Shaun Murphy was left fuming during the World Snooker Championship after being distracted by a sudden burst of light and has called for a full investigation into how it happened
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| Shaun Murphy spoke at length about 'Lightgate'(Image: Getty Images) |
Shaun Murphy has called for answers from snooker's 'Lightgate' investigation. The former world champion has also taken another dig at his outspoken heckler, cautioning him that the Crucible is no place for football stadium behaviour.
Murphy starts his World Snooker Championship second round match on Thursday against Chinese ace Xiao Guodong. Yet the strange incidents during his first-round victory over Fan Zhengyi continue to dominate conversation. Murphy was incensed on Tuesday evening after being caught out by an unexpected flash of light.
With the match between Judd Trump and Gary Wilson wrapping up on the adjacent table, they switched off the lights and raised the partition to give the entire arena a view of the gripping conclusion.
However, as the Magician lined up a crucial shot with the contest delicately poised at 8-8, Murphy was thrown off guard when those lights from the neighbouring table suddenly came back on mid-stroke.
The 2005 champion immediately confronted officials backstage after the frame and, though he went on to clinch the match 10-9, it did nothing to quell his anger afterwards. Murphy said: "We don't ask for much as snooker players, leave the lights off is one of them.
"It affected the shot; it affected the match, that was poor. I think World Snooker are having a bit of an inquest into how that happened because that shouldn't happen.
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| The incident didn't go down well with Shaun Murphy |
"I hope to find out because that should never happen. 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.
"I was on the blue, and it really put me off because, as I was about to strike, the lights came on, I didn't hit that ball as I intended.
"I meant to hit it a bit harder, and it made me stop on it. Maybe if I'd hit the ball as I meant to, I'd have been on a red better, and the break might have carried on.
"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.
"That was a new one. 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."
When asked how he would have reacted had he lost the match, he added: "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. That shouldn't happen; these are basics, but weird things happen at the Crucible. It's only a few years since we had a pigeon in here."
Murphy, meanwhile, took another swipe at the spectator who became rather vocal during the opening session of his victory over Zhengyi. He turned to social media during the match interval to hit back at someone saying "s**t shot", but delivered a fuller account once the game had finished and did not hold back.
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| Shaun Murphy had plenty to say after his first round match(Image: 2025 VCG) |
The former world champion said: "I've got no idea where they were, 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."
- Matthew Abbott
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