Mark Selby successful, some pundits and fans began to view this nickname with irony. Former world champion and now BBC commentator Dennis Taylor has given him the nickname “Sat Nav Selby” due to his knowledge of angles and ability to lay and escape from snookers. Selby is also a pool player. He was the 2006 WEPF eight-ball pool world champion and was the 2015 Chinese Pool World Championship runner-up. Selby was born in Leicester, England. Malcolm Thorne, the brother of Leicester-born snooker player Willie Thorne, spotted Selby's snooker ability and provided Selby practice so he could practise every day after school. Selby's
Mark Selby defeat. Despite this he finished the season as the world number one for the fourth year in a row. Selby's first semi-final of the season came at the International Championship courtesy of knocking out Neil Robertson 6–4, but he lost 9–4 to John Higgins. Selby did not drop a frame in reaching the third round of the UK Championship and saw off Jamie Jones 6–5, admitting later that his opponent had deserved to win the match. He then eliminated Dechawat Poomjaeng and Matthew Selt both 6–1, before being whitewashed 6–0 by Robertson in the semi-finals. Selby lost in the quarter-finals