SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — English snooker player Mark King was handed a five-year ban on Friday after being found guilty of match-fixing and providing inside information in the latest corruption scandal to blight the sport.
The punishment for the 50-year-old King, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2003, related to a match against Joe Perry at the Welsh Open played on Feb. 13 last year that was flagged following suspicious betting patterns.
King was suspended by snooker’s world governing body a month later and an independent disciplinary commission has ruled that he fixed the result of the match, while giving information to others about that match for betting purposes. He had denied the charges.
His ban ends after March 17, 2028, and King was also ordered to pay more than 68,000 pounds ($86,000) in costs.
King’s suspension comes after Chinese players Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were handed lifetime bans from snooker last year for their role in a match-fixing scandal involving eight more of their countrymen.
“I have known Mark King since he was very young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case,” said Jason Ferguson, a former player who is now chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. “However, the integrity of this sport will always be our No. 1 priority.”
King had also been charged with fixing the outcome of a match against John Higgins played on Dec. 13, 2022, and for providing inside information on it. Those charges were dismissed.
The governing body said Perry and Higgins were not accused of any misconduct related to the case.
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FILE- A Dec.2, 2019 file photo of snooker player Mark King issued on Friday Nov. 15, 2024. (Mike Egerton//PA via AP)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points, Pascal Siakam added 21 and the Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year with a 114-105 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday night, eliminating the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games.
Donovan Mitchell, who missed the second half of Sunday’s game due to a sprained left ankle, led Cleveland with 35 points. Evan Mobley added 24 points and 11 rebounds.
The fourth-seeded Pacers will now await the winner of the matchup between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. New York has a 3-1 advantage in the series with Game 5 on Wednesday night in Boston.
The Celtics swept the Pacers last year in the East finals.
Indiana rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first half and took control after halftime as it won all three games at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.
It is the first time since a 2005 first-round series against Boston that the Pacers won three road games in a playoff series.
The Cavs dropped three home games in a postseason series for the first time.
Cleveland stormed out to a 44-25 lead with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter before Indiana rallied.
The Pacers got within 56-52 at halftime and then shot 14 of 22 from the field in the third quarter — including four 3-pointers — to go up 85-76 going into the final 12 minutes.
Indiana seized control with a 17-2 run over a five-minute span in the third when Siakam had eight points and Haliburton five. That was part of a 29-8 spurt that saw the Pacers take a 12-point lead late in the third.
Cleveland was just 7 of 26 from the field in the quarter.
Mitchell’s 3-pointer got the Cavs within 106-103 with 1:27 remaining, but Indiana closed it out by scoring eight of the final 10 points.
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter, left, celebrates after hitting a three-point shot and drawing a foul on Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, right, during the second half in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, right, shoots as Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard defends during the second half in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter, right, shoots as Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam defends during the second half in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, shoots as Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith defends during the second half in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, left, celebrates along with forward Pascal Siakam after scoring during the second half in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
