The East End travelled to the Middle East last week as Beaumont Athletic warmed up for the summer football season with a tour of Dubai

The East End travelled to the Middle East last week as Beaumont Athletic warmed up for the summer football season by playing a series of friendly matches in scorching temperatures on a tour of Dubai.

Beaumont took a group of 25 first-team players on the trip, which was arranged to help the squad prepare for next month's UK Asian Championship and a successful campaign in the BFAUK Summer League.

The East London outfit endured mixed results in the two-game tour, winning one match while losing another, but manager Mamun Chowdhury hailed the trip as a huge success and a positive experience for his players.

"The tour gave our players an opportunity to play against teams in Dubai - many have travelled to Dubai in the past on holiday, but this was the first time they had actually played football there," Chowdhury said.

"It was a very rare experience playing in temperatures of 30 degrees and above but everyone had a really good time and it was an experience to treasure."

Midfielder Mursalinur Rahat enjoyed a particularly memorable trip after netting a hat-trick in Beaumont's opening match.

But his treble was not enough to save the club from defeat in an encounter played under floodlights on Friday night as opponents Sharjah Wanderers FC recorded a 4-3 victory in a thrilling contest.

Beaumont bounced back from the opening defeat in their second friendly match two days later, overcoming Dairan FC 3-1 to end the tour on a positive note and head home on a high ahead of a return to competitive action next month.