Shaun Murphy continues his problem to win the 2024 World Snooker Championship on Friday on the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The Magician beat Lyu Haotian 10-5 within the first spherical to arrange an intriguing tie towards previous rival Stephen Maguire.
The pair rose by the junior ranks collectively through the Nineties earlier than changing into stars of the skilled scene a decade later.
They’ve confronted one another on quite a few events prior to now, together with on the World Championship two years in the past when Maguire beat Murphy within the first spherical.
However one notorious incident between the duo is consistently introduced up from a showdown 20 years in the past on the Grand Prix when Murphy was alleged to have performed a component in Maguire getting docked a body.
Within the newest episode of his podcast with Phil Seymour, the 2005 world champion has tried once more to set the file straight.
“What occurred was, we turned as much as play our match,” Shaun Murphy mentioned on the award-winning OneFourSeven podcast.
“Stephen walked out into the sector, he didn’t have his chalk with him. As a result of he didn’t have it with him, it precipitated the match to start out late.”
“As I used to be filling up my water with the ice and stuff, I seemed as much as see him leaving the sector and referred to as the referee over to my nook to ask him the place Stephen was going.
“I’d by no means seen that occur earlier than. So the referee and I had a superb chat about it – the place had he gone and why had he gone – and that is the place it will get messy.
“As a result of on display screen, and with the following docking of a body for inflicting the match to start out late, it appears to be like as if I mentioned to the referee that ‘he’s out of line, he’s broke the foundations, I would like him docked a body.’
“I believe, from reminiscence, we had been discussing the foundations. I’ll have mentioned to the referee is he inside the guidelines? The referee was very clear and mentioned he’d allowed him to go backstage.
“What no person noticed, as a result of it was behind the road of the cameras, was that as Stephen reentered the sector, he was adopted into the sector by Mike Ganley.
“The top match director, who earlier than Stephen had even obtained again to the sector of play, or had any interplay with the referee, docked Stephen on the spot.
“There was no session between the ref and the match director. It was Mike Ganley who did it.
“Even when I had mentioned to the referee to dock him a body, which I didn’t, it wasn’t the referee who docked him the body. It was Mike Ganley.
“There was no contact between Mike and the referee. Stephen checked out me, I checked out him. He sees me 1-0 up, and naturally he thinks that I’ve learn the rule e book and pulled him for beginning the match late.
“It’s not truly what occurred. I believe trying again at it, we had been each a lot youthful, we had been each stuffed with testosterone.
“I remorse my half in it. I want I had simply saved my mouth shut, as a result of it’s obtained me into hassle.
“I keep in mind they reduce to the studio and Steve Davis referred to as it the worst piece of sportsmanship he’d ever seen.
“He actually threw me underneath the bus, and actually to at the present time, we’re speaking about it 20-odd years later, it’s nonetheless following me round.
“Folks nonetheless assume that I demanded he be docked a body, and it’s not fairly what occurred.”
Murphy additionally addressed the continued whispers of a possible breakaway tour that might ship shockwaves throughout the game.
A number of high-profile gamers have delivered cryptic messages in current weeks, together with Mark Williams and John Higgins.
The Class of ’92 legends have each hinted that it could possibly be their final appearances on the Crucible Theatre this yr.
Though Williams insists that he will probably be taking part in snooker of some description subsequent season, the Welshman hasn’t dedicated to the place.
“Effectively, I imply, there are rumours afoot of breakaway excursions,” Shaun Murphy mentioned.
“No person else appears to need to speak about it, however there are rumours round. I noticed on social media my title get talked about that Murphy signed an NDA to not speak about it.”
“For readability, I haven’t. I’ve not been approached by anybody about something. I solely know what I learn.
“So it was fairly amusing to see my title featured in it – somebody tweeted, ‘you don’t need to be a Magician to know who I’m speaking about,’ from considered one of these nameless accounts.
“However there are a variety of rumours flying round. John Higgins even mentioned coming into the occasion one thing alongside the strains of, ‘I’m going to go to the Crucible for another crack at it.’
“Once more, you don’t need to be a brilliant genius to work out what these guys try to say.
“I don’t know who’s been approached and been talked to about this breakaway tour, if there may be one. I don’t know who’s been approached.
“However it appears, doubtlessly, these two have.”
Shaun Murphy performs Stephen Maguire within the final 16 of the 2024 World Snooker Championship throughout three classes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
For the total match schedule, click on right here.
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Click on right here for reside scores and session instances.
Spherical 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) 9-10 David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) 10-9 Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) 7-10 Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) 10-5 Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) 6-10 Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) 10-1 Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) 10-6 Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) 10-6 Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) 10-5 Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) 10-6 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) 4-10 Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) 9-10 Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) 9-10 Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) 5-10 Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) 8-10 Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) 10-1 Jackson Web page
Spherical 2 (bo25)
David Gilbert vs Robert Milkins (16)
Stephen Maguire vs Shaun Murphy (8)
Joe O’Connor vs Kyren Wilson (12)
John Higgins (13) vs Mark Allen (4)
Judd Trump (3) vs Tom Ford (14)
Jak Jones vs Si Jiahui
Jack Lisowski vs Stuart Bingham
Ryan Day vs Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
Gilbert/Milkins vs Maguire/Murphy
O’Connor/Ok. Wilson vs Higgins/Allen
Trump/Ford vs Jak Jones/Si
Lisowski/Bingham vs Day/O’Sullivan
Semi-Finals (bo33)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Remaining (bo35)
TBC vs TBC
Featured photograph credit score: WST