JEDDAH, 27 April 2007 — Nineteen-year-old Saudi bowling sensation Badr Al-Shaikh seared the lanes in England to place fifth in the first Arab in the 2007 World Tenpin Masters in Barnsley Metrodome.
Al-Shaikh, who returned to Riyadh on Monday, competed with 16 of the world’s top bowlers in the masters event that was held during April 20-22.
“I was just thrilled to participate and meet the world champions. It is like you watching David Beckham and Ronaldo on TV and, then you are given a chance to not only meet them but also compete with them,” Al-Shaikh said on arrival from London.
He said he was optimistic that he would be able to do better than his efforts in Barnsley, but believes that competing and meeting these champions was a prize on its own.
He first played England’s Darren Cundy, and hit hot form to roll past Cundy 492-472 to qualify for the quarterfinals.
This game was considered the fifth highest aggregate total in the 10-year history of the Masters, according to the event’s official website.
Next he met Australian Jason Belmonte, who beat Al-Shaikh 500-428, knocking the Saudi out. The competition also saw Diandra Asbaty (US), Chris Barnes (US), Dominic Barrett (England), Guy Caminsky (South Africa), Zara Glover (England), Alex Liew (Malaysia), Paul Moor (England), Jens Nickel (Germany), Remy Ong (Singapore), Osku Palermaa (Finland), Biboy Rivera (Philippines), Michael Schmidt (Canada) and Tore Torgersen (Norway) in action.
This experience ,Al-Shaikh, said is unforgettable. Besides qualifying, the most gratifying part of qualifying was that he won a game, met champions, and learned from them, Al-Shaikh added.
American Barnes for example, Al-Shaikh said, was kind enough to share his experiences with me. “He gave me hints on how to roll the ball with different hand positions and at varying speed.”
“This is something I’d be working on to improve further. I’ve learned from him and from watching the others,” Al-Shaikh said.
Belmonte emerged the champion beating Barnes 523-490 in the semifinal, and the Paul Moor (England) 566-524 in the final. Third place went to Barnes, fourth to Remy Ong (Singapore) who scored 471.
Despite Al-Shaikh’s tender age, he managed with dedication to score the highest score (300) 14 times.
This bowler is a Petroleum Engineering student who caught everybody’s eye with his performance in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. There he won gold in the men’s doubles and men’s all events in addition to bronze medals in the men’s trio and men’s five player team events.
Earlier this year, he placed fifth in the World Youth Master Championship in Germany and seventh in the Master event at the World Championship in Korea.
