A SNOOKER player who trained at an Oxfordshire club has been banned from the sport for life after an investigation into match-fixing charges.

Liang Wenbo moved to the county in 2020 and practised at Oracle Pool & Snooker Club in Abingdon.

The 36-year-old and Li Hang have been handed life bans, while eight other Chinese players have been suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

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Wenbo, who ranked as high as 11th in the world, was found to have fixed or been a party to fix five snooker matches between July 24 and September 28, 2022, and to have solicited, induced, enticed, persuaded, encouraged, or facilitated players to fix nine matches between July 24 and December 13, 2022.

The WPBSA also found that between September 1, 2019 and December 31, 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules and behaved in conduct that was corrupt by threatening another player and making him delete his messages on his phone, and that he threatened another player to seek to persuade him not to assist the WPBSA enquiry.

When aware of the WPBSA enquiry, Wenbo was also found to have covered up or attempted to cover up his involvement in match-fixing by deleting messages on his phone and by requesting other players deleted messages.

Jason Ferguson, WPBSA chairman, said: “This has been a very complex case. It has been heartbreaking to see some young talented players fall foul of the WPBSA conduct regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players.

“This behaviour has been recognised as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two lifetime bans from participating in recognised snooker in any way.

“Those who try to corrupt sport are constantly trying to find new ways to avoid our monitoring processes and this outcome must be taken as a lesson to those who think they can avoid detection.

“If any player is involved in fixing a snooker match, they will be caught and will face severe penalties.

“I am pleased that the commission found that they did not see from the present case ‘any evidence of a wider culture of wrongdoing in snooker’.

“The WPBSA will continue its strong stance against those who try to manipulate sport and this outcome sends out a clear message that match-fixing will not be tolerated in snooker.”