EXCLUSIVE Interview with Shaun Murphy

In the first of a new "Life as a snooker player" feature that Shaun Murphy has kindly agreed to do for the blog, I talk to Shaun about: what he thinks of the new format, how he thinks the season will go, his favourite places to visit and what he likes to do away from the baize including the development of his website and the charity work that he partakes in.

Hi Shaun, I’d like to start by asking you, what do you think of the new Flat 128 structure for ranking events?

Hi, yeah I’m definitely a fan of the new flat 128 structure. Ironically myself and Mark Selby both fell foul to it in the Wuxi classic and had to watch from home but that doesn't mean that I'm not in favour of it anymore. It's been a big topic of conversation at home too and the general feeling is that if you were inventing snooker today, this is how you'd structure it. I just feel that if you're a tour player then you should have the same opportunities as everyone else.

We know what you think of burnout, but will you plan your season to be fresh for the World Championship or will you play as much snooker as you can?

I don't feel that the tour is at the stage yet where players should be picking and choosing events to play in. In my book there are still lots of events that need the support of the higher ranked players as they are the ones primarily that the public pay to come and watch and without the support of these players these tournaments simply won't succeed. For me, I'm playing in as much as possible because I love it. I'm a snooker player, it's what i do.

Do you think you can win another World Championship?

Absolutely. This is one of my biggest goals now and one that I'm working towards on a daily basis. When I won the World Title back in 2005 it was weird. By that I mean it was my first pro TV win and so there were so many emotions running about, the fact that I'd become World Champion kind of got lost in there somewhere. So I'd like to win it again so I could enjoy it for what it is.

Why do you think that you have gone so long without a ranking event win, and do you think that the Flat 128 draw will offer up better opportunities for you?

I've no idea why it’s been so long. I hadn't really took any notice of it until I overheard Hazel Irvine broadcasting at The Masters. I was in the practice room warming up for my semi- final and heard them in the studio talking about how long it had been. I think to be honest, somewhere between '09 and '11 I perhaps didn't work quite as hard at my game as many others and certainly not as hard as i know I should've been. On that basis I didn't really deserve to win much but now I'm back to a good old fashioned six hours practise in the club every day, I'm convinced that more trophies are just around the corner.

On the other hand, does it please you that you have, at the same time, been very consistent in getting to the latter stages of events, and that if you continue to do so will it only be a matter of time before you win one?

Consistency is one of my least favourite words. Of course I'm pleased to be making the final stages of events regularly and challenging to win events but you know that isn't what I wanted to achieve from my snooker. I don't want to have to tell the grandkids that I was Mr consistent. They don't make cabinets for consistency; if they did mine would be bulging ha!

How much do you think your new cue will affect your game and if so will the affects be a positive or negative on your game?

Well I've certainly been putting the hours in with it. My new cue is yet to make its debut in competition, that’s coming in Australia but i'd say it’s a keeper. I did use a John Parris replica of my original that i'd had for five years or so in Bulgaria and was quite happy with it but that’s taken second place to my new John Parris cue. It's showing really well in practise so I can't wait to see how it performs out there when it matters.

How much do you enjoy travelling around the world, and do you take the opportunity to do some sightseeing when you can?

I always love going to new places and seeing the culture wherever it may be. I'm always amazed at how many players don't get into all that and just stay in the confines of the hotel. For me it’s all about creating memories to share with my family and friends in the future. They won't want to hear about shots and matches but about places and people.

Do many other players take on some sightseeing when on tour?

Some do and i hope with the new younger breed coming through there will be a few more takers for sightseeing and travelling to these faraway places. I was quite disappointed more top players didn't go to Brazil a few years ago and I think that is a very big part of why that tournament hasn't happened again. I hope the same isn't said about the Australian Masters in a year’s time.

Where is your favourite area to visit on the snooker tour outside of the UK?

I really enjoy all the Euro Tour events wherever they may be and have grown to like going to Shanghai, but my favourite place so far would be Australia. I mean its Australia for crying out loud, what’s not to like? The way of life is fantastic and I guess if it wasn't a whole 24 hours of travel away i'd definitely spend more time there.

What is your favourite snooker venue outside of the UK?

Has to be the Tempodrome in Berlin. In the early days we did quite a few exhibitions there and around Germany trying to generate some interest in the sport together with the TV coverage given by Eurosport. It's amazing now to see that venue full and them all enjoying their own ranking event. My best performance there so far has been a Semi- final and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Who is your favourite player to play and why?

I think that would still have to be Steve Davis. He was my idol growing up and someone that as a professional I've looked up to as a role model. Whilst doing some of these exhibition tours around Europe I've been lucky enough to watch how he handles himself, sponsors and the public and he's simply first class.

