Lynette Horsburgh - International Pool Player

email: Karl Boyes
email: Lynette Horsburgh
phone: 07870 636010
web: www.lynettehorsburgh.co.uk
home town: Blackpool, Lancashire  UK

Lynette has being playing cue sports since she was just eight years old when she had a shot on her dad Ossie's new small snooker table. He spotted her potential and took her to Blackpool's Commonwealth Sporting Club where she played on a full size table for the first time...on the next table to her hero Steve Davis. Lynette was hooked but had to choose between ballet and her new love. It was no contest and the ballet lessons were ditched! She was barely 4ft and had to stand on tip toes to spot the yellow but in her first tournament - the North West U13 and Unders - she fought through a field of 40 boys to reach the final. Still only nine, she lost to Rochdale's Darren Gowers who was 13 but not before she made a 40 break! By 11 she came through a field of 80+ women to make it through to the semi-finals of the UK Ladies Snooker Championships at Willie Thorne's Club in Leicester. She eventually lost out to snooker legend Allison Fisher...two hours past her usual bedtime!

Lynette hit her first match century at 13 and won her first world ladies ranking event the following year - the South of England Open in Exeter - courtesy of a 3-2 win over Karen Corr on the deciding black. The headline to accomany the report on her triumph in snooker magazine 'Pot Black' was 'Lynette at Last' - at the tender age of 14! Lynette - who has represented Scotland in both snooker and more lately at pool due to her Scottish parentage - took a two year break from snooker when she was at University where she graduated with an Honours degree in Law and Accountancy. Despite being a part-time player, she won almost all major titles in Ladies Snooker - the UK Championship, British Open, the Ladies Grand Prix, the Scottish Regal Masters and the Regal Welsh Masters - but the World title was one that eluded her - losing in the final twice. In 2003 when she was the official ladies number 1 in snooker she was invited at the last minute to play in the World 8 Ball Championships in Blackpool. She lost in the quarter-finals to Linda Leadbitter. Spinny as she is known at the BBC where she works relished a new challenge particularly with Ladies Snooker losing all their sponsors following the government's leglislation banning tobacco sponsorship in the UK. In just six days in 2004 she won the UK Ladies Snooker Championship in Leeds, worked four days then won the National Pool Championship and the Champion of Champions in Great Yarmouth. The following year, Little Miss Spin won the European Ladies Championship in Malta. However, her greatest success was pocketing the World Ladies Pool Championships in her hometown in July 2008 after beating Barbara Taylor 8-6 in the final especially after beating Scottish team mate Sue Thompson - the 8 times World Champion 7-2 in the semi-finals.

Cue: Joe Davies 146.I was given it when I very first started by a friend of my mums...he was called Fred Davis but not the famous Fred Davies. I've used it ever since.

Cue:Favourite cue sport: I love them all. It's tough because I like them all - snooker, billiards, 8 ball and American Pool. If I had an hour to live...it'd be 9 ball!

Favourite player: Karl 'Gwapo' Boyes

Favourite tournament: the Mita World Masters...it was the Wimbledon of snooker

Best friend: Ann-Marie Farren (former World Snooker Champ), and my mum!

Loves: Characters, food esp Miscues' chip butties, playing on good tables, and of course Gwapo and my friends and family.

Hates: Snobs, politics in sport, and being cold.

Ideal night out: Go out for a good meal with sweet wine with Gwapo and top friends

Highlights: Playing at the Crucible, going on Big Break and winning the World Pool Championship and getting to show off the trophy at half time at Blackpool FC!

Party trick: My Hey Mickey impression!

Achievements

World Ladies Pool Champion - 2008

Pool

• 2008 World Champion
• 2006 Home Internationals
• 2006 Champion of Champion
• 2005 European Champion
• 2005 World Ladies 8-Ball Team Champion
• 2005 Ladies International Tour Winner
• 2004 Ladies National Champion
• 2004 Ladies Champion of Champions
• 2004 Scottish Ladies Singles Champion

Snooker

World ranked No. 1 Ladies Snooker Player - 2006

• 2005 Regal Champion
• 2004 UK Ladies Championship
• 2000 Regal Welsh Champion
• 1999 Ladies Grand Prix Winner
• 1999 British Open Ladies Champion

Billiards

• 2005 World Ladies Billiards Finalist

Objective

To be the best I can be.