Tour Championship snooker 2023 as it happened - Shaun Murphy beats Robert Milkins after mounting extraordinary comeback
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ByEurosport
Updated 29/03/2023 at 22:39 GMT
Welcome to Eurosport's coverage of the 2023 Tour Championship with the latest quarter final pitting Shaun Murphy up against Robert Milkins, which saw the latter lead 5-3 after the afternoon session. Ding Junhui and Kyren Wilson have already advanced to the final four with Mark Selby v Ryan Day to come on Friday. Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live on discovery+,
'He's come good!' - Milkins celebrates with Welsh Open trophy after beating Murphy in final
That's us done for today
Join me again tomorrow at 12.30pm BST for Mark Selby v Ryan Day!
Shaun Murphy beats Robert Milkins 10-8!
Robert will be disappointed - he led 5-1 - but Shaun has been too good over the stretch. He finishes with a gloooorious 128, missing the final black, and meets Ryan Day or Mark Selby next.
Murphy 9-8 Milkins (73-0)
Shaun slides a nasty one diagonally into right corner and this is the match. What a run to win it, too.
Murphy 9-8 Milkins (53-0)
Shaun compiles nicely and he's looking good for the match. He's played pretty well tonight.
Murphy 9-8 Milkins (15-0)
Robert unloads the suitcase at a long one, misses by miles, and has he left a cut for Shaun to left-middle? It's just past the pocket but I'm sure he can chip it back towards the bag ... except Shaun strokes it into left corner! That's a very serious pot, and this is a very serious chance.
Murphy 9-8 Milkins
Robert concedes and Shaun is one away.
Murphy 8-8 Milkins (70-4)
Yeah, Shaun gets in again with a fine red, he then glides a nasty brown parallel with the top rail and into the green pocket. This is going to be 9-8.
Murphy 8-8 Milkins (57-4)
Shaun feels he's playing well so looks good when in the balls, and he's taking this chance nicely. But he's running out of loose reds, so will need to go into the cluster ... and he trickles into them ... then bridging awkwardly, pushes it home! "Are you sure?!" he jokes when the foul is called. There are plenty of points left on the table for Robert - six reds all told - but I'd be surprised if he got close to stealing this.
Murphy 8-8 Milkins (33-0)
Eventually, Shaun finds a route down the table and a lovely starter to left corner gives him a chance to build on his lead.
Murphy 8-8 Milkins (18-0)
Robert leaves a starter to left-middle, a kiss allows a green, and he's now up the business end with the black in business. If he gets a decent split he's in ... he hands the pink a good knuck ... and now has to find a safety to hide a red that's near left corner. So he just feathers into the nearest ball and we have a bit of that.
Murphy 8-8 Milkins
He near-enough does. when he misses, Shaun returns to the table with two snookers needed, takes a green with his first red that means he needs three ... then misses his third. Best of three it is!
Murphy 8-7 Milkins (1-51)
Robert clips a fine starter into left corner and suddenly it's him making the running. He rolls a red to right corner and a cannon develops two more; from here, he should level the match.
Murphy 8-7 Milkins (1-23)
A poor safety from Robert leaves Shaun a simple starter ... but then he misses a pink to left-middle with the rest! Robert, though, has only made one fifty all night and this isn't going to improve that - he quickly runs out of position.
Murphy 8-7 Milkins
Back in the game! Shaun concedes!
Murphy 8-6 Milkins (31-59)
Shaun doesn't get to it because he runs out of position so has to play safe off the last red. And then he goes in-off!
Murphy 8-6 Milkins (17-59)
Ohhhh Robert; oh mate. He hammers a blue into the inside knuckle of the green bag before securing the frame, but with the black tied up, he's still a good bet for the frame because Shaun needs high-value colours ... but a fine brown gives him a chance. The green, though, is on the bottom rail.
Murphy 8-6 Milkins (0-44)
In handing over the chance, Shaun had brought the black into play; Robert quickly knocks a red in front of it. No matter: he compiles with blue and pink and this is decent from him.
