Quinten Hann: Snooker and Scandal

Quinten Hann: Snooker and Scandal

Early life and amateur career

Quinten Hann was born on 4 June 1977 in Wagga Wagga, a city in New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in a single-parent household, as his father left the family when they moved to Melbourne. He went to Redden Catholic College, a private school in the city. His mother, Amanda, bought him a snooker table when he was nine years old, hoping to nurture his talent for the game. He also learned to play pool at the age of ten, after a friend introduced him to it in Brisbane. He spent his weekends playing pool, until his mother persuaded him to focus on snooker. She contacted a snooker coach to train her son professionally.

Hann showed remarkable potential from an early age. At 12, he became the youngest qualifier for the Australian men’s open snooker championship, where he reached the last 16 and lost to Steve Mifsud, the Under-21 national champion. Despite breaking his left wrist in a motorcycle accident and playing with a plaster cast, he won the Victoria Under-12 Championship in March 1990. He also participated in the 1990 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, where he won six out of eight matches in his group, but failed to qualify for the next round due to percentage. His mother sacrificed a lot to support his career, selling their home, car, and other belongings, and moving with him to England in late 1989. She wrote to Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport, who agreed to sponsor Hann.

Hann made history by scoring his first century break (103) at the age of 13, in a match against Garry Cullen, the Melbourne Senior Champion. He then achieved a break of 100 at the 1991 World Masters under-16 tournament, becoming the youngest player to make a televised century break. He reached the final of the Australian Amateur Championship at 14 and competed in the IBSF World Snooker Championship. However, his career was marred by controversy and disciplinary issues. In October 1991, he was given a suspended ban by the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council for spitting on a rival’s mother. The ban was activated in January 1993, when he swore at the referee and entered the poker-machine area of the Lithgow Workmen’s Club, which was prohibited for minors. His family appealed the ban to the High Court of Australia, and it was reduced to one year. During his suspension, he won the 1992 Australian Open 8-ball Championship, beating Lou Condo 6–1 in the final. He also claimed the 1994 IBSF World Under-21 Championship, defeating David Gray 11–10 in a thrilling final.

Professional career

1995–96 season

Hann turned professional in 1995, at the age of 18. He started his first season by playing in satellite tournaments, where he climbed to №237 in the world rankings within five months. He then met Brandon Parker, who became his manager and helped him enter more international events.

1996–97 season

In the 1996–97 season, Hann made his breakthrough by reaching the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open, where he was whitewashed by Nigel Bond 0–5. He also improved his ranking to №104 by the end of the season. He represented Australia at the Snooker World Cup in 1996, along with Robby Foldvari and Stan Gorski. They reached the quarter-finals, but were beaten 5–10 by England, who had Peter Ebdon, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Nigel Bond on their team.

1997–98 season

In the 1997–98 season, Hann qualified for the televised stages of several tournaments, including the Grand Prix (last 32), the UK Championship (last 32), and the German Open (last 16), losing to John Higgins, Martin Dziewialtowski, and Tony Drago respectively. He also achieved the highest break of his career, a 141, at the Grand Prix, where he set a record of winning 13 consecutive matches by a 5–4 scoreline. He made his debut at the World Snooker Championship in 1998, becoming the first Australian player to do so since Eddie Charlton in 1992. He faced Mark Williams in the first round, and led 9–8, but lost the final frame on the black ball. He finished the season ranked №45 in the world.

1998–99 season

Hann began the 1998–99 season by winning the Lindrum Masters, a multi-format tournament held in Newcastle, New South Wales. He also met with his mother and Rex Williams, the chairman of World Snooker, and agreed to change his lifestyle and public image, which had been controversial and rebellious in the past. He reached the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix for the second time, but was whitewashed 0–5 by Stephen Lee. He also reached the second round of the UK Championship, but lost 5–9 to Marcus Campbell, who accused him of disrespecting the game by conceding two frames early. Hann repeated this behaviour at the Scottish Open, where he lost 2–5 to Graeme Dott in the second round. He ended the season ranked №26 in the world.

