Snooker star Shaun Murphy has put forward four major rule changes he feels would make the sport more entertaining.
The 42-year-old made the headlines in January when he clinched his his second Masters crown, and his thoughts on how the game could be improved have gathered plenty of attention too.
‘The Magician’ recently went on a furious tirade about the lengthy toilet breaks taken by players during matches.
But this is just one of various modifications the snooker star is keen to see implemented, which include the introduction of a shot clock, tweaks to the miss rule, and an improvement to the cue ball.
Spotted cue ball
Having recently launched a YouTube channel teaching skills to snooker enthusiasts, Murphy has been using a spotted cue ball in his tutorials to help viewers see exactly where he hits it.
Most other cue sports use such a ball, with Murphy claiming its introduction would help spectators to better grasp the ball’s spin.
Speaking on his ‘In The Frame‘ YouTube series, he explained: “You guys are loving seeing the spin, how the spin manipulates the cue ball and what it’s actually doing.
“It’s great that you can see it with one of these. You know what? I actually think we should be using one of these in tournament play.
“I think that you should be able to see this when we’re playing. Think about this, snooker, currently, is the only table sport and cue sport that doesn’t use one of these.
“They are using it in billiards, they’re using it in nine-ball, they are using it in everything. Maybe it’s time that snooker moved on, just so you guys can see what’s happening.”
Foul and a miss rule
Murphy has also voiced his frustration over snooker’s ‘foul and a miss’ rule, which can force players to replay their shots if they fail to make a proper attempt at hitting the intended ball.
This often happens when they are attempting to get out of a snooker.
Credit: YouTube: @shaunmurphysnooker147Murphy believes the introduction of a spotted cue ball would enhance the viewing experience for fans[/caption]
The world no.10 has previously argued the rule hands the opponent an unfair advantage as players are given the chance to get a sighter in when they are snookered.
Whilst commentating at last month’s Welsh Open, Murphy said: “I just find it so weird that we have a rule in the game that allows players to have a sighter.
“In my opinion, the miss rule needs to be taken out of the game altogether. I don’t like the rule at all.”
Back in 2020, Murphy gave his alternative on social media, proposing: “Instead, I’d give ball in hand after any foul.”
Shot clock
The 2005 world champion has long called for the introduction of a shot clock to speed up play.
Murphy has previously been critical of the slow pace of some of his fellow competitors, most notably whilst commentating at the UK Championship in December.
He voiced his frustration over Mark Allen’s tempo during his semi-final clash with Barry Hawkins.
This resulted in a heated exchange between the pair on X, but Murphy later backed up his argument on The onefourseven podcast.
On the issue, he said: “I’d bring in a shot clock. And I’ve been saying this for 20 years, so I’m super-consistent on this.”
Toilet break times
Despite not suggesting a specific rule to tackle the issue, Murphy recently blasted players who take lengthy toilet breaks in matches.
He said on The Onefourseven podcast in February: “We have to talk about the epidemic of toilet breaks that are spoiling snooker action.
“It is now getting ridiculous, guys. It is getting totally out of hand. It is ridiculous how many times players are leaving the arena to go to the loo.
“And here’s where it gets spicy, because most of these exits from the arena have got nothing to do with players needing to go for a wee, it’s good old-fashioned gamesmanship.
“My opponent last week went to the toilet after the first frame of the match, then after the fifth frame after the interval.
“You’ve had 20-odd minutes to be ready to play. What’s going on? It’s getting ridiculous. It’s a joke.”
