Quinten Hann
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Quinten Hann (born 4 June 1977) is an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
former professional
pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
and
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...
player. He was the 1999 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion and the 1994 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Champion. His highest snooker was a 141 which he made at the 1997 Grand Prix tournament. In February 2006, he was banned from pro snooker for eight years for match-fixing at the 2005 China Open, shortly before which he had resigned his membership of the
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards. It is headquartered in Bristol, England. Founded as the Professional Billiard Players Association (PBPA) in ...
(WPBSA).


Biography


Early life and amateur career

Born on 4 June 1977 in
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Hann is the only child in a single-parent family. His father was absent from his life after his parents separated while the family was in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. He attended Redden Catholic College. When he turned nine, Hann's mother Amanda purchased a snooker table for him to practise the game. He later took up
pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
at the age of ten after being introduced to it through a friend in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. Hann played pool during the weekends, until his mother swayed him away from playing in
public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
. She telephoned a snooker coach to teach her son the game. In June 1989, at age 12, Hann became the youngest qualifier for the Australian men's open snooker championship, only losing in the last 16 stage to the Under-21 national champion Steve Mifsud. Although he broke his left wrist in a motorcycle accident which caused him to play in a plaster cast, he won the Victoria Under-12 Championship in March 1990. Three months later, Hann finished runner-up in his group at the 1990 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship. But with six victories from eight matches, Hann did not qualify for the following rounds due to percentage. Hann's mother sold the family's home, car, and some other possessions to finance her son's career, and the family moved from Wagga Wagga to England in late 1989. She wrote to
Matchroom Sport Matchroom Sport is a UK-based sporting event promotions company founded by Barry Hearn and run by him and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool (cue sports), pool, bowl ...
founder Barry Hearn, who offered his services to Hann. At the age of 13, Hann compiled his first
century break In snooker, a century break (also century, sometimes called a ton) is a of 100 points or more, compiled in one to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a m ...
(a 103) in a match against Melbourne Senior Champion Garry Cullen. He later produced a break of 100 at the 1991 World Masters under-16 tournament, making him the youngest player to compile a televised
century break In snooker, a century break (also century, sometimes called a ton) is a of 100 points or more, compiled in one to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a m ...
. He reached the final of the Australian Amateur Championship at age 14 and he then took part in the IBSF World Snooker Championship. On 13 October 1991, Hann was given a suspended ban by the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council from all domestic and overseas competitions for spitting on a competitor's mother. This was invoked after the New South Wales country junior championship in January 1993 when he swore at the referee following a decision that favoured his opponent and entered the Lithgow Workmen's Club licensed poker-machine area. Hann's family appealed the ban to the
High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...
, and it was reduced to one year. In the meantime, he won the 1992 Australian Open 8-ball Championship, defeating Lou Condo 6–1 in the final and later beat David Gray 11–10 to win the 1994 IBSF World Under-21 Championship.


