BILLIARDS & SNOOKER – BAHRAIN imposed its control over the 9-ball pool competition, with national team players Nahla Al Sunni and Mai Al Dosari qualifying for the final in the Arab Billiards and Snooker Championship, hosted by the Jordan Billiards and Snooker Federation at the Landmark Hotel and Conference Centre in the Jordanian capital Amman.
With the two Bahraini cueists reaching the final, Bahrain are assured the gold and silver medals, which will take Bahrain’s tally to seven medals (2 gold, one silver, 4 bronze), exceeding the number it won in the previous edition held in Bahrain.
Defending champion Al Sunni succeeded in reaching the final following victories over Saudi players Rehab Yahya (5-0) and, then, Manar Al Balawi (5-1) for a place in the semi-finals where she eased past Egypt’s Yara Osama 5-1.
But Al Dosari had a tougher time reaching the final. After losing the first match to Saudi player Lara Al Zanan, she then won the next four matches to qualify for the final. She defeated Noura Al Balawi, of Saudi Arabia, 4-1 after the match was replayed due to the arbitration error committed by the match referee.
She also beat her namesake from Saudi Arabia, Mai Al Dosari, 4-3 before facing another Saudi, Rehab Yahya, and defeating her 4-3. She then beat Egyptian Yara Osama 4-2 in the semi-finals and set up a showdown with Al Sunni.
Meanwhile, world champion Habib Sabah and his teammate Hisham Al Saqr qualified for the round of 16 of the last snooker competition in the Arab Championships. Sabah succeeded in topping his group and entering the knockout stage of the tournament while Al Saqr qualified in second place following a win and a loss.
Sabah began the competition by defeating Jordanian Mohammad Al Maani 3-1 in a match he dominated by imposing his style, taking advantage of the high morale after winning the gold medal in the 6-ball competition. He continued his journey and topped the group by defeating Iraqi Abdullah Falah 3-1 in an exciting match.
As for his teammate Al Saqr, after his victory in the opening match, he lost to Iraqi Omar Mohammad 3-1, to finish second in the group.
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