Murphy glides into Malta Cup final

Shaun Murphy has taken another giant stride towards his first title since shocking the snooker world by winning the 2005 World Championship as a 125-1 outsider after reaching the final of the Malta Cup.

The 24-year-old completed a top-quality 6-3 victory over Ali Carter at the Portomaso Hilton and will now tackle either Peter Ebdon or Ryan Day in tomorrow’s best of 17 frames final to the world-ranking tournament.