Following the conclusion of Q School and the qualifying events for the Wuxi Classic and Australian Goldfields Open, there are still another couple of weeks to go until professional snooker returns to our screens with the venue stages of Wuxi towards the end of the month.
That said, there have been a number of smaller news stories to come out during the last few days, so click below for a round-up of what you need to know…
The WPBSA have today issued a further statement in respect of the Stephen Lee case, revealing that he must now pay a further £20,000 in respect of the costs of his appealing, bringing the total amount owed up to £125,000.
Click below for the full statement and the link to the full decision of Nicholas Stewart QC…
The WPBSA have this evening issued a further statement concerning the ongoing appeal of Stephen Lee, explaining that a new chair for the Appeals Committee will now be appointed, due to the decision made by the original Committee to recuse themselves as explained below…
The WPBSA have this evening issued the following statement in connection with the ongoing appeal of Stephen Lee against his conviction for match-fixing and subsequent 12-year ban:
“The Appeals Committee have considered the evidence and submissions made by all parties in the first part of Stephen Lee’s appeal against his conviction for match fixing. Today they have delivered their decision and they have dismissed this aspect of his appeal.
A new date will be set to hear the remainder of his appeal.”
Specifically, the first part of Lee’s appeal refers to the consideration of whether there could have been any bias in the initial hearing chaired by Adam Lewis QC, due to the fact that he had previously represented World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn in the Leyton Orient / Olympic Stadium case.
Clearly it has now been found that there was no bias, but the aspect of his appeal concerning the actual conviction for match-fixing and the punishment handed out of a 12-year ban and for Lee to pay £40,000 in legal costs, remains still to be determined.
We now therefore await the date for a further hearing…
The WPBSA have this evening issued the following short statement concerning Stephen Lee’s ongoing appeal hearing:
“The hearing of the evidence in the first part of Stephen Lee’s appeal has been concluded. The Independent Tribunal has risen to consider written submissions from the parties.
No date has been set for the outcome. The Tribunal has undertaken to deliver the outcome expeditiously.”
As those of you who have followed my updates both on the blog and on Twitter will be aware (and probably sick of reading), it has been a big weekend in Gdynia for those players battling it out for their main tour places for next season, with eight places available through the European Order of Merit.
Click below then for a round-up of how the various lists look after the tournament and what now can change between now and the end of the season…
On 9th October 2013 the WPBSA asked Sport Resolutions UK to manage the appeal process in the case of Stephen Lee and appoint an independent person to chair the Appeals Committee.
On 10th October the WPBSA agreed to the proposed appointment of Edwin Glasgow QC and he was appointed by Sport Resolutions UK on 4th November.
Mr Glasgow directed that a second independent member be appointed to the Appeals Committee, and with the consent of the parties, Peter Stockwell was appointed by Sport Resolutions UK on 13th November.
The Appeals Committee has directed that the appeal will be heard in two parts and the first part of the appeal will be held in London on 30th January 2014.
As widely reported today, last night Stephen Lee finally gave his side of the story as he confirmed the submission of his appeal against the 12-year ban that he was handed at the conclusion of his disciplinary hearing into alleged match-fixing.
To read Lee’s quotes from the interview, click here to visit Talksport.com.
More news will of course follow as a timetable for the appeal is set…