Stephen Maguire, Jamie Burnett cleared: World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA)
World Snooker was informed by bookmakers about a suspicious betting activity on a first-round match of 2008 UK Championship between Scotsmen, Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett. After investigation,
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has cleared both cuemen off the charges leveled against them.
First, the Scottish Crown Counsel investigated the matter based on the reports and found no evidence of both players involved. However, the counsel forwarded the investigations to WPBSA with their
own investigation report. WPBSA further looked into the matter and found that there were suspicious betting approaches from outsiders but the players were not involved in any of those.
After finalising the investigations, WPBSA stated on its website on Friday, July 1, “World Snooker's governing body has now reviewed evidence provided by the Strathclyde Police over allegations of
suspicious betting on a match between Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett in 2008.”
It further stated, “The WPBSA's findings agree that there was suspicious betting activity on this match by people outside of the sport and this required a detailed investigation by Strathclyde Police.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that either player was involved in fixing the scoreline and therefore no regulatory action will be taken by the governing body against the players.”
The investigations on this matter were ongoing since December 2008 and the WPBSA Chairman, Jason Ferguson, has finally closed the case.
The bookmaker told World Snooker organisers that a large amount had been staked upon the final result of the match ending 9-3. The competition did finish 9-3 which confirmed the report of the suspicious
betting.
World Snooker handed this case to Strathclyde Police during the UK Championship. They submitted their investigation report to Scottish Crown Counsel which revealed no involvement from both the players.
WPBSA believes that Maguire and Burnett did not know about any betting and the 9-3 result was a co-incidence.
Apart from that, Jamie Burnett failed to make it into Last-32 of 2011 Australian Goldfields Open as he crashed out of the qualifiers at the hands of Andrew Higginson by the score line of 5-4 on Thursday,
June 30 at the Wolrd Snooker Academy in Sheffield.
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