Document 6570669
Transcription
Document 6570669
BAHRAIN SPORT Email: [email protected] Gulf Daily News Thursday, 16th October 2014 29 Habib eyes top prize in Centenary Cup n Subah with the Shaikh Mubarak Snooker Championship trophy which he won in Abu Dhabi BAHRAIN’S top player Habib Subah Habib starts as one of the leading contenders to win the top prize in the Indian Club Centenary Snooker Tournament starting on October 20. This eagerly awaited snooker gala carries a prize money of BD1,547, with the winner pocketing BD700 and the runner-up BD400, apart from a BD147 prize at stake for the highest break. The tournament has attracted top players from the region apart from India’s No. 4 Mohammed Faisal Khan. Indian snooker legend and Arjuna Award winner Arvind Savur, more famously known as ‘Tornado Fats’ for his hi-speed play, will be the guest of honour at the finale on October 29. Habib started playing snooker when he was 12 under the tutelage of his father, who is also a keen cueist, and so far has won many accolades with a third place finish at the World Amateur Snooker Championship in 2004 in Holland being the icing on the cake. “I liked the game from a very young age. It By VIJAY MRUTHYUNJAYA needs good calculating skills, knowledge of angles, precision in planning and executing. It is a very charming game almost an art in itself,” said Habib. The 31-year-old is presently in the midst of sharpening his game for the Centenary Cup and is hopeful of finishing at the top. “I recently won the Bill and Snook Tournament at Dana Mall and am basically in good form,” said Habib. Tough “The Centenary Cup will be a tough tournament with some of the best players in the region taking part. There is Faisal Khan as the top ranked player and Mohammed Saleh has already proved his class by winning the Asian Championship last year. So it will be tough but I’m confident of doing well.” Habib’s most recent victory was in the Shaikh Mubarak bin Mohamed Al Nahyan Tournament in Abu Dhabi. The soft spoken and down to earth Bahraini raced through the initial rounds and eventually lifted the title in style beating Mohammed Hussain 4-0 in the final. Habib has a best break of 132 which he achieved in the West Asian Championship a few years ago and a best of 144 in practice. “My best achievement so far is finishing third in the World Amateurs in 2004. It gave me an opportunity to play on the professional tour the next year,” added Habib. “But I did not do very well. It was a great learning experience though and my immediate aim is to do well on the amateur circuit again and win a wild card.” Apart from that, Habib was also the Gulf Champion in 2003, third in Asian Snooker Championship in 2004 in Jordan, Gulf Pool 9Ball Champion in 2005 and a semi-finalists in the Thailand Snooker Masters in 2011 to mention a few. But Habib is not resting on these laurels yet. Like a true champion he is setting his sights on greater glory. Perhaps the top prize in the upcoming Indian Club Centenary Cup can be a stepping stone in that direction. All the best Habib! Gritty Lara upsets Lamis in quarters Indian Club ‘B’ score big win over Havelock INDIAN Club ‘B’ scored the biggest victory of the day in the Indian Club Sevena-side Centenary Cup Cricket Tournament beating Havelock by 30 runs. Batting first, Indian Club ‘B’ raced to 58 for five in their six overs and then bowled out Havelock for 28 in 4.1 overs. Arun claimed two wickets for seven runs and was declared man-of-the-match in this Group ‘B’ clash. Other results: Group C: Ruby Contracting 17 all out in 6 overs lost to BMMI 23-2 in 4 overs by 4 wickets. Man-of-thematch: Amir of BMMI. Group D: Awan Red 48-4 in 6 overs (Samir 24*) bt Dadabhai Travels 30-5 in 6 overs by 18 runs. Man-of-the-match: Samir. Group A: Spartans 63-3 in 6 overs (Faisal 24) bt Smashers/Fildex 38-5 in 6 overs by 25 runs. Man-ofthe-match: Rohan of Spartans. The Centenary Cricket Cup is co-sponsored by BMMI and Alba, powered by YK AlMoayyed (Renault) and sponsored by Trans Auto Rental, Al Maya International, Al Nasir Aluminium, Aref Sadeq Design Consultants, Berger Paints, Booknow.bh, Mark 7 Advertising, MH AlMahroos, Orange Garage