Jamie Burnett has hit back at allegations that he was involved in match-fixing this week.

The Scot has been left "feeling sick" by suspicions of a betting scandal involving his first round match with his friend and practice partner Stephen Maguire.

Bookmakers halted betting after substantial amounts of money were wagered on a 9-3 win - the final score - for favourite Maguire.

The WPBSA, the sport's governing body, have launched an official investigation, but Burnett, the world No.45 has insisted that he is innocent and will fight the claims which he believes are "damaging" his career.

"I've always played to win, anyone will tell you that," said Burnett. "I've never had any disciplinary problems in my career, I think the whole matter has been blown of proportion. Stephen's Maguire the world No.2, we're both playing on TV and we both want to win. These claims have really hurt both of us.

"I'm happy for them World Snooker to launch an investigation, I'll happily co-operate in any way I can. I'll sit down with them and tell them why I played every shot in the match.

"My character has been damaged and my career is being damaged and I'm not going to let that happen any more. If anyone accuses me of match-fixing I'll sue them.

"My reputation is on the line, but I play to win. I always have done. How can I control what people decide to bet on? It's got nothing to do with me."

Sir Rodney Walker, the WPBSA chairman, has refused to comment on the allegations, but a statement from the sport's governing body read: "As part of the investigation, information will be gathered from all pertinent parties, including the players themselves, the match officials, the bookmakers, and others, in order to determine, based on the available evidence, whether or not there is a case to answer for breach of the WPBSA's rules. If it is determined that there is a case to answer, the WPBSA will pursue it vigorously.

"Once a decision has been reached, the WPBSA will announce it. Until that time, it will not comment further on the matter, so as to avoid prejudice to the process or the people involved."

Meanwhile, on the table last night, Shaun Murphy, the former world champion, dispatched Stephen Lee last night to reach his first major semi-final for nearly nine months.

The 2005 Crucible winner thumped Wiltshire's Lee 9-3 to book his place in this year's BBC-televised Maplin UK Championship semis in Telford. However, the world No.3 admitted he found it hard to get across the winning line having established a 7-1 lead after the first session.

"I saw Stephen packing his car up with all his stuff ready to leave after the first session, so I knew he was going on all-out attack," said Murphy. "That's really hard to defend against because he's playing like he hasn't got a care in the world. But from 7-1 it was unlikely the result was going to go the other way."

The Rotherham player pocketed breaks of 70, 86, 65, 48, 51, 98 and 85 to progress. Murphy's last major semi-final was at the China Open in March.

Lee, the world No 26, admitted he found it difficult to concentrate because of painful toothache. "He looked strong, but I just wanted to get to the dentist," Lee said. "My tooth has been killing me all day, but I've only got myself to blame, I chucked the match away."