Bahrain’s top bowlers begin HH Shaikh Khalid title bid

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa First Bowling Championship got underway yesterday at Funland Centre’s bowling lanes. The tournament is scheduled to be held until February 26, and it features prize money worth more than BD19,000, to be allocated to the top finishers in the men’s, women’s and seniors categories. An official opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on Saturday.

Many of Bahrain’s top bowlers are expected to take part in the competition, which has kicked off with the qualification round. The best three trials, which totals nine games, will be counted in qualifying.

For the men, the top 24 at the end of this stage will move on to the next phase, while for the women and seniors, only the top eight in each division will march through.

The seniors’ second round is scheduled for February 24, which will be held in round-robin format with each player facing each other in a single game.

Winners of each game will receive 10 bonus points, while five bonus points will be given in a draw and zero for the loser. The top five according to total pins will advance to the final round.

The seniors’ final round will also be played the same evening. That will be played in step-ladder format, with the fifth, fourth and third-ranked bowlers facing off in a single game, with the winner moving on to face the second-ranked bowler.

The winner of that match-up will take on the top seed, who will hold a twice-to-beat advantage, for the title. Meanwhile, the men’s second and third rounds will be held on February 25.

From the 24 men’s bowlers who advanced from qualifying, only those positioned seventh through 24th will compete in this stage, with each bowler playing six games. The top nine on total pinfalls will advance to round three.

There, they will join the three bowlers from qualification who were positioned fourth, fifth and sixth, to play another six games. The top seven based on total pins will make it to the fourth round, scheduled for the next day on February 26.

In this phase, the those seven the top three from the qualifiers to complete a field of 10, who will play a round-robin against each other.

Winners of each game will receive 10 bonus points, while five bonus points will be given in a draw and zero for the loser. The top five on total pinfalls will advance to the men’s final, which will also be held on February 26.

The finale will be held in step-ladder format, with the top seed needed to be beaten twice by whoever advances to the title-deciding match-up. The winner will be crowned champion of the HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa First Bowling Championship.

The women’s division winner will also be determined the same day. Round two in their division will feature the eight bowlers who advanced from qualification playing a round-robin.

The bonus points will also be taken into consideration to determine the top five, who advance to the final stage, which will also be held in a step-ladder.