Murphy 8-6 Milkins (0-13)
That's more like it! Robert unloads the suitcase at a long one and absolutely smokes it down left-corner. Can he play well enough for long enough to make the most of it? Er no, he soon runs out of position ... but he soon forces an error out of Shaun, and he's got another chance...
Murphy 8-6 Milkins
Shaun has taken over - that's seven out of eight and five on the spin. He might just've broken the back of this.
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (57-28)
Shaun knows how big this clearance could be, and pots a red while developing the next - the last - then finds a terrific black to get onto it and that will surely be the frame.
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (24-28)
No sooner do I publish than Robert runs out of position, using the extended spider to escape. Shaun then tries sending one long to the green and misses; Shaun then tries sending one long to the yellow and boy does he hit! this is a chance for 8-6 and a potentially decisive blow!
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (15-12)
Especially given he's in again - using all parts of the table, but still in, and this is a really important run in the context of the match. If Robert loses this frame, I'd not be surprised to see him lose 10-6, but if can level it, who knows what'd happen next.
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (15-12)
Oh Robert. He pots to left-middle, but I've no idea what he was hoping to get on there, and he winds up with no option but to poke off black with spider onto rail. Still, although he botched a chance he didn't had one over, so he'll get over it.
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (15-11)
Gosh, Robert needed that. He sends a starter from the cluster into left-middle, adds a yellow and he's in...
Murphy 7-6 Milkins (15-0)
After a slow start to the frame, Shaun spots a plant to left corner that Robert hadn't seen; the balls aren't close, but he guides them together beautifully and pots off the post. But when he digs into the pack, the white stays amongst the reds, so what looked a good chance evaporates. In co-comms, Ken thinks he might've played that shot with stun not screw.
Murphy 7-6 Milkins
Yup, Shaun rattles off a quick 30 giving him six of the last seven frames, and now leads for the first time in the match.
Murphy 6-6 Milkins (25-12)
Shaun tries to float a tight one to left-middle and misses; Robert goes at an easier one to right-middle, and also misses. Shaun can't capitalise immediately, but he then lashes one long to the green pocket and tucks in behind the black; only one red is in the to half of the table and he hits it, nestling close.So Shaun taps the table then takes it on to the same green bag, misses, and because he went at it too hard, he leaves a chance ... which Robert butchers. By the looks of things, he is gawn.
Murphy 6-6 Milkins (16-12)
When I asked the question it felt rhetorical and shonuff, Robert soon misses a red along the bottom rail. It only costs him a point, but next go he leaves one to left corner, and Shaun can stretch away here. The balls aren't ideal, but they should be good enough for a sizable lead, at least.
Murphy 6-6 Milkins (1-6)
You get the feeling Shaun can run away with this, and after he misses a longun, Robert misses an easier one. Except Shaun, digging into the pack off the blue, then misses the pot! Will he be punished?
We go again
Best of seven it is.
Murphy 6-6 Milkins
No ton but a run of 64, 106 and 67 levels the match at the mid-sesh. See you again in 15 or so.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins (76-0)
Frame safe, Shaun chases a second straight ton.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins (59-0)
Shaun takes these nicely and looks the stronger player now. That said, it wasn't long ago that Robert beat him in the Welsh Open final - I could not believe that happened, but in fairness to Robert he played really well that day in what was the biggest match of his life.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins (25-0)
Robert foul-misses and Shaun gets away again; I doubt he'll be so careless this time, and very quickly the black is made available to both corners.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins (12-0)
All that effort to miss a cannon when draining a red with the rest, and he puffs out cheeks before playing a decent safety.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins (11-0)
Shaun has a look, then clips in a plant that I think's a fluke because he flicks a third ball en route to the one which goes in. A brown follows, but then seeking to go up the table, he clips the far jaw of right-middle and does very well to see the white stay out, never mind land on another red. Still, though, he has to cue dead straight to ram it into left corner and, though there are plenty of points on the table, it's taking him a few shots to find prime position. So far, he's made six points for 11 points.
