MURPHY'S SORE
‘I was disappointed to see his comments’ – Shaun Murphy defends BBC role as row with snooker rival Mark Allen rumbles on
Murphy refused the claim that his remark was 'personal'
SHAUN Murphy was left "disappointed" with ex-pal Mark Allen's comments as their feud extended.
Allen publicly accused Murphy, who criticised his tactics at the UK Championship, of bringing his "personal feelings" into the BBC commentary box.
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The snooker duo have been involved in an online tit for tat for months.
While initially it appeared to be a joke, many are starting to believe that the situation is boiling over into something more serious.
Murphy criticised Allen’s style of play during the Northern Irishman’s UK Championships semi-final defeat to Barry Hawkins in York on Saturday.
The Magician suggested that Allen was playing slow on purpose in an effort to upset the rhythm of the match.
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But Allen, who exited in a deciding frame after a five-hour encounter, quickly
He wrote: “As for Shaun in commentary, he’s absolutely entitled to his opinion on things.
“But perhaps it’s best to leave personal feelings out of the commentary box in future. All because I called out some of his recent BS.”
But former world champion Murphy has since responded with confusion on the possibility of a growing feud.
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He told the : “You know, I’m sat here with you right now, and I’m totally in the dark.
“I know as much as you know about it. I was disappointed to see his comments following the game.
'What's funny about that' says Luke Humphries as darts ace in awkward exchange with snooker star Shaun Murphy
“But, you know, you come off a match that you’ve lost. It’s a high-intensity moment. You’re trying to win the UK Championship, you’re in the semis, and it means a lot.
“You’re thrust into a media centre and possibly given a quote of a sentence I’ve said in the commentary box, and then asked to give an opinion on it.
“It’s not easy to think clearly in those moments. But I don’t look back at the match or my contribution to the broadcast with regret or anything like that.
“It seems as if, judging by Mark’s social media output, that he has taken my comments about his game very personally. They certainly weren’t meant personally.
“I’m employed by the BBC to call the game as I see it, and that’s what I did. I don’t remember ever saying that there was anything wrong with what he did.
“I said he was perfectly within his rights, perfectly within the rules.
“And if I’m totally honest, I was watching in admiration because he was breaking down a player who the day before had slaughtered me.”
Murphy was well beaten when he lost 6-2 to Hawkins, who went on to lose to Judd Trump in the final last week.
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The Magician had another awkward exchange this week when he took part in the Paddy Power challenge - this time with darts champ Luke Humphries.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 - with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 - John Spencer
- 1970 - Ray Reardon
- 1971 - John Spencer
- 1972 - Alex Higgins
- 1973 - Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 - Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 - Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 - Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 - John Spencer (2)
- 1978 - Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 - Terry Griffiths
- 1980 - Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 - Steve Davis
- 1982 - Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 - Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 - Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 - Dennis Taylor
- 1986 - Joe Johnson
- 1987 - Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 - Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 - Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 - Stephen Hendry
- 1991 - John Parrott
- 1992 - Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 - Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 - Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 - Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 - Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 - Ken Doherty
- 1998 - John Higgins
- 1999 - Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 - Mark Williams
- 2001 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 2002 - Peter Ebdon
- 2003 - Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (2)
- 2005 - Shaun Murphy
- 2006 - Graeme Dott
- 2007 - John Higgins (2)
- 2008 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)
- 2009 - John Higgins (3)
- 2010 - Neil Robertson
- 2011 - John Higgins (4)
- 2012 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (4)
- 2013 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)
- 2014 - Mark Selby
- 2015 - Stuart Bingham
- 2016 - Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 - Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 - Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 - Judd Trump
- 2020 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (6)
- 2021 - Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (7)
- 2023 - Luca Brecel
- 2024 - Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 - Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 6 - Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 - John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 - John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 - Alex Higgins
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