SEASON 3 STARTS WITH DEFEAT

GREAT WHITE SHARKS 4 (Nazma 2, Camilla 2)
BEES 8
Birmingham Women's Wednesday Futsal League Division Three - May 23, 2012

SHARKS began their third season with a defeat against a new-look Bees who are now a combo of Stingers A and B.
Camilla and Nazma kept up their consistent form for the GWS by scoring two goals apiece. Sharks did not help their cause by conceding three own goals.
At half time it was only 3-2 to the Bees but in the second half Sharks let things slip.
This was Faeza's final game before she moves away to study at university. Best of luck with everything Faeza and hope you play for Sharks again in the future.
"Ice, Ice" Aisha put up a good spirited display, she is improving all the time.
Nazma played with a slight foot strain and Camilla was starved of possession a bit so she could not be as effective as in other games.
The Sharks will miss the services of Farzana and Nahilla this season - come back soon.
Sharks are now in Division Three and stand a good chance of winning this league if they find their form and start picking up wins.

SALMA SHINES AT AWA AWARDS!

GREAT White Sharks captain Salma Bi knocked the opposition for six when she received one of the greatest accolades of her sporting career last week.

Birmingham sportswoman Salma became the first ever winner of the Sport category at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in London.

A glittering ceremony at the plush Hilton Hotel on Park Lane saw the 26-year-old haemodialysis nurse from Bordesley Green crowned Britain's top Asian sportswoman for her outstanding services to cricket and the community.

The prestigious event featured a star-studded guest list which included awards patron Cherie Blair QC, Eastenders actress Preeya Kalidas, newsreader Mary Nightingale and rising star, pop singer Avina Shah.

The 13th AWA awards included a Sport section for the very first time and Salma was named the inaugural winner ahead of former British No1 tennis player Anne Keothavong, England hockey talent Ashpal Kaur Bhogai, Urvasi Naidoo, CEO of the International Federation of Netball Associations, and amateur boxer and coach Saira Tabasum.

Salma is no stranger to the prize podium having won the British Asian Sports Awards Outstanding Achievement accolade in 2009. She was also a contender for BASA Coach of the Year in 2010 and this year was shortlisted for the Outstanding Contribution prize at the Muslim Women's Sports Foundation awards at Wembley Stadium.

The first Muslim woman to represent Worcestershire at cricket, Salma also plays regularly for the MCC as well as featuring   for both men's and women's teams at Birmingham area clubs Five Ways Old Edwardians and Wall. She is also a Level One coach and umpire.

This year Salma launched her own coaching organisation Believe in MAD - Make A Difference which aims to raise the profile of girls/women's and disability cricket.

Last month she staged a T10 World Cricket Cup event at Birmingham International Futsal Arena which involved 32 women representing four different Test playing nations and raised over £1,000 for the charity Mencap.

Just six weeks earlier Salma was also the inspiration behind a 10-hour non-stop futsal marathon held at the same venue. Twenty four women took part and more than £1,000 was raised for the National Autistic Society.

In her celebration speech at the Hilton, Salma spoke about these events and thanked the small but dedicated team of supporters which helped make it all possible.

She also talked of the hurdles she has had to overcome to make her mark as a cricketer and highlighted her future ambitions.

"I do nothing for personal glory - my aim is to promote the sport I love and help others," she said. "If I receive awards or recognition along the way it is a bonus.

"The success of my events has inspired me further. We didn't change, we just made a difference."

Salma's infectious and engaging personality, her eloquence and humour, ensured she received rapturous applause as she left the stage. As she departed into the night, the praise was ringing in her ears from all quarters.

Salma Bi leaves a positive impression on everyone she meets.

Now it is time to concentrate on her cricket, continue leading her team the Great White Sharks in the Birmingham Women's Futsal League, and no doubt it won't be long before she is planning her next adventure......

3000 HITS FOR SHARKS BLOG!

THE Great White Sharks blog has now reached 3,000 hits!
As the blog was only born last December 22, that means this figure has been reached in less than five months - or a total of 149 days!!
Thank you for your support. Please stay tuned as a big article on Salma's amazing recent successes is coming up very soon.
The new season in the Birmingham Women's Futsal League for the Sharks - their third - begins this week.

