It’s boom time for youngsters in Bahrain who are willing to take sports seriously. And believe me it’s not a joke.

A few months ago table tennis in Bahrain was given a firm boost with the launch of a youth development programme. It has since taken off in style with a proper league in place, dedicated officials determined to take the sport forward in key posts, and a new generation of youngsters willing to give it a try.
“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 told me pointedly during a chat a few months ago.
There was a lot of confidence in Shaikh Ahmed’s tone. He clearly looked like a man with a time-bound plan in hand, a clear vision, and of course an immediate mission.
It was for the first time in the last eight years in Bahrain that I was hearing an official talk about sports in strictly business terms, look at figures with the passion of a hardened stock market pro, and speak through his mind rather than the heart.
Now snooker seems to be following suit. The first-ever ranking tournament which concluding last week was a big success with over 80 players in the fray. Thrills and spills were a common feature during the fortnight-long event which I am told has whetted the appetite of die-hard snooker fans.
It was great to hear about big breaks, some fine potting, black ball finishes, and quite a few upsets. It was equally heart-warming to watch nine and 10-year-olds play with such commitment and courage.
I am assured it is only the beginning. Many more tournaments are in the pipeline, a long-term plan in place, and a feasible budget approved for the development of the sport at the grassroot level.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa as president of the Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Association is the heart behind this resurgence while Nic Barrow as the head coach is the motor.
Talking to Nic about snooker is as good as playing a frame or two yourself. He took me through the nuances of the game, its salient features, the qualities needed to become a good player or a coach, the state of the game in Bahrain and the Middle East and its standing in comparison to Asia and Europe in a candid chat.
The 36-year-old is a storehouse of information and clearly an inspiration to youngsters who are willing to follow his work ethics.
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 many ProAm tournaments in the UK and capped his professional career reaching his best ranking of 113 in the world.
Along the way Nick also made a break of 147 – ‘at half past three in the morning in the winning frame of a best-of- nine match with Richard Weller, the break was missed by the only ‘witness’ in the club at the time – who was sleeping on the floor in front of the bar!’
The lad from High Wycombe in the UK quit the game at the age of 28 and immediately began his second innings as one of the 37 World Snooker Association registered coaches after passing their exam at the Reardon Snooker club in Hanley.
As a coach Nic regularly steered UAE to the top of the table in the GCC. He is now in Bahrain as the head coach and the heart and soul behind its Junior Snooker Programme.
The task ahead is not easy, I admit, but given Nic’s passion for coaching, his commitment and clear-cut ideas anything is possible.
“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 couterpars,” 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.”
Nic is also very keen to use his influence as the worldwide head coach for the International Billiards and Snooker Federation Coaches Academy to make Bahrain a snooker hub in the region.
“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.
But his main task is to develop the game at the grassroots. “Our attitude to practice should be committed and serious. Bahrain is 70 to 80 per cent there but we still have some way to go. I keep telling the boys to make practice matches look like the final of a world championship,” said Nic.
Since coming to Bahrain eight months ago, Nic has been able to achieve quite a lot in his own unobtrusive way. “I have got a lot of support from Shaikh Abdulla and the Bahrain association. I’m confident of putting Bahrain on road to more success,” he added confidently.
Holding the first-ever ranking tournament in Bahrain was one of his initial successes. “This tournament attracted 80 players, half of them youth. It has given us something to begin with. Youngsters like Ali Saed and Ibrahim Suhail, both 13, are the future of snooker in Bahrain. Ibrahim in particular is very good for his age. A clean potter and a wonderful cueist. This lad can go a long without having to change his style,” said Nic.
Among the older players, Nic finds a lot of promise in Ahmed Guloom, Hussain Mahmood, both 19, and the winner of the first ranking tournament in Bahrain Monther Jawad. Habib Subah, who is Bahrain’s first professional cueists, is also in Nic’s focus for the future.
“Bahrain youngsters are willing to look at their own game, they are passionate about it. If you have cake on your face it is better to look in the mirror rather than walk around the Mall. Bahrain youngsters are willing to look in the mirror. It is a definite plus,” said Nick who is looking forward to the next GCC tournament to be held in October to help Bahrain take its first step towards greater glory.
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.

Youth and sport
Vijay Mruthyunjaya