The beats of bongos and drums may be missing but excitement was aplenty at the cricket training camp for the students of King Abdulaziz University at the Yanbu Industrial College here. A group of 25 athletic students, who have been playing soccer for long, impressed with their enthusiasm and will to perform on the cricket field as well. Introduced to the gentleman's game for the first time, the group exhibited the hunger and fascination for the sport. The students were on a four-day visit to the Yanbu Industrial College and a day was dedicated to learn the game of cricket on a formal request made to the Managing Director of Yanbu Industrial College Dr. Ahmed Dabroom by Dr. Waleed Mahmood Saeed, Director of University Colleges Activities, Prince Fawaz Community Center, Jeddah. Dr. Mohammad Aamir Khan, who pioneered the game among Saudis at the Yanbu Industrial College (YIC) and Mohammad Abdullah, started the training camp by telling the students about the different gears of the sport. This was followed by Musaab Al-Suweidi, a YIC student, explaining the rules of the game to the participants in Arabic. The presentation induced a lot of excitement as the Director Dr. Waleed Mahmood Saeed and Supervisor Engineer Abdullah Al-Qarni, Engineer Abdul Rahman Fallatah, Engineer Mazen, Salah Shakir, and Husain Al-Malki also actively participated in the training. The camp culminated with a seven-over match to give the participants a real feel of the game. Despite being new to the sport, the students were remarkable in their fielding, displaying their soccer-like diving and sliding skills. Their notable catches and run-outs made the match a thrilling experience. The chief guest Dr. Arsala Khan, Head of Chemical Engineering Department of YIC, presented the trophy to the winning team. The match was witnessed by a good gathering of YIC students and teaching staff. Dr. Waleed said, “Once cricket is in the blood, it's there for life and there is no way you can get it out of your system.” On behalf of Prince Fawaz Community Center, Dr. Waleed thanked YIC management, Dr. Aamir, Mohammad Abdullah and Musaab for introducing the game to him and his students. He pointed out that the sport would help keep its players fit and promised to spread the game through his community. Dr. Aamir announced that the annual Saudi Nationals Cricket Tournament will start from the first week of March. The first edition of the tournament comprised 6 teams. __
