Burnett will play at The Crucible for the first time since 1996

Jamie Burnett ensured he will remain in the snooker spotlight when he beat Fergal O'Brien 10-8 to reach the World Championship televised stages.

Burnett, 33, came back from 6-3 down to knock out Dubliner O'Brien to reach the event for the first time since 1996.

The Scot is likely to come under scrutiny at the event while officials investigate betting irregularities around a defeat by Stephen Maguire.

"I don't have anything to answer for. I haven't done anything," said Burnett.

The Hamilton player lost 9-3 to his friend Maguire in the first round of the UK Championship in December last year.

But bookmakers reported heavy betting on that exact scoreline and contacted World Snooker two days before the Burnett-Maguire match with their observations.

As far as I'm concerned, it was a snooker match which I lost - and that was it Jamie Burnett

The governing body is conducting an investigation but there is no indication if it will announce its findings before Burnett's first match at The Crucible since 1996.

"As far as the investigation is going, I don't have any comment to make," said Burnett, 45th in the world rankings.

"But it's hard not to think about it, because it's all everybody wants to talk about.

"It's the last thing I want to talk about.

"As far as I'm concerned, it was a snooker match which I lost - and that was it. As far as I'm concerned, that was the end of it," said Burnett after his match at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

"But (World Snooker) have got this investigation going.

"When I'm playing snooker I'm fine - I don't think about it at all because there's nothing to think about.

"As I said at the time, if they want to speak to me they know where I am. I've got nothing to hide, but it's down to them."

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