World ranking: 10
Last five seasons: 16-28-36-22-17
Date of birth: 29-08-69
Lives: Oldham, Greater Manchester
Turned professional: 1991
Best ranking event performance: Semi-finalist eight times including Embassy World Championship 2000 and 2001
Last season's prize money: £150,550
Career prize money (up to start of 2001-2002 season): £474,507
Highest tournament break: 142 - 2000 China Open

Joe Swail is still waiting to win his first major tournament but there can be no doubting his character, courage and commitment.

His heroics in reaching the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championship for the last two years have enabled the man nicknamed 'The Outlaw' to capture the hearts of the public.

Northern Ireland's Nations Cup captain had, by his own admission, wasted much of his talent but the death of his mother in 1998 had a galvanising effect and he arrived at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 2000 determined to make his mark.

A 10-6 first-round winner over Paul Hunter, Swail came from four frames down with five to play to beat 1991 world champion John Parrott 13-12 and then shed tears of joy.

A 13-9 victory over Dominic Dale propelled him through to the semi-finals and although his fairy-tale run was ended 17-12 by Matthew Stevens, Swail could rightly be proud of his achievements.

His heroics also enabled him to become the first player to regain a top 16 ranking after dropping out of the top 32.

"My mum helped me turn things around as she wanted me to do very well in snooker. I felt I owed it to her to get my head down and get back to the way I used to play," explained Swail, who is deaf in one ear and has only 40 per cent hearing in the other.

"My lifestyle had to change - some of the thing you wouldn't believe. I would be in nightclubs and places - it was just a joke - the kind of thing a young kid would do. Now I'm getting up at 9am to practice, which was the time I used to be rolling in!"

Swail picked up a cheque for £70,000 - by far the highest of his 11-year professional career - and also received an Embassy Special Award for his resurgence in the rankings.

They say lightning never strikes twice but it did for Swail at Sheffield in 2001. He turned a 9-7 deficit into a 10-9 win over Sean Storey in the first round, came from 11-7 behind to put out defending champion Mark Williams 13-12 in the second and then overcame a 6-2 first-session deficit to beat his boyhood pal Patrick Wallace 13-11 in the quarter-finals.

Swail was desperate to reach his first final but had the misfortune to come up against an opponent he describes as an "absolute genius" - Ronnie O'Sullivan - and went down 17-11.

"I honestly thought it was going to be my year considering the results I have had here these last two weeks but you can't afford to have one bad session against Ronnie," said the man from Belfast.

Swail also had the satisfaction last season of leading Northern Ireland to top spot in their group in the Coalite Nations Cup at Reading. They were beaten by Scotland in the semi-finals.