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Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Encyclopedia
Shaun Murphy is an English professional snooker
player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue
action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian
.
Born in Harlow
, England, Murphy turned professional in 1998. His victory at the World Championship
was considered a major surprise as he was only the second qualifier to lift the title. His other ranking tournament victories came in the 2007 Malta Cup
, the 2008 UK Championship and the Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Finals
, while he reached a second World Championship final in 2009. He also has won seven non-ranking tournaments.
Murphy has won over £1 million in prize money and has compiled over 200 century breaks in his professional career. His highest world ranking
was number three, which he maintained for three seasons following 2007/2008
, and is currently ranked number five. Murphy also became engaged in a public rivalry with fellow player Stephen Maguire
, while his separation from his wife in 2008, after three years of marriage, made the headlines.
, England, Murphy began playing snooker
at the age of 8 after his parents bought him a snooker table for Christmas. He made his first century break
at the age of 10 and practised at the Rushden
Snooker Centre, where players such as Stephen Hendry
, Mark Williams
, and Ken Doherty
have also played. At the age of 13, he secured a five-year £5,000-a-year sponsorship deal with the Doc Martens
shoe company and stated his ambitions of winning the World Championship
and becoming world number one. He turned professional in 1998 at the age of 15.
Murphy was coached by Steve Prest
until the 2006/2007 season. Willie Thorne
and Ray Reardon
also gave him guidance, and when he was 15, he was given the latter's old cue
by his father.
(renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000), at the time the second-level professional tour. He was runner-up in the fourth event on the UK tour for the 1997/1998 season and, for the 2000/2001 season, won the third and fourth events on the Challenge Tour, topping the Order of Merit rankings. In 2000, he received the World Snooker Newcomer of the Year award and one of six Young Player of Distinction of the Year awards from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
. In 2000, he won the English Open Championship.
Murphy won his first professional tournament at the 2000 Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Mark Davis
by six to one (6–1) in the semi-final, and Stuart Bingham
9–7 in the final, recovering from 2–5 down. Although he was not yet on the first-level main tour, this victory brought qualification for the Masters
—a prestigious non-ranking invitation tournament with places for members of the top 16, the winner of the qualifying tournament, and a limited number of wildcards. In the 2001 tournament, he showed promise in his first televised match, defeating world number 15, Marco Fu
, and building a 4–1 lead over seven-time world champion Hendry, before losing the match. He made his only maximum break in the 2001 Benson & Hedges Championship.
, where he lost 4–10 to Hendry in the first round. In the 2002/2003 season
, he reached the final stages of the Scottish Open, where he was defeated 3–5 by Drew Henry
in the first round, and the World Championship, where he lost 9–10 against Doherty on the final black in the first round.
For the 2003/2004 season
, Murphy was ranked number 64
and qualified for the final stages of three ranking tournaments. In the LG Cup, Murphy defeated Steve Davis
5–4 in the second round, before losing 2–5 to John Higgins in third round. After the victory over Davis, Murphy said "This is one of the greatest days in my snooker career." In the British Open, he defeated Dave Harold
5–1 in the first round, before losing to Paul Hunter
2–5 in the second round. In the Players Championship—the new name of the Scottish Open—he lost 3–5 to eventual champion Jimmy White
in the second round. He failed to reach the World Championship, losing a qualifying match 7–10 against Stuart Pettman
, in which Pettman was docked a frame for arriving late.
For the 2004/2005 season
, Murphy was ranked number 48
and reached the final stages of four ranking events, including the World Championship victory. In the Grand Prix
—the new name of the LG Cup—he lost 2–5 to Stephen Maguire
in the first round. This was followed by his first ranking semi-final, at the British Open
, where he was whitewashed 0–6 by Higgins. In the Malta Cup, he lost 2–5 to Matthew Stevens
in the first round.
17–12 to reach the final to face Stevens, the world number six. He trailed Stevens 6–10 at the end of the first day (the World Championship final is played over two days), but made a comeback to bring the score to 16–16. He then made two frame-winning breaks to lift the title. His 11 century breaks were the most in that year's tournament.
Murphy's victory was considered a major surprise. His pre-tournament odds were 150–1, and before his win, he was considered an underachiever. He became only the second qualifier to win the World Championship (or to reach the final) after Terry Griffiths
in 1979. At the age of 22, Murphy was the second youngest player to win the World Championship, following Hendry who first lifted the title when he was 21. No previous world champion had played as many matches (seven) to lift the title, and he was the lowest ranked player, at number 48, to win the tournament. No player had won the World Championship as his first ranking event win since Joe Johnson
in 1986. His run in the tournament earned him the nickname "Magician" and the tournament doubled his previous career prize money, with which he purchased a Mercedes-Benz
and a house. After his win, in July 2005, he married his fiancee Clare.
, he improved his ranking to number 21
, which would not usually guarantee qualification for ranking events. However, as world champion he qualified automatically for every tournament in the season as the number two seed (and number one seed for the 2006 World Championship). He was invited to play in the Premier League Snooker
, a non-ranking tournament with a 25-a-second shot clock, but he went out in the round-robin stage.
In the inaugural, non-ranking Northern Ireland Trophy, he reached the quarter-finals before he was defeated 4–5 by Neil Robertson
. In the first three ranking events of the season—the Grand Prix
, the UK Championship, and the Malta Cup—he reached the last 16, losing final-frame matches to Bingham, Robertson, and Graeme Dott
, respectively. After his loss to Bingham, he complained about having to play his match on an outside table, given his world champion status. In the revival of Pot Black, a single-frame knockout tournament not staged since 1991, Murphy was defeated in the final by Stevens. He was awarded Sportsman Of The Year at the BBC East Midlands
Sports Awards in December 2005.
In the Masters, Murphy lost 4–6 to Higgins in the quarter-finals, but reached his second ranking final in the Welsh Open, losing 4–9 to Stephen Lee
. In the World Championship, he reached the quarter-finals, but fell victim to the "Crucible Curse
"—no first-time champion has successfully defended the title at the Crucible Theatre— when he was defeated 7–13 by Ebdon.
, Murphy moved to number five
in the world rankings, entering the elite top 16 for the first time, and thereby automatically qualifying for the final stages of ranking tournaments and receiving an automatic invitation to the Masters.
In the Northern Ireland Trophy
(a ranking event in this season), he lost 4–5 to Lee in the quarter-finals, and in the UK Championship, he lost 3–9 to Alan McManus
in the second round. A 3–6 defeat by Stephen Hendry in the quarter-finals of the Masters was followed by his second ranking title, when he defeated Ryan Day
9–4 in the final of the Malta Cup
. After the victory, he said it was a relief to get rid of the one-hit wonder label. In his next match, a victory over Jamie Cope
in the Welsh Open, he scored centuries in four consecutive frames, becoming only the second player to do this (after Higgins in the 2005 Grand Prix
final) and the only person to do so in a best-of-nine match. He went on to lose 3–5 to Maguire in the quarter-finals. In the World Championship, Murphy defeated Stevens 13–12 in the quarter-finals—recovering from 5–11 down and knocking the latter out of the top 16—before losing 16–17 against Mark Selby
in the semi-finals.
