UK Championship Snooker Star Mark Allen Responds to Shaun Murphy’s Criticism of ‘Annoying’ Tactic on BBC Live Broadcast
MARK ALLEN has called on Shaun Murphy to “set aside personal feelings in the commentary box” following criticism aimed at an “irritating” tactic used during their match.
Allen, 38, narrowly lost 6-5 to Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals of the UK Championship on Saturday after a hard-fought encounter.
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Murphy, 42, made his remarks while commentating for the BBC, questioning Allen’s rationale for his prolonged shot decisions.
He stated: “Now, while this is fully compliant with the rules, we must ask at what point do we consider whether Mark Allen’s extended thinking over straightforward shots is a strategy to irritate his opponent?
“We are witnessing an exceptionally clever and strategic match from Mark Allen as he strives to outplay his opponent.
“It’s a tactic that goes back to the classics, one that both my generation and Mark’s have seen before. And it remains entirely within the rules.
“However, I struggle to see any reason beyond this for why his decisions are taking so long. If you observe Barry in his chair, it could be inferred that this strategy is effective.”
Murphy and Allen have had previous verbal exchanges, with Murphy describing Allen as “rude and amateurish,” prompting Allen to label Murphy as “irrelevant” in response to his criticisms regarding previous statements.
In his reflections on social media following the match, Allen expressed that Murphy’s personal vendetta influenced his commentary on Allen’s snooker tactics.
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Allen mentioned: “Not making it to this year’s UK Championships. The superior player emerged as victor on the day.
“Good luck to both Judd and Barry in the final… For the critics out there, I always give 100 percent, and while it may not always look pretty, I am doing my utmost. Some other players could benefit from this mentality.”
“As for Shaun in the commentary box, he is certainly entitled to his perspective, but it would be better to keep any personal emotions out of the commentary moving forward.”
“All this stems from my calling out some of his recent rubbish 😂😂.”
Hawkins is set to compete against Judd Trump in the UK Championship final on Sunday.
Trump, who defeated Kyren Wilson 6-2 in his semi-final, previously won the tournament in 2011 and has been a runner-up in two finals in 2014 and 2020.
Hawkins is making his first appearance in a final.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a comprehensive list of snooker World Champions by year.
The records began in the modern era, considered to start from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) assumed governance of the sport.
The first World Championships were held from 1927, interrupted from 1941-45 due to World War II, and again from 1958-63 due to disputes within the sport.
Joe Davis (15 titles), Fred Davis, and John Pulman (8 titles each) were the most successful players during this time.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan are tied for the record of most titles in the modern era, each with seven.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins