I know, I know, I'm as shocked as you are. Not even professional snooker is safe from corruption. Clive Everton, sporting chap for The Guardian sets the scene, which I will aid with this picture:
There was much ironic laughter in the players' lounge and the press room during the concluding session of Stephen Maguire's 9–3 win over Jamie Burnett, the very scoreline overwhelmingly supported before score betting was suspended more than 48 hours earlier.
Much ironic laughter, indeed! Perhaps even sarcastic polishing of monocles and facetious powered wig adjusting, if you can imagine that, my good man!
Does Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), need to ride in on his white horse and crack a snooker cue over some blokes? Match-fixing is poison to any sport, and strangely, there's no Pete Rose treatment for players convicted of corruption. In 1995, Peter Francisco was suspended for 5 years for throwing a match, while "bad-boy" Quinten Hann was suspended for 8 years for intending to fix a match.
Fans and sponsors need doubts of the sport's credibility dispelled. Irate fans around the world, no doubt, are threatening to leave the sport in droves. Droves. Mr. Everton suggests the WPBSA put it's proverbial balls out on the green felt for everyone to see, and then pummel them with a Hammer of Banning.
If that doesn't work, they can always go this route:
Hey, why not? It works for boxing.