Professional career

Hann became a professional player in 1995. Within five months of the start of his first season, he reached No. 237 in the world by competing in satellite tournaments. Not discouraged by this, he met Brandon Parker through another player and Parker agreed to manage Hann's career. Hann was now able to enter tournaments abroad in the 1996–97 season, reaching the quarter-finals of the 1997 Thailand Open, and rising to No. 104 in the world. In 1996, he was paired with Robby Foldvari and Stan Gorski to represent Australia at the Snooker World Cup. The trio lasted until the quarter-finals, being defeated 5–10 by England. For the 1997–98 season, Hann reached the televised stages of more tournaments, lasting until the second-rounds of the Grand Prix (where he set a record of 13 consecutive victories with a 5–4 margin and compiled the highest break of his career, a 141), the
UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican in York, England. Ronnie O'Sull ...
, and the German Open tournaments. He lost in the first round of the preliminary stages of the British Open with a 5–0
whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...
to Drew Henry in April 1998. One month earlier, Hann became the first Australian player since
Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton (31 October 1929 – 7 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning e ...
in 1992 to qualify for the
World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship, or simply known as the World Championship, is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the richest event to date with a total prize money of £2,395,000, including ...
. He was eliminated by Mark Williams 9–10 in the first round, ending the season ranked No. 45 in the world. Hann won the Lindrum Masters multi-format tournament in
Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...
in September 1998. After the tournament, he met with his mother and World Snooker chairman
Rex Williams Desmond Rex Williams (born 20 July 1933) is an English retired professional billiards and snooker player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break in snooker, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams ...
, and agreed to change his lifestyle and public image. Hann advanced to the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix tournament in the following month, losing to Stephen Lee in a 5–0 whitewash. He lost 5–9 to Marcus Campbell in the second round of the
UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican in York, England. Ronnie O'Sull ...
in November; Hann's opponent criticised him for conceding two frames in the match. Hann replicated this performance once more during the season, this time in the Scottish Open in February 1999, losing 2–5 to Graeme Dott. He concluded the season ranked No. 26 in the world. Before the start of the 1999–2000 snooker season, Hann won the WEPF World Eightball Championship to become the only player born outside the United Kingdom and Ireland to claim the title, and defeated Oliver Ortmann to successfully defend the Lindrum Masters tournament in August. He qualified for the British Open in September, lasting until the second round when he was defeated 2–5 by Stephen Lee. In October Hann withdrew from the Grand Prix as his father suffered a myocardial infarction, then withdrew from the Australian Nine-Ball Championship to pursue riding
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
s as a hobby. While doing this, he sustained a clavicle fracture and a bruised wrist in an accident in Melbourne, which left him unable to play in the next six tournaments. Hann returned to competition at the Scottish Open in March 2000, reaching the second-round where he lost 4–5 to eventual champion
Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a m ...
. Hann began the 2000–01 season ranked world No. 32. Hann prepared for the upcoming campaign by increasing his practise at his home in Melbourne. Before that Hann lasted until the semi-final stage of the WEPF World Eightball Championship in June 2000. Hann was eliminated from the second round at the Grand Prix tournament, and was booed by spectators for smashing the cue ball into the pack of in the final three frames of his match against O'Sullivan. He earned an official reprimand of £750 for "unprofessional behaviour" for nonperformance. Hann broke a bone in his foot in a parachute jump before the 2000 UK Championship, and was required to play shoeless in a tournament, in which he lasted until the quarter-finals. He also reached the quarter-finals of the
Thailand Masters The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament. Previously known as Asian Open and Thailand Open, it was a Snooker world rankings, ranking tournament from 1989/90 to 2001/02. An event called the ''Thailand Masters'' also formed part o ...
before losing to
John Parrott John Stephen Parrott (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professional snooker player who won the 1991 World Snooker Championship. He came to prominence in the mid to late 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 14 ...
. Hann qualified for the 2001 World Snooker Championship and was drawn against world number 16
Dave Harold David William Harold (born 9 December 1966) is an English former professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent. He was known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter" (conflating his home city's pottery industry and his prof ...
in the first round. The match saw Hann lose 5–10 to Harold. He commenced the 2001/2002 season as the world number 25. Hann reached the second round of the season's first three ranking tournaments, before improving his performance to last until the third round of the China Open and the
Thailand Masters The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament. Previously known as Asian Open and Thailand Open, it was a Snooker world rankings, ranking tournament from 1989/90 to 2001/02. An event called the ''Thailand Masters'' also formed part o ...
. Later in 2002, he progressed beyond the third round of the Scottish Open ensuring that he would end the season as one of the world's top sixteen ranked players, making him the first Australian player to do so since
Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton (31 October 1929 – 7 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning e ...
in 1986. Hann ended the tournament in the quarter-final stage and critiqued the World Snooker Association's running of snooker. He concluded the season in the second round of the World Snooker Championship with a victory over
Paul Hunter Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters (snooker), Masters champion, winning the event in 2001 Masters (snooker), 2001, 2002 Masters (snooker), 2002, a ...
in the first round and a loss to Stephen Lee in the next stage. Players and pundits criticised Hann for breaking up the red balls in a pool-style method during both of his matches and for unprofessional-ism in the second game. The 2002/2003 season saw Hann ranked 14th in the world. He was unable to win a match in the season's first four ranking tournaments. Hann's top sixteen world ranking allowed him to enter the non-ranking
Masters tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...
for the first time in his professional career, which he lost in the first round 4–6 to Lee. This marked a turning point in his season as he reached the second round of the next two competitions and the quarter-finals of the 2003 Irish Masters. At the
World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship, or simply known as the World Championship, is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the richest event to date with a total prize money of £2,395,000, including ...
, Hann defeated Parrott 10–5 in the first round, before he was defeated by Mark Williams 13–2 in the second round. He retained his ranking of 14th in the world for the 2003/2004 season. Hann moved to Ealing after the 2003 World Championship and began practising regularly at Ealing Snooker Club in a bid to establish himself as one of the world's top 16 players. He got through to the quarter-finals of the
UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican in York, England. Ronnie O'Sull ...
for the first time, where he played Ronnie O'Sullivan. He lost the match 3–9. At the 2004 Masters, Hann was defeated in the first round 3–6 by Peter Ebdon. He later progressed to the quarter-finals of the European Open in Malta and lost to local player Tony Drago 1–5. Hann progressed into the first ranking semi-final of his professional career at the Irish Masters. This made him the first Australian player to reach the semi-finals of a tournament since Warren King at the 1990 Classic. Hann conceded a frame while 30–24 ahead and executed a pool-style break off in his 5–6 defeat to Ebdon. His final match of the season was a 4–10 defeat to Andy Hicks in the first round of the
World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship, or simply known as the World Championship, is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the richest event to date with a total prize money of £2,395,000, including ...
. After the match, referee Lawrie Annandale separated the two players from a physical alteration after Hann made a threatening comment to Hicks when the latter suggested he would lose his top 16 world ranking. He 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 The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin and the Dublin county teams. The teams and their fans a ...
player, Johnny Magee, in a charity boxing match in Dublin in September 2004 after he suggested that
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
ers were not as robust as Australia rules footballers. He had his nose broken, with Magee winning in three rounds. Hann fell to 18th in the world rankings before the commencement of the 2004/2005 season. He reached the quarter finals of the 2004 World 8-Ball Championship and lost 6–9 to Darren Appleton. Hann withdrew from the 2005 Malta Cup due to a fractured finger. The 2005 World Championship saw Hann 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 damaged and unusable. He borrowed a friend's cue and decided against practising, and instead went out drinking. He played his first round match against Peter Ebdon hungover, and lost 2–10. Hann ended the season 22nd in the world rankings.