Murphy 5-6 Milkins
1Shaun is on the move, oozing home a 106, and this next frame, the last of the mini-sesh, is crucial.
Murphy 4-6 Milkins (58-16)
Shaun makes it harder for himself by potting the pink, which returns on the green spot, but he doesn't let it bother him and instead sets about securing the frame.
Murphy 4-6 Milkins (23-16)
I wonder if the tide of this match has turned. Robert plays a safety he doesn't really fancy, but he's got to take a shot, and leaves a starter which Shaun clobbers diagonally to right corner - and there are loads more points just sat there. This is a pretty good chance to win the frame in a oner.
Murphy 4-6 Milkins (16-16)
Oooh yeah! Off Shaun's break, Robert steers in a lovely starter to left corner, adds a black, and he's away. But a recovery black, cut thin, leaves another toughie to that same left corner bag, and he gets nowhere near. So Shaun, who was extremely chipper between sessions, saying he was a few balls away from a really good performance takes a red from the right of the table, sending it down and across to the green pocket. That's a terrific shot, and he's quickly into the pack, which gives him nowt.
Murphy 4-6 Milkins
Robert risks everything on a tricky cut back on a red to bottom right, only to miss it and leave it. That'll do us, as a swift 23 from Shaun pegs a frame back.
Murphy 3-6 Milkins (69-24)
It's a let off for Shaun as Robert flicks off the final cluster of reds but doesn't land on one; we've got a live one here, more so now as a good snooker from Robert sees Shaun hit pink first from his deadweight escape off one cushion. This is a pretty important juncture of the match, as if Robert nicks this one it's going to bruise. Shaun resumes charge by snicking in a long red, but he's not on a colour and on we go. Better news here for him though, as Robert fails to escape the ensuing snooker and leaves a free ball.
Murphy 3-6 Milkins (64-0)
You are cordially invited to start thinking about a maxi, because Shaun is as it's a great chance with all reds near or below the pink spot. He'll need a compliant split on a cluster of three to make it happen, but this is most definitely on as he sinks the eighth black of a so far perfect break. Just as I type that, he has a shocker; bullet straight on a mid-range red, he somehow clips it into an adjacent red and he's missed it by a huge margin! Crikey. In even worse news for him, the frame isn't safe and Robert can nick this.
Murphy 3-6 Milkins (32-0)
Robert chucks everything at a long red to bottom left at the start of frame ten, but it rattles out and he's served up another very decent look for Shaun here. Another barrage of reds and blacks follow, can Shaun keep it going this time? He's three frames in the hole but has the ability to make that evaporate very quickly if he lets his arm go.
Murphy 3-6 Milkins
It's well worth playing on as the colours are set perfectly to help lay a snooker on this final red, but Shaun can't find one that's not easily escaped via a delicate swerve shot. Eventually Shaun leaves the red on as a cut to the bottom right, and Robert clips it in to leave Shaun needing three snookers. We rumble on for a few minutes with Shaun potting yellow and green, before Robert dispatches the brown to end the argument in frame nine.
Murphy 3-5 Milkins (32-68)
There's one red up near the right rail here, but it won't be an out ball for Shaun if Robert keeps taking high value colours with the open reds. A half ton is soon in the books and Robert goes up for the remaining open red in baulk off the pink. He duly drives it into the green pocket and another pink leaves Shaun needing a snooker as he returns to the table.
Murphy 3-5 Milkins (32-25)
Robert leaves a tempter for Shaun, red to left middle with the white welded to the bottom rail. Shaun bets the farm on making it, and doesn't; Robert's suckered him in to that mistake, and starts cashing in the opportunity he's left with. It needs a good recovery red, long to the yellow pocket, to keep going, but keep going he does and a beautiful split of the remaining pack of reds off the blue has made him favourite for the frame.
Murphy 3-5 Milkins (32-0)
It's a big first frame of the night, and straight away Robert chucks a great chance straight into the lap of Shaun, as he misses a deadweight long red and leaves a tap-in to the bottom right. Shaun's quickly into the pack off it, and they've split will enough; he opens with a volley of reds and blacks to take charge of the frame. It's 32 and no more though, as he misses a red to bottom right with the rest by a long way and is lucky not to leave Robert in.
