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[Smallville22]

Rally Wales GB - Ogier stays in control in Wales

Sebastien Ogier maintained his control of Rally GB on Saturday morning, while Andreas Mikkelsen launched a bid to give Volkswagen a podium sweep.
VWs were fastest on all four of the loop's stages, with Mikkelsen winning the opening runs through Gartheiniog and Dyfi as he started charging forward from his overnight sixth place.
He quickly gained two places as Evgeny Novikov crashed out of fifth place and his M-Sport Ford team-mate Mads Ostberg was outpaced by Mikkelsen.
The Polo driver then started to reel in third-placed Thierry Neuville, getting the gap to the final podium spot down to 23 seconds before Neuville responded on the second of Dyfi and went a second quicker than his rival.
Up front, Jari-Matti Latvala started the morning downcast about his pace and losing more time to his rally leading VW team-mate Ogier.
But Latvala rebounded on the second pass of the stages, going quickest on both to keep the gap to Ogier at 25s.
Further back, Dani Sordo has now got back through to seventh and has a shot at taking sixth from Martin Prokop before the finish.
Robert Kubica restarted in 36th place following his Friday morning accident, only to crash out again on the second stage of the day.

 

[Smallville22]

Motorsports - Macau GP: Hutchinson storms to victory

Milwaukee Yamaha's Ian Hutchison has stormed to victory in the 47th Macau Grand Prix after taking the lead from Michael Rutter on lap five and building a two-second gap before the race was stopped with two laps left on the board.
Hutchinson, who has not raced for 18 months, had taken pole by just 0.057s from SMT's Rutter yesterday and it set up a titanic clash with Quattro Kawasaki's Gary Johnson and TT Legend JOhn McGuinness also in the mix.
The Morecambe man was into Mandarin Bend first but by the time they reached Lisboa - where David Johnson and Horst Saiger crashed unhurt - Johnson was in the lead with Rutter second and Hutchinson third.
It took Rutter just one more lap to pass Johnson at Melco while Hutchinson was also past on the same lap at R-Bend. It was then down to the Bingley Bullet to hunt down Rutter, which he did, passing the 40-something rider on lap five at R-Bend as Johnson faded away.
Hutchinson then set about pulling a gap of 1.8s on lap six which increased to 2.3 a lap later. Rutter rallied on lap eight, putting in a 2'25.825 to bring the gap back down to 2.1s and then a 2'25.763 saw it reduced to 1.8s.
Hutchinson was having none of it, however, and put in a 1'25.760 of his own to pull the gap back to 2.4s. Backmarkers came into play on lap 12 which Hutchinson encountered on a faster part of the circuit and by the time Rutter got through, he was seven seconds behind and it was game over.
A crash by Dean Harrison, who was unhurt, saw his RC Express Kawasaki laying in the middle of the track and the red flags came out. Johnson retained the final podium spot with McGuinness fourth and Jimmy Storrar fifth.
Martin Jessopp put a late move on Jeremy Toye for sixth, with Didier Grams, Lee Johnston and Stephen Thompson rounding out the top ten.

 

[Smallville22]

