Snooker: Betting row Scots to meet at Crucible

Published on Wednesday 11 March 2009 22:30

THE draw for the first round of this year's World Snooker Championship has thrown up an intriguing clash after Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett – the two Scots at the centre of an ongoing betting investigation – were paired together.

Maguire and Burnett will face each other at a newly-refurbished Crucible Theatre in Sheffield next month, just a few months after their match at the Maplin UK Championship created headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Bookmakers suspended activity on the first-round match in Telford back in December after a flurry of wagers were placed on a 9-3 scoreline in Maguire's favour – the margin by which the Scot did eventually win. The WPBSA, the body in charge of world snooker, confirmed soon after the match that it would conduct a formal investigation into the betting controversy. That probe is still being carried out, and Maguire, the world No2, and Burnett, the world No45, have both denied any wrongdoing.

Elsewhere in yesterday's first-round draw, seven-time champion Stephen Hendry will face two-time champion Mark Williams in another mouthwatering match-up. Hendry has endured a miserable season so far and will have a difficult time against the Welshman, who is outside the top 16 but came through qualifying.

World No1 and defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will kick off his bid for a fourth Crucible crown with a first-round tie against world No21 Stuart Bingham, who says he is preparing himself for one of the highlights of his career.

"It's obviously a very tough draw, but maybe the first round is the best time to play Ronnie," said 32-year-old Bingham, who beat experienced Scot Alan McManus 10-6 in the final qualifying round on Sunday.

"I've played Hendry there and last year I beat Steve Davis and said that I wanted to play the best players at the best venues. The atmosphere will be fantastic.

"I play Ronnie twice a week in practice. He wins more often than not, but I tend to hold my own. I'm just relieved to have made it to Sheffield."

Ali Carter, last year's runner-up, plays Gerard Greene, while Australia's Neil Robertson meets six-time champion Steve Davis, who booked his 28th appearance in the final stages of the tournament with a hard-fought qualifying win over Lee Spick on Tuesday.

Peter Ebdon, the 2002 world champion, will play 1995 finalist Nigel Bond; 2005 winner Shaun Murphy comes up against Andrew Higginson; and Scotland's two-time champion John Higgins meets world No34 Michael Holt.

"I am sure John is quaking in his boots now," Holt joked yesterday. "He is one of the best players there has ever been, but there are no easy games and if I play well I have a chance."

The first-round draw has also thrown up an all-Chinese clash, with Ding Junhui paired against Liang Wenbo.

The championship gets under way in Sheffield on Saturday 18 April and runs until 4 May.