Quinten Hann
Encyclopedia
Quinten Hann is an Australian former professional snooker
player who now plays professional pool. He was the 1999 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion and 1994 world under 21 champion. His highest break is 143. He was given an eight year ban from snooker in February 2006.
He missed several ranking events after breaking his wrist and collar bone whilst motorcycle racing in 1999. He also broke his foot in a parachute jump
in 2000, and was forced to play shoeless in the UK Championship
.
Renowned for his volatile temper, Hann incurred the wrath of several other players throughout the course of his career. The first notable instance of this occurred during the second round of the 2001 Grand Prix, where Hann repeatedly made offensive gestures towards both the spectators and his opponent, Anthony Hamilton
. The latter showed no visible annoyance during the match itself, and went on to defeat Hann 5-3. In the post-match interview, however, the normally mild-mannered Hamilton was furious with his opponent, accusing him of bad sportsmanship and complaining not only about his behaviour towards the spectators but also his tactics. A number of times during the match Hann smashed the cue ball into the pack of reds at the beginning of each frame, spreading the reds over the table and consequently making breakbuilding difficult for both players, a tactic which was described by BBC
commentator Clive Everton
as bringing the sport into disrepute.
More recently, in the 2004 World Championships
, he was rebuked for making threatening comments to Andy Hicks
when he lost 10 – 4 to the unseeded outsider. After Hann had made offensive gestures and remarks throughout the match, Hicks commented at the end that the result would put Hann outside the top 16 (which it did). Following the acrimony over this defeat Hann challenged Hicks to a fight. In the event fellow snooker player Mark King
stood in for Hicks at a charity boxing match with Hann which the latter won. Hann also fought Dublin GAA
player, Johnny Magee
, in a charity boxing match in Dublin in September 2004 after Hann suggested that Gaelic football
ers were not as robust as Australia
rules footballers
; but he had his nose broken, with Magee winning in three rounds.
In the 2005 World Championship Hann was forced to play with a new cue after his original cue was lost after the China Open
earlier that year. The original cue was eventually retrieved just before the World Championship but was found to be damaged and unusable. Having borrowed a friend's cue, he decided against practising, and instead went out drinking. He played his first round match against Peter Ebdon
hungover, and rather predictably lost the match by 10 frames to 2. When asked about the defeat to Ebdon, Hann said: "I intended to go out for a few beers but when the cue wasn't there I went out for a lot of beers. I had a hangover, and the migraine kicked in during the second session. By the end, I was in bits."
Hann was cleared of further sex attacks on two women in 2005. The women accused Hann of behaving like a "crazed animal" and said that they thought they were going to die. One of them claimed that he repeatedly struck her, an accusation that Hann strongly denied explaining that his mother had taught him to never raise a hand to a woman. Ultimately the case turned on the credibility of his accuser, which was undermined when it was admitted she had lied consistently under oath throughout the trial.
The day after his acquittal The Sun
alleged that Hann had agreed to lose his opening match against Ken Doherty
at the China Open in return for large amounts of money. The story was held back so it would not prejudice the outcome of Hann's trial. A hearing at the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
was convened after the WPBSA panel was shown transcripts of video and audio footage of the meetings which took place between Hann and the undercover Sun journalists in March and April 2005.
On 14 February 2006 he resigned from the WPBSA, just a couple of days before he was due to attend the hearing. Hann did not attend and was found guilty in absentia. The newspaper did not go through with any agreement, but by agreeing to lose the game Hann was in breach of rule 2.8, which states "a member shall not directly or indirectly solicit, attempt to solicit or accept any payment or any form of remuneration of benefit in exchange for influencing the outcome of any game of snooker or billiards." Hann was banned from snooker for 8 years and also fined £10,000.
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 who now plays professional pool. He was the 1999 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion and 1994 world under 21 champion. His highest break is 143. He was given an eight year ban from snooker in February 2006.
Snooker career
Hann was ranked in the top 16 for two seasons (2002–2003 and 2003–2004), ranked at #14 for both seasons. He has reached the quarter-finals of several ranking tournaments and the semi-final of the 2004 Irish MastersIrish Masters (snooker)
The Irish Masters was a professional snooker tournament. It was founded in 1978, following on from the successful Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament .-History:...
He missed several ranking events after breaking his wrist and collar bone whilst motorcycle racing in 1999. He also broke his foot in a parachute jump
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
in 2000, and was forced to play shoeless in the UK Championship
UK Championship (snooker)
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
.
