Darren Appleton
Encyclopedia
Darren Appleton is a British pool (pocket billiards) player, nicknamed "Dynamite". He won the first WPA World Ten-ball Championship in 2008 against Wu Chia-ching
, the former world champion in both nine-ball and eight-ball from Taiwan. With the victory, he became the second male player from Britain to win a world championship after Daryl Peach
who won the world nine-ball title a year earlier.
Appleton, who started playing pool at age 12, was formerly the world ranked no. 1 player in British-style eight-ball pool
. In 2006, he joined the International Pool Tour
's standardised eight-ball competition. That year, he also won the Straight Pool
Challenge at the Derby City Classic
.
On 5 October 2008, Appleton claimed an upset victory in the inaugural WPA
World Ten-ball Championship over Wu Chia-ching
, 13–11, winning the US$
100,000 top prize: "I've waited 16 years for this and have to enjoy the moment. I had mixed feelings and I was looking back at my disappointments in the past. I was ranked first (earlier in the decade) in the world but I have never won a world championship... It was a dream come true for me and I'm happy to win the title here in the Philippines."
In May 2009, Appleton challenged Dennis Hatch of the United States in a three-day race-to-100 challenge match of ten-ball. Hatch, however, came out the victor with a score of 100-83. In the same year, he won the World Pool Masters tournament by defeating Nick van den Berg
.
Darren Appleton also won the 2010 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship
against Corey Deuel of the United States in a match that went into extra racks.
Appleton was a member of the victorious European team in the 2010 Mosconi Cup. He was named MVP for the tournament with a 5-1 win to loss ratio.
Wu Chia-ching
Wu Jia-Qing is a professional pool player. He is nicknamed the Taishan Shentong . Previously known as Wu Chia-Ching , he changed his name upon moving to China....
, the former world champion in both nine-ball and eight-ball from Taiwan. With the victory, he became the second male player from Britain to win a world championship after Daryl Peach
Daryl Peach
Daryl Peach is an English professional pocket billiards player. Nicknamed "Razzledazzle" and "the Dazzler," he defeated the Philippines' Roberto Gomez in 2007 to become the first English male to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship...
who won the world nine-ball title a year earlier.
Appleton, who started playing pool at age 12, was formerly the world ranked no. 1 player in British-style eight-ball pool
Blackball (pool)
Blackball is a pool game that is popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, several Western European nations, Australia and some other countries. In the UK and Ireland it is usually called simply "pool"...
. In 2006, he joined the International Pool Tour
International Pool Tour
The International Pool Tour is a professional sports tour created in 2005 by Kevin Trudeau and hosted by Rebecca Grant. It aims to elevate pool to the level of other modern sports. Closely modeled on the PGA Tour, the IPT offered the largest prize funds in pool history in its first year. The tour...
's standardised eight-ball competition. That year, he also won the Straight Pool
Straight Pool
Straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous or simply 14.1, is a pocket billiards game, and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken by faster-playing games like nine-ball...
Challenge at the Derby City Classic
Derby City Classic
The Derby City Classic is an annual pocket billiard convention held every January in Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of pocket billiard competitions for pool players of all caliber. It is often referred to as the DCC.hui- History :The annual convention...
.
On 5 October 2008, Appleton claimed an upset victory in the inaugural WPA
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
World Ten-ball Championship over Wu Chia-ching
Wu Chia-ching
Wu Jia-Qing is a professional pool player. He is nicknamed the Taishan Shentong . Previously known as Wu Chia-Ching , he changed his name upon moving to China....
, 13–11, winning the US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 top prize: "I've waited 16 years for this and have to enjoy the moment. I had mixed feelings and I was looking back at my disappointments in the past. I was ranked first (earlier in the decade) in the world but I have never won a world championship... It was a dream come true for me and I'm happy to win the title here in the Philippines."
In May 2009, Appleton challenged Dennis Hatch of the United States in a three-day race-to-100 challenge match of ten-ball. Hatch, however, came out the victor with a score of 100-83. In the same year, he won the World Pool Masters tournament by defeating Nick van den Berg
Nick van den Berg
Nick van den Berg is a professional pool player.In 2005 he was runner-up to Wu Chia-ching in the WPA World Eight-ball Championship.He represented Team Europe in the Mosconi Cup in 2006 for the third time....
.
Darren Appleton also won the 2010 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship
2010 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship
The 2010 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship is the 35th annual men's U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. The championship is currently held at Chesapeake Conference Center, Chesapeake, Virginia from October 17 to 23, 2010. Finland's Mika Immonen is the defending champion...
against Corey Deuel of the United States in a match that went into extra racks.
Appleton was a member of the victorious European team in the 2010 Mosconi Cup. He was named MVP for the tournament with a 5-1 win to loss ratio.