We're underway
Right, let's get this happening. Robert needs five and Shaun needs seven for a place in the semi-finals. Our MC Tahir Hajat has just baized them boys, and we're off.
Evening all!
And welcome to what promises to be a fascinating evening session; currently, Robert Milkins leads Shaun Murphy 5-3 having been 5-1 in front.
JOINS US AGAIN FOR THE FINALE OF MURPHY V MILKINS FROM 18.30 BST
That’s your lot for this afternoon. Be sure to log on again later this evening as we guide you through the key action from the climax of this intriguing last-eight encounter.
MURPHY 3-5 MILKINS
Milkins is first to blink as his safety leaves the red open to the middle left. Murphy wastes little time in making it count and then executes a pot on the yellow to its own pocket that takes him down to that well-travelled green near the bottom deck.
He takes care of that and then sinks the routine blue and pink before being faced with a black down the bottom right cushion. It’s a crucial shot as the black is required, but he is unfazed and completes the clearance to head into the evening session just two frames behind, which is some accomplishment given how poorly he played for most of the afternoon.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (44-60)
There’s no avoiding the sound of the gasps from the crowd as Murphy just about fails to nick the red into the bottom left corner from distance. He gets lucky when the red ricochets tight to the bottom cushion where the green has also taken up a strange residence.
Milkins initially fouls trying to pull off the escape, but gets it right second time around.
Of course, with the green well out of its jurisdiction that red is far from pot-able and this frame could yet have some legs in it unless someone plays a remarkably daft shot to open it up.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (40-60)
It’s so finely poised with just one red remaining and Milkins’ face can’t hide how much he’s feeling the strain.
He fouls and Murphy has a free ball but opts to play a safety that the No.7 seed expertly angles out of via the use of side and the bottom deck.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (36-60)
It’s Milkins who prises free of the stand-off first as he cuts a long red to the bottom left pocket.
He bounces the cue ball off baulk and the right cushion after despatching the green via the rest to find a superb angle on a red that sets him nicely for the black.
He eats into Murphy’s lead and picks off two of the three reds tight to the pink with some strong control of the cue ball. He teases the blue to left middle to finish off the penultimate red and then finds the perfect cannon on the final red clinging to the left cushion.
It's a pressure shot right there but he can’t find the yellow pocket from distance and he comes up short with 54 to hand Murphy a lifeline.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (36-4)
Murphy is ‘too safe’ with his choice of safety and it backfires with a foul. There are two reds close to the bottom left cushion, but he opts to tuck in below the red furthest south underneath the black spot. He gets it right at the second time of asking, but it merely hands his opponent the initiative in the safety face-off that has developed.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (36-0)
Milkins has gone off the boil at just the wrong moment. Instead of looking like hammering home his advantage to take into the evening session, he’s lost his way a bit.
An avoidable foul gifts Murphy another opportunity to find some semblance of his rhythm and the No.2 seed tries to be bold and brave.
He rattles the black up to left middle and in doing so scatters the pack of reds. He’s left with some work to do to find position, but the pink offers him respite with a simple enough pot up to the same left middle pocket.
It’s far from routine and his line to a long red is too straight to make life easier via the rest. He goes for a tough brown to the yellow pocket to try and steer himself back into more navigable waters, but he gets a huge slice of misfortune when the cue ball catches the middle right jaw and effectively ends his break at 31.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS (1-0)
Galvanised by that solid break to stay in touch, Murphy opens Frame 8 with a clinical pot before following the same pattern that bore fruit with a safety off the yellow in baulk.
MURPHY 2-5 MILKINS
The door is open – but can an out-of-sorts Murphy drag himself through it?
The answer, on this occasion, is a resounding yes that is tinged by more than a smidgen of relief.
The Magician plays off the pink to make short work of the loose reds with the aim to complete the job before he has to contemplate three tucked tight to the lower right cushion.
