'Quiet night' as Murphy celebrates World title

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

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

But 22-year-old Murphy is hungry for more success and hoping to make a big impact with his world champion status, an accolade which makes him seeded two for ever 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 by spine,” said Murphy.

“It’s the end of a very 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). I don’t know how long it’s going to take me, but the number one spot isn’t going anywhere.

“One of the talents of a champion is turning a bad day into a good day.

“I have got no regrets whatsoever. All I ever wanted to do was play snooker and I have been very lucky.

“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 (£250,000) on the wall,” joked Murphy, who does plan to buy a new Mercedes car with his winnings.

“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 ice cool throughout his marathon 34-frame encounter with world number six Stevens, but admits looking up and learning from his fellow professionals has been a big help in his development.

“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.

“The training I’ve had as a youngster has been invaluable. It’s not easy professional sport and emotions run high. But I’m proud to call myself a professional.

“There are a lot of good players coming through. I was sat in a hotel room with Ali Carter about four years ago and we both said we were going to give a few people a run for their money.

“Players like Neil Robertson, Ryan Day and Barry Hawkins are all players that can play and have a chance of winning titles in the future.

“Barry Hawkins was knocking 100s in when I was 11 and I have watched this year and seen the likes of Stephen Maguire win the UK Championship, which is fabulous.

“That spurred me on even more and was such a good motivation.”

Murphy, a devote Christian, has never let his faith dwindle, his prayers before every session paying dividends.

“I spoke to our church pastor this morning. He rang me on the mobile. It was great having support from him, my friends and my family.”

Murphy also thanked his Clare, whom he plans to marry this summer.

“She’s been second to none. I need to thank her for all her support over the last 17 days but more importantly over the last year.

“She made it easy for me so that all I had to do was get up and play snooker.

“There have been plenty of tears for all of us. For me and Clare, for me and my dad and the rest of the family. It’s been very emotional.”

Murphy also spared a thought for Preston potter Ian McCulloch, one of this year’s semi-finalists.

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

“Ian McCulloch is a fantastic player. He’s playing an exhibition match at our club in the next couple of days. 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.”

Murphy is keen on golf and will also spend what spare time he gets playing the piano.

He said: “I also enjoying playing the piano. I’m trying to learn at the moment and I can play a bit of Beethoven.”

Murphy also plans to spend time with his bride-to-be.

“We are going to get away soon and have a well-earned break. We’ve got our honeymoon in July to look forward to but it won’t be for five weeks that I will pick up a cue.

“Any longer than that and I would miss it too much. I love snooker too much.”