Shaun Murphy throwing himself out of a plane before launch of new snooker tournament in Hull

The 2005 world snooker champion plans to make the 15,000ft jump - to raise money and awareness for charity Future Pathway - on Sunday, March 26. But that is just 24 hours before the Duelbits Tour Championship gets underway at the Bonus Arena in Hull.

Murphy has qualified for Hull after breaking into snooker’s top eight players on the one-year money list after finishing runner-up in the recent Welsh Open before winning the Players Championship.

Now the 40-year-old is hoping to avoid a potential clash if his first-round opening match in Hull is drawn for the opening day of the tournament.

“It’s not what you would call ideal preparation,” Murphy told The Yorkshire Post. “The absolute nightmare scenario, if I am drawn to play in the Tour Championship on day one, then my participation in the jump could be very well questionable.

“While I do want to promote Future Pathway and all the things they are doing, I have to think about the Tour Championships which I wasn’t in a few weeks ago.

“I hope I don’t get drawn to play 10am on the Monday. All being well, with no injuries, we will make our way to Hull on Sunday night to get involved in the Tour Championship.”

Murphy plans to make the charity jump with friend Phil Seymour, in aid of Future Pathway. The charity helps military personnel and sports men and women train for new careers.

“We got asked to do it by one of our dear friends, the sports MC John McDonald,” said Murphy. “John and my paths first crossed with Matchroom Premier League many years ago and we became good mates.

“He helped set-up Future Pathway, which is a charity organisation which helps former military servicemen and women when they come out of the forces. A lot of them dedicate their lives to defending the country and when their career in that world ends, they come out into civilian life with nowhere to go.

“I think it’s a challenge faced by a lot of self-employed sports people too - self-employed people full stop. I have been on this snooker journey 32 years now, since being an eight-year-old boy, and if my career was to end tomorrow - often for reasons outside of your control - what would I do?

“Future Pathway was set up with that type of thing in mind. It’s a very well-supported charity, and when we started chatting about it, one very close to our hearts.”

Murphy has performed in front of large crowds many times, held his nerve to win the World Championship in the cauldron of the Crucible, but admits to pre-jump nerves.

“Thinking about it, there’s probably better ways we could have supported it,” he smiled.

“I have never done it before. Most people do their first jump from maybe 6,000ft, ours is from 15,000ft. Somebody pointed out to us on Twitter, that’s about three miles.

“We are not being arrogant about it, we have agreed to do it. I wouldn’t normally speak on behalf of Phil, but we are both absolutely bricking it.

“Money is being raised, but sometimes it’s not necessarily money in the bank, it’s exposure and getting the charity’s name in the public consciousness.

“If us jumping out of a plane helps a former sports person, or a former military person, someone who has dedicated their lives to a career that is no longer there for them, then it’s worth it.”

Tickets for the Duelbits Tour Championship are still available – for details see www.wst.tv/tickets