Shaun Murphy rails at snooker amateurs: 'I lost to someone who shouldn’t be in the building'

Shaun Murphy furious after first-round UK Championship loss

Shaun Murphy during his first round match against Si Jiahui during day one of the Cazoo UK Championship at the York Barbican. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire 

Shaun Murphy reacted angrily after crashing out of the first round of the UK Championship saying his 6-5 defeat to Si Jiahui was “not fair” and that amateurs should not be allowed to play in professional tournaments.

Murphy – winner of the tournament in 2008 and runner-up at the world championship earlier this year – fought back to force a decider against the 19-year-old Si, who fell off the main tour at the end of last season, but then spurned an opportunity to finally seal the match. The loss sparked a rancorous reaction rarely seen at the elite levels of professional sport.