Disgraced Snooker Star Returns to the Sport After 12-Year Ban, Drawing Praise for His ‘Impressive Cue Action’
STEPHEN LEE has made a comeback to snooker after a 12-year competition ban.
The Wiltshire native, now 50, received the ban in 2013 when he was found guilty of match-fixing.
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Credit: Getty Images – Getty
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Credit: Getty
The allegations involved seven matches from 2008 and 2009, including one at the World Championships.
Lee was found to have accepted substantial sums in exchange for manipulating match outcomes.
However, the five-time ranking event winner’s ban ended last October, allowing him to return to the table.
He recently made his comeback at an event organized by the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand.
Earlier this month, he played in an exhibition match against former world number three James Wattana.
Lee demonstrated he still possesses considerable skill by defeating Wattana two frames to one, earning praise from spectators.
One fan remarked: “Stephen can still play. He still has that fantastic cue action.”
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Credit: Getty
One YouTube commenter praised both players and speculated that Lee could still compete on the World Snooker Tour.
“Two outstanding players still. I’d be curious to see how Stephen Lee would fare if he returned to the tour.”
“He still exhibits much more class than most of the Q-School entrants.”
Lee has held a top-five ranking twice during his career peak in the early 2000s.
He has been honing his skills during his ban by coaching aspiring players in China.
However, he faced another legal issue when he was involved in an immigration raid in Hong Kong and was found working illegally in 2018.