Thirteen of Dubai´s top 12 and 13-year-old baseball players are in Kutno, Poland, to compete for the right to represent Africa and the Middle East at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Bottom row, from left: Shane Heller, Braden Garrison, Alex West, Luis Olivera, Mike Kapner, Christian Hickey, Benji van Rooyen. Top row, from left: Pete Giles, Jacob Whaley, Faiz Moosa, Isaiah Jones, Ray Braun, James Braden, Curran Hickey, Kelly Jones, Steve Braun.
Thirteen of Dubai´s top 12 and 13-year-old baseball players are in Kutno, Poland, to compete for the right to represent Africa and the Middle East at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PeShow more

Dubai Falcons have global feel



A youth baseball team from Dubai has a chance this week to qualify for the Little League World Series. Whether they make it or not, the Dubai Falcons already have an global flavour. The team is made up of boys from five different countries, aged 12 and 13, who have played and practised for months to prepare for the games that will decide who travels to the United States next month.

This week, they are in Kutno, Poland, to compete against four other teams from the region for the right to represent the Middle East and Africa at the World Series. "It was a real impressive preparation that the boys put in to get prepared for the tournament," said Greg Sproule, the president of Dubai Little League. "They had one day off in the two weeks leading up to the tournament and they practised four times a week previous to that, amid all this heat."

The boys, who come from the US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa and India, are ready to stop practising and start playing. "I just want to get there and play," pitcher Christian Hickey, 12, said in a statement released by the team. "All the practice and team events have been fun, but it's time to pull it all together for real." In Poland, the boys will compete against teams from South Africa, Uganda, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for four days in a round-robin format. The winners will travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in August for the Little League World Series, which will be broadcast globally.

This is fifth time a team from the UAE has made it to the qualifying tournament in Poland. They have missed the trip to the finals each time, and have been edged out narrowly by Saudi Arabia in the past two years. The local Little League season, which features 36 teams and 450 boys from 30 countries, ended in April. The team that is headed to Poland, which was picked from two all-star teams, beat Saudi Arabia in a regional tournament in April, giving the boys confidence of overcoming their rivals in the next round of competition. "Saudi Arabia always have been a good team," Sproule said. "We beat them during the regional tournament, but you are never sure of whether they bring their full team in for that event, versus the team they send to Poland." The Dubai team is coached by Pete Giles, an Australian. "The boys are an impressive group," Giles said in a statement from the team. "They have sacrificed their summers in order to train to be the best they can possibly be. "We go to Poland as a united team ready to compete against the other teams and represent the UAE as best we can." Sproule said Giles, who played professionally in Australia, communicates well with the boys. "He is an exceptional coach and an exceptional communicator," Sproule said. "So what he brings is a lot of experience and a lot of great communication skills to the kids, and that's been the difference this year. "And, of course, the level of commitment the boys have had to practise. They really think they have a decent chance and they have every right to think they have a great chance. It's a big stage but they are ready to go." The parents have also shown a keen enthusiasm for the sport and several of them are in Poland to support the team. "At least one parent for each player has accompanied the team," said Kelly Jones, the team's assistant coach, who is from Canada. "Even a few grandparents are here. In all, approximately 22 family members are attending to support the players. "We've got 13 boys, 22 parents and three coaches. So it is a fairly big delegation." There are no Emiratis on the tournament team, but Sproule is confident this will change over the coming years with a number of nationals taking to the sport. "One thing that makes us most proud is that we've been also able to reach out and have a number of Emirati kids, both boys and girls - boys in the baseball and girls in the softball league," he said. "That's ultimately one of the most rewarding things that we can do. "As we get boys that have played at younger ages in the league, we are pretty confident that we will have them [in the national team]. "Frankly, we'd love to have a whole team of Emirati boys, but because the sport is new here to Emiratis it may take a couple of more years, but we are certainly pleased with the progress we have made so far." arizvi@thenational.ae

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The%20team
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HOW TO WATCH

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New schools in Dubai
LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now