1999–2000 season

Before the start of the 1999–2000 season, Hann won the WEPF World Eightball Championship, becoming the only player born outside the UK and Ireland to win the title. He also successfully defended his Lindrum Masters title. He qualified for the British Open, but lost 2–5 to Stephen Lee in the second round. He withdrew from the Grand Prix in October, as his father had a heart attack. He also withdrew from the Australian Nine-Ball Championship, as he wanted to pursue his hobby of riding motorcycles. However, he injured himself in a crash in Melbourne, breaking his collarbone and bruising his wrist. This prevented him from playing in the next six tournaments. He returned to action at the Scottish Open in March 2000, where he reached the second round and lost 4–5 to Ronnie O’Sullivan, who went on to win the title. Hann failed to qualify for the World Championship after losing a deciding frame to Stuart Bingham 9–10.

2000–01 season

Hann started the 2000–01 season ranked №32 in the world. He increased his practice time at his home in Melbourne, hoping to improve his performance. He also reached the semi-finals of the WEPF World Eightball Championship in June 2000, where he lost 6–8 to Chris Melling. He qualified for the Grand Prix, but was knocked out in the second round by Ronnie O’Sullivan 0–5. He angered the crowd by smashing the cue ball into the reds in the last three frames, showing his frustration and lack of respect. He was fined £750 by the WPBSA for unprofessional behaviour.

Hann suffered another setback before the UK Championship, when he broke a bone in his foot during a parachute jump. He had to play without shoes in the tournament, but still managed to reach the quarter-finals, where he once again lost to O’Sullivan, this time 5–9. He also made the quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters, but was beaten 3–5 by John Parrott. He qualified for the World Snooker Championship, where he faced Dave Harold in the first round and was defeated 5–10.

2001–02 season

Hann began the 2001–02 season ranked №25 in the world. He reached the second round of the first three ranking events, losing to Alan McManus, Mark Williams, and Ken Doherty respectively. He then improved his form, reaching the third round of the China Open and the Thailand Masters, where he lost to Anthony Hamilton and Stephen Lee respectively. He achieved his best result of the season at the Scottish Open, where he reached the quarter-finals, beating Ken Doherty and Joe Perry along the way. He lost 4–5 to Peter Ebdon, but secured his place in the top 16 of the world rankings, becoming the first Australian to do so since Eddie Charlton in 1986. He also criticised the WPBSA for their management of the game, saying that they were “killing snooker”.

He qualified for the World Snooker Championship, where he faced Paul Hunter in the first round. He caused controversy by breaking the balls in a pool-style fashion, which some commentators and players considered disrespectful and unsporting. He won the match 10–9, but repeated the same break-off in his second round match against Stephen Lee. He lost the match 3–13, and was heavily criticised by Lee and others for his attitude and behaviour.

2002–03 season

Hann started the 2002–03 season ranked №14 in the world. He had a poor start, losing his first match in the first four ranking events, to Michael Holt (LG Cup), Brian Morgan (British Open), and Marco Fu (UK Championship, Welsh Open). He qualified for the Masters, a prestigious non-ranking event, for the first time in his career, but lost 4–6 to Stephen Lee in the first round. He then improved his form, reaching the second round of the European Open where he lost to Stephen Lee 3–5. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Irish Masters, where he lost 3–6 to Dave Harold. He reached the second round of the Scottish open losing to Ken Doherty 3–5.

Hann qualified for the World Snooker Championship, where he faced John Parrott in the first round. He won the match 10–5, but was thrashed 2–13 by Mark Williams in the second round. He made only one break over 50 in the match, and conceded the last frame with 11 reds on the table.

2003–04 season

Hann maintained his 14th position in the world rankings for this season. He moved to Ealing after the World Championship and started to practise more often at the Ealing Snooker Club. He reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship for the first time in his career, where he faced Ronnie O’Sullivan. He could not match O’Sullivan’s form and lost 3–9. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the European Open in Malta, but was beaten 1–5 by the home favourite Tony Drago. His best result of the season came at the Irish Masters, where he advanced to his first ever ranking semi-final. He was the first Australian to achieve this feat since Warren King in 1990. He had a close match with Peter Ebdon, but lost 5–6 after giving up a frame he was leading and breaking off like a pool player.

Han lost his last game of the season 4–10 to Andy Hicks in the World Snooker Championship’s first round. The referee, Lawrie Annandale, had to stop them from getting physical when Hicks said to Hann, as they shook hands — “that’s you out of the top 16”. Hann told Hicks: “You’re short and bald and always will be and I’ll fight you in the street for 50 grand any time you like.” A couple of days after this took place Hann was in an interview with Dave Hendon where he stated “It just got a bit out of hand. There was a bit of needle there and I took offence at what he said when he shook my hand. I’m not proud of what I said. I feel bad about it but everyone wants to win so badly at the Crucible. It was just the heat of the moment. I haven’t got the best temper in the world and I was out of order.”