Match-fixing allegations and resignation

The day after his 2005 sex attack acquittal ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'' alleged that Hann agreed to lose his opening match against the 1997 world champion
Ken Doherty Kenneth Joseph Doherty (born 17 September 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player who also works as a commentator and pundit on televised snooker broadcasts. From Ranelagh in Dublin, he is the sport's only World Snooker Championship, wor ...
at the China Open to one of its undercover reporters in return for £50,000. The story was held back to avoid prejudice in the outcome of Hann's trial. A hearing at the
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards. It is headquartered in Bristol, England. Founded as the Professional Billiard Players Association (PBPA) in ...
(WPBSA) was convened after its 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. In September, he entered the Grand Prix tournament, before he withdrew one month later on medical grounds. Hann submitted a
medical certificate A medical certificate or doctor's certificate is a written statement from a physician or another medically qualified health care provider which attests to the result of a medical examination of a patient. It can serve as a sick note ( UK: fit no ...
and received a £3,000 prize fund from the WPBSA. Hann later failed to attend the first round of the
UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican in York, England. Ronnie O'Sull ...
for undisclosed reasons. On 14 February 2006 he resigned from the WPBSA. Hann did not attend the hearing 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 until 2014 and also fined £10,000. He commented on the ban imposed on him in an interview with the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' in 2010, "I was just the perfect scapegoat for them. I was a foreigner, I'd pretty much given up snooker and so I was fair game for them."


Legal issues

In October 2001, Hann invited an unidentified
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n born woman to a hotel in London after midnight. Both were drinking alcohol at a club bar in the West End and began kissing. The woman allowed Hann to remove her lower clothing. Hann's accuser alleged that he then forced himself upon her. Police later arrested Hann and charged him with rape. He was instructed to surrender his travel documents and a Magistrates' Court judge allowed him to keep playing professional snooker as long as he told the police where he was residing. Hann appeared in Southwark Crown Court on 3 January 2002 and entered a plea of not guilty. He was acquitted of the charges by a jury in July 2002. 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. In October 2014, it was reported that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) started court proceedings at the Federal Court of Australia against Hann (now going under the name Quinten Hunter), general manager of broker Monarch FX (Monarch FX Group Pty Ltd). ASIC temporarily banned Monarch FX and Hann from offering financial services until November 2014 when the hearing resumed. In 2016, Hann was banned from the financial services industry for four years.


Performance and rankings timeline


Career finals


Amateur finals: 3 (1 title)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hann, Quinten 1977 births Living people Australian snooker players Australian pool players World champions in pool Cue sports people from Melbourne People from Wagga Wagga False allegations of sex crimes