Joe Swail
Encyclopedia
Joe Swail is a professional snooker
player from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. He has reached ten major ranking semi-finals, including the 2000
and 2001
World Championship
s but only one final. Swail is renowned for playing well at the Crucible Theatre
, having reached the last 16 on four further occasions.
. His 2000 Crucible achievement made him the second player (after Rex Williams
) to return to the Top 16 in the rankings after dropping out of the Top 32 in between. He climbed to #10 after his 2001 semi-final, but dropped to 16–27–30–40 in the next few years, finishing with a nightmare season in 2004/2005
. He then bounced back with an impressive and consistent showing in 2005/2006
that brought him back into the Top 32. He came close to the Top 16 in 2006/2007
, finishing one place short at 17 despite beating Mark Williams
in round 1 of the 2007 World Championship
s from 0–4 down He came from 7–9 behind to beat Judd Trump
10–9 in qualifying for the 2008 World Championship
. Swail scored a comprehensive 10–4 victory over Stephen Lee
in the first round at the Crucible, before a 12–13 defeat by Liang Wenbo
in the second round, after a trademark comeback from 8–12 down, due to a bad miss on the brown in the decider. This caused him to again miss the top 16, finishing the season in 20th place.
He started 2008/2009 poorly, with four successive first-round defeats. His first victory of the season was against Liang Wenbo
in qualifying for the 2008 UK Snooker Championship. He then reached his first ever ranking final in his 18 year professional career at the 2009 Welsh Open. Swail led the match 5–2, but never won another frame, losing 9–5 to Ali Carter
.
Swail is a former English amateur champion and N. Ireland amateur runner-up, and has captained Northern Ireland internationally. He was Irish champion in 2005.
Swail is one of the most likeable players on the circuit, but is also known for his very unorthodox way of cueing up. Instead of keeping his cue-arm vertical as most players do, Swail cues up with his arm bent at least 45 degrees outwards, and his elbow towards his back. Although it appears to be extremely difficult to actually pot balls when cueing like that it has worked for Swail and provides him with an abundance of cue power.
In his second round match at the 2008 World Championship
, Swail potted a black ball quoted as a "1 in 1000 pot" by Willie Thorne
.
that he regards this as an advantage for snooker, as he is less likely to be distracted by crowd and other background noise. The two-table nature of the Crucible Theatre
, in which cheering from the other table can often occur as a player takes a shot, may be one reason his World Championship record is especially strong.
Swail's nickname, "the Outlaw", is a pun on his name "Joe Swail" and The Outlaw Josey Wales
, the 1976 film. He has a son, also called Joe, and supports Liverpool F.C.
| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (0–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 2009
| Welsh Open
|
| 5–9
|}
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He has reached ten major ranking semi-finals, including the 2000
World Snooker Championship 2000
The 2000 Embassy World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 15 April and 1 May 2000 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England....
and 2001
World Snooker Championship 2001
-Round 1:-Round 2–4:-Round 5–6:...
World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
s but only one final. Swail is renowned for playing well at the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, having reached the last 16 on four further occasions.
Career
Swail has had a very topsy-turvy history in the rankings. He took just two seasons to reach the Top 32, and three to reach the top sixteen, but only remained there for one season, before sliding out of the Top 32 after winning just two matches in 1997/1998Snooker season 1997/1998
The snooker season 1997/1998 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1997 and 1998. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:...
. His 2000 Crucible achievement made him the second player (after Rex Williams
Rex Williams
Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...
) to return to the Top 16 in the rankings after dropping out of the Top 32 in between. He climbed to #10 after his 2001 semi-final, but dropped to 16–27–30–40 in the next few years, finishing with a nightmare season in 2004/2005
Snooker season 2004/2005
The snooker season 2004/2005 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2004 and 2005. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
. He then bounced back with an impressive and consistent showing in 2005/2006
Snooker season 2005/2006
The snooker season 2005/06 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2005 and 2006. The following table outlines the results and dates for the ranking and major invitational events that took place.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
that brought him back into the Top 32. He came close to the Top 16 in 2006/2007
Snooker world rankings 2006/2007
Snooker world rankings 2006/2007: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2006/2007 season are listed below.-Notes:...
, finishing one place short at 17 despite beating Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
in round 1 of the 2007 World Championship
World Snooker Championship 2007
The 2007 888.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament began on 21 April and ran until 7 May 2007 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield....
s from 0–4 down He came from 7–9 behind to beat Judd Trump
Judd Trump
Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player from Bristol. He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005. On 3 April 2011, Trump won his first ranking title, beating Mark Selby 10–8 in the final of the China Open...
10–9 in qualifying for the 2008 World Championship
World Snooker Championship 2008
The 2008 888.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 19 April and 5 May 2008 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.John Higgins was the defending champion, but he lost in the second round 9–13 against Ryan Day....
. Swail scored a comprehensive 10–4 victory over Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
in the first round at the Crucible, before a 12–13 defeat by Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...
in the second round, after a trademark comeback from 8–12 down, due to a bad miss on the brown in the decider. This caused him to again miss the top 16, finishing the season in 20th place.
He started 2008/2009 poorly, with four successive first-round defeats. His first victory of the season was against Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...
in qualifying for the 2008 UK Snooker Championship. He then reached his first ever ranking final in his 18 year professional career at the 2009 Welsh Open. Swail led the match 5–2, but never won another frame, losing 9–5 to Ali Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...
.
Swail is a former English amateur champion and N. Ireland amateur runner-up, and has captained Northern Ireland internationally. He was Irish champion in 2005.
Swail is one of the most likeable players on the circuit, but is also known for his very unorthodox way of cueing up. Instead of keeping his cue-arm vertical as most players do, Swail cues up with his arm bent at least 45 degrees outwards, and his elbow towards his back. Although it appears to be extremely difficult to actually pot balls when cueing like that it has worked for Swail and provides him with an abundance of cue power.
In his second round match at the 2008 World Championship
World Snooker Championship 2008
The 2008 888.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 19 April and 5 May 2008 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.John Higgins was the defending champion, but he lost in the second round 9–13 against Ryan Day....
, Swail potted a black ball quoted as a "1 in 1000 pot" by Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
.
Personal
Swail is congenitally hearing-impaired, and his brother Liam is completely deaf. He has told BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that he regards this as an advantage for snooker, as he is less likely to be distracted by crowd and other background noise. The two-table nature of the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, in which cheering from the other table can often occur as a player takes a shot, may be one reason his World Championship record is especially strong.
Swail's nickname, "the Outlaw", is a pun on his name "Joe Swail" and The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
, the 1976 film. He has a son, also called Joe, and supports Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
Ranking event finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
{|| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (0–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 2009
| Welsh Open
Welsh Open (snooker)
The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.- History :...
|
| 5–9
|}
Non-ranking wins
- Kings Cup – 1991, 1992
- Irish Professional Championships – 1992, 2005
- Irish Classic – 2009