World Championship: Shaun Murphy takes inspiration from shock world title 20 years ago

Murphy was just 22 when he created his own slice of sporting history in 2005.

Arriving at the Crucible as a 150-1 outsider, he would go on to claim the world title after 17 days of memorable snooker. In doing so, Murphy became the first qualifier to win the Crucible crown since Terry Griffiths in 1979.

Three times he has reached the Crucible final since – in 2009, 2015 and 2021 – only to suffer the heartache of defeat on each occasion.

Now, Murphy arrives in Sheffield as Masters champion, after beating Kyren Wilson 10-7 at Alexandra Palace in January. It was his fourth Triple Crown success, having won the Masters previously in 2015 and UK title in York in 2008.

“Winning the Masters and becoming a multiple majors winner, winning the same tournament twice, that’s a real feather in my cap,” Murphy told The Yorkshire Post.

“It was a major boost to the confidence. I come here this year, knowing that I can win. Previous years I have probably come here hoping, believing I can win. Now I know I can win. That makes a difference.

“I’ve had a great season, I have had some matches where I have played really well, winning the Masters was a highlight. I can’t remember a match where I have played really badly and been turned over.”

Before a ball had even been potted at the Crucible in 2005, Murphy - living in neighbouring Rotherham at the time - told this correspondent, penning a preview to the tournament, that he believed he was a future world champion.

Many, if not most of the 16 qualifiers who emerged from the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield this week will probably utter the same words.

Turning that dream into reality is a different proposition.

But that’s what Murphy did.

He beat former world champions John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon to reach the final, where Welshman Matthew Stevens stood in his path.

Trailing 10-6 to Stevens after the first day, the rookie Murphy showed real character to claw his way back into the contest to make it 16-16.

Two frame-winning breaks of 97 and 83 secured Murphy’s place in snooker history.

“I can’t believe it’s that long ago,” he admitted. “I can’t believe it became true, to be totally honest. I had been saying that since I was a child.

“I was digging through some old school stuff, I left school when I was 13. Even during my careers advisor season, I was saying ‘I want to be world champion’. ‘But what about your education?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t need to worry about that, I am going to be the world champion’. Even from that age I had that belief, but belief and doing it are two totally different things. I believe I am going to win the lottery, but I am still waiting.

“I do watch it back every now and then. Sometimes when I am looking for a bit of inspiration, trying to rediscover the magic. What was I doing then, what had I found at 22, that often in the last 20 years I have struggled to recreate.

“I look back now and think how naive I was. I had been here twice before and never won a match.

“Getting that first victory here over Chris Small was massive for me. Then I played every match as a second favourite. I wasn’t supposed to win any of those matches. And I beat them all. To some degree, I was totally swamped by what winning the world championship meant. In terms of representing the sport, being an ambassador, being in the public eye. I was on Question of Sport, Sports Personality, invited to functions with royalty, but I was still only 22.

“I didn’t know anything about the world, and I was probably the worst type of person, because I was totally clueless, but didn’t know I was clueless. I used to say things, and I look back at some of the footage, and I cringe. The naivety of youth helped me on the table, but it didn’t really help me off the table. I made a lot of mistakes, which I have learned from. I had to do a lot of my growing up and maturing in front of the media.”

Murphy plays qualifier Daniel Wells in the first round on Tuesday.

So is he surprised he only has one world title on his CV?

“I think if you had said to the 22-year-old who strolled in here in 2005, and said ‘this is it, you will never win this again’, he would have disagreed with you,” he smiled. "It’s been a journey, no-one can question my effort, I have given 100 per cent every year. Including this year, I am as well prepared as I have ever been.

“I try every single year to come back here and rediscover the magic of 2005. I have been to a further three world finals, there aren’t many people in the game that have been to more finals than me. Obviously, people have, but it’s not a big list.

“I have had a cracking effort at it over the last 20 years, and I would like to think there’s a bit of life in the old dog yet.”

Crucible draw: Kyren Wilson (1) v Lei Peifan; Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong; Neil Robertson (9) v Chris Wakelin; Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi; Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter; Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu; Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston; John Higgins (3) v Joe O'Connor; Xiao Guodong (14) v Matthew Selt; Barry Hawkins (11) v Hossein Vafaei; Mark Williams (6) v Wu Yize; Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day; Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety; Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells; Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong.