It is unclear as yet whether the next Ben Stokes is in action in the Ramada Gulf Cup, but there are plenty of willing candidates after one of the country’s largest youth cricket competition’s got under way this week.
The tournament started on Sunday morning in Ajman. More than 800 players across 66 teams are involved in the 15-day event.
This year the involvement is limited to the UAE’s leading academies and junior teams because of travel limitations brought about by Covid, but in the past there has been some notable talent from overseas.
In 2005, an unknown 14-year-old called Ben Stokes was voted the tournament’s second best player, as he toured with Durham. Fellow England star Mark Wood was also a past tourist with the county from England’s northeast.
The competition has also seen a variety of players pass through it on their way to international honours with the UAE, such as Rameez Shahzad, Ahmed Raza, and Chirag Suri.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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.
Richard Jewell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
Indika
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Company%20Profile
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
