Shaun Murphy responds to laughing fans after snookering himself in Welsh Open final - 'It's still not funny!'

Published 19/02/2023 at 15:23 GMT

How do you respond if you are a snooker professional locked in the heat of battle early on in your first ranking final for two years, and two fans won't stop laughing after you snooker yourself? Well, to Shaun Murphy's credit, he took it with good humour and shot back a joke in their direction as he laughed at his own misfortune at a key moment during the Welsh Open final.

'It's still not funny!' - Murphy jokes with fans after snookering himself in Welsh Open final

Shaun Murphy entertained fans with his amusing response to two laughing individuals after snookering himself during the Welsh Open final against Robert Milkins on Sunday.

The 40-year-old had already delighted supporters inside Venue Cymru before a ball had been struck, with him delivering on his promise of moonwalking to his chair as part of his walk-on.

Having assumed an impressive 2-0 lead early on in the showpiece match in Llandudno, Murphy held a slender 47-41 lead in the third frame with only one red remaining on the table.

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As he drained the pink into the left-bottom corner pocket, the cue ball ricocheted into the solitary red on the table, also striking the black. It meant that when the referee re-spotted the pink, Murphy was snookered.

Numerous fans gasped as they realised what the 2005 world champion had done to his own break with the misfortune, but two fans in particular found it all absolutely hilarious.

Murphy swiftly turned to look over at the two women, who were clearly struggling to contain their amusement at the situation. Rather than taking it badly, he joked with them and smiled.

As the laughing continued from the pair, Murphy again turned back to look at them before adding "it's still not funny!"

It was a fun and light-hearted moment during the early drama of the contest, despite the stakes being high. Murphy eventually got out of the snooker but left the table open for Milkins to win the frame and reduce the deficit.

For Murphy, the encounter is particularly meaningful given it is his first ranking final since he finished as the runner-up to Mark Selby at the 2021 World Championship.

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Speaking after his hard-fought and scrappy 6-3 victory over Pang Junxu on Saturday evening in their semi-final, Murphy summed up how it felt to reach a final again after his two-year wait.

“It probably got to me if anything, that was a big night for me,” Murphy said in the Eurosport studio.

“When you’re one of the big four or five names, you’re in semis and finals all the time. That hasn’t been my career the last few seasons.

“For me, I lost in the semis at the World Grand Prix, semis at the Turkish [Masters] and apart from that it’s been such a quiet few seasons. Tonight meant so much and I probably let it get to me a little bit.”