Higgins - made claims (Getty Images).
WPBSA RUBBISH HIGGINS CLAIMS
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association have rubbished Alex
Higgins' claims of "bent players taking bribes" in the sport.
The twice former world champion has claimed in a newspaper how international
gambling gangs offered him huge cash rewards to fix matches.
However, the truth of the matter could be somewhat different, given the
controversial cueman's recollection of scores and dates.
Higgins, who failed to make a much-hyped comeback to the snooker big time
earlier this season, insists he was offered £18,000 to throw a match against
Perrie Mans at the 1979 Benson and Hedges Masters.
Higgins also claims he went down 5-1 to the South African left hander in the
quarter-finals, although the official record books show the Hurricance succumbed
8-4 in the final.
The Belfast-born star talks of the time he had "just beaten Willie Thorne in
Paris" - this time his geography and his arithmetic were wrong. The European
Open match took place in Deauville - and Higgins lost 5-4.
Six-times world champion Steve Davis said: "I find it hard how Alex Higgins
would know anything about this because no-one has seen him on the circuit for
nearly 10 years.
"Anyway people on the snooker circuit stopped taking Alex Higgins' exclusives
several years ago."
It could be the 54-year-old original bad boy of snooker could yet face
disciplinary action by the game's governing body.
He may not have played in any tournaments for nearly six years - but he
remains a member of the WPBSA.
A spokesman for the association said on Sunday: "The story is ludicrous.
"It has no substance whatsoever and no names are mentioned. The matter will
be referred to the board of the WPBSA, of which Alex Higgins is still a
member."
Higgins was due to play in this season's Benson and Hedges Championship as
well as the opening qualifying rounds of the Embassy World Championship.
Instead, on both occasions he withdrew claiming he needed emergency dental
treatment after his teeth fell out following chemotherapy for lymph node
cancer.
Higgins did play in the Irish Open back in February - but in his comeback
match he went down to 16-year-old Darren Dornan.
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