Rally Wales GB - Ogier ends dominant year with GB win

Sebastien Ogier claimed his first win on Rally GB to cap a phenomenal comeback season for Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship.
The Frenchman beat team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala - winner of this event in each of the past two years - to record his ninth victory of the year.
The new world champion took control early on by winning six of the first nine stages on Friday.
Latvala closed to within 17s of Ogier when he won SS14 on Saturday, but the Frenchman edged his advantage back out to 20 seconds before the end of the day.
Latvala's fading hopes of challenging Ogier for victory were extinguished when his team-mate went fastest through the repeated 13.23-mile stage at Dyfnant first thing on Sunday morning, and Latvala then dropped time by stalling on SS19.
The afternoon's short loop of stages gave Latvala little chance of a fightback and Ogier simply cruised home to his 16th WRC win.
Thierry Neuville completed his final rally for the M-Sport Ford squad by finishing a fine third. He looked under threat from Andreas Mikkelsen through Saturday's stages, but responded by going fastest of all through SS19, the powerstage at Clocaenog.
The prospect of Mikkelsen overhauling the Belgian to complete a remarkable VW podium lockout disappeared on Sunday morning.
Mikkelsen set two fastest stage times on Saturday and closed to within 20s of Neuville, but lost chunks of time by spinning on SS17 and clouting a bank on SS19.
That meant he ultimately finished fifth behind Mads Ostberg, who won SS18 and took a fine fourth for M-Sport.
Martin Prokop's Ford Fiesta comfortably rounded out the top six, ahead of Dani Sordo, who upheld some Citroen honour after both ex-Formula 1 star Robert Kubica and Mikko Hirvonen crashed out of the rally. Sordo also had to carry a five-minute penalty for using a ninth chassis.
Welshman Elfyn Evans brought cheer to the local fans by beating Finn Jari Ketomaa to WRC2 honours in eighth overall.

 

[Smallville22]

Rugby League - Fiji see off Samoa to reach World Cup semis

Fiji secured a return meeting with Australia after overcoming Samoa to complete the line-up for Saturday's World Cup semi-final double-header at Wembley.
The Fijiians' 22-4 victory at Warrington is also expected to earn them a place in the 2014 Four Nations Series Down Under.
Sunday's result sets up a repeat of the 2008 semi-finals, in which New Zealand beat England 32-22 in Brisbane and the Kangaroos demolished Fiji 52-0 in Sydney.
The Fijiians lost 34-2 to the Australians in St Helens earlier this month and are unlikely to improve enough to topple the tournament favourites, but Wembley will at least provide a fitting venue for popular skipper Petero Civoniceva to bow out of rugby league.
The 37-year-old former Brisbane Broncos prop, who is still Australia's most-capped forward, delayed his retirement in order to lead his country in the World Cup and once more led from the front.
Samoa, who looked a rabble when thrashed by England Knights a month earlier, had improved immensely throughout the tournament but they were disappointing from the start against Fiji.
So full of fight in their win over France, the Samoans were subdued and disorganised for the most part and full-back sensation Anthony Milford was never able to get into the game.
Fiji, on the other hand were superbly marshalled by man of the match Aaron Groom and had a host of match-winners in a star-studded threequarter line.
Winger Akuila Uate, who began the tournament with a hat-trick of tries against Ireland, showed a willingness for work and created the game's first try with a trademark surge through the heart of Samoa's defence.
Groom was in support to finish off Uate's break for a fourth-minute score but Fiji had to wait until eight minutes before half-time for their second.
That went to centre Wes Naiqama, who timed his run to perfection to gather Groom's grubber kick on the last tackle.
Naiqama converted both tries and also kicked a penalty awarded for a shoulder charge by former Huddersfield forward David Fa'alogo as the Fijiians led 14-0 at the break.
Uate and his fellow winger Marika Koroibete continued to cause a threat in the second half but Samoa hung on and gave themselves hope with a 58th-minute try from left winger Antonio Winterstein.
Milford failed with the conversion, though, and Naiqama extended his side's lead with a 70th-minute penalty after Tim Lafai's high tackle on Jayson Bukuya sparked a bust-up.
The Fijiians were good value for their win and they topped it off with a third try just before the end when hooker Apisai Koroisau offloaded to fellow substitute Vitale Roqica for him to touch down and Naiqama kicked his fifth goal from as many attempts.

