Sponsored by
Shaun: 'Form will improve'
SHAUN Murphy is determined to turn around his disastrous start to the snooker season at this week's Maplin UK Championship, which started at the weekend in Telford.
The Rotherham potter has failed to win a match in the first four ranking tournaments of the new domestic term.
But the world number three, who is danger of dropping quickly down the rankings unless his form rapidly improves, is confident his recent slump is a minor blip in the grand scheme of things.
"I think my form this year has been poor. No, I will clarify that, my results have been poor," admitted Murphy.
"It is just one of those things in sport that players go through periods when they are winning and periods when they are not.
"At the moment I am going through a bit of a downturn. But things do change, things will change for me. I hope that the UK Championship is where it turns. It would be a great event to really kick off my season."
Murphy led qualifier Martin Gould 5-3 after the first session of their first round clash at the Telford International Centre yesterday. The pair resume to conclude their best-of-17 frame match this afternoon – with the winner set to play either Belfast potter Mark Allen or Londoner Stuart Bingham in the second phase. Allen led Bingham 6-2.
"Hopefully it will come good this week. If it doesn't come good this week, it will come good next month at the Wembley Masters."
Meanwhile, Stephen Hendry admitted he was not in the ideal frame of mind for snooker after Stephen Lee put an early end to his bid for a first UK Championship title for 12 years.
The five-time UK champion, who won his titles between 1989 and 1996 and has also been a runner-up on five occasions, lost 9-7 to Lee in the first round in Telford. Two-time former winner Mark Williams achieved an impressive 9-7 victory over Masters and Welsh Open champion Mark Selby who levelled after being 7-3 down.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
