8-Ball PoolI started playing 8-ball pool at the University of Durban-Westville in South Africa while I was in my second year of tertiary studies. At first, I found it very hard but, with a little bit of patience and perseverence, I started improving rapidly until I reached a stage where I couldn't get the game out of my system.
I used to practise everyday until, on a glorious day, I was called upon by the members of a team of university students to play in the Durban Pool League. That really helped me improve in terms of temperament and composure, as a result of which I also cultivated some sort of killer instinct on the table. I remember preparing for my forthcoming examinations for my B Sc. (Hons) in Mathematical Statistics when our team came out 8th in the League at the end of 1989 and we qualified for the play-offs. Unfortunately, we lost in the quarter-finals and, in the following year, I left for the University of Cape Town (UCT) where I started my B Sc. (Hons.) in Actuarial Science.
I did play for fun at UCT but, when I came back to UDW, where I started lecturing in Statistics, my game level reached near-perfection. When I returned to Mauritius in June 1992, I started looking for places where there were pool tables. There were hardly any but I found a couple at the Empire Gym in Quatre-Bornes. I was at last reunited with my favourite game...
Since then, I enjoyed lots of great moments to the likes of winning the Cercle de Rose Hill-Saxophone, JNC-Executive Masters and the Crystal House-Magic Lantern national open tournaments, winning the L'Express Sportif du Mois Award in April 1994. As from 1998, I have also represented my beloved country several times in the Maurice-Réunion annual inter-island competition, bringing home the coveted trophy every time under my captaincy.
Now you know the origin of my nickname: Cueboy...
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