, he was ranked number three
, his highest ever ranking, and reached at least the semi-finals of five ranking events, without winning any.
In the inaugural Shanghai Masters
, he was defeated 2–5 by Ian McCulloch
in the first round. He reached the final of the Pot Black, where he was defeated by Doherty. In the Grand Prix, he reached the semi-finals, where he lost 5–6 against Ronnie O'Sullivan
, despite leading 5–2. Further semi-finals followed at the Northern Ireland Trophy and the UK Championship, where he was defeated on both occasions by Maguire, 5–6 and 5–9, respectively, making it three consecutive semi-final losses. Before the UK Championship, he was provisionally ranked number one. He successfully defended his Malta Cup title (that year the tournament was not a ranking event) with a 9–3 victory over Doherty in the final. In the China Open, he defeated Selby 6–3 in the semi-final—his sixth semi-final in the past seven ranking events—but lost 9–10 to Maguire in the final. Before the World Championship, he was again provisional number one.
In the World Championship, as one of the favourites, he reached the second round, before losing 4–13 to Ali Carter
. After his loss, Murphy criticised the state of the tables.
for the 2008/2009 season. He won the non-ranking Paul Hunter Classic
, defeating Selby 4–0 in the final, but lost in the first round of the first four ranking tournaments, including a 4–5 defeat by world number 47 Mike Dunn in the Bahrain Championship
. In October, Murphy and his wife separated, after three years of marriage; he did not wear his wedding ring in the Grand Prix.
Despite the four consecutive first-round losses—which had been attributed to the split from his wife—Murphy claimed his third ranking title at the UK Championship, defeating Fu 10–9 in a low-quality final, in which he fluked a pink in the deciding frame that was effectively match ball. The victory meant he joined Davis, Alex Higgins
, Griffiths, John Parrott
, Hendry, O'Sullivan, Williams, John Higgins and Ebdon as the tenth player to have won both the World title and the UK title, cementing his place as one of the elite top players in the world.
In the World Championship, there were concerns that Murphy's estranged wife would serve him divorce papers during play of his first-round match against Andrew Higginson
. He defeated Higginson 10–8 without incident, although his wife's parents were present in the arena and were asked to leave. He went on to defeat Fu 13–3, Hendry 13–11, and Robertson 17–14 to earn a place in his second world final, with two-time world champion Higgins as the opponent. In the final, he trailed 5–11 after the first day, and was beaten 18–9 by Higgins. On the first day of the final, a newspaper published a "kiss and tell" story involving Murphy.
for a third year in the 2009/2010 season
. He successfully defended his Paul Hunter Classic
title, defeating White 4–0 in the final. He won the Premier League Snooker
with a 7–3 win against O'Sullivan in the final, ending the latter's run of five consecutive wins in the tournament.
He reached the semi-finals of the first ranking tournament, the Shanghai Masters, before losing 5–6 against Liang Wenbo
. This would be his only run to the semi-finals or better in a ranking tournament that season. In the UK Championship, as the defending champion, he lost 5–9 to eventual winner Ding Junhui
in the second round. After the match, Murphy complained about Ding leaving the arena too often after frames, saying "I can't believe anyone needs to go to the toilet after every single frame." He reached the quarter-finals of the Masters, where he lost 4–6 against Williams. In the Welsh Open and the China Open, he lost his first-round matches to Stevens and Nigel Bond
, respectively. In the World Championship, he defeated Gerard Greene
and Ding, but lost 12–13 against Carter in the quarter-finals, despite leading 8–4. This was the first season in which he did not reach a final or better of a ranking tournament since the 2003/2004 season.
for the 2010/2011 season
. He won the Wuxi Classic
, a non-ranking tournament held in China, defeating Ding 9–8, having recovered from 2–8 down. Murphy reached the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic
, now part of the Players Tour Championship
minor-ranking series, but lost 2–4 against eventual winner Judd Trump
. Murphy won the Brugge Open
, the second European event of the Players Tour Championship, with defeating Matthew Couch
4–2 in the final. He reached the final of the Ruhr Championship
, but lost 2–4 against John Higgins. Murphy finished 1st on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit. Murphy failed to defend his Premier League Snooker
title, as he lost 1–7 against Ronnie O'Sullivan
in the final. He than reached the semi-finals of the 2010 UK Championship
, where he lost to eventuel runner-up Mark Williams
8–9.
Murphy lost in the first round of the Masters
3–6 against Jamie Cope
, in the second round of the German Masters
2–5 against Joe Swail
and in the first round of the Welsh Open
0–4 against Matthew Stevens
. Murphy then won the finals
of the Players Tour Championship
with a 4–0 victory over Martin Gould
, winning his fourth ranking title. The next week Murphy also reached the final of the Championship League
, but lost 1–3 against Matthew Stevens
. Murphy reached the semi-final of the China Open
, where he lost 1–6 against Judd Trump
. Murphy's last tournament of the season was the World Championship
, where he lost in the second round 10–13 against O'Sullivan.
ranked number seven
. He couldn't defend his Wuxi Classic
title, as he lost 3–6 against Ali Carter
. Murphy reached the semi-finals of the Australian Goldfields Open
, but lost 2–6 against eventual champion Stuart Bingham
. At the Shanghai Masters
Murphy reached the quarter-finals, but lost 4–5 against Mark Selby
. Murphy's next tournament was the Brazil Masters
, where he defeated Graeme Dott
5–0 in the final.
, another of the 2000 Young Players of Distinction, on several occasions. During their 2004 Grand Prix
match, Murphy was instrumental in Maguire forfeiting a frame. As the match was about to begin and after they had shaken hands, Maguire realised he had forgotten to bring his with him and asked referee Johan Oomen for permission to leave the arena. While Maguire was away, Murphy spoke to the referee; the tournament director Mike Ganley was summoned and he docked Maguire a frame for technically not being ready to start at the scheduled time—an incident which angered and surprised Maguire. Maguire won the match 5–2 and later commented: "Rules are rules but I've never heard of anything like that happening before". Further incidents came in subsequent years. During the 2006 World Championship, Maguire said "I don't want to be a fat world champion", a reference to Murphy. After beating Murphy in the 2007 Welsh Open, Maguire said of the chalk incident, "That put the icing on the cake, but we've always had a rivalry. I dislike him and I think he dislikes me. I try hard to beat everyone, but it would have hurt more if I'd lost to him."
Murphy has been outspoken on several other of his rivals, criticising them for having too many toilet breaks and complaining about table conditions, among other things. His harshest criticism has been reserved for Ronnie O'Sullivan
, highlighting what he perceives to be O'Sullivan's lack of professionalism, and suggesting that his popularity in the game is not deserved. Murphy's forthright manner has made him unpopular with some of the other professional players.
that Murphy has improved his tactical game since his World Championship victory. He has compiled more than 190 century breaks and has made one maximum break. His career earnings amount to £1,052,845 (up to the end of the 2008/2009 season).
and grew up in Irthlingborough
. He moved to Rotherham
during the 2003/2004 season to be with his fiancee, and has lived in Sale
since the separation. Homeschooled from age 13 after being bullied at school, Murphy's parents split up when he was 14. He lived with his father Tony, a former professional golfer, and did not see his mother again until he was 19. During the 2007 World Championship, it was reported that he had developed a rift with his father who was a member of the World Snooker
board. He said that they had not spoken in over a year, but that he would willingly speak to his father again if he was called.
