UAE — The Sri Lankan school alumni community in the UAE came together for an evening of competition, camaraderie and fellowship as the Zahira College Old Boys’ Association – UAE (ZCC OBA UAE) hosted Bowling Bonanza 2026 recently at the Dubai International Bowling Centre, Mamzar. UAE
The inaugural event brought together 32 teams from across the Sri Lankan school alumni community, creating a unique evening wear school pride, friendly rivalry and community spirit took centre stage.
Played in the 9-pin bowling format, the competition featured separate Men’s and Women’s categories, with teams battling it out for both the honours and a record prize purse. Bowling Bonanza also set a new benchmark for bowling events within the Sri Lankan school alumni community, offering the biggest cash prize in the community’s history of bowling events. The Men’s champions took home AED 1,999, while the runners-up received AED 999. Hameed Al Husseinie and MLC A take the honours
In the Men’s category, Hameed Al Husseinie emerged as champions with a total of 1,869 points, followed by St. Joseph’s College in second place with 1,690 points and St. Benedict’s College in third with 1,678 points.
The Women’s category saw Muslim Ladies College A claim the championship with 1,424 points, with Bishop’s College finishing runners-up on 1,321 points and Muslim Ladies College B securing third place with 1,231 points.
Individual honours went to Mohamed Ameen of Hameed Al Husseinie, who recorded the highest individual score in the Men’s category with 510 points, while Zaahira of Muslim Ladies College led the Women’s category with 438 points.
Powered by the Zahirian community The event was made possible through the generous support of Siraj Finance, who came on board as the Main Sponsor.
A number of other leading brands and businesses associated with the Zahirian community also supported the event, including Nanotek Printing, Al Telal Al Dhabia Garage, The Muslim Concept, and Face Scrubs, all brands of Zahirians.
Major food packaging company Hotpack also joined as a valued partner, contributing to the success of the event.
The strong support from the Zahirian business community, combined with participation from alumni representing schools from across Sri Lanka, demonstrated the strength of the school alumni network in the UAE and its ability to come together through sport. More than just a bowling competition, Bowling Bonanza was conceived as a platform to bring alumni communities together, renew old friendships and create new connections through a shared love of sport.
The next challenge: OZEE 7s With Bowling Bonanza setting a new benchmark for bowling, ZCC OBA UAE is already preparing for an even bigger sporting spectacle.
The association’s signature event, OZEE 7s, will take place on 12 December 2026 at Sharjah English Grammar School, bringing together Sri Lankan school alumni teams for a multi-sport carnival featuring Rugby, Football and Cricket.
The event will also raise the bar once again, with a AED 15,000 prize pool — the biggest cash prize in the history of sporting events within the Sri Lankan school alumni community. ZCC OBA UAE invites schools and their alumni communities across the UAE to get involved and be part of what promises to be another major celebration of Sri Lankan school spirit, sport and community.
From the bowling lanes to the sporting fields, the message from ZCC OBA UAE is clear: the Sri Lankan school alumni community is only getting started.
