"on both occasions being defeated by eventual champion Dennis Taylor. He also represented Northern Ireland at their infamous World Cup campaign. Teaming up with Taylor and Alex Higgins, Northern Ireland reached the final which ended with defeat to Canada and Higgins threatening to have Taylor shot. This was Murphy's last notable appearance at a tournament, and he lost his professional status in 1994. Tommy Murphy (snooker player) Tommy Murphy (born 8 January 1962) is a Northern Irish former professional snooker player. Murphy won the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship and All-Ireland Amateur Championship in 1981. Before turning professional, Murphy was an"
"Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player, who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game. Nicknamed Hurricane Higgins because of his fast play, he was World Champion in 1972 and 1982, and runner-up in 1976 and 1980. He won the UK Championship in 1983 and the Masters in 1978 and 1981, making him one of ten players to have completed snooker's Triple Crown. He was also World Doubles champion with Jimmy White in 1984, and won the World Cup three times with the"
"the Alex Higgins International Trophy. In 2016, WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn announced that the trophy for the new Northern Ireland Open tournament would be named after Higgins. Higgins' professional rivalry with Steve Davis was portrayed in a 2016 BBC feature film entitled ""The Rack Pack"", in which he was played by Luke Treadaway. Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player, who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game. Nicknamed Hurricane Higgins because of his fast play, he was World Champion in 1972 and"
"earned him the nickname ""Hurricane Higgins"" and made him a very high-profile player. His highly unusual cueing technique sometimes included a body swerve and movement, as well as a stance that was noticeably higher than that of most professionals. The unorthodox play of Higgins was encapsulated in his break of 69, made under unusual pressure, against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of their World Professional Snooker Championship semi-final in 1982. Higgins was 0–59 down in that frame, but managed to compile an extremely challenging clearance during which he was scarcely in position until the colours. In particular, former world"
"counts six-time snooker World Champion Steve Davis as the biggest. He particularly admires Davis for his attitude, his consistency, and his quiet ruthlessness on the biggest of stages. The nickname ""The Farmer"" originated in Harrison's youth; he both lived and worked on a family-run farm near Ely, Cambridgeshire, often arriving home after a long journey back from a pool event at the same time as his father was leaving for work. Harrison takes a keen interest in fishing, and maintains his own fishing facility, named Mirror Lake, in Cambridgeshire. Phil Harrison (pool player) Phil ""The Farmer"" Harrison is an English"
"Dave Harold David ""Dave"" Harold (born 9 December 1966) is an English former professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent. He was known by the nicknames of ""the Hard Man"" and ""the Stoke Potter"" (conflating his home city's pottery industry and his profession of potting snooker balls). He was also the first player on the television circuit to sport a plaster on his chin as a guide for his cue, which is a practice now adopted by Graeme Dott. As an amateur he played as David Harold, but since turning professional in 1991 he was registered as Dave Harold. He has three"
"Paul Hunter (snooker player) Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was a British professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the ""Beckham of the Baize"" because of his good looks and flamboyant style. Hunter was a three-time Masters Champion, winning the title on the deciding frame on all three occasions. Hunter compiled 114 competitive century breaks in the course of his professional career, including a personal record break of 146 compiled at the 2004 Premier League. Hunter also won three ranking titles, the British Open and the Welsh Open (twice)."