 

[Smallville22]

Rugby - Le Roux-inspired South Africa hold Scotland scoreless

A stunning first-half display from fullback Willie le Roux helped South Africa to a comfortable 28-0 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The Scots looked to have fought back from Willem Alberts's early try and were attempting to gain a foothold in the match when le Roux, playing just his 11th test, scored an opportunist try.
He then brilliantly set up JP Pietersen for another in a three-minute period that effectively sealed the match before halftime.
The only try of the second half came through Coenie Oosthuizen as Scotland were kept pointless by the Springboks for the fist time home or away since 1951.
Scotland suffered from a misfiring lineout, losing five throws in the first 40 minutes, while the Boks, who had veteran lock Bakkies Botha playing his first test since the 2011 World Cup, played fluent rugby on the back of a strong forward effort.
The visitors, who beat Wales 24-15 last weekend, dominated early possession and territory, and Scotland had barely touched the ball when they fell behind after four minutes when Alberts drove through weak defence from a lineout.
Scotland slowly dragged themselves back into the contest through dogged defence, but their first real attacking effort was thwarted when Sean Maitland failed to control a pass from Ruaridh Jackson just after the half-hour mark, allowing le Roux to scoop up the ball and race 60 metres to score.
"The ball bounced into my hands and I was lucky to be there to score my try," Le Roux, who plays Super Rugby for the Cheetahs, told the BBC.
"You don't know when it will be your last game so you have to play every game as though it is your last."
Le Roux then turned creator from the restart, easing through a gap in the defence before stepping another attempted tackle and kicking ahead for wing Pietersen, who celebrated his 50th cap by shrugging off the covering defence to score in the corner.
"It is an amazing achievement and to play it at Murrayfield is something I will treasure for the rest of my life," Pietersen said.
"We wanted to step up this weekend and we did that. We executed the game plan well. The conditions didn't suit us but we took the opportunities we had."
Scotland showed more attacking endeavour in the second half despite the poor condition of the pitch but failed to seriously threaten the South Africa line, and they once again paid the price when replacement prop Oosthuizen drove over on the back of another dominant lineout after 52 minutes.
The hosts were boosted by a yellow card to replacement flanker Marcell Coetzee with 10 minutes remaining following a series of infringements, but despite playing with only 14 men the Springboks defence held firm.
David Denton went close to earning Scotland a try but was tackled into the touch by Pietersen, while Max Evans was denied by the outstretched hand of Bryan Habana following a lengthy injury break for flanker Francois Louw, who was taken off by stretcher after contact with Jim Hamilton.
Scotland host Australia in their final November international next week. South Africa take on France in Paris.

 

[Smallville22]

Superbikes - World Superbike qualifying to mirror MotoGP in 2014

World Superbike bosses have today announced another set of regulation changes for the 2014 season, the biggest of which is the series will alter its practice and qualifying schedule to mirror that of MotoGP.
Although no firm details were released, it is thought that Superbikes will have three free practice sessions, and the top ten rider from that will go through to a 15-minute second qualifying session, while a fourth short free practice will take place before qualifying one, which sorts out the rest of the grid and from which to the fastest riders will progress to qualifying two. It sees the end of the three-tier Superpole format.
Another new regulation will be the adoption of the quick start prodecure, as seen in British Superbikes, so there will be no half-hour gaps if the race has to be stopped.
On top, the Sunday race timing schedule for Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock 1000cc Cup will be compacted into a programme of events running from 10.30 am to 14.30, while there will also be licence penalty points that will last for a period of one year.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Muller back on top in second Shanghai practice

