Quinten Hann - Snooker Career

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 Masters

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.

At 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 footballers 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."