In the world of professional snooker, rivalries often have a role in the game. Alec Higgins and Jimmy White, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Henry and now Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson are just a few examples. Despite the passion and desire to win between all of the men above, the one thing they all had between them was respect, that hasn’t been the case with Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen.
Two men who aren’t shy in coming forward, the pair made the headlines at the recently finished UK Championship after Murphy publicly accused Allen of slow play and gamesmanship in his semi final defeat to Barry Hawkins when working as a commentator for the match.
As you can imagine, Allen didn’t take too kindly to the comments and when the pair next meet l, you can guarantee that there will be fireworks. With their feud showing little to no signs of ending, here is a little more detail about how and why two of today’s best players in the game don’t and will never see eye to eye.
The rivalry begins at the British Championship
Unlike other sports, snooker has always been a sport that has been able to attract colourful and fiery personalities and that’s certainly been the case with Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy.
Two men that have been able to sit at snooker’s top table for the last decade, Murphy is a former World Champion whilst Allen has won both the UK Championship and Masters.
Competing for the same titles, money and glory, both men have never been shy when it comes to voicing their opinion and with clear tension between the two of them, their first public spat spilled over when at the British Open earlier this year.
Speaking after his first round victory, Allen lamented the state of the tables that the players were being subjected to, stating ‘The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing, it’s some of the worst weather outside and they’ve left the massive transport doors open. It’s so cold, it’s so humid out there. The table needs to be burned.
The cushions are just unplayable, uncontrollable. It was heavy. The speed was decent, but there’s new guys doing the tables this year, and they’re clearly not up to it.
I pride myself on preparing properly for tournaments with good conditions. You turn up and you don’t get them. It’s not good enough.’
Although Allen would later apologise for his rant, for Murphy the apology was a case of too little, too late. As a member of Snooker’s Professional Player’s Board, Murphy clearly felt that Allen’s comments had crossed a line with the man from Sheffield saying,
“I think some of the criticism from fellow professionals has been nothing short of rude and amateurish. There’s a real misconception about playing conditions – people either refer to them as good or bad. The truth of the matter is they’re either difficult or more difficult.
It’s about time players understood that. They’re either difficult or get more difficult with the weather and humidity.
It’s nothing to do with the table fitter or their skill. They get a table off the back of a lorry and fit it, they do a great job.
It’s about time some of our players educated themselves and maybe visit the factory. Maybe they wouldn’t say such silly things.”
Despite Murphy trying to bring an end to the debate regarding what Allen had said, tensions would continue to boil over with Allen labelling Murphy’s comments as ‘irrelevant’ and stating that next time he played he would bring ‘three cues to his next match.’
With both men still smarting from their exchange, once again the tension would spill over between the pair at the UK Championship.
Rivalry takes new level at UK Championship
Both Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen competed in last week’s UK Championship with Murphy falling at the quarter final stage to Barry Hawkins who would then go onto defeat Mark Allen in the semifinals.
With the action being broadcast across British TV channel, the BBC, Murphy often reverts to the commentary box after he has been defeated and it’s no surprise that the producers were keen to get his views on the contest between Allen and Hawkins.
With the semifinals being the best of eleven frames, matches can often take a few hours to complete but the matchup between Allen and Hawkins would end up lasting over five, with Hawkins finally completing his victory after 1am.
Although many were captivated by the drama, Murphy had different ideas, exclaiming ‘It’s completely within the rules, he’s not doing anything wrong. But at what stage do we question whether the amount of time Mark Allen is taking over simple decisions is a tactic to annoy his opponent? I think we are witnessing an extremely clever, well thought out match from Mark Allen to try and beat the man.
It’s an old school tactic. It’s from a playbook my generation and Mark’s generation are from and it’s perfectly within the rules. But I can’t see any reason, other than that for why he’s taking so long. As you look at Barry in his chair, you might say it was working.’
Essentially accusing a fellow professional of gamesmanship is certainly a bold move and unsurprisingly Allen didn’t take too kindly at the accusations labelled at him.
Speaking after his defeat the man from Northern Ireland criticised Murphy for a lack of respect and simply stated that ‘I always try my best and that’s something that other players could learn from. As for Shaun in comms. He’s absolutely entitled to his opinion on things but perhaps best to leave personal feelings out of the commentary box in future. All because I called out some of his recent BS!’
Former friends, now foes?
The recent change in narrative between the pair is in stark contrast to the early days of their relationship where both Allen and Murphy were close. That relationship seems to have been severed with Allen recently stating that Murphy has become a yes man.
‘I think he’s changed a bit in my view. Some of the things he said just made no sense to me to the extent that some of the things he said recently are completely the opposite of what he’s said in the past. At least if you’re going to speak rubbish, speak rubbish consistently… don’t change your tune.
I’m actually getting a bit bored of reading about Shaun Murphy’s recent views. This is someone who’s meant to represent the players at board level but is openly criticising the current world champ and others. Baffling behaviour or is it just attention seeking from the yes man?’
Despite Christmas being around the corner, the snooker schedule is showing no signs of letting up with the best players in the world due to play in the Scottish Open before the Masters kicks off in January.
The two have had epic clashes in the past, when they next meet on the table, expect plenty of passion, drama and fireworks.
At 35, Andrew Blakely stands as a seasoned expert in both snooker and its betting intricacies. A dedicated player and analyst, he offers keen insights derived from years in the field. Through his writings, Andrew aspires to guide enthusiasts navigating the captivating world of snooker betting.
Andrew Blakely
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