Hosts Bahrain joined Asian powerhouses Japan and Iran as big winners yesterday on day one of the 19th Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship, taking place at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
The Bahrainis put on an impressive show in front of their home fans, appearing dominant against a tough Iraq side in a 3-0 (25-23, 28-26, 25-15) victory in Pool D1 of the competition’s Preliminary Round.
Japan and Iran, meanwhile, looked just as imposing in their respective games, with each needing just over an hour-and-a-quarter to dispose of their opponents.
Playing against Thailand in Pool B1, the Japanese enjoyed a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 27-25) result, while Iran followed suit with their own comfortable 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-22) win.
All three teams are competing in Division One for the Preliminaries, as are Sri Lanka, who bt Kazakhstan 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-10) in Pool C1.
From Division Two on the tournament’s opening day, Taipei beat Saudi Arabia, Malaysia beat the Maldives, Hong Kong won over Jordan and India had their game against Uzbekistan cancelled following the late withdrawal of the Uzbeks.
The now 23-nation Asian U20 Championship has been organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation in cooperation with the Bahrain Volleyball Association. It is being held under the patronage of His Majesty the King’s Charity Works and Youth Affairs representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Matches continue today at the same venue from 11.30am onwards. Games are being played simultaneously in two arenas. Entrance for spectators is free and all are welcome to watch.
In Bahrain’s win in Pool D1, the nationals received a welcome boost from the vibrant singing and cheers from the massive group of local fans that turned up to support the team.
After a strong opening set, the Bahrainis found themselves trailing midway through the second but some brilliant blocking helped them rally and tie the proceedings at 22. Their surge deflated their opponents and they took full advantage.
The home side then carried over their momentum into the third set, while giving the Iraqis no chance at a comeback.
“This was our first game of the tournament so we played a little nervous today,” said top talent Mohamed Abdulla after the match. “We had many mistakes in receiving and didn’t do very well in our attack.
“But we hope to do better in every game and we are very happy we won today against a very strong team.”
Hasan Abbas scored 11 points to lead the hosts, while Sayed Alabbar finished with seven. Abdulla had five blocks in the game. Ali Abushanan paced Iraq with 14 points in the losing effort.
Bahrain will now look to end their Preliminary Round campaign in Pool D1 with a win against Qatar tonight. Their contest is scheduled for a 7pm start.
Japan next face Turkmenistan tomorrow in their final Pool game.
Iran next play against Korea tomorrow in what is expected to be a thrilling and hotly contested affair between two juggernauts.
YESTERDAY’S RESULtS:
Taipei bt Saudi Arabia 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-19); India bt Uzbekistan (not held, Uzbekistan withdrew); Japan bt Thailand 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 27-25); Malaysia bt Maldives 3-0 (25-9, 25-19, 25-10); Iran bt China 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-22); Hong Kong bt Jordan 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 26-24); Bahrain bt Iraq 3-0 (25-23, 28-26, 25-15); Sri Lanka bt Kazakhstan 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-10).