When he does turn to the aforementioned trio he plays a delightful cannon to release one and nudge it into a simple pot. He can’t do the same with a second and he ends on a break of 67 that is enough to reduce the arrears.
Now then, there’s one frame to go in this session. Will Milkins lead 6-2 or 5-3 heading into this evening’s climax? A big frame lies ahead…
MURPHY 1-5 MILKINS (15-0)
The back-to-basics approach from Murphy appears to work but the next shot sums up his afternoon when he pots a red to the bottom left pocket but then ends up too close to the green to develop any sort of meaningful break.
He looks glum but the sound of the referee calling foul perks his spirit slightly as Milkins nicks the green with the tip of his cue while trying to bridge over the top of it.
MURPHY 1-5 MILKINS (6-0)
There’s definitely a slightly different approach here from Shaun.
He spies a red just left of the pink spot and clips in a beauty of a long pot to the bottom right corner. He doesn’t even consider developing it from there and tucks in-behind the green to try and test Milkins’ safety once more.
MURPHY 1-5 MILKINS (5-0)
Shaun is first to show and changes tact with a clever snooker tight to the yellow just left of its spot.
Milkins comes off the left and cushion and then low down to the right but he fails to clip the red near to the pocket.
He just about makes it count on the second with the merest of flicks but Murphy lays another trap and appears to hold the early initiative in Frame 7.
MURPHY 1-5 MILKINS
It’s short and sweet from Rob as he knocks in a break of 24 to get the job done and secure a commanding four-frame advantage with two to play this afternoon.
Shaun is nicknamed the Magician and he needs to dig out the spell for high-scoring ASAP if he’s to avoid facing a mountain to climb in the conclusion of this quarter final later this evening.
A big half an hour to an hour lies ahead for the No.2 seed.
MURPHY 1-4 MILKINS (16-58)
Well, that pretty much sums up Murphy’s afternoon. He finally gets a look at the table but he’s some way off suggesting he can pull off a steal and his misery is compounded when he inexplicably misses the black off the spot.
It's surely Milkins’ frame from here…
MURPHY 1-4 MILKINS (0-58)
There’s a growing confidence about Milkins which is exemplified by a quite brilliant long pot on a red to the bottom left despite having to bridge over the awkwardly positioned green and yellow above the D.
He follows up with a brown to the green pocket before laying a snooker that lures a foul out of a forlorn-looking Murphy.
It may be the case Rob can see just how lost the Magician is as he turns down some inviting reds to lay another snooker in baulk.
Again, the No.2 seed obliges with an alarming lack of both pace and direction to foul and this time the Milkman rolls in the red along the bottom deck to begin a tidy break preying off red-black combos.
Milkins repeatedly shakes his head as he continues to lose control of his cue ball and although he’s able to rescue the run by using the blue as a Plan B, he eventually has limited options and retreats to the sanctuary of baulk with a tidy break of 45.
MURPHY 1-4 MILKINS
If you couldn’t see the scoreboard and just looked at Rob’s expression, you’d think he was the one trailing 3-1.
There’s rarely a hint of a smile, but plenty of frowns and grimaces on show. A case in point arrives when he’s left shaking his head in irritation with a poor positional shot, but he digs his way out of trouble with an exquisite show of control on a red to the bottom right corner that was hindered by the close proximity of the bottom deck.
Again, there’s not even the merest of twitches of a smile of satisfaction, but perhaps that’s the key to his success, as he doubles down to clear up to the black with a break of 71 that pinches the frame and extends his lead.
MURPHY 1-3 MILKINS (54-0)
Milkins frowns as a long, diagonal red to the bottom left corner catches the near jaw and refuses the offer of a place in the warm, cosy pocket.
Murphy gleefully seizes upon the opportunity but those irritating glitches in his game come to the fore once again as some complacency on a positional shot leaves him with tricky red to the middle left. He can’t pull off the recovery and another solid break ends prematurely at 32 which is a far cry from the type of scoring he’s grown used to notching recently.
MURPHY 1-3 MILKINS (22-0)
We are back at it!
