Gareth Potts

For the English rugby league footballer, see Gareth Potts (rugby league).

Gareth David Potts (born 30 June 1983) is an English pool player, nicknamed "the Golden Boy".^[1] He is a two-time amateur and four-time professional world champion in British-style eightball/blackball, a co-champion in that discipline's pairs (doubles) event, and a three-time champion of a leading Chinese eight-ball competition.

Gareth Potts

Born	(1983-06-30) 30 June 1983 (age 41) Stoke-on-Trent, England, UK
Sport country	England
Nickname	The Golden Boy[1]
Professional	2000–present
Pool games	British-style eight-ball (B8B) Chinese eight-ball (C8B)
Tournament wins
Major	3-time C8B masters champion
Minor	2-time B8B junior world champion
World Champion	4-time B8B world champion
http://www.HomeLeisureDirect.com/gareth_potts/

Career

Turning professional in 2000, he won the 2000 and 2001 Junior World Pool Championships.^{[1][2][clarification needed]}

He won the WEPF World Eightball Championship three times, in 2005,^[3] 2007 and 2008,^[4] and was IPA World Blackball Professional Champion in 2014.^[5]

Potts won the Chinese 8 Ball Masters in 2013, beating Chris Melling 17–9 in the best-of-33 final. He successfully defended the Chinese 8 Ball Masters in 2014 by beating Shi Hanqing 15–6 in a match lasting 2 hours and 10 minutes.^[6] As of 2015, Potts has concentrated his career on Chinese eight-ball pool.^[7]

In 2021, Potts joined the Ultimate Pool circuit, a professional tour in the UK, in which his first win was Pro Series 7 (3–4 December 2021).^[1] In that tournament, he defeated Rob Wharne 7–4, Karl Sutton 7–6, Greg Batten 7–4, Chris Melling 7–5, and Shaun Storry 9–4.^{[8][permanent dead link]} In 2022, Potts and Mark Selby took the Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup Championship.^[1]

Sponsorships

Potts first signed a contract with Joy Billiard, to sponsor him in the Chinese 8 Ball Masters tournament.^{[citation needed]} He is also sponsored by the Finnish chalk, glove, and tip company TAOM Billiards.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2010,^[9] pool table retailer Home Leisure Direct has sponsored Potts; through them, he offers coaching services, as well as free instructional videos.^[10][11]

Achievements

• 2000 Junior World Pool Championships
• 2001 Junior World Pool Championships
• 2005 WEPF World Eightball Championship
• 2007 WEPF World Eightball Championship
• 2008 WEPF World Eightball Championship
• 2013 Chinese 8 Ball Masters
• 2014 Chinese 8 Ball Masters
• 2014 IPA World Blackball Professional Championship
• 2017 Chinese 8 Ball Masters
• 2022 Ultimate Pool Pairs Cup Championship (with Mark Selby)
• 2024 O’Min Cuelees Duya Legends Golden Nine Masters