The Learning Curve

By Elliott West

“It’s not fair”.

Shaun Murphy

Introduction

Much has been said in recent days regarding whether amateur snooker players should be able to fill the spaces in professional tournaments. A debate started after Shaun Murphy was defeated by the Chinese amateur Si Jiahui in the first round of the UK Championship 6-5. An angry Murphy couldn’t come to terms with the fact that he was beaten by the better player on the day despite the fact that he fought back from a 5-1 deficit and lost the match in a deciding frame. Since then, several players have waded into the debate including Neil Robertson and Mark Williams backing Murphy’s claims, suggesting that amateur players should not only be excluded but the number of players on the tour should be cut from 128. Controversial as ever, Ronnie O’Sullivan commented on the debacle, saying of Murphy:

“Get your head around it, you’ve got choices to make. Five or six years ago I made a real conscious effort to play for fun and just enjoy it, I went and got a job and play this for a hobby.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Snooker has to be an inclusive sport and in order for this to happen everyone must be given an opportunity to succeed. There are often times when professional snooker players have to drop out of a tournament for medical or personal reasons and this inevitably leaves a space within the order of play. World Snooker has in my opinion, made the right decision to fill these spaces with top-up players, players who may have scored highly at Q School, young amateurs or people that were on the main tour but fell off due to insufficient ranking points.

Shaun Murphy and others argue that by allowing these people to play, you are ruining the integrity of the sport. Elite sportsmen play for their livelihoods but a player of such status competes with an air of not having a care in the world. A cruel and irrational statement from someone who I normally have the greatest deal of respect for as an ambassador of the game. Perhaps he was having an off day but unfortunately when you are in the public eyes, you have to choose your words wisely and such outbursts remain recorded in audio and visual material. Once you have opened a can of worms, there is no lid and the worms continue to escape.

“I feel extremely hard done by that I have lost to someone who shouldn’t even be in the building. I don’t know why we as a sport allow amateurs to compete in professional tournaments. This is our livelihood. This is our living. We are self-employed individuals and not contracted sportsmen. We don’t play for a team”.

Shaun Murphy

These various quotes that have been well documented in recent days, do little to inspire a player who loses his first match and returns home with no money to show for it. Murphy says he plays to put food on the table but what about any of the blamed parties who struggle from day to day and often have to work a second job to pursue their passion? An amateur player can’t be blamed for winning a match. They were the better player and it just happened that a top-ranking player was on the receiving end of the defeat.

Ironically Neil Robertson was dealt the same blow by the former professional and now amateur player, John Astley. The defending champion was outclassed by his opponent and ended up crashing out of the tournament in a painful 6-2 defeat. However all credit to him, he responded to my Tweet congratulating John, saying:

“He played a brilliant match and deserved the win today no doubt!👏🏻”

Neil Robertson

World Snooker was quick to try and douse the flames of this debate, saying that they strongly disagreed with Murphy’s claims and insisted the opportunity for young amateur players to compete on the biggest stage formed a crucial part of their development.

Change is a Good Thing

Innovation is crucial for any sport to modernise and expand and so including amateurs in tournaments shouldn’t be a decision to be sniffed at. Everyone has to start somewhere and a match arena or outer table is a no better place to cut your teeth. So often a player of this ilk is inflicted a heavy defeat when they draw one of the usual suspects of the sport. So it is refreshing when the scoreline goes in the opposite direction and the underdog prevails.

Snooker should never be seen as being a closed shop and elitist. It has come too far over the years to return to these dark days and must continue to offer a warm embrace to these places and not a cold shoulder. The UK Championship and other future tournaments are likely to produce a number of surprise wins and hopefully, those that are victorious at the moment can kick on to greater heights. The top players of today won’t be around forever and it is inevitable that the lineup has to change. By snuffing out success, you only send the game in a backward direction. A path that is neither productive nor beneficial.

Every tournament needs a headline but negative ones never help the cause. They create a talking shop of hindrance that muddies the waters and discredits those who are trying to succeed. Shaun Murphy on this occasion took a step too far and has left a blemish in his positive reputation. A mark that probably will be remembered as a storm in a teacup but definitely one that crossed the line and was wounding and disrespectful.

Summary

I don’t think much will change as a result of this outburst and I would be very disappointed if it did. This isn’t a new item of clothing for a player, it’s their livelihood and anyone who has attempted to play this sport professionally, knows how hard it is to be successful and there are plenty of players who never quite made it and sunk into obscurity, as a result, remembered by their colleagues rather than the snooker audience. Amateurs must have a chance to have a roll of the dice on the professional circuit and it is unfair and disrespectful to countenance this opportunity.