Other Cham co
Can anyone slay St George? Maybe a Dragon?
You might get very long odds on a non Englishman winning the 2011 World 8-Ball Pool title.
Lee Kendall
But it certainly doesn’t mean the final outcome is a foregone conclusion.
However, it’s 12 years since Aussie maverick Quinten Hann became the last player from outside the host nation to walk off with the men’s singles crown.
And only two other ‘outcomers’ have picked up the trophy since the championships started in 1993.
Ben Davies
Rob McKenna (Wales or Scotland, take your pick) did it twice while Ireland’s Greg Farren succeeded in 1996.
Indeed, with all top eight seeds coming from England this year, it’s going to be tough for someone to break St George’s monopoly on the silverware.
Carl Morris
But hope springs eternal and there are plenty of likely lads among the key contenders.
The Aussies are sending arguably their strongest ever squad to Blackpool, keen on winning the team prize for only the second occasion and determined to make a decent showing in the individual event.
Marc Robertson is the brother for 2010 world snooker
Ben Flack 12
champion Neil Robertson while South Australia's Brenton Collier is the current Aussie singles champion.
Ben Nunan knows his way round the Imperial Hotel tables.
And it would be folly to write off the likes of Justin Sajich, Ron Kelly, Stev Woods, Paul Hancock or Jake McCartney.
It would certainly give the sport a shot in the arm if anyone from Down Under could break the English stranglehold.
And that also goes for any future winner
from the
European main land. The French almost broke through in 2002 when Yannick Beaufils reached the final only to lose narrowly to Jason Twist.
The baton of power has now passed to Malta and in particular, Clayton Attard.
He is the reigning European champion, defeating 1998 world title winner, Carl Morris, in the final.
Attard is also one of a handful of non English players down the ranking list.
A more likely non English winner could come from inside the UK with Wales providing a number of potent ial champions.
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