Shaun Murphy has demanded answers after a bizarre lighting incident at the Crucible Theatre during his first-round match at the World Snooker Championship. The 2005 world champion was locked at 8-8 with Fan Zhengyi when a light on the adjacent table, which had been vacated after Judd Trump's victory over Gary Wilson, suddenly switched on as Murphy was playing a shot.
Murphy's Reaction to the Incident
Despite potting the blue ball, Murphy admitted the unexpected illumination affected his concentration and the execution of his shot. Speaking after his 10-9 victory, the 43-year-old expressed his frustration, calling the incident 'poor' and demanding a thorough investigation.
'No, that was a new one,' Murphy said when asked if he had ever experienced such a distraction before. 'I've been coming here for a long time now and I've never had that happen before. It could hardly have happened at a more important moment. That was poor.'
Murphy elaborated on how the light impacted his play: 'It affected the shot, it affected the match. I was lucky the blue went in because literally as I was about to hit the ball I could see the reflection of the light come on the blue and it totally took my eye off. I was lucky the blue went in, but it really altered the way I was going to hit the ball. I didn't get the pace in it I wanted, it affected the result of the shot.'
Call for an Inquest
The Magician revealed that World Snooker is already looking into the matter, and he hopes to find out why such a basic error occurred. 'I think World Snooker are having a bit of an inquest into how that happened because that shouldn't happen,' he stated. 'I hope to find out because that should never happen.'
When asked how he would have felt if the incident had cost him the match, Murphy replied: 'I would have been very upset, absolutely. I came off the table straight after that frame and happened to see the tournament director in the corridor. I said, “Regardless of whether I win or lose, I think we need to look into what’s happened here.” I think I won that frame to go 9-8 ahead.'
He added on TNT Sports: 'I’ve never seen anything like that. I’ve never seen the light come on a table here, just phantom. World Snooker are having an inquest, somebody might not be employed tomorrow.'
Other Controversies During the Match
The incident was not the only distraction for Murphy during the match. Earlier, he called out a fan for criticising him mid-frame, reminding spectators that 'this is not football.' Murphy explained: 'I think they were sat on the front row. I played a blue in and out of baulk, as it came round I clipped the green, came off the cushion, cannoned into the reds. It was pretty much the shot I played, it was actually quite a good shot, I've definitely played worse shots.'
'Then literally as the applause died down, he went, “Shit shot.” It’s unlike me, I would normally confront somebody like that because we’re not football, you don’t behave like that at the Crucible. As I got down to play the next red I was still thinking, “Jeez, maybe they’ve had a bit too much hospitality, they might have been enjoying the beer a bit too much,” and before I knew it I’d missed the red. It was a lesson, I suppose, that if you’re disturbed start again.'
Looking Ahead
Despite the distractions, Murphy managed to secure a hard-fought victory with a superb 50 clearance in the deciding frame. He now faces Xiao Guodong in the second round, with the match scheduled to start on Thursday.
