Scots duo Michie and Campbell are in the clear

No action will be taken against Scots snooker players Jimmy Michie and Marcus Campbell after the completion of a probe into suspicious betting patterns.

An investigation was launched into the pair’s meeting at January’s World Snooker Shoot-out after an abnormally high number of bets were placed on Campbell to win. He duly did so, beating his fellow Scot 32-21 in the one-frame encounter.

Both players assured the Snooker Players Association of their innocence at the time and World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Jason Ferguson was quick to emphasise: “We’ve just had reports from betting shops to say that there were some unusual betting patterns and that is as far as it goes at the moment.”

A statement from the WPBSA yesterday read: “The WPBSA, working alongside the Gambling Commission, have completed a full investigation into suspicious betting patterns on a match at the World Snooker Shoot-out between Jimmy Michie and Marcus Campbell on 28 January 2011.

“The investigation has concluded that, while there were irregular betting patterns on the match, there is currently no evidence to link the betting to either of the players involved. Therefore no regulatory action will be taken by the governing body against the players.”

Meanwhile, Steve Davis is hoping for a carnival atmosphere at the inaugural Brazil Masters and wants the tournament to be a regular fixture on the snooker calendar.

An invited 16-player line-up has assembled at the four-day event which begins today, with new world No 1 Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy and past masters Davis and Stephen Hendry among them. The Costao do Santinho resort in Florianopolis is staging the first major snooker tournament seen in South America, and Davis, who takes on Ali Carter in the first round tomorrow, expects big things.

Three local players, Igor Figueiredo, Sobradinho de Dues and Noel Rodrigues, are also in the draw. Davis first played in Brazil in 1981, when he took on Rui Chapeu in a televised match.

Back this week, he said on worldsnooker.com: “It’s great to see all the fans in Brazil and to be back here after all these years, both as a player and as an ambassador for snooker.

“People in the UK don’t realise how popular the game is worldwide.”

Davis, who sits on the World Snooker board but remains an active player at the age of 54, said: “It’s spreading like fire across many areas of the globe like China, Europe and South America.

“It’s up to us to support that growth by staging tournaments It would be fantastic to have a regular tournament in Brazil every year, even if I’m not involved as a player.”