CELEBRATING A REALLY GOOD SEASON

PROGRESS is what it's all about and Great White Sharks made plenty of that in their second season in the Birmingham Women's Wednesday Futsal League.
After finishing fifth out of six in their first season, they improved by securing third place in this latest campaign.
The best win was undoubtedly when they beat the mighty Fresh Off The Fold 6-3. This was a team which had always beaten Sharks previously so to turn this around was so special.
During the season GWS won five out of 12 league matches and scored a tremendous 73 goals. In all matches (including friendlies) they scored more than 100 goals.
It has been a pleasure to report on the Sharks and here is a tribute to the players who featured during the season....

SALMA BI (captain - goalkeeper)
Nicknames: Queen Ov Speen, Salmy Whalmy, Whalmy, Bordesley Green Brawler
During the season Salma also had to cope with the distraction of becoming a media personality, her non-stop 10-hour futsal marathon and T10 cricket tournament putting her in the spotlight, as well as her being nominated for two national sporting awards!
And do not forget her appearance on Noor TV with Anisha! Or all the newspaper and radio appearances!
She played some fine games in goal and in the final match became an outfield player in a bid to turn the team's fortunes around. Led by example, an inspirational captain.

FARZANA HUSSAIN (defender)
Nicknames: Hat-Trick Hussain, So Farz So Good
Farzana's big night came when she scored a hat-trick in the defeat of Fresh Off The Fold!
She also played in Salma's T10 cricket tournament for Pakistan. In futsal, Farzana is such a committed player, always giving 100%, a real team player.

NAHILLA KHATOON (defender)
Nicknames: Khatoona (Cantona?)
Nahilla had a really consistent season in the defence, always giving everything she had for the team. She will progress even more next season for sure.

FAIZA/FAEEZA (midfield)
Sorry, not sure of the spelling of the first name or what is the surname of this new player, but she has settled into the Sharks squad really well. Salma has been really pleased with her performances. Please do a player profile for the blog if you get the chance!

AISHA BI (midfield)
Nicknames: Ice Ice, Shark
Aisha scored a really good hat-trick in the Futsal Marathon in March and showed her developing skills and stamina in that event.
She is yet to score in the league but has gone close a few times. Aisha always gives her best and is a strong athlete. She will only get better for her experiences this season.

AISHA AHMED (forward)
Nickname: One Night Only
She was an instant Sharks hero after scoring twice in the defeat of Fresh Off The Fold!
I don't think she has played since, but is a player of obvious class. She also played in the T10 Cricket World Cup last month.

BECKY GRUNDY (forward)
Nickname: Big Time Impact
Becky guested for Sharks against the mighty Reedswood and scored four goals! She certainly gave the team some bite in that heroic 9-6 defeat.

NAZMA SHAHEEN (forward)
Nickname: Quickfeet, Naztastic, Mean Shaheen
What a player! She scores goals for fun. In just one game she scored SEVEN versus Bees - surely a club record!
Nazma just has a natural eye for goal and don't all the teams in the league know it! Sharks scored over 100 goals in the season - my guess is Nazma must have scored not far off half of them.

CAMILLA OLSEN (forward)
Nickname: Special, Camilla Parker Goals
Not wishing to blow my own trumpet, but I thought my headline Camilla Parker Goals after this Sharks forward had a particularly good game was mightily impressive (humph, humph) :-)
Camilla is a great centre-forward who has scored a lot of goals this season. She has formed a great partnership with Nazma up front.

TOUGH LAST NIGHT FOR THE SHARKS

REEDSWOOD 8 GREAT WHITE SHARKS 4

BIRMINGHAM UNITED 12 GREAT WHITE SHARKS 3

AS they did not play last week due to Salma's night with the stars in London, the Sharks ended the season with the tough task of completing two games on the same night.

First up was league champions Reedswood. There was a great start for GWS as they set up two own goals, but by half time the score was 2-2.