Murphy has been a devout Christian
since the age of 17, after meeting a religious family on holiday. He prays in his dressing room before every match, once said "I believe I was put here to play snooker well", and donates one-tenth of his income to the church. He is known for his confidence, dedication, and well-spoken demeanor.
Murphy married fiancee Clare, whom he met on an online Christian chatroom, in July 2005. They spent some of the summer of 2005 doing aid work in Zimbabwe. The pair separated in October 2008. In an article in The People
newspaper, Abigayle Tadeo, an escort girl and an old friend of Murphy's whom he had met at a religious youth group, claimed that the two had had sex in a hotel room in November 2008.
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Born in Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
, England, Murphy turned professional in 1998. His victory at the World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
was considered a major surprise as he was only the second qualifier to lift the title. His other ranking tournament victories came in the 2007 Malta Cup
2007 Malta Cup
-Final:-Qualifying:Qualifying for the tournament took place in Pontin's Prestatyn, Wales between 31 October and 3 November 2006.-Qualifying stages centuries:* 138 Mark Allen* 134, 100 Mark Davis* 131 Alfie Burden* 129 Mark King* 124, 102 Liang Wenbo...
, the 2008 UK Championship and the Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Finals
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Finals
-Final:-Century breaks:* 143, 111 Mark Williams* 133 Anthony Hamilton* 128 Andrew Higginson* 126 Marcus Campbell* 116 Shaun Murphy* 113 Judd Trump* 110, 102 Michael Holt* 106, 100 Martin Gould* 103, 100 Stephen Lee...
, while he reached a second World Championship final in 2009. He also has won seven non-ranking tournaments.
Murphy has won over £1 million in prize money and has compiled over 200 century breaks in his professional career. His highest world ranking
Snooker world rankings
The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...
was number three, which he maintained for three seasons following 2007/2008
Snooker season 2007/2008
The Snooker Season 2007/2008 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2007 and 2008. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events...
, and is currently ranked number five. Murphy also became engaged in a public rivalry with fellow player Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
, while his separation from his wife in 2008, after three years of marriage, made the headlines.
Career
Born in HarlowHarlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
, England, Murphy began playing snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
at the age of 8 after his parents bought him a snooker table for Christmas. He made his first century break
Century break
In snooker a century break refers to scoring 100 points or more within one at the table, without missing a shot. The player does this by potting and alternately. Scoring 100 points over the course of a whole frame is not a century, as it must be done during one turn at the table...
at the age of 10 and practised at the Rushden
Rushden
Rushden is a town and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England.The parish of Rushden covers an area of some and is part of the district of East Northamptonshire. The population of Rushden was estimated at around 28,368, making it the fifth largest town in the county...
Snooker Centre, where players such as Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
, Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
, and Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
have also played. At the age of 13, he secured a five-year £5,000-a-year sponsorship deal with the Doc Martens
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs...
shoe company and stated his ambitions of winning the World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
and becoming world number one. He turned professional in 1998 at the age of 15.
Murphy was coached by Steve Prest
Steve Prest
-Playing career:Prest competed on the professional snooker circuit in the 1990s before turning to full-time coaching.-Coaching career:He worked with youngsters in his native Yorkshire and was an accredited World Snooker coach....
until the 2006/2007 season. Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
and Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
also gave him guidance, and when he was 15, he was given the latter's old cue
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
by his father.
Early career
Murphy began his career on the UK TourChallenge Tour (snooker)
The Challenge Tour was a series of professional snooker tournaments that ran from the 1997/1998 season until the 2004/2005 season. The tour was immediately below the level of the WPBSA Main Tour...
(renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000), at the time the second-level professional tour. He was runner-up in the fourth event on the UK tour for the 1997/1998 season and, for the 2000/2001 season, won the third and fourth events on the Challenge Tour, topping the Order of Merit rankings. In 2000, he received the World Snooker Newcomer of the Year award and one of six Young Player of Distinction of the Year awards from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, often abbreviated to the WPBSA, founded in 1968 and based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards...
. In 2000, he won the English Open Championship.
Murphy won his first professional tournament at the 2000 Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Mark Davis
Mark Davis (snooker player)
Mark Davis is an English professional snooker player from St. Leonards in Sussex, England. The highlights of his career so far have been winning the Benson & Hedges Championship in 2002 – earning him an appearance at the Masters – and winning the 2009 Six-red World Championship.- Career :Davis...
by six to one (6–1) in the semi-final, and Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham is an English professional snooker player. He was the 1996 English Amateur and World Amateur champion, but for many years was something of a journeyman professional. He had a run of strong results in late 2005, to earn him a top 32 world rankings place he has yet to lose...
9–7 in the final, recovering from 2–5 down. Although he was not yet on the first-level main tour, this victory brought qualification for the Masters
Masters (snooker)
The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...
—a prestigious non-ranking invitation tournament with places for members of the top 16, the winner of the qualifying tournament, and a limited number of wildcards. In the 2001 tournament, he showed promise in his first televised match, defeating world number 15, Marco Fu
Marco Fu
Marco Fu Ka-chun , commonly known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker player from Hong Kong. He currently resides in Happy Valley. He is best known for winning the 2007 Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, and for being runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship...
, and building a 4–1 lead over seven-time world champion Hendry, before losing the match. He made his only maximum break in the 2001 Benson & Hedges Championship.
Early ranking results
Murphy first reached the final stages of a ranking event at the 2002 World Championship, hosted at the Crucible TheatreCrucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, where he lost 4–10 to Hendry in the first round. In the 2002/2003 season
Snooker season 2002/2003
The snooker season 2002/2003 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2002 and 2003. This was the final season to have tobacco sponsored events to a legal ban apart from Embassy which would continue to sponsor the World Championship for another two years...
, he reached the final stages of the Scottish Open, where he was defeated 3–5 by Drew Henry
Drew Henry
Drew Henry is a former Scottish professional snooker player, who spent five seasons in the top 32 in the rankings in his career, peaking at #18.-Career:...
in the first round, and the World Championship, where he lost 9–10 against Doherty on the final black in the first round.
For the 2003/2004 season
Snooker season 2003/2004
The snooker season 2003/2004 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2003 and 2004. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, Murphy was ranked number 64
Snooker world rankings 2003/2004
Snooker world rankings 2003/2004: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2003/2004 season are listed below.-References:...
and qualified for the final stages of three ranking tournaments. In the LG Cup, Murphy defeated Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
5–4 in the second round, before losing 2–5 to John Higgins in third round. After the victory over Davis, Murphy said "This is one of the greatest days in my snooker career." In the British Open, he defeated Dave Harold
Dave Harold
David 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"...
