Ten-Pin Bowlers show they can compete at a higher level internationally

Jamie Hickey and Dion Webber attended the Mediterranean Bowling Championships in Zaprešić, Croatia.

While the pair did not walk away with any medals, they came quite close — the closest Gibraltar has come in quite a few years.

On the first day, in the singles event, Dion Webber came within 31 pins of bronze. He bowled consistently throughout, averaging 194 over the entirety of the 24-game event, marking the highest tournament finish of his career.

Jamie Hickey also bowled exceptionally well. He started a bit slower than Dion, sitting 60 pins away from bronze on the first day, but over the course of the week he settled in and produced consistently high-quality performances across multiple events. After the second day, he sat in 20th place and, over the course of days three and four, averaged 225.9 to bring his overall 24-game average to 214.5.

This brought him into eighth place, qualifying him for the Masters event by 12 pins. He is the first bowler representing Gibraltar to do so in 12 years.

He was knocked out in the first round by top seed Anastasios Exarchou, although the match went down to the 10th and final frame.

Multiple athletes and representatives approached the pair afterwards to congratulate them, noting that their performances throughout the week had cast Gibraltar in a new light internationally and demonstrated that, in bowling terms, Gibraltar deserves to compete at this level.