MAMT 2017 LADIES GENTS - REPORT With the Grace of Allah(SWT) The 2017 Mullah Asghar Memorial Tournament (MAMT) took place over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 26 th - 28 th an event hosted in Peterborough at multiple sports venues for both Ladies and Gents, with a record participation of 1066 Gents and 321 Ladies battled to win the coveted trophies in various sports, which included Football, Volleyball, Netball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis, Snooker, Swimming, Squash, Carom and first time a 2km fun run. Participants came from all over the UK and Europe, from Sweden, France, Stanmore, Hyderi, SICM, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Essex, Wessex, Leicester, Birmingham, Peterborough, Swansea, Oxford and Reading and a few individuals from Africa, ages ranging from 5 years to 70 years. The Hotels in Peterborough never seen such a high influx of guests, neither did the Husaini Islamic Centre which accommodated several of the participants. We are very fortunate to have within the management Team of MAMT, an immense wealth of experience and skills which will enable us to present a world class event with passion and professionalism. Also the unwavering countless and priceless volunteers from various Jamaats played a huge role in the success of the tournament, a Special Thanks to them all and also an appreciation to Shia Sports Peterborough and MKSI Peterborough Jamaat, for supporting the tournament in every way possible. Catering Catering for such a large number of people with all the various needs and requests is a mammoth task and it is not a surprise that responsibility fell on the leader Zulfikharbhai Mamdani, and with the co-operation and always willing volunteers in the Gents and the ladies led by Tasnimbai Mawji ensured everyone was well fed at all venues. Football We must thank the Football coordinator and organiser Mohammed Mavani and his team for displaying and master minding a fantastic and enjoyable football festival in the Gents. Stanmore with their new coloured names left a lasting impression, picking up majority of the trophies. Also the Ladies Football had equal success, thanks to the hard work of Fatema Damji and Fatim Bandali.
Badminton For the first time Badminton for Adults and Kids on the Gents side was held on separate days, which was very well received, proved to be one of the biggest success stories of MAMT, Organisers Mohammed Abbas Rajani, Mohammed Siddiq Jaffer and Hassanali Rajbhai in conjunction with the Stanmore Jafferys and Peterborough volunteers contributing to this triumph. Amazingly Badminton has become one of leading sports now within the community and this was reflected also in the ladies with over 100 entries, and with only 3 courts available the organisers Nasima Karim and her team were left with a difficult situation, with a calm mind managed to successfully complete what looked like an impossible task. Netball A another popular sport with the ladies, a massive thanks to Zainab Walji and her team who worked hard to ensure that the format and games were played on time and with the appropriate rules and officials. Table Tennis A sport that is now showing more and more interest within the community, with a high increase in participation, A special thanks to Zaheer Allarakhia, Sibtain Allibhai, Arif Hirji, Naushad Tejani and again to several Parents who stepped up and helped to get the tournament running smoothly, which should make us all feel proud that we are great and caring community helping the common cause. Also an appreciation to Essex and Stanmore volunteers, who helped in completing the tournament which ran late into the night. In the Ladies a special Thanks to Zainab Walji and her team for getting the ladies part of the tournament run as planned. Volleyball This year we saw a new format to the game, where beginners got an opportunity to play for a plate competition and had the usual Premiership and Championship tournament for the more advanced players. The format proved to be popular as it gave participants to play games with
minimum waiting time and also a reasonable number of games. We continue to work together with all Jamaats towards making the game more enjoyable and competitive for all. Volleyball remains the number one sport for Adults and Youths and make it happen needs unwavering bunch of people, therefore we must thank the various Marshals namely Mohsin Kassam, Mehboob Ramji, Zulfikar Mamdani, Sajjad Gulamhussein, Wasim Gulamali,Mohammed Mavani, Hassanali Rajbhai and all the referees who ensured games were played promptly and on schedule. Golf A large number of participants this year, will all tees booked, fantastic weather, a perfect day for golf at Thorpe Wood Golf Course in Peterborough was appreciated by all involved. Thanks to Azmat Mavani and the team in making the event a memorable one. Tennis The indoor venue in Huntingdon indoor tennis has become a common venue for MAMT and again tennis had a significant increase in participants and an additional category added for the over 40 s proved popular. Thank you to Salim Rehmatullah and Abbas Merali in organising the event, a special thanks to Mohammed Mavani who drew the short straw of driving 20 miles to deliver all the meals to the participants. Squash A late inclusion in this year s tournament, due to popular demand, with very little experience in the game within the management committee, we are very thankful to Mahmood Ladak who organised all the fixtures on the day and it flow effortlessly. Snooker A second year running with snooker included this year, seems to be moving in the high interest category, a must for the years ahead. Again we thank Kamber Narsinh and Mohammedraza Mamdani for doing the hard work of organising efficiently. Carom A board game that is now part and parcel of MAMT. Without carom MAMT is incomplete, therefore as ever the usual suspects were at it again, with amazingly many new participants having a go. As ever all thanks to Mehboob Ramji for organising. to
2k run MAMT always looking to incorporate new sports to cater for all, this year we introduced the 2KM run and despite the tight schedule, many participants joined in a 2k fun run late in the evening, All appreciation to Mohammed Abbas Rajani in helping organise the run. Swimming Swimming saw participants attempt 3 different strokes over 25 metres each with some great performances, Thank you to Nasima Karim and her team and willing volunteers in arranging the swimming as planned. Salah "Namaz is a pillar of Religion. If Namaz is accepted all other deeds are accepted. If Namaz is rejected then all other Deeds are rejected." (Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)) With every MAMT all sports stop at time of Salah and everyone joins in Jamaat, a time to remind us all that despite us competing with one another we are all one united family. We must show our appreciation to Shaykh Shahnawaz Mahdavi who took the time to come and lead every Jamaat prayer during the tournament. Trophies Trophies for the competition are always a tough task to accomplish, Mehboob Bharwani plays a key role ensuring that all trophies are received on time and at a reasonable cost. We take this opportunity to thank his hard work. CO-ORDINATORS We thank all the co-ordinators and sports bodies for being patient and supportive to the team and rolling out all the necessary correspondence to the wider members of the communities. Finally
Thank you There are a countless volunteers to thank, those that provided transport, those that served meals, those that set up courts, score desks, cleaning up, those that pasted the posters, all the great behind the scenes people, who do an amazing and fantastic job. For them we pray to Allah(SWT) to reward them in abundance, for they are the real pride and trophies of the community. Finally We must also thank all the participants. NARE HAYDERI to you all NARE SALAWAT. The MAMT management committee would also like to show appreciation for the continued support and co-operation the office bearers and MC of COEJ. We hope and pray that MAMT remains a special event in our Calendar of our community. And request that you pardon all the short comings of the MAMT committee. We look forward to the future. S Jivraj / Z Mamdani MAMT 2017