Qatar’s Ali wins West Asian title

QATAR’S Ali Al Obaidli won the West Asian snooker title by beating Iran’s Saeed Ali 5-2 in the final held in Amman, Jordan, last week.

The biennial championship featured more than 50 cueists from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Jordan and Qatar.

Ali, who had competed in the World Championship last November, put that experience to good use as he beat strong opponents in the Jordanian capital.

Meanwhile, Qatar, comprising Bashar Hussain, Abdulatif Al Fawal and Waleed Maged, clinched team gold in the 8-Ball Pool category, defeating Iraq 2-1 in the final.

Qatar, who had won all their group engagements, registered a comfortable 3-0 victory over Oman in the last-eight stage, before defeating hosts Jordan 2-1 in the semifinal.

International Billiards and Snooker Federation President Mubarak Hamad Al Khayareen of Qatar lauded the winners.