Bahrain Billiard Team Set for GCC Championship

Bahrain’s national billiards team arrived here yesterday to take part in the Eighth GCC Championship which gets underway tomorrow. All six countries across the Gulf region will compete in this week-long tournament, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and hosts the UAE. Eight cueists will represent Bahrain in the event and they are Fahad Khalaf, Ali Kabat, Abdulla Isa, Ali Al Deeb, Saleh Ahmed, Ali Abdulkarim, Omar Asheq and Abbas Abdulkarim. The event includes eight-ball and nine-ball competitions in singles and team categories, with three cueists from each nation taking part in the team event. The draw is set to take place today. Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Federation (BBSF) general secretary Mohammed Al Murbati is heading the Bahrain delegation in Dubai. Al Murbati said he believes the Bahrain team has a great opportunity to explore their talent against several of the regional's top cueists in the fray. "We were able to pass that stage when our teams used to participate in these regional events just to get more experience and confidence. Now we are here to actively compete with other teams for titles," said a confident Al Murbati in Dubai. Experience "This will be the first-ever international experience for our players, who however, have made noticeable improvement in the last two years while taking part in national competitions. "There's nothing we can't do in this championship as all the teams have equal chances as they play on the same level," added Al Murbati. Al Murbati thanked the team members for their discipline and co-operation with the association during the training programme. He noted that BBSF spared no efforts and worked hard to provide the best conditions for the players and prepare them ahead of their debut challenge.