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GEMMA AND SALMA SPREAD THEIR WINGS

Gemma (left) and Salma publicise their second Futsal marathon earlier this year

 

 

TWO prolific fund-raisers will be spreading their wings in the new year when they stage an exciting new sporting event.

Salma Bi and Gemma Smith have organised a World Dodgeball 2013 tournament to be held at the Birmingham Futsal Arena on Saturday, January 19.

Multi award-winning cricketer Salma is also head of MAD (Making A Difference) Productions, while Arena technical manager and futsal co-ordinator Gemma fronts Sporting Pathways.

Both organisations aim to maximise sporting opportunities for people in the Birmingham area and beyond, as well as raise vital funds for deserving causes.

In the past, Salma and Gemma have hosted 10 and 20-hour record-setting non-stop Futsal marathons, plus a T10 Indoor Cricket World Cup event, raising thousands of pounds in the process for charities such as the National Autistic Society.

Their latest event, the World Dodgeball tournament, will raise much-needed funds for North Wales based Ty Gobaith/Hope House Children's Hospice.

The Conwy Valley hospice provides specialist nursing care and support to life-limited children, young people and young adults. Its support extends to the whole family – from diagnosis, throughout the lifetime of the child and beyond.

Ty Gobaith, which has a sister hospice in Oswestry, has to raise over £4 million every year to maintain its services and receives just one month’s funding from statutory bodies.

Therefore it is heavily reliant on the support of the public.

Salma and Gemma have decided to raise money for Hope House because their publicity officer and close friend, Dave Jones, is based in North Wales.

Dave, a sports editor for three weekly newspapers and sports writer for the Daily Post, was asked if he had any ideas for a suitable cause to benefit from MAD and Sporting Pathways' latest fund raising event.

He did not hesitate to nominate Hope House, whose North Wales base is in the same offices as the Daily Post.

So what is Dodgeball?

Dodgeball is basically any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with their own balls while avoiding being hit themselves.

In the United States, the game is typically played among children aged six to 12 in elementary school.

However, internationally, the sport has also emerged as a popular middle school, high school and college sport. It is also popular in informal settings and is often played on a playground, in a gym, or in organised recreational leagues.

There are many variations of the game, but generally the main objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, catching a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing them to move outside the court boundaries when a ball is thrown at them.

It is the sport where YOU are the target and on January 19 the delights of Dodgeball will be introduced to the Birmingham Futsal Arena. The event will be staged between 2 and 7pm.

The theme will be World Continents.

Six teams of six players each will play one another twice, leading to a semi-final and final.

Afterwards there will be presentations to include trophies, medals and certificates.

Entry fee is £10 and players will be placed into teams unless a group bring their own team.

Refreshments, event T-shirts and various prizes will be provided.

Teams competing will be:

Arctic Whales

American Coyotes

European Mammoths

African Meerkats

Asian Cobras

Australian Kangaroos

Deadline for entries is December 20 so get in touch soon!

Contact Gemma at the Futsal Arena on 07789 557931.

ZOMBIES HAVE 100% RECORD

Zombies player Maya Vashi

 

 

WARWICKSHIRE CRICKET BOARD

Women's Indoor League - results so far

Birmingham Uni 238-8 Fiveways Zombies 290-5
Zombies win by 52 runs

Fiveways Zombies 267-6 Walmley CC 260-7
Zombies win by seven runs

NOVEMBER 11
Fiveways Zombies 309 Birmingham Uni 246
Zombies win by 63 runs
Salma's report.....
Sunday we played Bham Uni - comfortable win. Original opponents Harborne couldn't get a team out but my girls performed.
Team was Cherie Dabbs with tight bowling, Simi Panesar excellent bowling, Maya Vashi quick singles, Salma Bi bowling under pressure, Nicky Preston big shots & Raneisha Ambersely fine keeping.

TABLE

Fiveways Zombies - P 3 PTS 9
Walmley CC - P 2 PTS 3
Birmingham University - P 2 PTS 0
Harborne - P 1 PTS 0

OCTOBER - ANOTHER AMAZING MONTH FOR SALMA

Salma with Yogesh Kalia

Salma with actor Humza Arshad

Salma with the great Andrew Strauss

Salma with Charlotte Edwards

 