5–1 in the first round, before losing to Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter
Paul Alan Hunter was an English professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the "Beckham of the Baize" because of his good looks and flamboyant style....
2–5 in the second round. In the Players Championship—the new name of the Scottish Open—he lost 3–5 to eventual champion Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
in the second round. He failed to reach the World Championship, losing a qualifying match 7–10 against Stuart Pettman
Stuart Pettman
Stuart Pettman is an English professional snooker player. The ginger-haired Preston native has qualified for the World Championship three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2010. He beat 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in qualifying to reach the 2004 World Championships...
, in which Pettman was docked a frame for arriving late.
For the 2004/2005 season
Snooker season 2004/2005
The snooker season 2004/2005 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2004 and 2005. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, Murphy was ranked number 48
Snooker world rankings 2004/2005
Snooker world rankings 2004/2005: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2004/2005 season are listed below. This was Chris Small's only top 16 season, and Paul Hunter's only appearance in the top 4.-References:...
and reached the final stages of four ranking events, including the World Championship victory. In the Grand Prix
2004 Grand Prix (snooker)
The 2004 Totesport Grand Prix was the 2004 edition of the Grand Prix snooker tournament, held from 2 to 10 October 2004 at the Guild Hall, Preston, England. World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan won the tournament, defeating Ian McCulloch by nine frames to five in the final. In the semi-finals,...
—the new name of the LG Cup—he lost 2–5 to Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
in the first round. This was followed by his first ranking semi-final, at the British Open
2004 British Open (snooker)
The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since...
, where he was whitewashed 0–6 by Higgins. In the Malta Cup, he lost 2–5 to Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
in the first round.
2005 World Championship
Murphy won two qualifying matches to qualify for the 2005 World Championship. He defeated former world champions Higgins 13–8, Davis 13–4, and Peter EbdonPeter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
17–12 to reach the final to face Stevens, the world number six. He trailed Stevens 6–10 at the end of the first day (the World Championship final is played over two days), but made a comeback to bring the score to 16–16. He then made two frame-winning breaks to lift the title. His 11 century breaks were the most in that year's tournament.
Murphy's victory was considered a major surprise. His pre-tournament odds were 150–1, and before his win, he was considered an underachiever. He became only the second qualifier to win the World Championship (or to reach the final) after Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
in 1979. At the age of 22, Murphy was the second youngest player to win the World Championship, following Hendry who first lifted the title when he was 21. No previous world champion had played as many matches (seven) to lift the title, and he was the lowest ranked player, at number 48, to win the tournament. No player had won the World Championship as his first ranking event win since Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson (snooker player)
Joe Johnson is an English former professional snooker player. He is best known as the surprise winner of the 1986 World Championship.- Career :...
in 1986. His run in the tournament earned him the nickname "Magician" and the tournament doubled his previous career prize money, with which he purchased a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
and a house. After his win, in July 2005, he married his fiancee Clare.
2005/2006
For the new seasonSnooker season 2005/2006
The snooker season 2005/06 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2005 and 2006. The following table outlines the results and dates for the ranking and major invitational events that took place.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, he improved his ranking to number 21
Snooker world rankings 2005/2006
Snooker world rankings 2005/2006: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2005/2006 season are listed below.-Note:...
, which would not usually guarantee qualification for ranking events. However, as world champion he qualified automatically for every tournament in the season as the number two seed (and number one seed for the 2006 World Championship). He was invited to play in the Premier League Snooker
2005 Premier League Snooker (2005/06)
* –0, 105–1, –72 , 0–103 , 50–75, 122–0, –0, –0** 43–88, 98–36, 62–21, 67–26, 97–0, 13–, 76–0*** –6, 62–60, 73–29, 88–0, 65–41, 65–51-Century breaks:...
, a non-ranking tournament with a 25-a-second shot clock, but he went out in the round-robin stage.
In the inaugural, non-ranking Northern Ireland Trophy, he reached the quarter-finals before he was defeated 4–5 by Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson (snooker player)
Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player and the 2010 World Champion and World #4...
. In the first three ranking events of the season—the Grand Prix
2005 Grand Prix (snooker)
The 2005 Grand Prix professional ranking snooker tournament was held between 8 and 16 October 2005, at the Guild Hall, Preston, England.John Higgins won in the final 9-2 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the final, Higgins set two records...
, the UK Championship, and the Malta Cup—he reached the last 16, losing final-frame matches to Bingham, Robertson, and Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
, respectively. After his loss to Bingham, he complained about having to play his match on an outside table, given his world champion status. In the revival of Pot Black, a single-frame knockout tournament not staged since 1991, Murphy was defeated in the final by Stevens. He was awarded Sportsman Of The Year at the BBC East Midlands
BBC East Midlands
BBC East Midlands is the BBC English Region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire, south Nottinghamshire, South Kesteven and Rutland.-Television:...
Sports Awards in December 2005.
In the Masters, Murphy lost 4–6 to Higgins in the quarter-finals, but reached his second ranking final in the Welsh Open, losing 4–9 to Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
. In the World Championship, he reached the quarter-finals, but fell victim to the "Crucible Curse
Crucible Curse
The "Crucible curse" refers to the fact that no first-time snooker world champion has retained his title the following year since the event moved to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1977...
"—no first-time champion has successfully defended the title at the Crucible Theatre— when he was defeated 7–13 by Ebdon.
2006/2007
For the next seasonSnooker season 2006/2007
The snooker season 2006/2007 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2006 and 2007. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, Murphy moved to number five
Snooker world rankings 2006/2007
Snooker world rankings 2006/2007: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2006/2007 season are listed below.-Notes:...
in the world rankings, entering the elite top 16 for the first time, and thereby automatically qualifying for the final stages of ranking tournaments and receiving an automatic invitation to the Masters.
In the Northern Ireland Trophy
2006 Northern Ireland Trophy
The 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy was the 2006 edition of the Northern Ireland Trophy snooker tournament, held from 13 to 20 August 2006, at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ding Junhui defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan by nine to six in the final to lift his third ranking title whilst...
(a ranking event in this season), he lost 4–5 to Lee in the quarter-finals, and in the UK Championship, he lost 3–9 to Alan McManus
Alan McManus
Alan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
in the second round. A 3–6 defeat by Stephen Hendry in the quarter-finals of the Masters was followed by his second ranking title, when he defeated Ryan Day
Ryan Day
-External links:* * *...
9–4 in the final of the Malta Cup
2007 Malta Cup
-Final:-Qualifying:Qualifying for the tournament took place in Pontin's Prestatyn, Wales between 31 October and 3 November 2006.-Qualifying stages centuries:* 138 Mark Allen* 134, 100 Mark Davis* 131 Alfie Burden* 129 Mark King* 124, 102 Liang Wenbo...