"Laurie Thacker Lawrence William Thacker (19 or 20 March 1909 – 2 March 1952), also known by the nicknames of ""Laurie"", and ""Lawrie"", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for England, British Empire and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hull FC, as a , i.e. number 8 or 10, during the era of contested scrums. Laurie Thacker was born in Sculcoates, East Riding of Yorkshire, England and he died aged 42 in Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Thacker represented British Empire while at Hull in"
"Cliff Thorburn Clifford Charles Devlin ""Cliff"" Thorburn (born January 16, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. He won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, the first player from outside the United Kingdom to win the title in the sport's modern era. He was also ranked number one that year. In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to compile a maximum break at the World Championship. He is one of two snooker players inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the other being George Chenier. His slow, determined style of play earned him the nickname ""The Grinder"". Thorburn first"
"Harold Poynton Harold Poynton (1 March 1936 – 4 June 2018) also known by the nicknames ""Fishcake"", ""Poynton the Pippin"", and ""Prince of Bamboozlers"", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (Heritage № 643) (captain), as a , or , i.e. number 6, or 7. Harold Poynton was born in Lupset, Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He was a pupil at St Micheal's School, Flanshaw, Wakefield, and then Snapethorpe School, Lupset, Wakefield, and he would"
"Tony Ellin Tony Ellin (July 19, 1965 – June 14, 2000) was a top-ranked American professional pool player nicknamed ""Hurricane,"" who specialized in the game of nine-ball. Born in New Jersey, Ellin resided in Ladson, South Carolina, near Charleston, and was a touring professional player in the 1990s. He was killed on June 14, 2000, at age 34, when his 1999 Cadillac collided with a locomotive less than a block from his home. Ellin was alone in his car when the accident occurred. Lt. Mike Benton, a Charleston County sheriff, said Ellin was ""apparently trying to beat the train to"
"Jimmy White James Warren White, (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who now competes with an invitational tour card. Nicknamed ""The Whirlwind"" because of his fluid, attacking style of play and popularly referred to as the ""People's Champion"", White is a six times World Championship finalist, the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 Six-red Grand Prix champion, 2010 World Seniors Champion and 1984 World Doubles champion with Alex Higgins. White's non-world championship achievements include the UK Championship, the Masters and the Nations Cup. A two-time winner of both the World Cup and the British Open, White was"
"involving John Parrott, betting that Parrott would lose as Parrott had lost his personal cue and had to use one supplied by the venue. Much to Thorne's dismay (not least because he was actually commentating on the match), Parrott recovered from a slow start to win, only worsening Thorne's debts. Also, in an interview with ""The Guardian"" newspaper in 2004, Thorne admitted to placing bets worth up to £20,000 on a horse. Thorne's bald head makes him instantly recognisable and he is often referred to as the ""Homer Simpson of Snooker"". He has become a popular senior character in the"
"Robert Skene Charles Robertson ""Bob"" Skene (26 May 1914 – 24 August 1997), nicknamed Hurricane Bob, was an Australian 10-goal polo player. He was a founding inductee of the Australian Polo Federation Hall of Fame, the ""Sport Australia Hall of Fame"" and the U.S. Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame. Skene was born in Assam, India to an Australian tea planter, Curtis Skene. His father was a distinguished polo player, becoming an eight-goal player in 1929. Charles Skene began his polo-playing career playing country club polo in Australia with his father and friends. He was a two-goal player at"
"Shock White Shock White (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Middlesex. His first name and the source of his nickname are unknown. He lived in Brentford and was a member of the local club. Shock White is first mentioned in the ""Whitehall Evening Post"" on Saturday, 26 September 1761. In the Chertsey v Hampton game at Laleham Burway on the following Monday, Hampton were to have Charles Sears, John Haynes and Shock White as given men. Shock White has often been described as the culprit in the Monster"
"Tommy Jackson (boxer) Thomas ""Tommy"" Jackson (August 9, 1931 – February 14, 1982), often known as ""Hurricane"" Jackson was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship. Jackson was noted for his stamina and unorthodox style as a fighter. He was trained and managed by Whitey Bimstein. While Jackson never won the heavyweight title, he defeated some notable heavyweights, including former champion Ezzard Charles, whom Jackson beat twice in 1955. In February 1956, he was ranked behind Archie Moore as a contender for Rocky Marciano's heavyweight title."
