Emiratis take to Zayed Sports City Ramadan Bowling Tournament in droves

Matt Jones - Editor 18:34 15/07/2015
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  • Al Suwaidi (l) with the Ramadan Bowling Tournament's top prize.

    The Zayed Sports City Ramadan Bowling Tournament wrote a new chapter in its 15-year legacy with Emirati Hassan Al Suwaidi earning the latest spot on the coveted trophy.

    There were a total of 166 participants competing during the holy month, the largest ever field in the tournament’s history.

    The nail-biting Open division final tested the talent of the city’s top bowlers and proved the growing strength of the sport among Emiratis.

    The various ZSC Ramadan Bowling Tournament winners.

    UAE international Al Suwaidi kept his cool against a tough line-up, displaying a midas touch under pressure to become champion with a score of 3,395.

    Fellow national team bowler Mahmood Al Attar was runner-up with 3,245 points, Naif Oqab taking third with 3,224.

    Supported by a strong cash pot of Dh149,000, made possible by sponsors National Drilling Company, the tournament is considered the most prestigious in the region and attracts bowlers from the UAE national team and avid expat bowlers.

    British student Samantha Hannan led the scores among the women players, and also took the top honours in the Youth division, earning her a large slice of the competition’s prize pool.

    Hannan’s winning streak looks set to continue, as she turns her attention to the World Bowling Championship with the British national team.

    The Graded Division of the tournament for amateur bowlers with averages of 185 or below saw Filipino talent Shean Aguas take the title after bowling a stunning 222.0 average throughout the final.

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    Rounding off the tournament, the Disabled division, which had a record number of 42 entries, saw Dubai Disabled Club A-team's Tariq Shahab bowl the winning score to take the Men’s Singles title.

    The Ladies Singles event was dominated by Dubai Disabled Club too, with Sakena Aziz winning with a score of 341.

    Emiratis have latched on to the sport since the World Bowling Championships were held in Abu Dhabi last year, with excitement sure to peak with the Championships coming to the UAE capital later this year.

    Out of the total 166 entrants, 72 per cent were UAE nationals.

    Among them were women vying to represent their country in the Women’s World Championship, to be held at Zayed Sports City from December 5-14.

    Mubarak Al Harthi, Zayed Sports City director of government relations and sales, said: “We are very proud to support the country’s bowling legacy and to see such high participation in this year’s tournament.

    “The competition was very strong and the winners worked hard to earn their titles. Congratulations to them on their well-deserved victories, to the staff and volunteers who administered the tournament, and to the National Drilling Company for their generous support.”

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