Midcom President's Cup from Friday

UBL and Al Fara'a are in Group A along with last year's Plate Division winners Etihad Engineering, as well as ADCB and Nissan Al Masaood.
Last year's Plate Division runners-up Lifeline Hospital are placed in Group B with Abu Dhabi Gymkhana, Royal Gymkhana, Lions CC and Health Authority Abu Dhabi.
The 'B' Division tournament has attracted 45 teams and 35 teams are in the Plate Division with 10 in the Trophy Division.
The T20 tournament will begin on Friday and will be played on the domestic grounds of the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council (ADCC). The competition is expected to run for 12 weeks and will end in the middle of January next year.
The Plate Division has been divided into eight groups with the top teams from each group making it to the knockout stages. The Trophy Division has two groups with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semifinal.
"It is the singular intention of ADCC to encourage the game across all communities and to maximise participation and cross-sectional inter-action. We hope to achieve this by continuously raising the profile of the sport," Wajahat Husain, President of ADCC, said at a Press conference.
"We also hope to be able to sustain the fitness and well-being of participating teams by shortening the gap between tournaments," he added.
Akash Kumar of Midcom, former Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) CEO Dilawar Mani and David East, current CEO of the ECB, were also present at the Press conference.
A total of 95 games will be played and all games will be held on Fridays. The semifinals will be played on the Oval ground, while the final will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
The winners in the Trophy Division will receive Dh 10,000, while the runners-up will get Dh 5,000. The Plate winners will get Dh 6,000, while the runners-up will receive Dh 4,000. There are also individual awards for Best Batsman, Best Bowler, Man of the Tournament and Man of the Final.
A special trophy will also be awarded to the team deemed to have best upheld the "Spirit of the Game" in accordance with its' highest values. A core committee of the Council Umpires shall adjudicate the winner of this award, instituted by Dilawar Mani.
james@khaleejtimes.com