Interestingly, Murphy spent his brief downtime at the venue’s practise tables trying to solve his travails.
Initially, it seems to have worked as he clips a red up to the middle right before coming off two cushions to drag a red clear of the pack to start building a decent break.
He looks to develop the pack further when he pops the black to the bottom left corner but the cue ball doesn’t make the impact he was hoping for and he’s forced to retreat after a score of 22.
MID-SESSION INTERVAL - MURPHY 1-3 MILKINS
You have to say that Milkins deserves the cushion of a two-frame lead heading into the mid-session interval. He finishes this spell at the table with aplomb and it's his best form of the match so far, punishing Murphy in style with a break of 75. A century was there for the taking but he comes up short which is perhaps fitting for the way this match has gone so far.
There's plenty for Murphy to mull over during his time away from the spotlight while Milkins will be thinking about fine-tuning and perhaps feel grateful he didn't get punished for lacking ruthlessness at times.
MURPHY 1-2 MILKINS (3-1)
It’s a very interesting start to Frame 4 and yet it's in-keeping with the pattern from the first minute of this session.
Murphy responds to Milkins’ solitary point by going on the attack and scattering the reds with an explosive pot. He angles the yellow up to the left pocket via the rest but just as it looks like he may go on one of those heavy-scoring runs that have been the backbone of his resurgence as a real title-challenger this year, he comes unstuck.
It's a strange old pattern of play with an off-colour Murphy not quite doing enough to pick apart a low scoring Milkins - and yet you would not bet against the Magician from somehow pulling a win out of his hat later today...
MURPHY 1-2 MILKINS
It’s all on the blue – and it’s Milkins who gets it!
The No.7 seed has missed some sitters and made some real safety howlers, but he ensures he’s not left with nightmares about the frame by cutting an excellent long pot on the blue into the yellow pocket.
It was a valiant attempt from Murphy but once again the Milkman finds a way to eventually get the job done.
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (53-70)
Murphy continues to chase the snooker with just the brown, blue, pink and black remaining on the table (26 behind, 22 left to score).
He brings the blue and brown into play, but Milkins then misses a pot down to the latter to the middle right.
It could prove very, very costly and there are shades of Frame 1 in this prolonged finale as Murphy continues to believe he can steal it.
He sinks the brown to leave himself with three balls to find that snooker, which he does by pushing the blue up table and leaving the cue ball hidden by the pink and black.
Milkins looks visibly frustrated when he fouls and misses and suddenly it’s very much frame ON!
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (44-70)
A break of 45 ends on a failed attempt on that yellow on the baulk cushion. Milkins thinks he’s done enough but Murphy again returns to the table in search of snookers.
The Magician takes care of the now very open yellow, but he can’t quite pull off the snooker behind the green close to the upper left cushion.
Milkins nails that to the bottom right from distance but then fouls to give his opponent another lifeline! The plot thickens…
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (38-22)
Hmmm…. Murphy unleashes the power trying to thunder a long red to the bottom right corner, but it goes horribly wrong and spreads a couple of other reds into favourable positions for Milkins.
The yellow, blue and one of the remaining reds are tight to cushions, which means it’s far from routine for the Milkman from here, but it’s certainly an opportunity for the No.7 seed…
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (38-22)
How’s your luck?
‘Pretty rotten’, says the Magician as a sublime pot on a red to the bottom left corner ends in the disappointment of seeing the cue ball bounce back off the bottom cushion and somehow finds its way into the right middle pocket.
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (38-18)
If Murphy finds the rhythm he’s capable of then this pot is an example of why he’ll be the most likely to prevail in the overall contest.
He shows the No.7 seed how to do it with a venomous long finish on the red to the yellow pocket. He then tucks away the green to its own pocket to pave a path back down to the pack.
He’s faced with something of a conundrum when the pink is popped back on its spot, leaving Murphy’s run in jeopardy as he looks to find a gap to sink the red at the top of the pack to the bottom left corner.
There are some amusing facial expressions from the Players Championship winner as he muses over whether he can pull it off, but he eventually comes good before erring on the side of caution with a safety tight to the pack that ends his break at 38.
