Hicks beats Hann in bad-tempered affair

Andy Hicks had to be separated from Quinten Hann when their match came close to ending in a punch-up at the Crucible.

Amid extraordinary scenes, referee Lawrie Annandale had to stand between the players after an acrimonious exchange of words that followed Hicks’ 10-4 victory.

Controversial Australian Hann had already been warned for swearing and boiled over when Hicks shook his hand and suggested the defeat would relegate him from the game’s elite top 16.

“I’d love to fight him,” he said.

“I’ve beaten him three times before, they were all close games and there was a bit of needle before the start.

“He shook my hand at the end and said ‘well, you won’t be in the top 16 next year’.

“I knew he was going to say something right from the start. He was doing subtle things like not getting out the way when I was coming to the table.

“I wasn’t happy. I thought it was a bit low. I said to him, ‘you’re short and bald and always will be and you can have me outside whenever you want’.

“It was just a bit of harmless fun and entertainment for the crowd. It doesn’t really upset me.”

Hicks had not won a match at The Crucible since appearing in the semi-finals on his debut in 1995.

And he insisted it was world number 14 Hann who had introduced needle into the match with some earlier comments.

Hicks said: “Quinten reckons I started it by saying something nasty at the end but he did during the middle of the match when he said, ‘I enjoyed the last three times I beat you’.

“That started it off so I thought I’d have my say at the end. Maybe in the heat of the moment I said the wrong thing but I stand by it.

“He wound me up so I wound him up in return. I don’t have any grudges against anybody but I wanted to beat him.”

Nine years ago, Hicks complained that Willie Thorne had been ‘huffing and puffing’ around the table after a frame was re-racked with the veteran well ahead.

But Hicks, who occupies 62nd place in the world rankings, is not regarded as a troublemaker.

World Snooker, the game’s governing body, said that Hann would be reported for swearing at the end of the 11th frame.

He is also in hot water after being warned for swearing during this month’s Players Championship in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Hicks was delighted to have made it through the first round for the first time since his run to the last four.

“I’ve had one of my best seasons for five or six years,” he said. “I’m really pleased because I’ve got something to build on next season and maybe I can get up the rankings again.

“It was only 18 months ago I was considering packing it in and going out to get a job so this turnaround is encouraging.”

Hicks faces 2001 champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or European Open champion Stephen Maguire in the last 16.