. After the victory, he said it was a relief to get rid of the one-hit wonder label. In his next match, a victory over Jamie Cope
Jamie Cope
-External links:***...
in the Welsh Open, he scored centuries in four consecutive frames, becoming only the second player to do this (after Higgins in the 2005 Grand Prix
2005 Grand Prix (snooker)
The 2005 Grand Prix professional ranking snooker tournament was held between 8 and 16 October 2005, at the Guild Hall, Preston, England.John Higgins won in the final 9-2 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the final, Higgins set two records...
final) and the only person to do so in a best-of-nine match. He went on to lose 3–5 to Maguire in the quarter-finals. In the World Championship, Murphy defeated Stevens 13–12 in the quarter-finals—recovering from 5–11 down and knocking the latter out of the top 16—before losing 16–17 against Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
in the semi-finals.
2007/2008
For the 2007/2008 seasonSnooker season 2007/2008
The Snooker Season 2007/2008 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2007 and 2008. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events...
, he was ranked number three
Snooker world rankings 2007/2008
Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The professional world rankings for the top 75 snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below...
, his highest ever ranking, and reached at least the semi-finals of five ranking events, without winning any.
In the inaugural Shanghai Masters
2007 Shanghai Masters
The 2007 Shanghai Masters was the inaugural event of the Shanghai Masters tournament and the first ranking event of the season. It took place between 6–12 August 2007 at the Shanghai Grand Stage.Dominic Dale won in the final 10–6 against Ryan Day....
, he was defeated 2–5 by Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (snooker player)
-External links:**...
in the first round. He reached the final of the Pot Black, where he was defeated by Doherty. In the Grand Prix, he reached the semi-finals, where he lost 5–6 against Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
, despite leading 5–2. Further semi-finals followed at the Northern Ireland Trophy and the UK Championship, where he was defeated on both occasions by Maguire, 5–6 and 5–9, respectively, making it three consecutive semi-final losses. Before the UK Championship, he was provisionally ranked number one. He successfully defended his Malta Cup title (that year the tournament was not a ranking event) with a 9–3 victory over Doherty in the final. In the China Open, he defeated Selby 6–3 in the semi-final—his sixth semi-final in the past seven ranking events—but lost 9–10 to Maguire in the final. Before the World Championship, he was again provisional number one.
In the World Championship, as one of the favourites, he reached the second round, before losing 4–13 to Ali Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...
. After his loss, Murphy criticised the state of the tables.
2008/2009
Murphy maintained his number three rankingSnooker world rankings 2008/2009
Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 were used to determine the rankings for the season 2008/2009.- Ranking points :...
for the 2008/2009 season. He won the non-ranking Paul Hunter Classic
Paul Hunter Classic
The Paul Hunter Classic is a pro-am minor-ranking snooker tournament. From 2010 it is part of the Players Tour Championship, and is the first of the tour events to take place in mainland Europe.-History:...
, defeating Selby 4–0 in the final, but lost in the first round of the first four ranking tournaments, including a 4–5 defeat by world number 47 Mike Dunn in the Bahrain Championship
2008 Bahrain Championship
The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain...
. In October, Murphy and his wife separated, after three years of marriage; he did not wear his wedding ring in the Grand Prix.
Despite the four consecutive first-round losses—which had been attributed to the split from his wife—Murphy claimed his third ranking title at the UK Championship, defeating Fu 10–9 in a low-quality final, in which he fluked a pink in the deciding frame that was effectively match ball. The victory meant he joined Davis, Alex Higgins
Alex Higgins
Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
, Griffiths, John Parrott
John Parrott
John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
, Hendry, O'Sullivan, Williams, John Higgins and Ebdon as the tenth player to have won both the World title and the UK title, cementing his place as one of the elite top players in the world.
In the World Championship, there were concerns that Murphy's estranged wife would serve him divorce papers during play of his first-round match against Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson is an English professional snooker player, currently living in Widnes. He is best known for reaching the final of the 2007 Welsh Open as a virtual unknown...
. He defeated Higginson 10–8 without incident, although his wife's parents were present in the arena and were asked to leave. He went on to defeat Fu 13–3, Hendry 13–11, and Robertson 17–14 to earn a place in his second world final, with two-time world champion Higgins as the opponent. In the final, he trailed 5–11 after the first day, and was beaten 18–9 by Higgins. On the first day of the final, a newspaper published a "kiss and tell" story involving Murphy.
2009/2010
Murphy maintained his number three rankingSnooker world rankings 2009/2010
Snooker world ranking points 2008/2009: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2008/2009 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 were used to determine the ranking for the season 2009/2010.- Ranking points :...
for a third year in the 2009/2010 season
Snooker season 2009/2010
The snooker season 2009/10 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2009 and 2010. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :- Official rankings :...
. He successfully defended his Paul Hunter Classic
Paul Hunter Classic
The Paul Hunter Classic is a pro-am minor-ranking snooker tournament. From 2010 it is part of the Players Tour Championship, and is the first of the tour events to take place in mainland Europe.-History:...
title, defeating White 4–0 in the final. He won the Premier League Snooker
2009 Premier League Snooker
The 2009 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker professional non-ranking snooker tournament was played from 3 September to 29 November 2009.Shaun Murphy won in the final 7–3 against defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.- Prize fund :Winner: £30,000...
with a 7–3 win against O'Sullivan in the final, ending the latter's run of five consecutive wins in the tournament.
He reached the semi-finals of the first ranking tournament, the Shanghai Masters, before losing 5–6 against Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...
. This would be his only run to the semi-finals or better in a ranking tournament that season. In the UK Championship, as the defending champion, he lost 5–9 to eventual winner Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
in the second round. After the match, Murphy complained about Ding leaving the arena too often after frames, saying "I can't believe anyone needs to go to the toilet after every single frame." He reached the quarter-finals of the Masters, where he lost 4–6 against Williams. In the Welsh Open and the China Open, he lost his first-round matches to Stevens and Nigel Bond
Nigel Bond
-External links:*...
, respectively. In the World Championship, he defeated Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene is a left-handed Northern Irish professional snooker player, who has represented Northern Ireland in international events , as his parents are from Belfast. He lives in Rainham in Kent...
and Ding, but lost 12–13 against Carter in the quarter-finals, despite leading 8–4. This was the first season in which he did not reach a final or better of a ranking tournament since the 2003/2004 season.
2010/2011
After three seasons ranked number three, he dropped to number sevenSnooker world rankings 2010/2011
Snooker world rankings 2010/2011: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2010/2011 season are listed below. The rankings worked as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago were removed, when the corresponding...
for the 2010/2011 season
Snooker season 2010/2011
The 2010/11 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2010 and 2011. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:...
. He won the Wuxi Classic
2010 Wuxi Classic
-Final:-Century breaks:* 134, 131 Marco Fu* 129 Mark Selby* 125, 113, 101, 100 Shaun Murphy* 108 Ding Junhui...
, a non-ranking tournament held in China, defeating Ding 9–8, having recovered from 2–8 down. Murphy reached the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic
Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 1
The Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 1 minor-ranking snooker tournament took place between 26–29 August 2010 in Fürth, Germany....