Yvan Muller re-established the WTCC hierarchy in the second free practice, setting the fastest lap of 1:55.508 with eight minutes left of the session in Shanghai.
However, before the Frenchman’s Chevrolet Cruze posted the best lap time, it was Thed Björk’s Volvo leading the time sheet as in the previous practice. The Swede set a provisional fastest lap of 1:55.921 on his first attempt and then improved to 1:55.848.
A few minutes later James Thompson drove his Granta car to complete a lap of 1:56.069 to provisionally form an unseen duo of Volvo and LADA on top.
Then the RML pair of Muller and Tom Chilton improved; the new world champion jumped ahead of the whole field, while his team-mate was placed third with a lap of 1:55.910, demoting Thompson to fourth.
Bamboo-engineering’s Alex MacDowall (1:56.109) and James Nash (1:56.196) ranked fifth and sixth respectively and led the Yokohama Trophy. Pepe Oriola (1:56.204), Tiago Monteiro (1:56.261), Rob Huff (1:56.341) and Gabriele Tarquini (1:56.455) rounded off the top 10. Stefano D’Aste was 11th fastest and the best of the BMW drivers.
Once again Mehdi Bennani’s car was plagued by technical problems; so far the Moroccan driver has not had a problem-free session.
Drivers will hit the track again at 14.10 local time (06:10 UK time) for the two-stage Qualifying session.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Muller grabs pole as Chevrolet dominate Shanghai qualifying

The qualifying session for the WTCC race in Shanghai turned into a triumphal march for Chevrolet as Yvan Muller took pole.
All six drivers at the wheel of the Cruze cars dominated the top 10 positions of the time sheet with Muller leading the way in a time of 1:54.132.
The Frenchman claimed his seventh pole position of the season, beating his RML team-mate Tom Chilton, Pepe Oriola, the bamboo-engineering duo of James Nash and Alex MacDowall and WTCC returnee Rickard Rydell.
Muller said: “It is a nice pole position, but of course it was not easy, especially as I was the leader of the pack and did not get a slipstream so I had no choice but to give it all I had.
"The car was perfect and in the races, I have nothing to lose. I still want the victory but a podium result does not matter too much.
"I will try to help Tom to clinch P2 in the championship, of course."
Thed Björk’s Volvo C30 was found to be underweight during the technical checks after the qualifying session and this resulted in a grid penalty.
As a consequence, Björk dropped five places down to 17th on the grid for Sunday’s races.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Monteiro and Chilton triumph in wet Shanghai

Tiago Monteiro secured his first win for the Honda Castrol Team in race two of the WTCC event in Shanghai.
Monteiro led from lights to flag and finished first in a Honda trio, ahead of team-mates Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz, who were able to resist enormous pressure from Rob Huff.
James Nash was classified fourth and scored the second victory of the day in the Yokohama Trophy.
It was Monteiro’s first WTCC victory since Valencia in 2010.
Monteiro said: "I’m very excited because I was expecting this for a while, but there was always something that went wrong. It’s funny because this was not a track where we expected to win.
"I was really happy with the car," he added. "Three cars on the podium is a great result for Honda."
Earlier in the day, Tom Chilton clinched his second victory on a drying track, overtaking his team-mate Yvan Muller on the final lap of race one.
A heavy shower hit the track a few minutes before the start of the race and left each team to struggle to choose which tyres to use.
Many opted to go for wets – like Pepe Oriola and Rickard Rydell – while others went for slicks such as the RML duo and James Nash.
Rain halted the race for a few laps and it was clear that the gamble of going for the slick tyres was the correct one.
Oriola and Rydell attempted to take advantage of their tyre choices during the opening laps, but they later gave up their positions which gave the RML pair and Nash the chance to move to the front.
Chilton said: "It was a difficult call for the tyres. When I got to the grid my engineer asked me what I thought, and I did not reply for four minutes. Then we went for slicks and it was very tough for the first laps.
"In the end Yvan breaked a little bit too late and went a little bit too wide - I saw the gap and got for it. Another driver would have slammed the door, but he is my team-mate and did not so I thank him for this."

