Joe Swail
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| Joe Swail | ||
|---|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1969 | |
| Nationality | Northern Irish | |
| Nickname(s) | The Outlaw | |
| Professional | 1991– | |
| Highest ranking | #10 (2001/02) | |
| 2006/07 ranking | 30 | |
| Highest break | 142 (China Open, 2000) | |
| Tournament wins | ||
| Ranking events | Strachan Challenge (1993, leg 1) | |
Joe Swail (born August 29, 1969) is a snooker player from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A former English amateur champion and N. Ireland amateur runner-up, Swail has reached nine major ranking semi-finals, including the 2000 and 2001 World Championships but never a final. Amazingly, in each of his World Championship quarter-finals victories, against John Parrott and Patrick Wallace respectively, Swail trailed by 12 frames to 8, before winning the next five to win 13-12. His 2000 achievement made him the first player to return to the top 16 in the rankings after dropping out of the top-32 in between. However, his career has been topsy-turvey since then: he dropped out of the top-32 again after a nightmare season in 2004/2005 but bounced back with an impressive and consistent showing last season that brought him back into the top-32.
Swail is congenitally hearing-impaired. He has told BBC that he regards this as an advantage for snooker, as he is less likely to be distracted by crowd and other background noise. The two-table nature of the Crucible Theatre, in which cheering from the other table can often occur as a player takes a shot, may be one reason his World Championship record is especially strong.
Swail is regarded as one of the most likeable players on the circuit, but is also known for his very unorthodox way of cueing up. Instead of keeping his cue-arm vertical as all players do, Swail cues up with his arm bent at least 45 degrees outwards, and his elbow towards his back. Although it appears to be extremely difficult to actually pot balls when cueing like that, and no coach would ever recommend it to a young player, it has worked for Joe and provides him with an abundance of cue power.
Joe's nickname, "the Outlaw", is a pun on his name "Joe Swail" and The Outlaw Josey Wales, the 1976 film.