, now part of the Players Tour Championship
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011
The Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 started on 24 June 2010 and ended on 20 March 2011 with events held in Sheffield and Europe. The televised finals took place between the top 24 Order of Merit players, who have played at least 6 events ....
minor-ranking series, but lost 2–4 against eventual winner Judd Trump
Judd Trump
Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player from Bristol. He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005. On 3 April 2011, Trump won his first ranking title, beating Mark Selby 10–8 in the final of the China Open...
. Murphy won the Brugge Open
Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2
The Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2 minor-ranking snooker tournament took place between 30 September–3 October 2010 at the Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges, Belgium....
, the second European event of the Players Tour Championship, with defeating Matthew Couch
Matthew Couch
Matthew Couch is an English professional snooker player from Scunthorpe. A professional since 1992, Couch has had little success in ranking events, although he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship in 1998, and his highest break is 141 from 2002.He returned to the Main Tour for the...
4–2 in the final. He reached the final of the Ruhr Championship
Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 5
-Section 2:-Section 3:-Section 4:-Section 5:-Section 6:-Section 7:-Section 8:-Finals:-External links:**...
, but lost 2–4 against John Higgins. Murphy finished 1st on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit. Murphy failed to defend his Premier League Snooker
2010 Premier League Snooker
The 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker professional non-ranking snooker tournament was played from 2 September to 28 November 2010.Shaun Murphy was the defending champion, but Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated him 7–1 in the final.- Prize fund :...
title, as he lost 1–7 against Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
in the final. He than reached the semi-finals of the 2010 UK Championship
2010 UK Championship (snooker)
The 2010 12BET.com UK Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 4–12 December 2010 at the Telford International Centre, Telford, England.Ding Junhui was the defending champion, but he lost 8–9 against Mark Allen in the last 16....
, where he lost to eventuel runner-up Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
8–9.
Murphy lost in the first round of the Masters
2011 Masters (snooker)
The 2011 Ladbrokes Mobile Masters professional non-ranking snooker tournament was held between 9–16 January 2011 at the Wembley Arena, London, England...
3–6 against Jamie Cope
Jamie Cope
-External links:***...
, in the second round of the German Masters
2011 German Masters
The 2011 German Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 2–6 February at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.The event was last held in 1998, but it was non-ranking...
2–5 against Joe Swail
Joe Swail
-External links:*...
and in the first round of the Welsh Open
2011 Welsh Open (snooker)
The 2011 Wyldecrest Park Homes Welsh Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 14–20 February 2011 in the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales. This was the first time that the Welsh Open was sponsored by Wyldecrest Park Homes....
0–4 against Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
. Murphy then won the finals
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Finals
-Final:-Century breaks:* 143, 111 Mark Williams* 133 Anthony Hamilton* 128 Andrew Higginson* 126 Marcus Campbell* 116 Shaun Murphy* 113 Judd Trump* 110, 102 Michael Holt* 106, 100 Martin Gould* 103, 100 Stephen Lee...
of the Players Tour Championship
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Finals
-Final:-Century breaks:* 143, 111 Mark Williams* 133 Anthony Hamilton* 128 Andrew Higginson* 126 Marcus Campbell* 116 Shaun Murphy* 113 Judd Trump* 110, 102 Michael Holt* 106, 100 Martin Gould* 103, 100 Stephen Lee...
with a 4–0 victory over Martin Gould
Martin Gould
Martin Gould is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He practises at the Whetstone Snooker Club. He works part-time as a debt collector, where he picked up his nickname "Solid Gould"....
, winning his fourth ranking title. The next week Murphy also reached the final of the Championship League
2011 Championship League
-Group two:Group two matches were played on 5 and 6 January 2011. Mark Williams was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 1–3 John Higgins*Mark Williams 3–0 Shaun Murphy*Neil Robertson 0–3 Ronnie O'Sullivan...
, but lost 1–3 against Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
. Murphy reached the semi-final of the China Open
2011 China Open (snooker)
The 2011 Bank of Beijing China Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 28 March and 3 April 2011 at the Beijing University Students Gymnasium, Beijing, China....
, where he lost 1–6 against Judd Trump
Judd Trump
Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player from Bristol. He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005. On 3 April 2011, Trump won his first ranking title, beating Mark Selby 10–8 in the final of the China Open...
. Murphy's last tournament of the season was the World Championship
2011 World Snooker Championship
The 2011 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 16 April and 2 May 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 74th edition of the event and was the last ranking event of the 2010/2011 snooker season...
, where he lost in the second round 10–13 against O'Sullivan.
2011/2012
Murphy began the 2011/2012 seasonSnooker season 2011/2012
The 2011/12 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2011 and 2012. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:...
ranked number seven
Snooker world rankings 2011/2012
Snooker world rankings 2011/2012: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2011/2012 season are listed below. The rankings work as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago will be removed, when the corresponding...
. He couldn't defend his Wuxi Classic
2011 Wuxi Classic
-Final:-Century breaks:* 137 Ding Junhui* 134, 100 Mark Selby* 124, 107 Stephen Maguire* 113, 107 Peter Ebdon* 102 Shaun Murphy* 101 Ali Carter...
title, as he lost 3–6 against Ali Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...
. Murphy reached the semi-finals of the Australian Goldfields Open
2011 Australian Goldfields Open
-Final:-Qualifying:These matches took place between 26 and 30 June 2011 at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England. David Gilbert was the only player to go through all four rounds of qualifying to make it to the main stage.-Preliminary round:...
, but lost 2–6 against eventual champion Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham is an English professional snooker player. He was the 1996 English Amateur and World Amateur champion, but for many years was something of a journeyman professional. He had a run of strong results in late 2005, to earn him a top 32 world rankings place he has yet to lose...
. At the Shanghai Masters
2011 Shanghai Masters
The 2011 Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 5–11 September 2011 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China...
Murphy reached the quarter-finals, but lost 4–5 against Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
. Murphy's next tournament was the Brazil Masters
2011 Brazil Masters
The 2011 Brazil Masters professional non-ranking snooker tournament took place between 15–18 September 2011 at Costão do Santinho Resort, Florianópolis, Brazil...
, where he defeated Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
5–0 in the final.
Rivalry
Murphy has clashed with Stephen MaguireStephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
, another of the 2000 Young Players of Distinction, on several occasions. During their 2004 Grand Prix
2004 Grand Prix (snooker)
The 2004 Totesport Grand Prix was the 2004 edition of the Grand Prix snooker tournament, held from 2 to 10 October 2004 at the Guild Hall, Preston, England. World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan won the tournament, defeating Ian McCulloch by nine frames to five in the final. In the semi-finals,...
match, Murphy was instrumental in Maguire forfeiting a frame. As the match was about to begin and after they had shaken hands, Maguire realised he had forgotten to bring his with him and asked referee Johan Oomen for permission to leave the arena. While Maguire was away, Murphy spoke to the referee; the tournament director Mike Ganley was summoned and he docked Maguire a frame for technically not being ready to start at the scheduled time—an incident which angered and surprised Maguire. Maguire won the match 5–2 and later commented: "Rules are rules but I've never heard of anything like that happening before". Further incidents came in subsequent years. During the 2006 World Championship, Maguire said "I don't want to be a fat world champion", a reference to Murphy. After beating Murphy in the 2007 Welsh Open, Maguire said of the chalk incident, "That put the icing on the cake, but we've always had a rivalry. I dislike him and I think he dislikes me. I try hard to beat everyone, but it would have hurt more if I'd lost to him."