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS (0-18)
The Milkman has the crowd purring with a thumping long red to the bottom right corner and he follows up by knocking the green into its own pocket to land on the solitary stray red near to the left cushion.
He’s looking to end up topside of blue but comes up well short and an audacious attempt to come off two cushions and make amends fails in terms of pace and direction, meaning his break ends prematurely at 10.
There’s nothing on for Murphy and the No.2 seed is soon looking perplexed as his opponent lays a snooker behind the blue tight to the upper left cushion.
Two fouls ensue and Milkins is left with an enticing long red to the yellow pocket that he somehow contrives to wildly miss. He looks as confused as anyone as he takes his seat and considers how he undid that excellent safety play.
MURPHY 1-1 MILKINS
That’s lovely work from Murphy. He’s not found his Mojo just yet, but there are signs it could be slowly awakening.
He slaps a red to the bottom right corner and ends nicely topside of that pink to the right middle, which is duly vanquished.
Some fine control with the rest sees him glide a red to the bottom right pocket and he makes smart use of the pink to score freely and down the remaining reds.
With the pressure off he polishes off the colours to move all square early doors courtesy of highly efficient 70 clearance.
MURPHY 0-1 MILKINS (40-29)
Ouch. Milkins makes inroads into the Magician’s lead but can’t help but look like he’s chewing a wasp when an attempt to nick the pink to the middle right goes wrong as it catches the far jaw and stays out.
MURPHY 0-1 MILKINS (40-6)
And just like that, things are looking up for the Magician.
Milkins gives him a chance of a long red when he rolls an avoidable foul trying to ease safe in baulk.
It proves costly as Murphy duly finds his range with a fine long pot to the bottom right pocket. He works his way from the black up to the green that he slots in via the green pocket where he expertly holds position on the cue ball to remain nicely on a red to left middle.
It's intelligent snooker but his run comes under threat when he’s forced to bridge over a cluster of reds to cut a lovely black into the bottom left corner.
Once again the break is in danger just a few shots later and a very fine cut on a red to the bottom left goes awry meaning his run ends on 36.
MURPHY 0-1 MILKINS (0-6)
This is an awful start from Shaun.
The rhythm that has been so splendid to watch in recent months has deserted him so far and he opens the second frame by misjudging a kiss on the pack and fouling on the pink.
Surely things can only get better for the 2005 World Champion from here, but it’ll certainly bolster Robert’s own belief he can pull off a surprise win.
MURPHY 0-1 MILKINS
It’s all over! Milkins plays a snooker tight to the black and Murphy decides it’s not even worth an attempt to escape. He concedes the frame and Milkins FINALLY takes a topsy-turvy opener.
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (54-79)
It’s gone from scrappy to highly intriguing - and it's still not over as we approach the half hour mark.
Even when Milkins tucks away the brown and blue he then contrives go in-off to the middle right while trying to nail the long pink.
Murphy is 25 behind with just the pink and black remaining, but he returns to the baize in search of two snookers!
Milkins looks to the heavens. He can’t believe he hasn’t quite wrapped this up yet!
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (48-70)
The Magician makes steady headway in his attempt to pull off a real steal and he earns a ripple of applause from the crowd as he backs up a break of 10 by teasing the cue ball tight to the brown in baulk with the green midway down the table.
Milkins fails to escape the snooker but Murphy loses his way again after potting the green up to the middle right pocket.
A safety face-off ensues over the brown with this frame still very much anyone’s to win.
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (31-70)
Murphy can’t take advantage and his long-range potting radar once again malfunctions with his attempt on a red to the bottom right corner.
Milkins steps in again but blows another big opportunity to seal the win by notching up just the one pot.
It does mean Murphy needs snookers and he clocks up a break of seven before trying to lay a trap on the final red.
Both players will feel they should have won this frame which has effectively turned very scrappy indeed!
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (24-69)
The Welsh Open champions mops up the loose reds Murphy will feel he should have been the one to despatch.
