Players Under the Spotlight / Ralph Ellis / 16 December 2008 / Leave a comment

The furore surrounding his 9-3 first round win over Jamie Burnett will have affected Stephen Maguire's focus and that could make him laying material for his encounter with Neil Robertson, writes Ralph Ellis.

For a sportsman, getting caught up in any sort of a scandal is the worst experience there is. I recall years ago talking to Graham Roberts shortly after he'd failed a drugs test. The one time hero of Tottenham was in the last days of his career at West Brom and sat forlornly in the dressing room at The Hawthorns protesting his innocence and talking about the shame he felt. He knew he'd done no more wrong than innocently take the wrong cold remedy but felt his reputation was permanently stained.

He was wrong, of course. Say the name of Graham Roberts now and who thinks of anything more than his contribution as the defensive rock behind the flair and exuberance of Ossie Ardiles? But at the time it was a shattering blow for him.

Similar thoughts will doubtless be swirling around Stephen Maguire today as the 2004 UK champion deals with the fall-out from his first round win at Telford over Jamie Burnett. An inquiry is likely to be held after the correct score betting market featured some unusual wagers on a 9-3 scoreline, and that was exactly how the match turned out.

As the winner Maguire is not, of course, the subject of any suspicion. And it would be wrong to suggest anything untoward took place. But Maguire will still have to deal with the questions that will inevitably be asked and that must put a strain on his second round match with Neil Robertson.

Maguire is [1.6] favourite to reach round three but if his focus has been affected by what has gone on that could just be worth laying. And don't say there isn't a fuss. How often does the final of a snooker tournament - let alone the first round - become the lead on the Guardian's sports section, as it is today?

Maguire insisted he was unaffected. "I heard a bit of a word there was a lot of money on the match but I'm there to play. I'm not there to listen to people who bet. That's up to them." And the 27-year-old who dubs himself the Merlin from Milton (that's the part of Glasgow he was brought up in), is now second favourite for the whole tournament at [8.4] behind the mercurial Ronnie O'Sullivan who is [2.38].

To go on and reach the final will take considerable powers of concentration and will be a big test of a player whose temperament sometimes can be inconsistent.

And don't forget that Robertson in any case is a genuine contender to cause an upset. The Australian is ranked in the top ten and won the Bahrain title earlier this year. He also believes he's benefitting from practising regularly with Joe Perry and looked to be finding some rhythm during his first round win over England's Michael Holt, even if he made hard work at times of the 9-7 victory.

Five things you might not know about Stephen Maguire

His grandparents knocked a wall out of their flat in Glasgow to make room for his first snooker table

From the age of 15 he travelled five times a week to practice with fellow Scot Stephen Hendry

He has a bitter feud with Shaun Murphy which goes back to when the Irishman insisted he be docked a frame for turning up late to a match in 2004 when he went back to get his chalk

His Mum wouldn't let him have a dog - but when he left to set up home with partner Sharon he got three baby sharks to keep in a huge glass fish tank

He and Sharon now have a baby boy - called Finn