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Victory In The Desert For BARA!
01/12/2006
A total of 8 British Asian rugby stars have linked up with one of Pakistan’s premier rugby union clubs to dig out a stunning victory in the desert! Players from BARA (British Asian Rugby Association), led by former England RL professional Ikram Butt, joined forces with the Islamabad Jinns RFC to win the Plate Final in the recent prestigious 2006 IRB Dubai Sevens event. Ikram explained: “We played six games over three days and eventually triumphed by 34-0 in the Plate final against Wild Wadi. It was a fantastic experience and the first real victory of any sort for rugby in Pakistan. Junaid Malik was outstanding throughout the tournament displaying lots of skill, vision and pace”. “The Islamabad Jinns are a big name in rugby in South Asia and are a major driving force in BARA’s efforts to establish both codes of the sport into the region”. “The teamwork and attitude we displayed throughout the tournament augers well for the development of both thirteen and fifteen-a-side codes,” added Ikram who played league professionally with a number of clubs including Leeds. The players who represented BARA were: Junaid Malik (Elland RL), Benn Kerr (Stockport RL), Rehan Mansoor (Old Crosslyans RU) & Kashif Khwaja (Leeds Met Uni RU). BARA is an organisation which aims to provide positive role models, break down cultural & religious barriers, promote community integration, personal development, healthy living and encouraging participation in sport & physical activity especially in rugby.
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