Bukhatir League Attracts Top Teams

The longest-running tournament, organised by the Sharjah Cricket, will see 12 teams battling it out for the most prestigious trophy on the UAE domestic circuit, a press release said.

Last year, NMC rode on a brilliant century from Asim Ijaz, to beat Ibsons CC by 74 runs in the final to win the Bukhatir Premier League title for the third successive year.

The victory was the icing on the cake for NMC, who rounded off a great 2009 season, adding the Sharjah-Ramadan Twenty20 Rufi Cup and the first Al Dhaid Gold Cup to their silverwares.

The premier team from Abu Dhabi will be hoping to make it four on the trot, but will have to find that extra gear to see off the challenge their opponents, who since have strengthened their teams with some new blood.

The tournament, first played in 1974, is the brainchild of Abdulrahman Bukhatir, who himself led the Sharjah Club with his astute leadership between 1974 and 1977 and made the club a force to be reckoned with.

The Sharjah Club still hold the distinction of winning the mega event for a record nine times, but the script has undergone dramatic changes with the emergence of corporate teams.