and Sportsland. Indo-Bahrain Cricket Fest n Nancy and Sanjana, right, doubles winners. Centre, Viktoria in action in the quarter-finals. Right, Lara makes a return to Lamis UNSEEDED Lara Biter of Turkey was the giant-killer yesterday in the quarter-final round of the Sixth Bahrain ITF Junior Tennis Championship at the Bahrain Tennis Club in Juffair. The 13-year-old scored an emphatic 6-4, 6-0 victory over second Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz of Egypt, three years her elder and with a ranking of 452, to book a place in the semi-finals. Lara, who does not have a ranking, takes on sixth seed Emelie Luisa Schwarte of Germany in the semi-finals. Emelie too caused a minor upset as she fought back brilliantly from a set down to oust fourth seed Rikeetha Pereira 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. Another unseeded player Victoria Marvayova continued her own giant-killing spree beating seventh seed Nancy Fawzy of Egypt in another threeset marathon 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. But top seed Sanjana Sudhir of India had no such trouble as she sailed past Nariman Abo Bakr, the fifth seed from Egypt, 6-2, 6-1. She now faces Viktoria in the semi-finals. Upsets There were minor upsets in the boys quarter-finals too but for top seed Kareem Allaf of Syria it was smooth sailing into the semi-finals. The 16-year-old with a world ranking of 345 was leading 6-3, 3-0 when his opponent Mohammed Sabry of Egypt was forced to retire. Third seed Neos Eleftherios of Egypt was the biggest casualty as he fell to fifth seed Omar Elkadi of Egypt 2-6, 2-6. Second seed Sherif Makhlouf of Egypt took his appointed place in the semi-final with an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory over seventh seed Amer Mohammed Abdo of Yemen 6-2, 6-1. Meanwhile, wild card Ammar Alhogbani of the US kept the flag flying for the underdogs by ousting fourth seed Kushaan Nath of India 6-2, 6-3. Results Boys singles (quarter-finals): Kareem Allaf (SYR-1) bt Mohammed Sabry (Egy) 6-3 3-0 retired; Omar Elkadi (EGY-5) bt Eleftherios Neos (Cyp-3) 6-2, 6-2; Ammar Alhogbani (US) bt Kushaan Nath (Ind-4) 6-2 6-3; Sherif Makhlouf (Egy-2) bt Amer Mohammed Abdo (YEM-7) 6-2 6-1. Girls singles (quarter-finals): Sanjana Sudhir (Ind-1) bt Nariman Abo Bakr (Egy-5) 6-2 6-1; Viktoria Morvayova (Svk)bt Nancy Fawzy (Egy-7) 3-6 6-4 6-2; Emelie Luisa Schwarte (Ger-6] bt Rikeetha Pereira (Ind-4) 4-6 6-2 6-0; Lara Biter (Tur) bt Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz (Egy-2) 6-4 6-0. Boys doubles (quarter-finals): Kareem Allaf (Syr) and Sherif Makhlouf (Egy-1) bt Ali Dawani (Brn) and Adham Hesham Gabr (Egy) 6-3 6-0; Seif Adas (Jor) and Mousa Alkotop (Jor) bt Karim Abdel Raouf (Egy) and Omar Elkadi (Egy-4) 6-1 6-3; Amer Mohamed Abdo (Yem) and Samer Thabit (Yem) bt Fares Al Janahi (UAE) and Hamad Suroor (KSA) 6-1 6-2; Kushaan Nath (Ind) and Edoardo Sardella (Ita-2) bt Omar Ahmed (KSA) and Ammar Alhogbani (US) 7-6(5) 6-2. Girls doubles (quarter-finals): Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz (Egy) and Rikeetha Pereira (Ind1) bt Bdour Kandil (Egy) and Viktoria Morvayova (Svk) 6-0 6-3; Nariman Abo Bakr (Egy) and Ahlam Shawkat (Egy-4) bt Kalpaka Pradip (Ind) and Ginelle Michelle Samson (Ind) 6-0 6-0; Luciana Rabines (US) and Emelie Luisa Schwarte (Ger-3) bt Mayar Eltony (Egy) and Madeleine Gauthier (US) 6-3 6-2; Nancy Fawzy (Egy) and Sanjana Sudhir (Ind-2) bt Teodora Sabljarevic (Srb) and Frana Ugarkovic (Cro) 6-0 6-1 . THE INDIAN Embassy in Bahrain, in cooperation with Bapco, is organising an Indo-Bahrain Cricket Fest 2014 tomorrow at Awali Cricket Club. A team from India Embassy XI will take on Bapco Indian Expatriates XI in the morning and a visiting Indian Navy Cadets clash with Awali Bapco in the afternoon. Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Dr Mohan Kumar will be playing for Indian Embassy XI. A prize distribution will be held at 4.30pm presided by Dr Kumar, Bapco Executive Management, Dadabhai Group chairman Mohammed Dadabhai and other officials. The event is hosted by Bapco and is supported by Dadabahi Travel, Bahrain Finance Company and Awali Cricket Club.