In the second half Reedswood upped the pace and went 6-2 up, but Sharks fought back to 6-4 behind.

However, Reedswood are not champions for nothing and finished up winning 8-4 - nonetheless a good effort from GWS.

Sharks went into the second game against Birmingham United knowing they had to play 100 minutes straight through - a difficult and tiring task.

Brum scored first, but Nazma equalised and then GWS went 2-1 ahead when goalkeeper Salma's long throw resulted in an opponent heading into her own goal!

The Sharks then slowed down and let things slip, the fresher Brum side utilising all their subs and moving 5-2 in front.

"Ice, Ice" Aisha was inches away from scoring, Camilla was unable to be her usual lethal self in front of goal and defender Farzana was then injured with less than 10 minutes to go.

Salma took the risk of coming out of goal to try to help recover the situation. Losing 8-2, Salma set up a fine ball from a corner for Nazma to head home.

However, it was too much of a chase for the Sharks and they ended up losing 12-3.

Captain Salma said afterwards: "A poor day for us, but looking back at the season we can be proud in only our second season at finishing third out of six teams - compared to our first season when we finished fifth.

"We still retain great self-belief - knowing we are good but we can always be better."

RESULTS - SEASON TWO

Birmingham United (LGE) W 6-4
Stingers (FRIENDLY) D 4-4
Birmingham United (F) L 6-8
Fresh of the Fold (LGE) L 4-7
Stingers A (LGE) W 8-1

Reedswood (LGE) L 0-7

Stingers B (LGE) D 6-6

Stingers A (F) L 3-8

Fresh of the Fold (LGE) L 4-11

Stingers B (F) L 3-4

Anonymous FC (F) W 20-10

Birmingham United B (LGE) W 10-8

Reedswood (LGE) L 6-9

Bees (LGE) W 11-5

Fresh of the Fold (LGE) W 6-3

Gin'll Fix It (LGE) L 5-7

Reedswood (LGE) 4-8

Birmingham United (LGE) 3-12

League record:

Played: 12 Won 5 Drawn 1 Lost 6 Goals For 73 Goals Against 88

All-games record:

Played: 18 Won 6 Drawn 2 Lost 10 Goals For 109 Goals Against 122

SHARKS STARS IN CRICKET WORLD CUP!

England skipper Salma (left) with captains of the other countries

The T10 World Cup winners - England!

A NUMBER of Great White Sharks players took part in the inaugural T10 Women's World Cricket Cup competition at the Birmingham International Futsal Arena on April 21.

And Sharks captain Salma Bi lifted the trophy as skipper of the tournament-winning England side, which also featured GWS players Camilla Olsen and Anisha Bi!

The pioneering event, organised by Salma's MAD (Making A Difference) foundation, involved 32 women split into four teams of eight each representing a Test cricket playing country.

England, Australia, Pakistan and India battled it out in a thrilling tournament which also raised over £1,000 for the charity Mencap.

For Salma, it was a second major indoor sporting event she had hosted just six weeks apart.

On March 10, the 26-year-old from Bordesley Green was one of 24 women who completed a 10-hour non-stop futsal marathon at the same Birmingham venue from which over £1,000 was raised for the National Autistic Society.

After the final ball was kicked Salma immediately set about organising the T10 World Cup helped in various ways by sister Aisha, Futsal Arena staff Gemma Smith and Ikhlaq Hussain and Welsh sports journalist Dave Jones.

Pre-tournament preparations did not always go smoothly with the West Indies team pulling out the day before, plus there was family focus on the imminent addition to the Bi family, a baby nephew for Salma, but come the day all went swimmingly.

