Murphy celebrates world title with quiet night in

NEW Embassy World Champion Shaun Murphy revealed he had a “quiet night” after his heroic final victory over Matthew Stevens at the Crucible.

A glass or two of champagne and some time with his fiancée, family and friends summed up the youngster’s evening after a star-studded dinner at the Holiday Inn in Sheffield.

But 22-year-old Murphy is hoping to make a big impact with his world champion status, an accolade which makes him seeded two for every ranking event next season.

“I went down to the lounge this morning and the trophy was sat on the floor. It sent a shiver down my spine,” said Murphy.

“It’s the end of a long journey but also the start of a new journey. As a kid all I wanted to be was world champion and world number one. I will strive to be the next one (world number one).

“Last night we had a bottle of champagne to celebrate when I got home but I didn’t do anything particularly special. I had 42 missed calls, 64 text messages and the phone has just been going mental. Those numbers have probably doubled by now.

“I think I’m going to mount the cheque (€367,000) on the wall,” joked Murphy.

“For any 22-year-old to have that amount of money is fantastic. Me and Clare (his fiancée) are going to make some sound investments and some smart moves.”

Murphy remained cool throughout his 34-frame encounter with Stevens, but admits learning from his fellow professionals has been a big help.

“For me one of the most important things is looking up to people and making sure I conduct myself in the right way,” added Murphy.

Murphy also spared a thought for semi-finalist Ian McCulloch.

McCulloch, although he is in the top 16, will be forced to qualify for some tournaments next season.

Murphy added: “Ian McCulloch is a fantastic player.

“He is a fantastic guy, a likeable character and a good player on the circuit. I thought it might be Steve Davis who might have to have these qualifiers, but it looks like Ian.”