Shaun Murphy drops X-rated statement on World Championship incident | Other | Sport
Shaun Murphy has called out a spectator at the Crucible for saying he played a “s*** shot” during his World Snooker Championship first-round match against Fan Zhengyi. The 2005 champion leads the Chinese player 5-4 overnight and took umbrage with what someone sitting in the front row said during their match on day three of the tournament in Sheffield.
Murphy, 43, posted an image to his Instagram story on Tuesday morning that reads: “Just a friendly reminder… If you’re sat on the front row in the Crucible and I play a shot that may not work for a particular reason, it’s probably best not to say ‘s*** shot’ out loud. I’ve got ears…” He then added, tongue-in-cheek: “I missed my next shot as I was contemplating which end of my cue to nut him with.”
However, despite missing those two shots, the reigning British Open champion recovered to end the final frame of their session with a 140 clearance that gave them an advantage going into day four. Fan and Murphy will resume that match at 7pm.
The front-row spectator is not the only person he has criticised during his time in Sheffield. Murphy called out Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan before the tournament began for not attending media day.
He said: “I think it’s become normal that they don’t turn up for these types of things. I think it’s a real shame, and they probably could both have done a little bit more to help promote the game over the years.
“I think it might give those two an image problem when the public tag onto that and realise that two of the biggest stars of the game weren’t here for the opening day. It’s a strange one.”
“We were in negotiations with the powers-that-be, and we couldn’t come to an agreement on terms,” Murphy said. “So I decided it wasn’t for me at the previously agreed rate; it was nothing more than that, it’s a big commitment.
“It’s not without its troubles, especially if you’re trying to compete in the tournament. I’ve always felt like I managed that quite well. I went to the UK [Championship] this year and the Masters, not on the broadcasting team; it was my choice, and it’s my choice again this year.”
He added: “I never thought it was a conflict in the first place, to be honest, I used to get trolled every day for it: ‘You shouldn’t be commentating if you’re in the actual tournament.’
“I hope the other players who followed in my footsteps have received the same abuse; there’s plenty more doing it now. I feel like I was the gatekeeper for that; a few others have followed in my footsteps.”
