Latest news with #ShaunMurphy
Wales Online
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Stephen Hendry comments on Shaun Murphy's snooker rule change proposal
Stephen Hendry comments on Shaun Murphy's snooker rule change proposal Snooker icon and Eurosport pundit Stephen Hendry has thrown his support behind Shaun Murphy's latest call for a rule change, but only under specific circumstances Stephen Hendry isn't totally against Shaun Murphy's suggestion (Image: Alex Pantling, Getty Images ) Shaun Murphy has found an ally in Stephen Hendry following his plea for a snooker rule change. The reigning Masters champion is well known for voicing his bold views and regularly suggesting ideas to enhance the sport's appeal. Murphy is particularly keen on the idea of adding a spot to the cue ball to indicate the level of spin applied during play. While spots are common in other cue sports, they are notably absent in snooker. The Magician has used a spot on the cue ball on his YouTube channel, where he shares coaching techniques and strategy advice. He said during one video: 'I'm going to keep using the spotted cue ball because we're getting some really good feedback about that. 'You guys are loving seeing the spin, how the spin manipulates the cue ball and what it's actually doing. It's great that you can see it with one of these. Article continues below 'You know what? I actually think we should be using one of these in tournament play. "I think that you should be able to see this when we're playing. Think about this, snooker, currently, is the only table sport and cue sport that doesn't use one of these. "They are using it in billiards, they're using it in nine-ball, they are using it in everything. Maybe it's time that snooker moved on, just so you guys can see what's happening." Murphy has called for snooker to make several changes (Image: Getty ) Now, snooker legend Hendry has weighed in on the subject. When asked by Neil Robertson for his thoughts on the idea on Hendry's Cue Tips YouTube channel, the seven-time world champion said he would be in favour of it being applied at certain tournaments - but crucially not all. 'I think there'd be room for it in one tournament but I wouldn't like to see it rolled out in everything,' explained Hendry. 'A lot of players wouldn't like it because they'd see the unwanted side they put on the ball.' Article continues below Murphy has also suggested a host of other changes to shake up the sport, including implementing a shot clock and axing the foul and miss rule. He stated at this year's Welsh Open: "I just find it so weird that we have a rule in the game that allows players to have a sighter. In my opinion, the miss rule needs to be taken out of the game altogether. I don't like the rule at all." Meanwhile, Murphy began the new season with a crushing 5-0 victory over 14-year-old tour newcomer Michal Szubarczyk to qualify for the televised stages of the Wuhan Open in late August.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Former world champion Shaun Murphy shows no mercy to snooker wonderkid, 14, on history-making debut
FORMER world snooker champion Shaun Murphy showed no mercy to a teenage wonderkid in qualifying for the Wuhan Open this week. The Magician faced 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk on Monday for a place in the August competition. 2 2 But he didn't go easy on his opponent, who made history at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Murphy won the match 5-0 with breaks of 70, 91 and 102 and limited the teenager to just 60 points in total. In facing the 2005 world snooker champion, Szubarczyk became the youngest professional in the sport's history. He earned his tour card by reaching the final of the European Amateur Snooker Championship in March. Although he lost the final, the Polish star secured the card because the winner, Liam Highfield, had already earned one. Szubarczyk is next due to play against amateur player Umut Dikme in qualifying for the British Open on Thursday. Ahead of his tour debut, the 14-year-old said: "I love playing with the audience and cameras and I hope there will many matches like that. "I don't put much pressure on myself to win, I have a lot of time to achieve my goals. "When I got the tour card there were very mixed emotions. I had been striving for this since I was seven years old. But then suddenly doubts appeared. "Whether I can do it, whether I'm too young? There were questions about finances, and what about school, what about the rest of the family, will I manage? Mark Williams attempts new way of potting yellow as snooker referee struggles to contain his laughter "But I am sure it is the right decision because it has always been my dream." Szubarczyk also revealed that Ronnie O'Sullivan has been his idol from a young age. He added: "I was almost seven when I first watched snooker. Dad was watching Ronnie play, I asked if I could sit in. "Then I asked if we could go to play sometime. We went the next day and…here I am! "Ronnie is still my hero, he has a special place in my head. His offensive, even aggressive style of play was my model when I started playing. Now I'm just improving all the time."
