Gareth Potts won the 8 ball chines invitational masters for the second year in a row in another star studded field. I know he is an english 8 ball world champion (appleton, shaw, melling - sound familiar?) does anyone know if he plans to enter some of the major pool tournaments from the American tables? With the suceess of many other Brits making the transition late in their careers will he be the next to dominate?
Gareth Potts
- Thread starter dundeewizard
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Please give examples. I can't think of even one British 8-ball player that made the transition to rotation pool games late in their career.
Cornishpatriot
New member
SJM are you drunk? He just did give examples.
Darren Appleton is the best player in the world what more do you want dumbass?
Darren Appleton is the best player in the world what more do you want dumbass?
Darren switched to pool early in his career, specifically for the IPT in 2006. He was 28 at the time. Both Chris Melling and Jayson Shaw switched to pool in their early 20's.
I'll keep waiting for the name of a player that switched to pool late in their career. If you can name one, go right ahead.
Yours truly, drunk dumbass
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I first met Jayson Shaw in 2002 at the Shetland English 8 ball World Champiionships. he was a junior playing for Scotland. His Dad, Charlie, was a top PPPO professional at the time.
Ross McInnes, husband to Michaela Tabb, was and remains the tournament director for pool in Scotland, including American pool. Shaw, like many others would have hacked away at all cue sports in Scotland.
Scotland is a small community and most cue sports enthusiasts there will play all forms of cue sports. Graham Dott, a regular for his local pub team, played in the same pool tournament both for Scotland in the team event and also the professional singles, televised for Eurosport. Would anyone here consider Dott a pool player and not a snooker player?
At that time and probably until only the last couple of years, Jayson Shaw would have considered himself an English 8 ball player.
Appleton was brought up on English pool but like Shaw and Melling, dabbled across the cue sports. Both played in the 2003 9 ball world championships finals in Cardiff.
Gareth Potts owns a cue club and has other business interests. I doubt he will make the transition to american cue sports fully any time soon.
As good as Appleton is (was) at English pool an awful lot of people consider that Potts is better - better even than Appleton was at his best at that discipline.
Potts is rarely anythinfg but favourite in any event he plays in.
Personally, I could not pick between the two at the time and there is another player lurking about, Mick Hill, who also played on the IPT who if he switched would rise to the level of Appleton just as quickly IMHO.
In answer to the opening poster, I am led to believe, through the grapevine, that he has in the past been offered significant sponsorship by bodies unknown in China to promote that version of pool - so that seems more likely.
Thanks for the education. I actually got to see Potts on the stream from China and I was very impressed. Fine cueist.
I should clarify that I did not mean later in their careers like say Davis or Drago did in their transistion when they could no longer compete in their discipline. I meant Appleton, Shaw, Melling had all basically won everything in 8 ball so made the transition. Potts and Hill have seemingly done that too and I know Hill had won a couple GB9 tour events where the aformenttioned players and Boyes, Burford, Peach, Gray devloped their games. With the success of the others and the skill of both Potts and Hill they should transition very easily.
Davis may not be a great example, though Drago and Peach are pretty good examples.
No one stands out like Darren, as he's dedicated himself more than any. But, I've no doubt there are a dozen or so UK 8 ball players around who could challenge any in the world of US table cue sports if they applied themselves.
That said, if 9 ball had a $10MM+ year tour, I'm sure we'd see Chinese, UK, and various other country reps showing form, and I'm sure some from the US too. People adapt to the requirements, whatever origin.
On a side note, none other than Jim Rempe twice won the English 8-Ball title in the 80's. He was in his 30's then, an established pool player in America. He was unable to have similar success at snooker, only once (or maybe twice) reaching the final 32 in a major tournament. He played for two full seasons on the British snooker tour, having to qualify to get into the final 64 players. He did manage to qualify for several tournaments each year.
He told me later that there was no American player that would have any chance playing snooker in England. That was at a time when we were still the dominant pool players. Mizerak also took a shot at snooker one year with even less success than Jimmy.
He told me later that there was no American player that would have any chance playing snooker in England. That was at a time when we were still the dominant pool players. Mizerak also took a shot at snooker one year with even less success than Jimmy.
I am sure you know that, Jay, but let me just remind all the others about the two colourful individuals that actually made their dreams come true proving to everyone that anything is possible
Both are legends for different reasons :thumbup:
Cliff Thorburn
link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Thorburn
Bill Werbeniuk
link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Werbeniuk
I am sure you know that, Jay, but let me just remind all the others about the two colourful individuals that actually made their dreams come true proving to everyone that anything is possible
Both are legends for different reasons :thumbup:
Cliff Thorburn
link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Thorburn
Bill Werbeniuk
link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Werbeniuk
I think Rempe meant US pool players,not Canadian snooker players.
You could also mention Kirk Stevens, Bob Chaperon and Alain Robideux who did well on the UK circuit.
I seem to remember a story that Cliff was not good with a rest until he practised
constantly with one, so that he was able to make a century with the implement!
Coming to think of it I dont think Daz actually won the world 8 ball championship although he was ranked number #1. I just watched a final where daz loses to a young Mark Selby who was a newcomer on the profesional snooker circuit at the time who only entered the competition due to his wife who is an womens 8 ball player. He had to play almost double the games and come through the qualifiers but was the eventual winner. Interesting.
What has surprised me is how good of a 1 pocket player Appleton is, I look forward to seeing him versus Orcullo.
Back to OT i guess we wont be seeing Pots play in any of the American pool games which is a shame as with some practice on the break,kicking, jumping I am sure would be a force on the barbox and the 9f footer.
What has surprised me is how good of a 1 pocket player Appleton is, I look forward to seeing him versus Orcullo.
Back to OT i guess we wont be seeing Pots play in any of the American pool games which is a shame as with some practice on the break,kicking, jumping I am sure would be a force on the barbox and the 9f footer.
Appleton never won it. Melting won the same one Potts won
Mark selby is married to Vicky Layton. A former Irish international 8 ball player... Who for many years was going out with... Darren Appleton..
They did not "make the transition" because thy had "won everything in 8 ball". They moved because:
1. Uk 8 ball was going nowhere
2. The ipt came along
When the ipt failed hill went back to what he knew. Appleton stuck it out. Melling cruised along just naturally being good at all of it anyway. Melling during the early 2000's was a pro at all 3 disciplines. A rare feat.
Notwithstanding... Appleton never won the world title anyway so did not ein everything
fair play you obviously know them better than I do. Hasn't that been Mellings problem good at everything but not great at anything? I personally think Shaw has the best chance to be next world champion but we'll see how his temprament goes.
I do think even tho the IPT came along Aplleton Melling Shaw did move for a new challenge and the greater popularity of 8.9.10 then straight pool one pocket can be thrown in there too, much more money involved..that is funny story about Vicki layton never knew she was with Daz, maybe expains the bit of needle you could see in the final.