Bahrain Seeks World Snooker Recognition

A Bahrani youth development program has blossomed in sports, including a first ever Snooker tournament for young people.

“I will meet you exactly one year from today and I will promise you Bahrain’s world rankings will be much better,” president of the Bahrain Table Tennis Association Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa said in a recent interview.

Snooker seems to follow suit in Bahrain. A ranking tournament concluded recently was a big success with over 80 players in the mix. There were big breaks, some fine "potting" (what the Brits call ball pocketing), "black ball finishes", and quite a few upsets. The 10-year-olds and under played with world class commitment and courage. More tournaments are on tap from a budget approved for the development of the sport at a grassroots level.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa is President of the Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Association and Nic Barrow has been installed as the enthusiastic head coach.

Having started playing the at the age of eight on the "living room carpet using books as cushions, marbles as balls and a shaved down broom handle as a cue", Nic went on to win numerous tourneys in the UK, reaching his best ranking worldwide at #113.

Quitting the pro scene at 28, Nic immediately began as one of only 37 World Snooker Association registered coaches after passing a challenging exam at Reardon Snooker club in Hanley, UK.

“Bahrain has a good snooker base with a bunch of talented youngsters capable of going far. I have noticed that the youngsters here are much stronger than their UAE [United Arab Emirates] counterparts,” said Nic. “Getting youngsters together for practice in Dubai was like trying to herd cats. Parents are over protective there. I find Bahrain families more open-minded and the youngsters willing to give something new a decent try. I am looking forward to working with them on an appointment basis which is very important… Shaikh Abdulla has big ideas for snooker in Bahrain and one of it is to set an academy to coach coaches. We have already held two seminars and plan to host many more in the near future for coaches from all over the world,” added Nic.

Nic is equally determined to set up a coaching family in Bahrain. “I have a very good assistant coach in Mohammed Ali. But I have to put in place a system which can generate more coaches. That’s the only way I can leave behind a part of me in Bahrain,” concluded Nic.