AISHA BREAKS THE ICE-ICE!

GREAT WHITE SHARKS 7 (Nazma 4, Camilla 2, Aisha 1)
LATE ARRIVALS 5
BIRMINGHAM WOMEN'S FUTSAL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE - MAY 30, 2012
ICE-ICE AISHA BI scored her first ever league goal for the Sharks in a pleasing 7-5 victory over new team the Late Arrivals tonight.
Midfielder Aisha, aged 17, scored the best goal of the game when she won the ball with a strong tackle and broke forward before rocketing home a tremendous shot.
It was 6-2 to Sharks at half time and although Late Arrivals fought back in the second half,  GWS held on for a deserved win.
Youngster Anisha Bi, aka Piranha and sister of Aisha and captain/goalkeeper Salma, made some good passes and Farzana was solid in defence.
The star strikers did really well again, Nazma scoring four and Camilla two.
This was Sharks' second game of the new season and saw them bounce back after losing to the Bees on the opening night last Wednesday.
Salma gave a very poetic verdict on the night: "Our passing was much cleaner tonight and we had over 35 shots at our opponents' goal.
"We scored seven goals, but hopefully we are only warming up to get our jaws in and bite away towards the title!
"We are afraid of the unseen, but everyone looks forward to the future which is yet to be seen."

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