The 2014 Ramadan Bowling Tournament presented by NDC tested the region's finest talents at Zayed Sports City, which held a record-breaking series that enrolled more entrants than ever before.
Emirati brothers Sultan and Ahmed Al Qubaisi held stunning form against fellow countrymen and those of 9 other nationalities to win the Youth and Graded divisions, respectively.
Their father, UAE Bowling Union Head Mohamed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, took second in the main division. In total, 91 Emirati participated amongst 150 other bowlers spread across three competitions. Participation by UAE women more than doubled from 2013.
Commenting on the high calibre of competitors, Mohamed Al Qubaisi felt that the competition was a good training ground for UAE bowlers.
"The Ramadan Bowling Tournament is the best possible practice the UAE national team can get in order to reach top form ahead of their upcoming busy schedule of international competitions.”
Included on the tournament schedule is World Tenpin Bowling Men's Championship, which will roll into Zayed Sports City from Dec.4-15.
"The competition was very fierce for the title, with some of the best bowlers from the UAE national team participating. I'm very glad that the long hours of practice have paid off,” said tournament champion Ghalib Al Busaidi of Oman.
"The interest in the game of bowling in the Arab world has increased dramatically in the last few years. It is a beautiful game that requires high focus and is suitable for people of all ages,” he added.
Besides Busaidi and Mohamed Al Qubaisi, Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Al Dolijan took third place with a score of 3,399. British teenage bowling prodigy Samantha Hannan took fourth place and first place honours in the women's competition with a score of 3,365.
The international diversity and growth of Emirati competitors demonstrated a fast-increasing growth and popularity for the sport in the UAE. It further cemented the tournament as the biggest and best in the region, anchored by strong cash pot of Dhs145,000.
Abdalla Saeed Al-Suwaidi, CEO of National Drilling Company of Abu Dhabi (NDC) said: "Sponsoring the Ramadan Tournament, an event which gathers people together, ties in with our values of community outreach and engagement. Bowling is a great game and we are proud to support the nation's talents in what was a very exciting finale.”
Source: The Gulf Today