SNOOKER: Lee aiming for the top after match-fixing allegations

11:00am Friday 12th March 2010

By Owen Houlihan

STEPHEN Lee has set his sights on regaining his place at snooker’s top table after clinching a place at next month’s Bedfred.com World Championships in Sheffield.

The 35-year-old from Trowbridge put his off-table troubles behind him to book his place at The Crucible with a 10-2 demolition of world number 34 Mike Dunn on Tuesday.

Lee, bailed last month as part of an investigation into match-fixing, was paired with world number two Stephen Maguire – who was himself questioned by police last year – in yesterday’s draw for the first round of snooker’s showpiece tournament, which gets underway on April 17.

The father of four, ranked 25 in the world, lost his place in the sport’s elite top 16 – which offers instant qualification to all the top events – at the end of the 2007-08 campaign but can return there by reaching the latter stages.

Lee, who paid tribute to the support he has received from his family and manager Paul Mount said: “I played really well. It’s cheered us all up big time.

“I didn’t want to finish the season on a qualifying match and now I’ve got the world championships to look forward to.’’ A winner of four ranking events, he added: “I’ve got a chance of actually being back in the (top) 16 again.

“I think I need to reach the quarter finals to do it and, if a couple of big names went out early, you never know what could happen.

“It’s achievable, although it would have helped if I had got to go to China (for the China Open in Beijing) at the end of the month.”

Lee reiterated he has done nothing wrong in the wake of last month’s arrest by West Midlands Police, but has used the experience as motivation.

“But it’s had positive effect on my practice. I knew I had to put a lot of work in for the match.

“I’ve only played three competitive games this year so it’s not really enough.

Lee’s bail runs out on June 21 and he added: “They are obviously looking into things and if they look at what they have got and see it’s not worth following up they will let me go. I haven’t instructed a lawyer. I’m not letting it bother me. It was the initial shock more than anything else.

“I’ve had my head down. I feel really good and I was very positive in the match and I played really well.”