MUSCAT: Ahli Sidab, Al Nasr, Salalah and Al Amerat secured a spot in the semis of the 54th edition of the prestigious His Majesty’s Cup Hockey Championship. The semifinal matches will take place on Sunday as the topper of group 'A' Ahli Sidab will take on Salalah club, who finished as runners-up in group 'B', and the match will start at 5:00 pm at Oman Hockey Stadium in Al Amerat. The group leader of group 'B', Al Amerat, in their debut, will face the second placed of group 'A', Al Nasr, and the match will begin at 7:00 pm at the same venue. The winners will battle for the championship title which is scheduled on Tuesday while the losers will play for the third and fourth playoff.
Ahli Sidab confirmed their berth in the semifinal with a commanding 6-0 win over the defending champion Suhar in the concluding match of group 'A' while Al Nasr managed to thrash Al Salam by 10-0 in the same group. In the other group, Al Amerat registered a 3-1 win against Seeb to head the group order while Salalah snatched a 2-2 draw against Dhofar to join Al Amerat in the semis.
Ahli Sidab commenced their campaign with a win against Al Nasr by 2-0 after the withdrawal of the latter. Then, they blanked Al Salam by 2-0 before winning Suhar by 6-0. Al Nasr’s victories in the group stage registered against Suhar by 5-1 and then thrashing Al Salam by 10-0 while they withdrew in the first game against Ahli Sidab.
Al Amerat started their campaign strongly as they thrashed Dhofar by 16-0 and they ended their match against Salalah by 2-2 draw before snatching a crucial 3-1 win from Seeb. Salalah club managed to blank Seeb by 3-1 in the opening match before playing out a 2-2 draw against Al Amerat and then ending their match against Dhofar by a 2-2 draw.
It is expected that the semis games will feature tough competitions as all four teams will eye to reach the final match of the top hockey domestic event. Al Amerat are seeking for their historic title in first attendance at the HM’s Cup for Hockey event. They will depend on many key players including Ilyas al Noufli, Shahid Abdulhannan and Ahmed Mohammed. Al Nasr will eye to rekindle their memories after the last title in 2022 while Ahli Sidab will look to regain the coveted cup after an absence in the last years. Salalah will aim for another top achievement.
Al Nasr, last crowned champions in 2022, seek to reclaim their glory, while Ahli Sidab, one of Oman’s most prominent clubs, aim to end their title drought. Salalah, fresh off winning the His Majesty’s Cup for Youth, will be eager to add another accolade to their achievements.
The champions of this year’s edition will be awarded the prestigious trophy, 30 gold medals, and a cash prize of RO 40,000. The runners-up will receive 30 silver medals and RO 25,000, while the third-placed team will be honoured with bronze medals and RO 15,000
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