans 18, Warriors 16 and Fighters 11. EBC President Tony Abraham congratulated the winner and runner-up and thanked all the participants. The tournament committee was led by Director Mansoor Vaisiyar. The other members were: Thaju Ayyaril (deputy director), Fahad Khalid and Abdul Majeed (technical directors), Tony Abraham (EBC president), Anil (MD of Sinmar Group), Jamal Abbas (CEO of Khalid Jamal Contracting Co.), Babu, Arif, Renin, Noufal, Noor, Ratheesh, Jamsheed, Shoaib, Khairul, Nizar, Stanley, Thanveer, Noor, Azeem, Mehroof, Shafeeq, Najeeb, Biju, Thahir and Riju.
