The New Paper Challenge: Ali takes on billiards champion Peter Gilchrist
There is a scene from the movie, The Hustler, where the film's protagonist - Paul Newman, who is a pool shark - brazenly accepts a wager at a private club over a game of pool.
He realises later, however, that the game is not pool, but billiards - and is duly beaten over several frames.
During my interview with Singapore's world billiards champion Peter Gilchrist, the 47-year-old admitted that his sport tends to scare off most Singaporeans.
"It's very difficult to become good at it; and when you do, the game can get pretty boring," he said.
Knowing I'd be beaten easily, I wasn't about to challenge the English-born Gilchrist to a straight-up game.
So we squared off in a game of trick shots.
Gilchrist, of course, came up with the shots, showed me the steps, and we took turns to see who could execute them first.
The result?
The Hustler isn't one of the my favourite movies for nothing.
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