Renowned for his volatile temper, Hann incurred the wrath of several other players throughout the course of his career. The first notable instance of this occurred during the second round of the 2001 Grand Prix, where Hann repeatedly made offensive gestures towards both the spectators and his opponent, Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (snooker player)
Anthony Hamilton is an English professional snooker player noted for his strong break-building technique and distinctive appearance. He has spent five seasons ranked among the game's top 16, and fifteen in the top 32, reaching a career-high at number #10 in the world in the 1999/2000 season...
. The latter showed no visible annoyance during the match itself, and went on to defeat Hann 5-3. In the post-match interview, however, the normally mild-mannered Hamilton was furious with his opponent, accusing him of bad sportsmanship and complaining not only about his behaviour towards the spectators but also his tactics. A number of times during the match Hann smashed the cue ball into the pack of reds at the beginning of each frame, spreading the reds over the table and consequently making breakbuilding difficult for both players, a tactic which was described by BBC
BBC
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...
commentator Clive Everton
Clive Everton
Clive Everton , is a Welsh veteran BBC snooker commentator, journalist and author. He began his BBC career on the radio, but has been commentating on the television from the 1978 World Championship through to the present...
as bringing the sport into disrepute.
More recently, in the 2004 World Championships
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...
, he was rebuked for making threatening comments to Andy Hicks
Andy Hicks
Andy Hicks is an English professional snooker player currently from Cornwall. Hicks, nicknamed "The Cream of Devon", has been a World Snooker Championship semi-finalist and was ranked within the worlds top 32 for many seasons but has never broken into the top 16.-Career:Although a professional...
when he lost 10 – 4 to the unseeded outsider. After Hann had made offensive gestures and remarks throughout the match, Hicks commented at the end that the result would put Hann outside the top 16 (which it did). Following the acrimony over this defeat Hann challenged Hicks to a fight. In the event fellow snooker player Mark King
Mark King (snooker player)
Mark King is an English professional snooker player. He has not yet won a ranking tournament, but came close when he was a beaten finalist in the 1997 Regal Welsh Open and the 2004 Irish Masters.- Career :...
stood in for Hicks at a charity boxing match with Hann which the latter won. Hann also fought Dublin GAA
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
player, Johnny Magee
Johnny Magee
Jonathan Johnny Magee is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays county football for Dublin and club football for Kilmacud Crokes.-Inter-county:Johnny played at half back for Dublin in the late 90's and early years of the 21st century...
, in a charity boxing match in Dublin in September 2004 after Hann suggested that Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
ers were not as robust as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
rules footballers
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
; but he had his nose broken, with Magee winning in three rounds.
In the 2005 World Championship Hann was forced to play with a new cue after his original cue was lost after the China Open
China Open (snooker)
The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997.-History:The first international snooker tournament in China was the China International in September 1997, a non-ranking tournament for the top 16 players and local players. The...
earlier that year. The original cue was eventually retrieved just before the World Championship but was found to be damaged and unusable. Having borrowed a friend's cue, he decided against practising, and instead went out drinking. He played his first round match against Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
hungover, and rather predictably lost the match by 10 frames to 2. When asked about the defeat to Ebdon, Hann said: "I intended to go out for a few beers but when the cue wasn't there I went out for a lot of beers. I had a hangover, and the migraine kicked in during the second session. By the end, I was in bits."
Departure from snooker
Hann is known in snooker for his "bad boy" image, and in 2002 he was tried in the UK for allegedly raping a woman while both were intoxicated, but was acquitted.Hann was cleared of further sex attacks on two women in 2005. The women accused Hann of behaving like a "crazed animal" and said that they thought they were going to die. One of them claimed that he repeatedly struck her, an accusation that Hann strongly denied explaining that his mother had taught him to never raise a hand to a woman. Ultimately the case turned on the credibility of his accuser, which was undermined when it was admitted she had lied consistently under oath throughout the trial.
The day after his acquittal The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
alleged that Hann had agreed to lose his opening match against Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
at the China Open in return for large amounts of money. The story was held back so it would not prejudice the outcome of Hann's trial. A hearing at the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, often abbreviated to the WPBSA, founded in 1968 and based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards...
was convened after the WPBSA panel was shown transcripts of video and audio footage of the meetings which took place between Hann and the undercover Sun journalists in March and April 2005.
On 14 February 2006 he resigned from the WPBSA, just a couple of days before he was due to attend the hearing. Hann did not attend and was found guilty in absentia. The newspaper did not go through with any agreement, but by agreeing to lose the game Hann was in breach of rule 2.8, which states "a member shall not directly or indirectly solicit, attempt to solicit or accept any payment or any form of remuneration of benefit in exchange for influencing the outcome of any game of snooker or billiards." Hann was banned from snooker for 8 years and also fined £10,000.