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‘Ruining the game’ – Shaun Murphy blasts ‘epidemic’ which is blighting snooker
Snooker star Shaun Murphy tore into an ‘epidemic’ he believes has recently plagued the sport. Given the length of some matches, players will inevitably need to use the bathroom. Murphy hit out at the concerning number of players taking bathroom breaksGetty However, Murphy believes the toilet breaks are no longer being used for their intended purposes. Instead, the 42-year-old believes it’s now ‘good old-fashioned gamesmanship’. “We have to talk about the epidemic of toilet breaks that are spoiling snooker action,” Murphy said on The Onefourseven podcast. “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.” Murphy also believes the increased number of bathroom breaks being taken detracts from the viewing experience for spectators in the venue and watching on TV. “Remember the old days when the BBC used to take absolute pelters for the amount of afternoon sessions that had to go off from live and onto the red button,” Murphy said. “I spoke to someone very high up about this and they said the biggest contributing factor was the amount of unscheduled breaks the players took. Murphy believes the constant bathroom breaks are damaging snookerGetty “I think it’s ruining the game, I’ve got to be honest, I think it’s one of the biggest blights on our sport. “I go to the theatre quite a lot, imagine if you went to see a show and 15 minutes in the lead said, ‘Sorry guys, I’m just going to nip off.’ “It can’t happen in any other form of entertainment. It’s totally ridiculous.” Thankfully for Murphy he was not unsettled by rivals taking curiously-timed bathroom breaks during his epic run to win the Masters on January 19. Murphy beat Kyren Wilson 10-7 to take home the title along with a cool £350,000. The 42-year-old’s winnings are the highest in the Masters‘ 50-year history, having risen by £100,000. Murphy began 2025 in excellent form as he took out the MastersGetty Murphy also scooped up £15,000 thanks to hitting a maximum break in his semi-final win over Mark Allen. It meant Murphy became just the sixth person to hit the iconic 147-break in tournament history. Unfortunately Murphy could not maintain the momentum at the German Masters as he bowed out in the third round to China’s Yuan Sijun. Murphy returns to action on February 11 in the first round of the Welsh Open.
Snooker star Shaun Murphy tore into an ‘epidemic’ he believes has recently plagued the sport.
Given the length of some matches, players will inevitably need to use the bathroom.
However, Murphy believes the toilet breaks are no longer being used for their intended purposes.
Instead, the 42-year-old believes it’s now ‘good old-fashioned gamesmanship’.
“We have to talk about the epidemic of toilet breaks that are spoiling snooker action,” Murphy said on The Onefourseven podcast.
“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.”
Murphy also believes the increased number of bathroom breaks being taken detracts from the viewing experience for spectators in the venue and watching on TV.
“Remember the old days when the BBC used to take absolute pelters for the amount of afternoon sessions that had to go off from live and onto the red button,” Murphy said.
“I spoke to someone very high up about this and they said the biggest contributing factor was the amount of unscheduled breaks the players took.
“I think it’s ruining the game, I’ve got to be honest, I think it’s one of the biggest blights on our sport.
“I go to the theatre quite a lot, imagine if you went to see a show and 15 minutes in the lead said, ‘Sorry guys, I’m just going to nip off.’
“It can’t happen in any other form of entertainment. It’s totally ridiculous.”
Thankfully for Murphy he was not unsettled by rivals taking curiously-timed bathroom breaks during his epic run to win the Masters on January 19.
Murphy beat Kyren Wilson 10-7 to take home the title along with a cool £350,000.
The 42-year-old’s winnings are the highest in the Masters‘ 50-year history, having risen by £100,000.
Murphy also scooped up £15,000 thanks to hitting a maximum break in his semi-final win over Mark Allen.
It meant Murphy became just the sixth person to hit the iconic 147-break in tournament history.
Unfortunately Murphy could not maintain the momentum at the German Masters as he bowed out in the third round to China’s Yuan Sijun.
Murphy returns to action on February 11 in the first round of the Welsh Open.
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