"Mary, William, Emma, Ellen, Mordecai and Frederick. The name of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock Holmes, is said to have been inspired partially by Sherwin, and partially by Frank Shacklock. Mordecai Sherwin Mordecai Sherwin (26 February 1851 in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England – 3 July 1910 in Nottingham, England) was a professional footballer and cricketer who played in goal for Notts County and as a wicket-keeper for Nottinghamshire between 1878 and 1896. As a footballer, Sherwin played in goal for County from 10 November 1883 until 10 November 1888 and was, according to the sportswriter ""Tityrus"" (the pseudonym of"
"there when they met; they married in 2005, and had their first child in 2006. He also plays golf, in a local society named after him. Andy Hicks Andy Hicks (born 10 August 1973 in Tavistock, Devon, England) is an English former professional snooker player who now competes as an amateur. Nicknamed ""The Cream of Devon"", Hicks was a semi-finalist at both the World Snooker Championship and UK Championship in 1995, and the same stage at four other ranking tournaments. A Masters semi-finalist in 1996, he was ranked within the world's top 32 players between 1995 and 2000, and again"
"Harry Scott (boxer) Harry Scott (27 October 1937 – 16 December 2015) was a British boxer and contender in the middleweight division during the 1960s. He never fought for the British title, losing three final eliminators. Yet his ability was widely recognised, and he fought around the world, facing four past or future world champions, including Emile Griffith and Alan Minter. But he is best known for his two contests in 1965 against Rubin ""Hurricane"" Carter, who had fought for the world title the previous December. In their first meeting in March, Carter was awarded the victory on cuts in"
"Hearn said that the organisation ""messed up"" by not doing so sooner. In 2006 Hunter was posthumously awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award – his widow Lindsey accepted the award on his behalf. The Paul Hunter Foundation was set up after his death with the ""specific aim of giving disadvantaged, able bodied and disabled youngsters an opportunity to play snooker"". Paul Hunter (snooker player) Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was a British professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the ""Beckham of the Baize"""
"Horace Lindrum Horace Lindrum (born Horace Norman William Morrell, 15 January 1912 – 20 June 1974) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. The dominant snooker player in Australia, he lived in Britain for long periods and played in the major British tournaments. From his arrival in Britain in 1935 he was regarded as the second best player in the world, behind Joe Davis. Lindrum contested three World Championship finals against Davis, in 1936, 1937 and 1946, losing all three to Davis but coming close to beating him on several occasions. When past his best, Lindrum won the 1952"
"Andy Hicks Andy Hicks (born 10 August 1973 in Tavistock, Devon, England) is an English former professional snooker player who now competes as an amateur. Nicknamed ""The Cream of Devon"", Hicks was a semi-finalist at both the World Snooker Championship and UK Championship in 1995, and the same stage at four other ranking tournaments. A Masters semi-finalist in 1996, he was ranked within the world's top 32 players between 1995 and 2000, and again from 2005 to 2007, but was relegated from the main tour in 2013. Although a professional since 1991, Hicks first came to prominence in the 1995"
"months in Wormwood Scrubs for breaking into a warehouse. Pat Houlihan Patrick ""Pat"" Houlihan (7 November 1929 – 8 November 2006) was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London. Pat Houlihan turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship. Additionally, he lifted the BA&CC television tournament, one of snooker's first televised events. During his professional career his highest position in the world rankings was 18th, which he reached in 1979. His highest break"
"Brian McTigue Brian McTigue (third ¼ 1930 – 9 December 1981), also known by the nickname The Wizard"""", was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s. He is a Wigan RL Hall of Fame member and is considered to be one of the greatest forwards in Great Britain's history. Brian McTigue's birth as registered in Wigan, Lancashire, England, and he died aged 51. ‘Sheer Wizardry' often described the distribution skills and sleight of hand of Brian McTigue. He started his Wigan career as a , but took his handling skills into the pack"
"Paul Hogan (darts player) Paul Hogan (born 30 August 1963 in Dudley) is an English darts player. He is nicknamed ""Crocodile Dundee"" after the movie starring his namesake, the Australian actor Paul Hogan. Hogan made his World Championship debut in 1995, reaching the quarter finals. He beat Per Skau and Sean Palfrey before losing to Richie Burnett who went on to win the tournament. He returned the next year but couldn't repeat his performance of twelve months earlier, losing in the first round to Matt Clark. He failed to qualify for 1997 and 98 but did so for the 1999"
