Robin Hull Q&A
Finland’s Robin Hull is bidding for a return to the World Snooker Tour this week, appearing at Q School for the first time since 2020.
The former Shoot Out champion dropped off the circuit three years ago and was comfortable with hanging up his cue. However, recent success in amateur events has seen him reconsider his position.
Hull won the Finnish Championship earlier this month, beating Heikki Niva 4-1 in the final, having already crafted a 147 break during the event.
Despite admitting he may not be in a position to return to playing every event, Hull is keen to regain a place competing on snooker’s biggest stages.
Having not competed on the circuit for three years, why have you decided to make a return now?
“I think a big thing from my point of view is that Q School represents a possibility to play in tournaments again. It doesn’t necessarily represent being a professional as a job. The practice had dropped off quite rapidly since stopping in 2019. I’ve been playing in a few amateur events and really enjoyed it. I am looking at it from an amateur point of view. Each time I played in one of these amateur events, I ramped the practice up. A friend persuaded me to enter Q School. Hopefully if things go well then I can get some more opportunities to play tournaments. I have been working hard at my game since December.”
How difficult was it walking away from the sport?
“I think when you weigh both the preparation and stress side of it up, it was quite easy to let go. That was how I felt with it. Don’t get me wrong, it is great as a snooker player being in a big tournament. That part is just 15 percent of it, the rest was grafting. The last two years capped it off for me. It was pretty easy to switch off. As soon as I didn’t get through the 2019 Q School, I didn’t pick up a cue for over a year and I put it to one side. I do have a great love for the game, I think it is the greatest sport on the planet. I started playing again with friends and that ignited things going forward again.”
How much are you looking forward to Q School?
“It will be fantastic to play in such a great tournament. The conditions amateurs have to play in are very different. I’ve had the better side of it playing in some of the best places to compete. I am looking forward to being in a good venue with good players. There was an amateur competition I once entered that was played in a hotel garage. In the far corner you could see a few BMWs parked up and on the table it must have been 30 degrees in there. You know what you are going to get at Q School and I’m really looking forward to it.”
What are your ambitions going forward?
“You have to take into account personal circumstances. I am about to turn 49, so an ideal option for me is to play a few events in the season. I literally have a two year window now. Plans can change. However, at the moment and how it stands is I have an opportunity to see what I can do. I have a young family and the correct moves would be building a UK base and keeping my game at a high level that way. It isn’t a possibility. I can’t uproot my family from Finland for that at my age. That isn’t something I would want to do. I want to get in some big tournaments and I will see whether I can qualify and do it that way.”
Q School runs from May 26 to June 6 in Leicester.