Australian former professional snooker Quinten Hann had what is politely described as a ‘chequered’ career, which finally came to an igmonimious end, at the age of 28, in February, 2006. The previous year, Hann had agreed, with undercover journalists from ‘The Sun’ newspaper, to lose a match at the forthcoming China Open for £50,000. The agreement, alone, was sufficient for Hann to be charged with match-fixing, but three days before a disciplinary hearing he effectively resigned as a professional. At the hearing, which he did not attend, he was found guilty, banned for eight years by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.
Hann played in the World Snooker Championships at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield on six occasions, but never progressed beyond round two and is probably best remembered for his first round match against Andy Hicks in 2004, which ended acrimoniously. The unseeded Hicks won 10-4 but, having been goaded by Hann in the middle of the match, retorted with ‘That’s you out of the top 16’ as the pair shook hands. Hann responded by telling Hicks, ‘You’re short and bald and you always will be’, and offered to fight him outside. Ultimately, referee Lawrie Annadale stood between the two players to prevent them coming to blows.
The following June, taking advantage of the ‘white collar’ boxing phenomenon, Hann satisfied his desire to fight a fellow snooker professional when facing off against Mark King in a six-minute charity boxing match at York Hall. Both men obtained amateur boxing licences and trained seriously, but the bout, dubbed ‘Pot Whack’, soon descended into an all-out brawl, with Hann winning on points.