Murphy has been outspoken on several other of his rivals, criticising them for having too many toilet breaks and complaining about table conditions, among other things. His harshest criticism has been reserved for Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
, highlighting what he perceives to be O'Sullivan's lack of professionalism, and suggesting that his popularity in the game is not deserved. Murphy's forthright manner has made him unpopular with some of the other professional players.
Playing style
Nicknamed "The Magician" and "The Whiston Warrior", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action—which Davis once called "the best cue action I’ve ever seen"—his long potting, and his breakbuilding. Phil Yates wrote in 2008 in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
that Murphy has improved his tactical game since his World Championship victory. He has compiled more than 190 century breaks and has made one maximum break. His career earnings amount to £1,052,845 (up to the end of the 2008/2009 season).
Personal life
Murphy was born in HarlowHarlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
and grew up in Irthlingborough
Irthlingborough
Irthlingborough , originally called Artleborough, is a small town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England with a population of 6,179 people according to the 2001 census. It is the smallest town in England to have possessed a league association football team, Rushden & Diamonds. The parish...
. He moved to Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
during the 2003/2004 season to be with his fiancee, and has lived in Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
since the separation. Homeschooled from age 13 after being bullied at school, Murphy's parents split up when he was 14. He lived with his father Tony, a former professional golfer, and did not see his mother again until he was 19. During the 2007 World Championship, it was reported that he had developed a rift with his father who was a member of the World Snooker
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, often abbreviated to the WPBSA, founded in 1968 and based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards...
board. He said that they had not spoken in over a year, but that he would willingly speak to his father again if he was called.
Murphy has been a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
since the age of 17, after meeting a religious family on holiday. He prays in his dressing room before every match, once said "I believe I was put here to play snooker well", and donates one-tenth of his income to the church. He is known for his confidence, dedication, and well-spoken demeanor.
Murphy married fiancee Clare, whom he met on an online Christian chatroom, in July 2005. They spent some of the summer of 2005 doing aid work in Zimbabwe. The pair separated in October 2008. In an article in The People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
newspaper, Abigayle Tadeo, an escort girl and an old friend of Murphy's whom he had met at a religious youth group, claimed that the two had had sex in a hotel room in November 2008.
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 1998/ 99 Snooker season 1998/1999 The snooker season 1998/1999 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1998 and 1999. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:... |
1999/ 00 Snooker season 1999/2000 The snooker season 1999/2000 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1999 and 2000. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:... |
2000/ 01 Snooker season 2000/2001 The snooker season 2000/2001 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2000 and 2001. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2001/ 02 Snooker season 2001/2002 The snooker season 2001/2002 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2001 and 2002. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2002/ 03 Snooker season 2002/2003 The snooker season 2002/2003 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2002 and 2003. This was the final season to have tobacco sponsored events to a legal ban apart from Embassy which would continue to sponsor the World Championship for another two years... |
2003/ 04 Snooker season 2003/2004 The snooker season 2003/2004 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2003 and 2004. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2004/ 05 Snooker season 2004/2005 The snooker season 2004/2005 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2004 and 2005. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2005/ 06 Snooker season 2005/2006 The snooker season 2005/06 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2005 and 2006. The following table outlines the results and dates for the ranking and major invitational events that took place.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2006/ 07 Snooker season 2006/2007 The snooker season 2006/2007 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2006 and 2007. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :... |
2007/ 08 Snooker season 2007/2008 The Snooker Season 2007/2008 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2007 and 2008. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events... |
2008/ 09 |
2009/ 10 Snooker season 2009/2010 The snooker season 2009/10 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2009 and 2010. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :- Official rankings :... |
2010/ 11 Snooker season 2010/2011 The 2010/11 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2010 and 2011. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:... |
2011/ 12 Snooker season 2011/2012 The 2011/12 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2011 and 2012. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:... |
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| Ranking Snooker world rankings The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association... |
UR Snooker world rankings 1998/1999 Snooker world rankings 1998/1999: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 1998/1999 season are listed below.-References:... New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking |
147 Snooker world rankings 1999/2000 Snooker world rankings 1999/2000: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 1999/2000 season are listed below.-References:... |
151 Snooker world rankings 2000/2001 Snooker world rankings 2000/2001: The professional world rankings for the top 32 snooker players in the 2000/2001 season are listed below.-References:... |
169 Snooker world rankings 2001/2002 Snooker world rankings 2001/2002: The professional world rankings for the top 32 snooker players in the 2001/2002 season are listed below.-References:... |
72 Snooker world rankings 2002/2003 Snooker world rankings 2002/2003: The professional world rankings for the top 32 snooker players in the 2002/2003 season are listed below.-References:... |
64 Snooker world rankings 2003/2004 Snooker world rankings 2003/2004: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2003/2004 season are listed below.-References:... |
48 Snooker world rankings 2004/2005 Snooker world rankings 2004/2005: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2004/2005 season are listed below. This was Chris Small's only top 16 season, and Paul Hunter's only appearance in the top 4.-References:... |
21 Snooker world rankings 2005/2006 Snooker world rankings 2005/2006: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2005/2006 season are listed below.-Note:... |
5 Snooker world rankings 2006/2007 Snooker world rankings 2006/2007: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2006/2007 season are listed below.-Notes:... |
3 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The professional world rankings for the top 75 snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below... |
3 Snooker world rankings 2008/2009 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 were used to determine the rankings for the season 2008/2009.- Ranking points :... |
3 Snooker world rankings 2009/2010 Snooker world ranking points 2008/2009: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2008/2009 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 were used to determine the ranking for the season 2009/2010.- Ranking points :... |
7 Snooker world rankings 2010/2011 Snooker world rankings 2010/2011: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2010/2011 season are listed below. The rankings worked as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago were removed, when the corresponding... |
7 Snooker world rankings 2011/2012 Snooker world rankings 2011/2012: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2011/2012 season are listed below. The rankings work as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago will be removed, when the corresponding... |
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| Ranking Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open | Not Held | SF 2011 Australian Goldfields Open -Final:-Qualifying:These matches took place between 26 and 30 June 2011 at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England. David Gilbert was the only player to go through all four rounds of qualifying to make it to the main stage.-Preliminary round:... |
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| Shanghai Masters | Not Held | 1R 2007 Shanghai Masters The 2007 Shanghai Masters was the inaugural event of the Shanghai Masters tournament and the first ranking event of the season. It took place between 6–12 August 2007 at the Shanghai Grand Stage.Dominic Dale won in the final 10–6 against Ryan Day.... |
1R 2008 Shanghai Masters The 2008Roewe Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 29 September and 5 October 2008 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China... |