"Hull FC, alongside former Cardiff half-back Tom Savage. Hockey Driscoll's nickname of ""Hockey"" was a corruption of Hawkeye, and pronounced Ockey, as he would prefer to ankle tap tackle, rather than body tackle, which demanded both a quick-eye (Hawkeye), and fast reactions to see and catch the opposition player's foot. Hockey Driscoll John Henry Driscoll (1876 - death unknown), also known by the nickname of ""Hockey"", was a Welsh rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Cardiff RFC as a three-quarter or half-back, and club"
"Ian Harrison (wrestler) Ian Harrison (born 3 January 1969), better known by his ring name, ""British Storm"" Ian Harrison, is an English former professional wrestler and bodybuilder. In professional wrestling, Harrison is best known for his time in the short lived XWF promotion ran by Jimmy Hart. While in the XWF, Harrison held his first and only singles professional wrestling championship, the XWF Heavyweight Championship. Harrison was awarded the championship in preparation for a storyline ""XWF Invasion"" of Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council promotion. Working under the name ""Awe"" he was also awarded the XWF World Tag Team Titles with"
"driving his cab in late 1981 he was hit by a car and was critically injured. He died in 1982 in New York City. Jackson was famous for bravery in the ring and at times taking much punishment. At one stage his license was suspended to help recovery. His overall career record was 35 wins (with 16 knockouts), nine losses, and one draw. Tommy Jackson (boxer) Thomas ""Tommy"" Jackson (August 9, 1931 – February 14, 1982), often known as ""Hurricane"" Jackson was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he fought Floyd Patterson for"
"Pat Houlihan Patrick ""Pat"" Houlihan (7 November 1929 – 8 November 2006) was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London. Pat Houlihan turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship. Additionally, he lifted the BA&CC television tournament, one of snooker's first televised events. During his professional career his highest position in the world rankings was 18th, which he reached in 1979. His highest break at the televised stages of the World Championship played"
"reigning Cruiserweight Champion and the longest reigning champion of any kind in SmackDown history. After being out of action for over a year after neck fusion surgery Helms returned to SmackDown in September 2008, referring to himself as Hurricane Helms, before moving to the ECW brand where he reverted to his Gregory Helms name, and became the backstage interviewer. In mid-2009, he brought back The Hurricane character, and appeared as both Gregory Helms and The Hurricane on the ECW brand. After the ECW brand ended, Helms was released by WWE on February 26, 2010, however he returned as a surprise"
"Johnny Prescott Johnny ""Playboy"" Prescott (20 August 1938 — 11 November 2012 (aged 74)) born in Birmingham was an English professional cruiser/heavyweight boxer of the 1960s and '70s, who won the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) Midlands Area heavyweight title, and was a challenger for the BBBofC British heavyweight title, and British Commonwealth heavyweight title against Henry Cooper, the outdoor bout at Birmingham City's St Andrew's stadium was postponed for a day because of bad weather, his professional fighting weight varied from , i.e. cruiserweight to , i.e. heavyweight, he died in Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield. Johnny Prescott"
"has qualified for another World Championship and will be taking part in the 2019 BDO World Darts Championship. Paul Hogan (darts player) Paul Hogan (born 30 August 1963 in Dudley) is an English darts player. He is nicknamed ""Crocodile Dundee"" after the movie starring his namesake, the Australian actor Paul Hogan. Hogan made his World Championship debut in 1995, reaching the quarter finals. He beat Per Skau and Sean Palfrey before losing to Richie Burnett who went on to win the tournament. He returned the next year but couldn't repeat his performance of twelve months earlier, losing in the first"
"Dave Ulliott David A. Ulliott (1 April 1954 – 6 April 2015), known by the nickname Devilfish, was an English professional gambler and poker player. Formerly, Ulliott was a minor figure in the Hull underworld, but went on to become a World Series of Poker bracelet-winner, and a mainstay of televised poker. At the poker table, he was known for wearing orange-tinted prescription sunglasses, a sharp suit (or leather jacket) and gold knuckleduster rings reading ""Devil"" and ""Fish"", which he made himself. In 2017 he was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame. Ulliott was born in 1954, the son"