Minton opens the 15th "Riying Cup" with a 40 to 12 win
The first round of the 15th "Riying Cup" Shanghai Lawyers' Basketball Tournament was played on 22 and 23 August at the Putuo Workers' Cultural and Sports Centre, organised by the Shanghai Bar Association and sponsored by Shanghai Riying Law Firm. Minton Law Firm fielded a team led by director Shi Ensou, with Zheng Wenhai as captain and Liu Tao as coach, and won its first group game 40 to 12, a strong start to the event. The players trained around their caseloads in the weeks before the tournament.
The 15th "Riying Cup" Shanghai Lawyers' Basketball Tournament has opened, with the first round played on 22 and 23 August at the Putuo Workers' Cultural and Sports Centre. The tournament is organised by the Shanghai Bar Association and sponsored by Shanghai Riying Law Firm. Teams from many of the city's law firms competed, using basketball as a bond and showing the energy and drive of Shanghai's lawyers. Minton Law Firm assembled a strong team for the event and won its first group game on 22 August, a first victory written with hard work.
Minton prepared for the tournament with care, putting together a team that combines professional standing with a real appetite for the game. Director Shi Ensou led and coordinated the team, Zheng Wenhai served as captain and set the tempo on court, and Liu Tao coached and refined the tactics; Zhang Lei, Peng Qinghua, Yan Yong, Dou Xianxing, Wu Bo, Yang Ziguang, Ye Zhan, Song Zhengyu and Zhang Qianhao all trained and played. In their daily work they are practising lawyers handling clients' problems; on the court they are teammates who cover for one another. Despite busy caseloads they made time to keep training, working on give-and-go movement and on attacking and defensive tactics, and building team spirit through repeated practice games, all so that they could represent the firm on court.
On 22 August Minton played its first key match of the event. From the opening whistle both sides settled quickly, the tempo at both ends was tight, and the contest was hard-fought but fair. Minton responded calmly: under coach Liu Tao's in-game direction and captain Zheng Wenhai's organisation on court, the team adjusted its defensive formation quickly, held position inside and looked for scoring chances outside, and every pass, steal and shot came off.
On court the players worked as one and never gave up. They ran, jumped, defended and countered in a single movement, and their fluent teamwork drew repeated applause from the crowd. At the final whistle Minton had won the game 40 to 12, a convincing margin and the firm's first win of this tournament.
A basketball game is a contest of sport and a living expression of a firm's team culture. Alongside its legal work and its commitment to the rule of law, Minton Law Firm has long attached importance to the cultural and sporting life of its lawyers and encourages a healthy balance between work and rest. This first win is a new starting point: the team will keep up its momentum, compete fairly and play every game to the full, and continue to show the professionalism and unity of Shanghai's lawyers on the "Riying Cup" court.