RIYADH, 17 June 2007 — Some 150 male and female Filipino bowlers participated in the Kalayaan Cup 2007, which was held in Riyadh last weekend to mark Philippine Independence Day. The two-day event concluded on Friday evening.
Filipino families from the capital and the Eastern Province thronged the Universal Bowling Center (UBC) to attend the event — the largest of its kind in the capital. The cup was hosted by the Filipino Overseas Bowlers of Riyadh (FOBR).
Thirty bowling teams (12 from the Eastern Province and 18 from Riyadh) participated in the event. Each team consisted of five members. To reach the finals, the top 56 scorers from the singles’ event, the doubles event, the trio event, and the team event had to qualify.
Andro Tismo won a trophy and a cash prize for first place in the men’s master championship. The 1st runner-up was Ely Soberano. The 2nd runner-up was Ron Pineda.
As for the women, Ruby Urrutia won the women’s master championship. She also received a trophy and a cash prize. The 1st runner-up was Maraifi Cayde. The 2nd runner-up was Beta Danganan.
“We arranged for the event to take place on the weekend so that bowlers from Riyadh and the Eastern Province could attend on non-working days,” said Art Isnani, chairman of FOBR.
He said that discussions were under way with officials in the UBL to organize an open bowling tournament for all nationalities in the Kingdom every two months.
“Some Saudi nationals did participate in this cup, but their numbers were little,” he added.
The official said that cash prizes distributed to winners were from the event’s sponsors — Splash, Banque Saudi Fransi, Radwa Trading International, and others.
The UBL is currently the largest bowling alley in the capital and was inaugurated last month by Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the Saudi Youth Welfare Presidency. In addition to 30 aisles (18 for singles and 12 for families), the center has a restaurant, a coffee shop, recreation areas for children, arcades, and pool tables.
Last week, the UBL hosted the 1st Kingdom International Open Bowling Tournament. Nearly 300 bowlers from the Kingdom, neighboring Gulf states, and foreign countries participated. American bowler Michael Fang won the tournament. He received a cash prize of $25,000 and a trophy.
