Susan Thompson (born 10 October 1969), usually known professionally as Sue Thompson, is a Scottish 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 ...

player. She won the

WEPF World Eightball Championship The WEPF World Eightball Pool Championship is a pool world championship organised by the World Eightball Pool Federation using International Rules. Until 2022 the competition used World Rules. The competition has taken place annually since 1993. ...

eleven times.

Career

Thompson started playing pool, aged 14, when a friend invited her into a

pub 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 ...

for a game. The next year, Thompson had her own pool table and played for around twelve hours a day until the age of 19, winning the British Ladies Pool championship three times in four attempts. She became a professional player in 1992, after winning a five-year battle against the Professional Pool Players Organisation's refusal to grant her professional status. An industrial tribunal in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

found that she had been the victim of

sex discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

, and gave the Professional Pool Players Organisation three months to admit her as a professional. Thompson won the 1993 European

Eight-ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes, bigs and smalls, big ones and little ones, or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of Pool (cue sports), pool played on a billiard tabl ...

championship on her 24th birthday, retaining her title from the previous year. She reached the final of the

in both 1994 and 1995, losing both times to Linda Leadbitter. Thompson won her first world title with a 7–1 win over Rosalia Diliberto in the 1996 final. She gained her second the next year, with an 8–5 victory over Leadbitter in the final. 1998 saw Leadbitter win 8–6 over Thompson. They faced each other again in the final for the fifth time in 2000, with Thompson winning the match 8–5. Thompson won again in 2002 and 2003, both being 8–3 wins over Lisa Quick, and with tournament wins in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012, won eleven world titles in all. WEPF Ladies World Masters Champion 2006, 2008, 2012 and runner-up in 2007. At the 2012

, Thompson won 16 frames and lost only two whilst winning the title. She then announced her retirement from competitive play, aged 42, due to suffering from

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

. She continued to play exhibition matches to raise funds for

Macmillan Cancer Support Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, an ...

. She achieved the world record for clearing all 15 balls, with a time of 37.7 seconds.

Achievements

* WEPF World eightball champion 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 *

runner-up 1994, 1995, 1998, 2005 *

WEPF The World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) is an international pool governing body overseeing international tournaments and rankings in the British-originating variant of eight-ball pool played with red and yellow unnumbered balls instead of the ...

Ladies World Masters champion 2006, 2008, 2012 *

Ladies World Masters runner-up 2007

References

External links

Sue Thompson plays Linda Leadbitter in the final of the 1995 World Pool Championship
(YouTube)
Sue Thompson plays Rosalia Diliberto in the final of the 1996 World Pool Championship
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Sue Living people female pool players Scottish pool players 1969 births