He wanted to fight Hicks in a charity boxing match, but Mark King took his place. The match was called ‘Pot Whack’ in which Hann won and had Ronnie O’Sullivan in his corner. Hann also boxed with Johnny Magee, a Dublin GAA player, in Dublin in September 2004. He had said that Gaelic footballers were weaker than Australia rules footballers. Hann’s nose was broken and Magee won in three rounds.

2004–05 season

Hann dropped to 18th in the world rankings before the start of this season. He participated in the 2004 World 8-Ball Championship and reached the quarter-finals, where he lost 9–6 to Darren Appleton. He had to pull out of the Malta Cup because of a broken finger. He had more bad luck at the World Championship, as his cue was misplaced after the China Open and returned to him damaged and unusable. He had to borrow a cue from a friend and did not practise at all. He went drinking instead and played his first round match against Ebdon with a hangover. He was thrashed 2–10 by Ebdon and ended the season 22nd in the world rankings.

Match-fixing scandal and quitting snooker

The Sun alleged that Hann had accepted a bribe to lose his opening match at the China Open against Ken Doherty, the former world champion. The story came out the day after Hann was acquitted of sexual assault charges in 2005. The WPBSA investigated the case after they saw the recordings of the meetings between Hann and the undercover journalists from The Sun in March and April 2005. Hann withdrew from the Grand Prix and the UK Championship that year, citing medical and personal reasons. He resigned from the WPBSA in February 2006 and did not attend the hearing. He was found guilty of breaching the rule that prohibits any form of match-fixing and was banned from snooker until 2014. He also had to pay a £10,000 fine. He said in an interview in 2010 that he was the perfect scapegoat for them, as he was a foreigner and had lost interest in snooker.

Rape charge and acquittal

Hann was accused of raping a woman from South Africa in a London hotel in October 2001. They had met at a club bar and started kissing. The woman said that Hann took off her clothes and forced himself on her. Hann was arrested and charged with rape. He had to give up his passport and report his whereabouts to the police, but he was allowed to keep playing snooker. He pleaded not guilty at the Southwark Crown Court in January 2002. He was found not guilty by a jury in July 2002.

Sexual assault allegations and acquittal

Hann faced another trial in 2005 for sexually assaulting two women. The women said that Hann acted like a “crazed animal” and that they feared for their lives. One of them said that Hann hit her repeatedly, which Hann denied and said that his mother taught him to respect women. The trial hinged on the reliability of his accuser, who admitted that she had lied several times under oath. Hann was cleared of the charges.

Financial misconduct and ban

Hann was involved in a financial scandal in 2014, when he was working as the general manager of Monarch FX, a broker company. He had changed his name to Quinten Hunter by then. The ASIC sued him and Monarch FX at the Federal Court of Australia for offering financial services without a licence. Monarch FX and Hann were banned from the financial industry until November 2014, when the case resumed. In 2016, Hann was banned for four more years.

Where is he now?

This is a question that I’ve been asking myself for quite a while and unfortunately I can’t seem to find any information on his whereabouts. After trawling through countless websites it would appear that Hann would like to remain out of the spotlight — I suppose after all of his troubles in the past this is probably a wise move! It is also my understanding that he never paid his victims when he was sued by the ASIC, so he probably has enough money to stay in hiding for the rest of his life. All of his social media accounts (Facebook, X, and Instagram) haven’t been active for years. If you are reading this and know what he is up to then please get in touch as I would love to know (as I’m sure other would).

Conclusion

Hann’s journey serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of maintaining a positive image and upholding the values of fair play in the highly competitive world of snooker (and professional sports in general). While Quinten Hann’s legacy may be a mixture of both triumphs and tribulations, his impact on snooker cannot be denied. His story highlights the complexities of navigating a professional sports career and the need for athletes to not only excel in their chosen field but also conduct themselves with integrity and respect. In reflecting on Quinten Hann’s career, it is a reminder that success in sports goes beyond the scoreboard, encompassing character, discipline, and the ability to learn from one’s mistakes.

Stats

Professional: 1995–2006

Best ranking finish: 2003 Irish Masters (semi-final)

Highest ranking: 14 (2002–2004)

Highest break: 141 (1997 Grand Prix)

Career centuries: 43

Career earnings: £432,600

Nickname: The Wizard of Oz