Peter Lines has been a long-standing player in snooker. He has appeared at the final of the English Amateur Championship, and in 1999 made it to the quarter-finals of the China Open. His professional success began in 1991 when he became a professional. He reached the quarter-finals at the Strachan Open and Asian Open in the 1990s. 1998 was the first year he reached the televised stages at the World Championship.
Lines' career is not remarkable, but his performance in the last few year of his career has been impressive. He reached the top 64 of Order of Merit for the first time in his professional career. He even reached the quarter-finals of an event ranking him. His most memorable season was his run at the German Masters. He reached the semi-finals, and even came within touching distance of winning.
After a promising start to his 2011/12 season, he suddenly found himself under pressure. The pressure mounted as the season progressed, and he started to lose matches in his last four ranking events. He was only ranked 57th on European Tour at the end of the season. He was able to qualify for the World Championship qualifiers and secured a spot on the European Tour for another year.
He was able to compete in two major tournaments, defeating Joe Perry and Ian McCulloch. He also won a qualifier at the Players Tour Championships series (PTC), but it was not enough for him to be in the main tour.
He won the UK Championship in 2010, but was relegated to the PTC events again after the 2015/16 season. He continued to play in amateur tournaments as a result.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has ruled that Lines' behaviour during a match in China was not appropriate. The World Snooker Tour has received a complaint about Lines' behavior during a match in China and has initiated an investigation. There was a formal complaint from Xiao Guodong's team, and it is expected that the matter will be referred to the World Snooker Tribunal.
The case was heard by the WPBSA on December 16th. Lines was fined for his offence. The fine had an interesting side: Lines was found guilty for violating two rules regarding player conduct.
His replacement of the white cue ball after a foul was called for in the first rule. This is not unusual for professional players. Brendan Moore was Lines' opponent. They argued over this matter. They both claimed that Lines had made an error, but Lines alleged that he was correct.
On the other hand, the World Snooker Tour said that he used "swear words and intimidation" during the match. Lines threatened, likewise, to fight outside.