Peter Lines has had a long and successful career in snooker. He was a finalist in the English Amateur Championship and reached the quarter-finals at the China Open in 1999. When he became a professional, 1991 was the year he began to enjoy success on professional circuit. He made it to the quarter-finals of both the Strachan Open, and Asian Open in 1990. 1998 was his first appearance in the televised World Championship stages.
While his career is mostly unremarkable, Lines' performance in the last few years of his career has been more than respectable. He made it to at least the quarter-finals of ranking events for the first times in his career. 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 in his 2011/12 year, he found himself under immense pressure. The pressure mounted as the season progressed, and he started to lose matches in his last four ranking events. At the end of the year, he was ranked just 57th on the European Tour. Fortunately for him, he secured a place on the tour for a further year, and he was also able to make it to the qualifiers of the World Championship.
He then went on to win two other major tournaments. 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.
In 2010, he won his first UK Championship. However, he was relegated back to the PTC events in the 2015/16 seasons. He continued to play in amateur tournaments as a result.
Lines' behavior during a match in China has been ruled inappropriate by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. A complaint was sent to the World Snooker Tour, who has launched a thorough investigation into his actions. There was a formal complaint filed by Xiao Guodong and the matter is expected to be referred directly to the World Snooker Tribunal.
The case was heard on December 16, and the WPBSA decided that Lines should be fined for the offence. However, there was an interesting aspect to the fine: he was found guilty of breaking two rules relating to player conduct.
The first rule required him to replace the white ball following a foul and miss. Professional players often temporarily suspend their cues when faced with this kind of situation. Lines' opponent, Brendan Moore, clashed with him over this issue. Both Lines and Brendan Moore claimed Lines was wrong, but Lines said he was right.
The World Snooker Tour on the other side claimed that Lines used "swear language and intimidation" during his match. Lines threatened to fight outside.