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Nash closes in on Yokohama Trophy glory

James Nash’s double Yokohama Trophy victory at Shanghai last week, meant that the bamboo-engineering driver is now just two points away from pocketing the title.
The two races in Macau will award double points – twenty for a win – plus one for the pole position and for each fastest lap. Therefore, 43 points are still at stake while Nash’s leading margin ahead of his team-mate Alex MacDowall totals to 41.
“It’s never finished until it’s finished. When we were in Shanghai I was also targeting the possibility to finish second in the Drivers’ Championship. But to do this I had to take some risks while trying to beat Chilton and Tarquini. Eventually I was happy with third overall in race one and with a double win in the Yokohama Trophy.
"Now I think that if I finish into the points at Macau, the title will come. And there is no reason I should not be able to do it. Macau is a track you have to get to know little by little and this will be the first year I will race there in a competitive car. I think I will start the weekend very slowly and try to improve session after session,” Nash commented.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Huff secures Lada Sport deal for 2014

Rob Huff has agreed a two-year deal to race for Lada in the World Touring Car Championship from 2014.
The 33-year-old clinched the 2012 WTCC crown with the RML-run factory Chevrolet squad, before making a surprise switch to SEAT machinery.
The man from Cambridge will be at the wheel of the team’s third Granta car alongside his fellow countryman James Thompson and Russia’s Mikhail Kozlowskiy who have been both confirmed for 2014.
In a move that demonstrates its commitment to WTCC, the Russian manufacturer forged a technical collaboration with ORECA in 2013 and they will jointly develop a revised version of the Granta racing car in compliance with the championship’s new technical regulations for 2014.
Huff said: "I’m delighted with this new association with LADA Sport Lukoil and it’s a massive thrill to be back with a manufacturer team. It will be an honour to work with such an ambitious and hard-working group of people.
"I'm also really excited about racing as a team-mate to James Thompson, because I have a huge amount of respect for him. I’m determined to emulate the sort of success I had with Chevrolet, taking LADA Sport to the top in WTCC.
"The team is still fairly new to the championship and I hope to be able to use my knowledge and experience to make an active contribution towards building a championship-winning outfit."
Team principal Victor Shapovalov added: "We are very happy to have such a talented and experienced driver as part of our team. We have made significant progress since the start of the season and proved that the LADA Granta car is capable of fighting for the top five positions.
"Rob Huff’s driving skill can contribute much to the team’s success. The increased driver line-up for 2014 and 2015 will help us to strengthen our position. In view of a forthcoming season with new manufacturers joining, we set very ambitious goals."
He added: "I am sure that the pair of Huff and Thompson will be one of the strongest in the Championship."

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Calko replaces Karamyshev in Macau

Konstantins Calko will replace Nikolay Karamyshev for the WTCC race in Macau, driving for Campos Racing.
The young Latvian will take the wheel of one of the three Seats entered into the race.
The 19-year-old is the first Baltic drive to appear in WTCC but big things are expected of him. Calko claimed two national titles and a third position in the 2010 karting championship and has since proved successful in car racing, too.
The Latvian secured the Baltic Touring car championship in 2011 and went on to win the Radical Masters Euroseries in 2012.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Huff fastest in Macau test

Rob Huff once again proved the man to beat on the Guia circuit in Macau as he led FIA WTCC testing with the top two fastest laps.
Huff, who has the best WTCC winning record in Macau, enjoyed the best of a late flurry of activity to clock the fastest time of 2:32.169 before going on to better his own time and further improve to 2:32.147 on the following lap.
The dying moments of the session provided plenty of improvements.
Norbert Michelisz’s Honda Civic set the second fastest lap of 2:32.218, beating Yvan Muller’s Chevrolet Cruze (2:32.372) and the other Honda of Tiago Monteiro (2:32.693).
Pepe Oriola ranked fifth (2:32.780) with Stefano D’Aste, the best of the BMW drivers and Yokohama Trophy competitor despite of an early collision with Campos Racing’s newcomer Konstantins Calko, in sixth (2:33.314).
Tom Chilton, Tom Coronel, James Thompson and Medhi Bennani respectively round out the top 10.
Michael Soong toped the Asia Trophy competitors in 22nd position overall, followed by Henry Ho in 23rd.
Friday morning will see the WTCC field take to the track for two 30-minute free practice sessions, before the two-stage qualifying begins in the afternoon.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Huff takes victory in Macau