In the group stage, countries played one another on a round-robin basis with results as follows:

Game 1- England 248 Pakistan 246 (ENG WIN BY 2 RUNS)

Game 2- India 256 Australia 273 (AUS WIN BY 17 RUNS)

Game 3- India 240 England 301 (ENG WIN BY 61 RUNS)

Game 4- Pakistan 164 Australia 277 (AUS WIN BY 113 RUNS)

Game 5- England 274 Australia 268 (ENG WIN BY 6 RUNS)

Game 6- Pakistan 301 India 270 (PAK WIN BY 31 RUNS)

Game 7- Pakistan 247 England 299 (ENG WIN BY 52 RUNS)

Game 8- Australia 309 India 244 (AUS WIN BY 65 RUNS)

Game 9- England 277 India 278 (IND WIN BY 1 RUN)

Game 10- Australia 284 Pakistan 247 (AUS WIN BY 37 RUNS)

The final group standings saw England and Australia finish on four points with Pakistan and India one apiece.

Pakistan skipper Zem Afzal won the toss for the third-fourth place play-off and opted for a bowl out.

This was won 3-0 by Pakistan, with Joanne Insley, Farzana Hussain and captain Zem all hitting the stumps.

The final saw England win the toss for the first time all day and opt to bat.

They scored at a steady 20 runs per over before Mina Zahoor and captain Amna Rafiq grabbed six wickets in four overs for the Aussies.

England then fought back, Nicky Preston and Anisha Bi guiding the "hosts" to a final score of 281.

In reply, Australia batted sensibly and looked to be heading for victory on 273 in the seventh over.

However, cometh the hour cometh the hero and "Queen ov Speen" Salma took three wickets in an over before handing the ball to Nicky, who claimed another victim, leaving Australia on 251 at the close and England victorious by 30 runs.

After the tournament Salma said: "Who could have written a better script?

"Thirty-two girls from all walks of life participated in an event never attempted before. Out of all 32 girls only 10 play at club level or higher.

"As well as pulling off an event such as this, the girls also raised over £1,000 for Mencap.

"Women's sport deserves recognition, it deserves promotion, it deserves it's time to set new records, to provide for individuals who are yet to grasp the game, who are yet to be recognised for their talents - who are yet to Make A Difference."

Salma hopes to bring more events such as this not just to the Midlands, but further afield.

In the meantime, a big month is coming up for the first Asian female to play cricket for Worcestershire.

On May 2, Salma is one of three contenders in the Outstanding Contribution section at the Muslim Women's Sports Foundation Ambassador Awards at Wembley Stadium.

Then on May 18, she will be among the nominations in the Sport category at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, also in London.

Three years ago Salma won the Outstanding Achievement accolade at the British-Asian Sports Awards.

T10 WORLD CUP SQUADS

PAKISTAN: Zem Afzal (cptn), Joanne Insley, Farzana Hussain, Zakia Malik, Halima Khan, Tasha Beck, Aisha Ahmed, Shareen Rahim.

AUSTRALIA: Amna Rafiq (cptn), Aisha Bi, Hayley Shaddic, .Sophie Molyneux, Sara Ali, Zoya Saleh, Chantel Hunter, Mina Zahoor.

INDIA: Gemma Goode (cptn), Amanda Payne, Gail Collins, Gemma Smith, Hira Jan, Rahima Khan, Hassina Begum, Charlie Charmer.

ENGLAND: Salma Bi (cptn), Maya Vashi, Anisha Bi, Masooma Naqvi, Rahilla Rafiq, Nicky Preston, Camilla Olsen, Myra Faz.

FUTSAL RESULTS - APRIL 25, 2012

WEDNESDAY LEAGUE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012 (information kindly supplied by Gemma Smith)

7pm FC Reedswood 22 V 5 The Bee's
7.50pm Gin'll Fix it 7 V 3 FC Reedswood
7.50pm Birmingham United Futsal Club 9 V 12 Chippettes (Friendly)
7.50pm 30 Degrees 11 V 2 Anonymous
8.40pm Reem Team 8 V 6 Bayern Neverlusen
8.40pm Fresh of the Fold 9 V 2 Birmingham United Futsal Club
8.40pm Gin'll Fix it 7 V 5 The Great White Sharks

Are you part of a ladies Football team or individual Interested in playing Futsal in our Ladies leagues?? If so get in touch now......Call 0121 554 3296 or email gemma.smith@futsaluk.net