'Dr Cue' Too Good For 'Big Guy' Barthelette
By James Kon and Azrol Azmi

Bandar Seri Begawan - His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Pengiran Muda Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah joined a full house of enthusiasts at the Rizqun International Hotel yesterday, to watch Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman beat his US compatriot Bruce "The Big Guy" Barthelette by 8 points to 3, and winning the Brunei Trick Shots Masters tournament.

The absence of Mike "Tennessee' Tarzan" Massey - who couldn't make the competition due to a flight delay - failed to dampen proceedings, and the fans who attended did not leave disappointed as they witnessed a fiercely fought contest of trick shots from the two `masters'. Rossman, Ithis year's Masters Trick and Fancy" Shots champion, drew first blood in the showdown after Barthelette failed to imitate his shots in the first frame. Both players were neck-and-neck going into the next four frames - as the tricks got more difficult - with Barthelette trailing Rossman by only a point (4-3).

However, Rossman pulled off a series of stunning trick shots over the next frames, to give himself an unassailable lead and the championship cash prize of US$3,000. "It was a wonderful, joyful and heartwarming event, especially so with the audience that opened up and enjoying the competition," said Rossman after the game.

"And I would love to be back to defend the title next year." The man who performed over 200 artistic pool shows per year also said: "I have more than a thousand varieties of trick shots and I will not stop doing trick shots performances until the day I fall over the pool table. `Trick Shots' is a vehicle to reach out to people's hearts; it is a language of people from all walk of life, entertaining them and making them laugh."

HRH the Crown Prince later consented to hand over the cash prize to Rossman. The Brunei Trick Shots Masters tournament was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, in conjunction with the Brunei Darussalam Cue Sports Association.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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