Rob Huff claimed an impressive win in Macau during a chaotic race which saw only 15 of the 33 cars finish the race.
The wild race was punctuated with two stoppages after a number of cars crashed on separate occasions.
Chaos erupted on the first corner as Norbert Michelisz clipped Tom Chilton before bouncing off the outside wall and into the oncoming pack. Seven cars were involved in the crash and were subsequently ruled out.
Following the restart, the race settled down with Tom Coronel taking the lead – followed by a chasing pack.
Tom Chiton soon had to retire with exhaust damage and was hit by Eurico de Jesus, who span on the track and was ruled out.
Coronel remained in front but Huff picked up his pace, overtaking James Thompson and the Dutchman to take a lead of which he maintained.

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - New format for Welsh Open

Snooker's Welsh Open world ranking event returns to the Newport Centre early next year, with a brand new format.
The best snooker players on the planet will head to the city in South Wales for the £300,000 tournament which runs from February 19 to March 2, 2014.
This season, World Snooker has introduced a new format for ranking events, with all 128 players to start in the same round.
Established stars like Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Mark Selby, home favourite Mark Williams and defending champion Stephen Maguire will all be eligible to enter the event and could face against up-and-coming rookies in the first round.
This means that the tournament is four days longer than usual and fans will have the chance to see many more players in action, with a multi-table layout at the Newport Centre in the early stages.

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - Lee lodges appeal against 12-year ban from game

Stephen Lee has appealed against his unprecedented 12-year ban for match-fixing.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said in a statement that Lee, 38, was "is appealing against the finding of the tribunal, the sanction and the costs awarded."
The WPBSA has asked Sport Resolutions UK to manage the appeal process, which will be chaired by an independent QC.
Lee has consistently denied the allegations, which relate to seven matches played in 2008 and 2009 including the UK and world championships, and had suggested he would appeal soon after the verdict.
"I'm absolutely devastated. I've done nothing wrong. I'm totally innocent of this," Lee said at the time.
The WPBSA had described it as "the worst case of snooker corruption we've seen", with Lee found guilty of "agreeing an arrangement... (and of)... accepting or receiving or offering to receive... payment" for influencing the outcome or conduct of matches.
Lee was accused of giving inside information to associates, who then bet on the basis of it and passed it to others to do the same.
Lawyer Adam Lewis, in his written decision for independent arbitration body Sport Resolutions, said after the original tribunal that it had not been established Lee deliberately lost a match when he could and should have won.
"Rather it is established, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr Lee acted improperly in relation to matches that he either believed he would lose, or that he believed he would win sufficiently comfortably that he could drop the first frame," the barrister wrote.
"Mr Lee did not strike me as a cynical cheat, but rather as a weak man who, under financial pressure, succumbed to the temptation to take improper steps that he may well have justified to himself as not really wrong, because the ultimate result of the match, win or lose, was the same."
Lewis said a life ban had not been imposed because it was not deemed proportionate, in the circumstances, or necessary in order to deter.
He pointed out also that at the time the offences were committed, there was no stipulation in WPBSA disciplinary rules that any player found guilty of match-fixing should incur a life ban in the absence of exceptional mitigating circumstances.
Former professional Willie Thorne said Lee's 12-year suspension effectively amounted to the end of the player's career.
"I think it is a life ban," he told Sky Sports News. "He'll be 50 when he gets his licence back and at that age you've got no chance... I don't think he'll be accepted into the seniors tour either.
"There's a great living to be had in snooker, but not a great living if you're a cheat."

