Record-breaking Thai snooker star nearing pro tour return after match-fixing ban

This year being held at the Kiatthada Billiards Snooker Club in the Thai capital city, the Asia-Oceania Q School provides amateur players from the region a direct pathway to next season’s World Snooker Tour professional circuit.

There will be two straight knockout tournaments taking place in Bangkok over the coming days - all matches are the best of seven frames - with the finalists from both events earning a two-year professional tour card.

Several cueists who have previously played on snooker’s top tier but have since been relegated are set to be competing, including Thirapongpaiboon, whose last match as a professional was against Mark Williams in German Masters qualifying at the end of 2015.

A few months after missing out on the Asian under-21 title via a deciding frame in the final, Thirapongpaiboon turned professional for the 2010/11 campaign.

During his rookie season, Thirapongpaiboon broke the world record for being the youngest-ever player to compile a maximum 147 break in professional competition, when aged 16 years and 312 days he completed the feat of green baize perfection at a Euro Tour event being held in Germany during a match against Barry Hawkins; an accolade he still holds today.

Back when only one-year tour cards were issued, Thirapongpaiboon fell off the pro circuit, but regained his stripes for the 2012/13 term after defeating Thai compatriot Noppon Saengkham in the final of the 2011 World Under-21 Snooker Championship that was held in Montreal, Canada.

With a career-high world ranking of 67, Thirapongpaiboon didn’t make a big impact on the professional snooker tour during his time on it, with last 32 outcomes at the 2011 German Masters and 2013 Indian Open representing his best results.

Over six years on from his last outing on the pro tour, Thirapongpaiboon attempted to requalify for the big time by entering the inaugural Asia-Oceania Q School edition in 2022.

The Thai ace won five matches - defeating fellow countryman Dechawat Poomjaeng at the final hurdle - to seemingly regain his professional tour card.

However, his place on the World Snooker Tour was blocked by the sport's governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association who cited "serious disciplinary matters from when Thanawat was previously a professional player in 2015".

Having previously had a match of his investigated during the 2013/14 season because of unusual betting patterns, in September 2022 the WPBSA charged Thirapongpaiboon for fixing six matches on the World Snooker Tour between 2013 to 2015.

Thirapongpaiboon - who admitted to the offences and cooperated with the investigation - was later found guilty of manipulating the outcome of those matches and banned until March 2025.

At the time, WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: "This case shows that if a player chooses to fix a match they will be caught, no matter how long after the event."

Following the expiration of his ban, Thirapongpaiboon entered last year's Q School but fell two wins short of a pro tour return.

Thirapongpaiboon is back giving Q School another go this year, and has made a strong start to his latest campaign, defeating India's Hrithik Jain, 4-1, in his opening assignment with breaks of 52 and 101.

Next up for the 32-year-old is a last 32 meeting with Pakistan's Qadeer Abbas Qadeer on Saturday.

Results from the 2026 Asia-Oceania Q School Event One can be viewed on snookerscores.net here.