It’s a bitter and personal snooker rivalry that has spanned two decades – and it resumes again at the World Grand Prix next month. For the first time ever, the event is taking place outside the UK with the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong the new venue.
And yet, all eyes will be on two British players when the first round begins on March 4.
One of the standout ties sees recently crowned Masters champion Shaun Murphy take on Stephen Maguire, who reached the final of the Welsh Open last week.
It will be the latest episode in a feud that dates back to October 2004, when the pair met at the Grand Prix in Preston Guild Hall. Just moments before the opening frame, Maguire panicked after realising he had forgotten his chalk.
Match referee Johan Oomen was then asked if he could go backstage to retrieve it for the Scotsman. Intriguingly, Murphy also retreated with him, and when Oomen returned he docked Maguire a frame for failing to start the match on time.
The now 43-year-old reacted angrily at the time and has refused to relent since. Ahead of playing Murphy in last year’s World Championships, Maguire declined to criticise Oomen, who died in 2022, but he insisted he and his English rival would never be friends.
“We can’t resolve it because he always says he never said to the referee (to take a frame off him),” the Scot said. “The poor referee isn’t with us any longer. But he did – he knows he did. But I’m over it.”
Maguire conceded that the pair could now be civil with each other in public, but added: “We don’t go for meals.”
Meanwhile, Murphy argued that fans have the wrong idea about what transpired in Preston.
“The whole chalk thing of millions of years ago was a long, long time ago,” fired back the 41-year-old. “That’s something else that people don’t know the truth about, people think I had him docked a frame for not having his chalk in the arena.
“It’s not actually what happened. I’ve never told my side of the story but people have put two and two together and come up with six.”
It was Maguire who got the last laugh at The Crucible with a 13-9 win. The bad blood could now resurface with ‘The Magician’ handed the chance for revenge when the pair go head-to-head in Hong Kong.
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Publish date : 2025-02-21 22:15:00
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