RECENTLY we looked back on an amazing year so far for Salma Bi from January to September.
Well October has been pretty impressive too!
No matter what difficulties have been faced under the surface, Salma enjoyed her time at her dream ground Lord's, where she has represented the MCC many times in the past.
This time the Queen ov Speen was celebrating her win in the OSCA'S Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Awards. Representing her county Worcestershire, Salma was successful in the Building Partnerships category, alongside her captain Katie Blunt.
The event was very enjoyable with a three-course meal, the NatWest awards ceremony and meeting world-class players such as Andrew Strauss, the former England captain who retired from the game at the end of August following a glittering career where he led the country to No1 in the world Test Cricket status.
Also present was current England women's captain Charlotte Edwards, who has helped make her team the strongest in the world in the ladies game, as well as Clare Connor.
During October, Salma has also become a face for the young generation.
Approached by film directors from the Hamza Productions Project, Salma has performed in a comedy sketch alongside Hamza, who plays Diary of a Badman.
A YouTube film will soon be released to create more awareness of Salma's achievements in a two-part sketch and interview.
Salma hopes the project raises the profile of her and the work she is involved in.
This month has also given time for Gemma Smith and Salma to work on their new website soon to be launched www.sportingpathways.org/
Next month will be more about promotions for the next big event - World DodgeBall - and updates on Salma's team Five Ways Zombies, who defend their indoor cricket title.
More on the Zombies on the Believe in Mad - Making a Difference blog at
mad-cricket@blogspot.co.uk
Still to be produced is a two-part article on Salma and Gemma's careers so far in the Asian World article and another internet/TV interview with an online magazine company Desiblitz during an indoor cricket game.
Stay tuned for more news.....

ZOMBIES BACK IN STYLE

Zombies began the season in winning form

FIVE Ways Zombies made a great return to the indoor cricket world at the weekend.
Defending their title and captained by Worcestershire spinner Salma Bi, the Zombies' first match was against Birmingham University.
Bowling first, it was runs out galore by Mina Zahoor and Nicky Preston. Bham only managed to post a total of 216.
The Zombies crushed them easily by putting up a mighty target of 288, with big runs contributed by Salma and Cherie Dabbs.
The second game saw Zombies take on Walmley Cricket Club.
Batting first, Zombies posted 267. Now it was Walmley's turn to wield the willow.
Consistent bowlers such as Maya Vashi and Simi Panesar held up a good challenge, however, with one over remaining Walmley were now on a draw at 267.
Enter Salma to take the last over. Bowling with intensity to create pressure was her game. Three dot balls caused problems for the batsmen.
On their attempt to run off the fourth delivery, Walmley suffered a run out at the hands of Mina. The next ball was too good to hit, so off the final delivery the opposition needed something special.
A quicker delivery from the Queen ov Speen hit the toe of the batsman and as the ball reached Nicky's hands the Zombies knew another run out was on the way.
Another minus five runs and game over - another Zombies victory!
The girls strike again!
The new season is now well underway, so stay tuned for all the latest Zombies reports.