SF | 2R 2010 Shanghai Masters The 2010 Roewe Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 6–12 September 2010 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China.Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, but he has withdrawn due to personal reasons.... |
QF 2011 Shanghai Masters The 2011 Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 5–11 September 2011 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China... |
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| UK Championship UK Championship (snooker) The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:... |
LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 3R | 1R | SF | W | 2R | SF 2010 UK Championship (snooker) The 2010 12BET.com UK Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 4–12 December 2010 at the Telford International Centre, Telford, England.Ding Junhui was the defending champion, but he lost 8–9 against Mark Allen in the last 16.... |
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| German Masters | NR | Not Held | 2R | |||||||||||||
| Welsh Open Welsh Open (snooker) The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.- History :... |
LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | F | QF | SF | QF | 1R | 1R 2011 Welsh Open (snooker) The 2011 Wyldecrest Park Homes Welsh Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 14–20 February 2011 in the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales. This was the first time that the Welsh Open was sponsored by Wyldecrest Park Homes.... |
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| China Open China Open (snooker) The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997.-History:The first international snooker tournament in China was the China International in September 1997, a non-ranking tournament for the top 16 players and local players. The... The event ran under the name China International (1998/1999) |
LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | Not Held | LQ | 1R | QF | F | QF | 1R | SF | ||||
| World Championship World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England... |
LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | LQ | W | QF | SF | 2R | F | QF | 2R 2011 World Snooker Championship The 2011 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 16 April and 2 May 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 74th edition of the event and was the last ranking event of the 2010/2011 snooker season... |
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| Non-Ranking Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| The Masters Masters (snooker) The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held... |
A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | QF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R 2011 Masters (snooker) The 2011 Ladbrokes Mobile Masters professional non-ranking snooker tournament was held between 9–16 January 2011 at the Wembley Arena, London, England... |
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| Premier League | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | RR 2005 Premier League Snooker (2005/06) * –0, 105–1, –72 , 0–103 , 50–75, 122–0, –0, –0** 43–88, 98–36, 62–21, 67–26, 97–0, 13–, 76–0*** –6, 62–60, 73–29, 88–0, 65–41, 65–51-Century breaks:... |
A | A | A | W 2009 Premier League Snooker The 2009 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker professional non-ranking snooker tournament was played from 3 September to 29 November 2009.Shaun Murphy won in the final 7–3 against defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.- Prize fund :Winner: £30,000... |
F 2010 Premier League Snooker The 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker professional non-ranking snooker tournament was played from 2 September to 28 November 2010.Shaun Murphy was the defending champion, but Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated him 7–1 in the final.- Prize fund :... |
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| Wuxi ClassicThe event ran under the name Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010) | Not Held | RR | SF 2009 Jiangsu Classic * 76–51, 0–63, 125–0, 128–1, -0, -0 ** 4–110 , 64–55, 25–66 , 83–1, 16–78 , 4–124 , 47–76-Final:-Century breaks:* 147 Mark Selby* 132 Ryan Day* 124, 117, 104 Ding Junhui* 114 Shaun Murphy... |
W 2010 Wuxi Classic -Final:-Century breaks:* 134, 131 Marco Fu* 129 Mark Selby* 125, 113, 101, 100 Shaun Murphy* 108 Ding Junhui... |
SF 2011 Wuxi Classic -Final:-Century breaks:* 137 Ding Junhui* 134, 100 Mark Selby* 124, 107 Stephen Maguire* 113, 107 Peter Ebdon* 102 Shaun Murphy* 101 Ali Carter... |
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| Former Ranking Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open Players Championship (snooker) The Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament. It is the most recent name of the ranking tournament held in Scotland every year. The tournament has had a bewildering number of name changes in its history. Until recently it was commonly known as the Scottish Open, and prior to that... The event ran under the name Players Championship (2003/2004) |
LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||
| British Open British Open (snooker) The British Open was a professional snooker tournament. It was a ranking tournament from 1985. The tournament has not been held since the 2004/2005 season.... |
LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 2R | SF 2004 British Open (snooker) The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since... |
Not Held | ||||||||
| Malta Cup Malta Cup The Malta Cup was a professional snooker tournament that has been on the World Snooker calendar since the 1988/89 season. It was previously known as the European Open as the sole ranking tournament in Europe, outside the British Isles.- History :Prior to the 1988/89 season, there were no ranking... The event ran under the names European Open (2001/2002–2003/2004) and Irish Open (1998/1999) |
LQ | Not Held | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | 2R | W 2007 Malta Cup -Final:-Qualifying:Qualifying for the tournament took place in Pontin's Prestatyn, Wales between 31 October and 3 November 2006.-Qualifying stages centuries:* 138 Mark Allen* 134, 100 Mark Davis* 131 Alfie Burden* 129 Mark King* 124, 102 Liang Wenbo... |
W | Not Held | ||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy Northern Ireland Trophy - History :First contested in 1981 and named Northern Ireland Classic. It was an invitational event held at Ulster Hall, Belfast, and Jimmy White beat Steve Davis in the final.... |
Not Held | QF | QF 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy The 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy was the 2006 edition of the Northern Ireland Trophy snooker tournament, held from 13 to 20 August 2006, at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ding Junhui defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan by nine to six in the final to lift his third ranking title whilst... |
SF | 2R 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy The 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 24 and 31 August 2008 in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.... |
Not Held | ||||||||||
| Bahrain Championship | Not Held | 1R 2008 Bahrain Championship The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain... |
Not Held | |||||||||||||
| World OpenThe event ran under the names LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004) and Grand Prix (1998/1999–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010) | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 3R | 1R 2004 Grand Prix (snooker) The 2004 Totesport Grand Prix was the 2004 edition of the Grand Prix snooker tournament, held from 2 to 10 October 2004 at the Guild Hall, Preston, England. World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan won the tournament, defeating Ian McCulloch by nine frames to five in the final. In the semi-finals,... |
3R 2005 Grand Prix (snooker) The 2005 Grand Prix professional ranking snooker tournament was held between 8 and 16 October 2005, at the Guild Hall, Preston, England.John Higgins won in the final 9-2 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the final, Higgins set two records... |
1R | SF | 1R | 1R | LQ | NH | ||
| Performance Table Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NH | tournament not held in that season | A | did not participate in the tournament |
| LQ | lost in qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (RR = round robin) |
| QF | advanced to but not past the quarter-finals | SF | advanced to but not past the semi-finals |
| F | advanced to the final, tournament runner-up | W | won the tournament |
| Italics or NR | means the event offered no ranking points for that season (this does not imply that those in roman type were ranking events) | |||
Ranking event finals: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)
EWLINE
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Minor-ranking event finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
| Winner | 1 | 2010 | Brugge Open Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2 The Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2 minor-ranking snooker tournament took place between 30 September–3 October 2010 at the Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges, Belgium.... |
 England |
4–2 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2010 | Ruhr Championship Euro Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 5 -Section 2:-Section 3:-Section 4:-Section 5:-Section 6:-Section 7:-Section 8:-Finals:-External links:**... |
 Scotland |
2–4 |
Non-ranking event finals: 12 (7 titles, 5 runner-ups)
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Pro-am event finals: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
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