With six reds left he glides one to the bottom right corner and allows the cue ball to nudge some of the others free. As a result a frame-winning opportunity presents but his screw back off a pot on the black leaves him well short positionally-speaking. He tries a tough cut on a red to the bottom left corner but he’s way short and takes to his seat with a rueful expression having come so close to clinching the opener…
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (24-13)
It certainly does feel like fourth time’s the charm for Murphy as Milkins makes a hash of a safety and leaves a red sitting invitingly over the bottom right corner pocket.
The Magician duly nicks it in before setting himself up for a tidy run by cutting the black to the opposite corner. He looks locked in for a big break but inexplicably gets his angles wrong on a routine red to the bottom left and opens the door for the Milkman…
MURPHY 0-0 MILKINS (0-13)
The Milkman sizzles a long red to the bottom left pocket and is clearly unfazed by the cue ball being glued to the baulk cushion.
There’s little else on despite what could have been a favourable kiss off the pack and he lays a trap for his opponent with a well-paced snooker tight to the green on baulk.
Murphy comes off the lower left cushion in his attempt to glance a loose red and retreat to the sanctuary of the D, but he fluffs his lines on three occasions before finally making it count on a fourth. He’s offered up some cheap points as a result, but at least he’s safe for now.
SHOW TIME!
Big entrance? Check. Formalities addressed with the official? Check.
Okay then, let's play some snooks!
Murphy will break first.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT THEN…
Well, the Tour Championship is a very new tournament on the snooker calendar with Ronnie O’Sullivan winning the inaugural event in 2019.
It consists of the players topping the one-year rankings with Stephen Maguire lifting the trophy in 2020 before Neil Robertson triumphed two years running.
None of the aforementioned stars have qualified this year which means we will have a new name on the trophy come Sunday evening.
DID YOU KNOW?
Murphy has made a break of at least 133 in each of his last five outings.
CAN THE MAGICIAN CONJURE UP A SECOND WORLD TITLE?
It’s no secret on Tour that Shaun Murphy is enjoying a real resurgence.
The 2005 World champion has recently admitted he considered his future in the game prior to his sizzling return to form this year, which culminated in the 40-year-old ending a three-year wait for the title at the Players Championship in February.
He started out as the second favourite for the £150,000 prize in Hull this week and is many observer’s tip to go deep at the Crucible next month.
A YEAR TO REMEMBER – BUT CAN MILKINS DREAM EVEN BIGGER?
The 47-year-old Bristolian has had something of a purple patch in 2023 with the Welsh Open title underlining a spell where he has also reached the last four of the German Masters and the quarter finals of the Players Championship. Can he upset the odds again today or will Murphy avenge that Welsh Open loss?
H2H
This will be their 16th meeting with Murphy leading the match-up 8-7. The most recent encounter was a high-profile affair with the Milkman delivering the goods in a 9-7 triumph in this year’s Welsh Open final.
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'He's come good!' - Milkins celebrates with Welsh Open trophy after beating Murphy in final
GOOD AFTERNOON
Hello again and welcome to LIVE updates of the third quarter final of the 2023 Tour Championship in Hull.
The No.2 seed Shaun Murphy locks horns with No.7 seed Robert Milkins in a best of 19-frames encounter.
The players are due at the table for the first of two sessions from 13.00 BST.
Tour Championship quarter-final schedule
Monday March 27
13:00 and 19:00
- Mark Allen 5-10 Ding Junhui
Tuesday March 28
13:00 and 19:00
- Ali Carter 4-10 Kyren Wilson
Wednesday March 29
13:00 and 19:00
- Shaun Murphy v Robert Milkins
Thursday March 30
13:00 and 19:00
- Mark Selby v Ryan Day
Wilson eases past Carter to set up Ding semi-final clash
Kyren Wilson advanced to the Tour Championship semi-finals with a masterful display to secure a 10-4 win over Ali Carter.
Carter came into the tournament in fine form, after his victory at the German Masters and securing his Crucible seeding, but it proved to be Wilson’s day.
Read more here.
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