Susan Thompson (born 10 October 1969), usually known professionally as Sue Thompson, is a Scottish former professional
pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* 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 rocky pool ...
player. She won the
WEPF World Eightball Championship eleven times.
Career
Thompson started playing pool, aged 14, when a friend invited her into a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
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
Employment tribunals are tribunal public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, redu ...
in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
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 it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
, 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 or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pockets, cue sticks, and sixteen billiard balls (a ...
championship on her 24th birthday, retaining her title from the previous year.
She reached the final of the
WEPF World Eightball Championship 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 Leadbitter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Chris Leadbitter (born 1967), English footballer
* Daniel Leadbitter (born 1990), English footballer
* Eric Leadbitter (1891–1971), British soldier
*Grant Leadbitter (born 1986), ...
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
WEPF World Eightball Championship, 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 term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
. 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, a ...
. 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
*
WEPF World Eightball Championship runner-up 1994, 1995, 1998, 2005
*
WEPF Ladies World Masters champion 2006, 2008, 2012
*
WEPF 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