THE game of rugby was the winner at Bahrain Rugby Football Club (RFC) in Saar last week as the club played host to a festival of rugby to raise funds for men’s health.
The annual visit of the Scottish Cancer Crusaders to the island has paved the way for the establishment of the Bahrain Cancer Warriors and the Irish Cancer Crusaders and last weekend the three teams came together for the first time in a triangular tournament.
Launched out of the Scottish capital Edinburgh in 2008, the Crusaders is a unique rugby club for players and ex-players who have either had cancer themselves or have had family members who have suffered from the illness.
The Warriors were established along the same lines in 2014, thanks to the driving force of the likes of Bahrain RFC chairman Mehdi Honar and fellow stalwart Sal Wilson.
The Irish Crusaders played their first fixture earlier this year.
Last weekend’s rugby feast in Saar featured a host of well-known players from the UK, Ireland and around the Middle East, including 24-times capped Scottish winger Nikki Walker, former Irish international Ronnie Carey and European Cup-winning Ulster winger Sheldon Coulter.
Familiar
There were also a number of familiar faces on show, in the somewhat unfamiliar shapes of former Bahrain stars Adam Clarke, Ryan Connolly, Rory Binder and Daniel Bell.
The latter pair appeared as part of an overloaded Irish outfit – also featuring fellow Jebel Ali Dragons’ double Gulf Top Six-winning team-mates and UAE internationals Adam Telford, Andrew Carphin and Sean Hurley.
THE event raised several hundred Dinars for local men’s cancer charities.