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - Lee found guilty of match-fixing

Stephen Lee has been found guilty of match-fixing in regards to seven matches played in 2008 and 2009.
The 38-year-old could face a lifetime ban and will find out the his punishment on September 24.
The former world number five denied the allegations relating to the seven matches played between 2008 and 2009.
The charges involved a match at the 2009 World Championship, three from the 2008 Malta Cup, two matches at the 2008 UK Championship and a further match at the 2009 China Open.
The charge against Lee was described by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association as providing information "that is not publicly available" and deliberately influencing "the outcome or conduct of a fame."
Following the verdict the WPBSA released a statement which read: "Stephen Lee is found guilty of 'agreeing an arrangement... (and of) ...accepting or receiving or offering to receive... payment or... other... benefit... in connection with influencing the outcome or conduct of' each of the seven matches in breach of Rule 2.9."
World number three Judd Trump, who spoke before Lee's verdict, believes that any player found of such an offence should be banned for life.
He said: "If anybody is found guilty, they should be chucked out of the game.
"There's no time for it in any sport. It is ruining the game. It's going to push away sponsors and money coming into the game. People are going to look at it differently so anybody found guilty should be punished with a lifetime ban."

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - Robertson: Lee should never play snooker again

World number one Neil Robertson has called for Stephen Lee to be handed a life ban for match-fixing.
Lee faces a heavy punishment after being found guilty of match-fixing charges involving seven games between 2008 and 2009. He faces being banned for life when governing body the WPBSA deliver their verdict on Tuesday.
Lee won his first professional title in six years when he defeated Robertson 4-0 in the PTC Grand Finals in Galway last March, but faces being thrown out of the sport only 18 months later.
"That is important as a deterrent," said 2010 world champion Robertson.
"We have to show zero tolerance on match and frame-fixing. There is no other option than a life ban.
"There may have been players offered things in smaller events, and this should cut all of that out.
"I am not sure how this verdict can be damaging to the sport in the long term. A guy has been found guilty of cheating and faces a life ban.
"And that comes after he was suspended for almost a year. It gives me confidence that the governing body are doing it thoroughly: these are hard cases to prove.
"There will be no-one taking risks or trying to nick a few quid on the side because the authorities can see everything.
"You don't want to be tarred with the same brush, by association. But it is a difficult sport and pressure can make you miss shots, that's why it is so hard to prove."

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - Lee allegations dropped

Match-fixing allegations made against Stephen Lee in 2010 have been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, but he may still face disciplinary action from the sport's authorities.
Snooker's governing World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association stated:
"The WPBSA has been informed by the Gambling Commission that the CPS will not be taking further action in relation to the match-fixing allegations against Stephen Lee, made in 2010.
"The Commission has decided not to commence criminal proceedings under the Gambling Act 2005.
"The WPBSA will now be allowed access to details pertaining to the enquiry in order to consider whether there has been a regulatory breach of the Governing Body's rules."
Lee, 37, turned professional in 1992 and has won five ranking events including the 2012 Players Tour Championship finals.
He was a semi-finalist at the 2003 world championship and moved up to number six in the world last week after winning the second Asian PTC event in China.
Lee was arrested at his Wiltshire home in February 2010 and bailed.

 

[Smallville22]

Snooker - O'Sullivan: I was offered £20k to fix a match

World snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed that he was once offered £20,000 to fix a match.
Match-fixing is a hot issue in snooker at the moment after Stephen Lee received an unprecedented 12-year ban for fixing last month.
Lee was found guilty of manipulating the results of seven matches played in 2008 and 2009 including in the UK and world championships.
When that verdict was announced O'Sullivan claimed "many more" snooker players were throwing matches, and has now revealed in his autobiography that match-fixers tried to recruit him.
"Someone rang me and said he'd like to meet me over in the forest and have a walk through the woods," O'Sullivan wrote.
"What they were offering, 20 grand. I could get for a couple of nights' work.
"If anyone could get away with it, I could. I could just play one-handed, or left-handed or just put a towel over my head and pretend I was going nuts. But it's not something I would or could do. I couldn't live with myself; I'd feel that was robbing somebody."