WHAT A YEAR SO FAR - SALMA BI

WHAT a fantastic year 2012 has been so far for award-winning sportsman Salma Bi - and there could still be more to come.
Over the past nine months, Salma's status in both the sporting world and Asian community has risen dramatically.
JANUARY
The year began with a two-page colour feature on Salma in The Asian Today newspaper which discussed her cricketing background and ambitious plans for 2012.
FEBRUARY
It was a good month for the Great White Sharks, the first female all-Asian futsal team to enter the Birmingham Women's League, and founded by Salma.
Their best result was an 8-1 win over Stingers B, in which Salma had a superb game in goal and Nazma Shaheen and Camilla Olsen scored four goals each.
MARCH
March was a huge month for Salma. Before International Women's Day, Sky Sports travelled to Birmingham to film Salma coaching cricket to young ladies.
She was later presented with a CD of all the footage, including interviews with her and some of the girls at the training session,
On March 10, Salma staged a non-stop Futsal Marathon at the Birmingham International Futsal Arena which lasted for a record 10 hours.
Salma captained Team Red and her friend Gemma Smith, the Arena's technical manager, led Team Blue in a highly successful event which raised over £1,000 for the National Autistic Society.
Twenty-four females took part and the Blue team won 167-100.
APRIL
Just six weeks later, Salma was back at the Arena in April hosting the Indoor T10 World Cup Cricket Tournament.
Teams representing England, Australia, Pakistan and India met on a round-robin basis and eventually the England team, captained by Salma, won a thrilling final against Australia.
Again over £1,000 was raised, this time for Mencap.
During April, Salma also appeared with her sister Anisha on Noor TV, where the pair discussed cricket and other sporting issues with presenter Ahmed Boston.
MAY
This month saw Salma gain deserved reward for her efforts in promoting sport when she was invited to two glittering award ceremonies in London.
At the Muslim Women Sports Foundation awards at Wembley Stadium, Salma was a finalist in the Services to Sport category.
Two weeks later, Salma was back in the capital at the ASIAN WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT awards at the plush Hilton Hotel.
This time Salma's success hit new heights as she was named the inaugural winner of the SPORT category, beating off the challenge of Britain's No1 women's tennis player Anne Keothavong.
Salma was a huge hit in this ceremony, her acceptance speech was the best of the night and the praise was ringing in her ears as she left the arena.
May really was a fantastic month for Salma as she also starred on the cricket field, helping Worcestershire Ladies to the top of Division Two. In a match against Cheshire, Salma claimed her best figures for the county of 4-25 off 10 overs.
JUNE
In June, Salma was featured in national magazine ALL OUT CRICKET where she answered questions about her career in a half-page spread. Great publicity!
Weatherwise, the summer was proving frustrating, with endless rain limiting Salma's cricket playing opportunities.
However, she kept busy on the Futsal court.
JULY
In July the Great White Sharks became the only team to beat league champions Two Left Feet during the season. Salma also scored three times from her goal!
AUGUST
It was back to winning awards in August, as Salma lifted the NatWest Volunteer of the Year accolade in the Building Partnerships category during a ceremony at Edgbaston.
Salma was also the subject of a two-page article in Fifteen21, a new internet magazine covering all aspects of Asian life.
The biggest triumph of August, however, came back at the Futsal Arena, where Salma and Gemma inspired a new record 20-hour non-stop Futsal marathon.
Thirty-three ladies took part, and Salma's Team Lime defeated Gemma's Team Tango 163-114.
Over £2,000 was raised for Cerebral Palsy Midlands on an unforgettable occasion which lasted from 4am to midnight!
SEPTEMBER
September has already delivered a major highlight for the Queen ov Speen!
Playing for North Wales side Hawarden Park in Cheshire Women's County League Division Three, Salma claimed career best bowling figures of 5-10 as Hawarden celebrated a famous victory in the last over at Oxton.
There are still three months of this year left to go, but whatever happens between now and the end of December, 2012 has been a truly remarkable year in the life of the inspirational Salma Bi.
And while her personal achievements can only be praised, Salma is always first to acknowledge her successes would not be possible without the help of others.
Teamwork is a key word for this very special person, who will continue to set new goals.

CAREER BEST FOR SALMA IN FAMOUS WIN

SALMA BI returned career best figures of 5-10 in Hawarden Park's fabulous last over victory in Sunday's Cheshire Women's Cricket League Division Three match at Oxton.
The Queen ov Speen had the option to play for three teams on the day, but decided to help the ladies of Hawarden for whom she enjoyed playing so much at Oakmere earlier this season.
This Pro30 match was Hawarden's last of the season and what a thriller it proved to be!
Park won the toss and chose to field. Oxton made an impressive start, reaching 30-0 off the first 10 overs.
Captain Naela Ahmad gave every bowler an opportunity, but it was Salma who provided the breakthrough.
In her first over, the right-arm Worcestershire spinner had two catches dropped off her bowling. However, she persisted and claimed a caught and bowled to leave Oxton one down.
There was more rotation, but when Salma came back she claimed her second wicket - clean bowling the home batsman.
Young Megan Roberts then took two great wickets in one over in the space of three balls. Anisha Bi, Salma's younger sister who bowls pace, also hit the stumps and ended with 1-14 off 4 overs.
Youngster Sammi Short took a nice bowled wicket too.
Back came Salma for the 25th & 27th overs and she scooped three bowled wickets to finish with best career figures of 5-10 off four overs.
The final wicket deservedly fell to captain Naela as Oxton finished on 95 all out off 28.2 overs.
Hawarden went into bat but they lost a wicket off the first delivery of the innings.
A slight hiccup, but Gill Short and Georgia Lee steadied things, however 16-1 off 10 overs was behind the run rate chasing 95.
Another wicket fell and Salma advanced to the crease. She struck her first ball for four and faced four more deliveries, getting to 10 runs before she was bowled by one which kept low.
Another two wickets fell straight after and now Gill retiring left Naela and young Sammi in the middle.
From the word go Naela struck with confidence. Dominating the strike she brought the score to 67-5 off 20 overs and it was getting more nerve racking!
Once Hawarden got into the 80s things looked easier but the overs got less.
After 29.2 over Park were 95-6 with one needed for victory and four balls left. Could the win be achieved?
Naela had the answer. A big hit and victory was secured on 98-6!
Naela produced the innings of her life, finishing 48 not out and hitting her first career six.
Salma said: "I never wanted to win a game this bad and can't thank all the Welsh girls enough for their hospitality.
"Today I was given the chance to play for another two teams but I'm glad I picked where my heart was set because it paid off. Worth The Journey xxxx"