Do you have a least favourite player to play against and why?

Not really no. A few years ago on the UK tour I could never beat Mark Gray for some reason. He quickly became my bogey player and then in my early years on tour Matt Couch gave me similar problems.

How many players socialise around events, and are there many cliques in the snooker world?

Most players are very sociable on tour and get on with everyone. I'm not really sure that cliques exist; I just think that certain groups of players have either known each other longer or come from the same area and sometimes even practise at the same clubs so they are bound to stick together. In my case there is a group of players that I’ve grown up with through the junior and amateur game so we would all tend to have dinners and travel together when possible and try to make our trips away as comfortable as possible.

Which players do you spend most time with away from the baize?

Well nowadays we don't get too much time away from the baize so when we do it’s nice to be able to share some other hobbies with some of the other lads. I'm a very keen golfer and so any chance I get I'm out on the course. Fortunately there are quite a few keen and very good golfers among the snooker players so finding a partner isn't too difficult usually. Matt Selt and I have become good mates and have donated a small fortune to each other in golfing bets in the last 24 months or so. It's hard though playing golf with Matt because he is such a funny guy that it becomes very hard to concentrate on what you're trying to do and before you know it you're handing over the dough. Away from the golf I'm good friends with Selby, Carter, Walden and Higginson and many others. I've been friends with Nigel Bond for many years too and hope that will always be the case. When I was a kid he was one of the only pro's that took the time to practise with me and show me the ropes and I will always owe him a huge thanks for that.

What difference has Barry Hearn made to snooker and how much does snooker owe to him?

Quite simply, Barry Hearn and his new team at World Snooker are the best things to happen to the game in my lifetime. When you look back to the pre Hearn years of just a few years ago snooker was going nowhere, and fast. Now look at it. We've got a full diary, lots of events and more money to play for. How can anyone moan about that?

What advice would you give to a young player thinking of turning professional?

My best advice would be two fold. Firstly, make sure that being a snooker placer is absolutely the number one priority in your life. If it’s something that you quite like and are thinking of having a crack at don't bother. There are too many out there who want it more and you'll end up wasting the best years of your life. It has to be your passion. Secondly, don't make the mistake of thinking that practise makes perfect. It doesn't. Practise makes permanent, so only proper structured, goal orientated practise is worth it.

You do a lot of charity work for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. What sort of work do you do to raise money and awareness for the charity, how much do the children there inspire you, and why did you choose to help the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital?

I'd reached that point in my life where i thought it was time to start trying to do some good for others as well as myself. I started looking for a local charity to get involved with and because one of my relatives has spent much of her young life there, the RMCH seems the right place to start. 18 months ago now I started my £100 for 100 breaks initiative and that’s something I'm committed to long term, donating £100 for every century break I make. It really puts the pressure on when I get to 70 - 90 now! I also ran the Manchester 10k in May for them too and loved it.

You have a website of your own (ShaunMurphy.net) that you are also working on. What are you doing to develop the site and what information do you put on there for your fans?

With www.shaunmurphy.net we are constantly looking for ways to make it better and in the future we hope to have a much more interactive site with tuition and back stage footage to try and show a different side to life as a snooker player. I try to keep it up to date with regular match reports and previews and i guess together with my Twitter @magician147 it’s my chance to give my side of any story without the interference of a journalist’s opinion.

It’s not just snooker your good at, it is a well-known fact that you and many other snooker players are a dab hand with a set of Golf clubs. So, what other sports do you enjoy playing or watching in your spare time and why do you think so many other snooker players play Golf?

As already mentioned I do play a lot of golf and I'm sure that it’s because it’s a still ball sport that many snooker players take to it. That in built hand eye coordination comes out, well most of the time anyway and helps. Other than golf I play quite a bit of tennis and I've also got quite into running after doing the Manchester 10k for the RMCH in May. I’m also a bit of a motor enthusiast and if not at home cutting the grass or playing the piano and annoying everyone I'm usually in the garage tinkering away or cleaning the cars.

And Finally Shaun, John Higgins and Neil Robertson have set the bar high at the start if this season but, who do you think will win the most tournaments this season or will they be shared fairly equally like last year?

The standard set so far has been very good, and i think it will only get better. I predicted a few years ago that with all these new tournaments and a sharper set of players the standards across the whole tour would rise and I think that’s happening. From a players point of view its put much more emphasis on the time between events now spent in the club working on my game as that is where the improvements are (hopefully) made. One things for sure, if things carry on this season the way they've begun, it'll be one hell of a year.

Once again I would like to thank Shaun for doing this interview and look forward to the other pieces that he will hopefully do for the blog over the course of the season.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and, like me, are looking forward to more exciting and fun features on the blog in the near future.