Snooker star held over 'suspicious' betting

SNOOKER star Stephen Lee has been arrested following an investigation into suspicious betting patterns.

West Midlands Police confirmed that the player, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, had been arrested yesterday.

A police spokesman said: "A 35-year-old man from Wiltshire was arrested on Thursday, 11 February, on suspicion of cheating.

"This follows a joint operation where West Midlands Police have assisted the Gambling Commission, following their concerns about suspicious betting patterns."

World Snooker, the commercial arm of governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, yesterday said they were awaiting further developments.

"We are aware of the recent news articles concerning match fixing and are awaiting further reports," read a World Snooker statement.

It is understood that World Snooker is unaware of the circumstances that led to the arrest of Lee, who has won four ranking tournaments in a professional career which began in 1992.

He also reached the World Championship semi-finals in 2003.

Lee, a father of four, was once ranked fifth in the world, but fell to 25th place at the end of last season.