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former world champion Shaun Murphy shows no mercy to snooker wonderkid, 14, on history-making debut
FORMER world snooker champion Shaun Murphy showed no mercy to a teenage wonderkid in qualifying for the Wuhan Open this week. The Magician faced 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk on Monday for a place in the August competition. 2 Shaun Murphy beat a teenage wonderkid 5-0 in a tournament qualifier on Monday Credit: Getty 2 Michal Szubarczyk made history by becoming the youngest professional player in snooker history Credit: Free for editorial use But he didn't go easy on his opponent, who made history at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. In facing the 2005 world snooker champion, Szubarczyk became the youngest professional in the sport's history. He earned his tour card by reaching the final of the European Amateur Snooker Championship in March. READ MORE IN SNOOKER Although he lost the final, the Polish star secured the card because the winner, Liam Highfield, had already earned one. Szubarczyk is next due to play against amateur player Umut Dikme in qualifying for the British Open on Thursday. Ahead of his tour debut, the 14-year-old said: "I love playing with the audience and cameras and I hope there will many matches like that. "I don't put much pressure on myself to win, I have a lot of time to achieve my goals. Most read in Snooker CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "When I got the tour card there were very mixed emotions. I had been striving for this since I was seven years old. But then suddenly doubts appeared. "Whether I can do it, whether I'm too young? There were questions about finances, and what about school, what about the rest of the family, will I manage? Mark Williams attempts new way of potting yellow as snooker referee struggles to contain his laughter "But I am sure it is the right decision because it has always been my dream." Szubarczyk also revealed that He added: "I was almost seven when I first watched snooker. Dad was watching Ronnie play, I asked if I could sit in. "Then I asked if we could go to play sometime. We went the next day and…here I am! "Ronnie is still my hero, he has a special place in my head. His offensive, even aggressive style of play was my model when I started playing. Now I'm just improving all the time."
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Ex-World Snooker Champ maverick Luca Brecel fails to show up for start of season after going public with new girlfriend
LUCA BRECEL did not bother to turn up for the first day of the new snooker season and will miss out on a mega-money Chinese takeaway. The Belgian Bullet has fallen a long way since becoming champion of the world in thrilling style in May 2023. 3 3 3 The 2025-26 baize campaign began on Sunday with Wuhan Open qualifying and Brecel, 30, was due to play Pakistani Haris Tahir. It was scheduled to take place at 2.30pm at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Yet Brecel, who has fallen to 39th on the WST list, appears not to have been in the country. So, a 5-0 walkover was awarded to his opponent, who secured a spot in the main draw in the Far East. On Saturday, he posted images of himself with his reported new girlfriend and hours before his match he uploaded a photo of pizzas and two wine glasses. If anything, it suggested he was not necessarily in the mood for break-building. It is another sorry situation for a potting maverick who lives by his own rules. His absence means he will not take part in the Wuhan Open, which takes place in the last week of August and has a top prize of about £140,000. Former world champions Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and John Higgins all made the effort to play over the weekend despite qualifying being behind closed doors. During the World Championship, Brecel flew to Sheffield, from Holland via East Midlands Airport, on the day of his second-round clash with Ding Junhui. That is because he did not want to stay the night before in a hotel in South Yorkshire. Amazingly, he dominated the opening session 7-1 against Ding even though he had only arrived in the UK a few hours earlier.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Are you ready for Strictly?' – Snooker star Shaun Murphy shows off amazing dance moves while onboard a ‘wine train'
SHAUN MURPHY could be getting ready for Strictly Come Dancing after showing off his dance moves on board a wine train. The snooker star, 42, enjoyed a well-earned break following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. 2 Murphy earned £327,900 to rank ninth in the one-year World Snooker Tour list. He suffered a second-round exit to No2 seed Judd Trump at the World Championship. And then the Englishman lost 4-3 to Mark Williams in the Helsinki International Cup in May. Now Murphy is home after letting his hair down with a holiday in America. The Magician took to Instagram with a pair of posts from the trip. The first was a picture of Murphy smiling in a restaurant earlier in June. He captioned it: "Off season going well - not sure I'll remember how to play snooker at this rate." Then the next post from Friday showed Murphy dancing along to music while riding along the road - with a drink in hand. He was decked out in a pink shirt, grey trousers and sunglasses as September by Earth, Wind & Fire pumped out of the speakers. Murphy wrote: "Just back from a two-week holiday in the States. Ronnie O'Sullivan is BACK with Strictly star Laila Rouass as they ditch Essex for shock new life abroad "I promise it wasn't all drinking and dancing. "Looking forward to getting back on the baize!" And the brilliant video sparked plenty of reaction in the comments. Fellow snooker great Stephen Hendry said: "Oh dear." BBC Sport's Jason Mohammad replied: "Scenes." Another added: "Hate him or love him, but you cannot deny, he got the moves!!! Enjoy it!!!" A fourth typed: "I can't unsee this unfortunately." And a fifth quipped: "Are you ready for Strictly?" But upon his return home, Murphy did not have long to get ready for his 2025-26 season opener. The 2005 world champ took to Instagram again on Sunday afternoon with a photo of himself in action and wrote: "How is it time for the new season???? "Wuhan Qualifier, tomorrow 2.30pm (UK time)."
