Emotional snooker star Shaun Murphy thanks his late manager for saving his life after his drink was spiked with ketamine
SNOOKER STAR Shaun Murphy has thanked his late manager for saving his life after his drink was spiked with ketamine.
The terrifying ordeal happened in 2008 when Murphy, now 42, attended a pro-am darts competition in the Belgian city of Antwerp.
A late-night party had been thrown for the players in attendance but the former world snooker champion fell gravely ill by the end of the evening.
Little did he realise at the time that he had consumed something that had been laced with the Class B drug, which is a dissociative anaesthetic that causes hallucinogenic effects.
Had it not been for his manager Brandon Parker – the ex-snooker director died in July 2020 aged 55 after a battle with kidney cancer – it could have been even worse.
Murphy, who was voted a top 10 keynote speaker in the UK, told SunSport: “There were a number of players on this particular night out. The promoter had thrown a big party in this bar.
“I don’t think I was the only player who was attacked that night. I was in a real bad way.
“I have never taken drugs in my life. Didn’t know what ketamine was. But that’s what it was.
“It was awful. I have no doubt that that could have been the end of me.
“Had it not been for my dear friend Brandon Parker, who I was with that night and sharing a room with, who pretty much nursed me through the night.
“Got me on a plane the next day home. The worst bit about it was we had a 24-hour turnaround and we had to go to China for the Shanghai Masters. It was an awful experience.”
Murphy has calmed down these days but there were times, following his first divorce, where he would go out with the lads on a regular basis and really let go.
Though he was a highly successful sportsman and a member of the Triple Crown Club – one of 11 men who have won all three major titles in the sport – he reckons he “gave a few years of my career away probably to the pub”.
The 2005 world snooker champion explained: “Going back to being a young boy, food and – as soon as I was old enough to – drink became my crutches.
“You know, you would celebrate with food and drink – and you would commiserate with food and drink.
“In snooker, living on the road in a competitive world in which I have grown up in, you are always doing one of those two things. You are either always celebrating or commiserating.
“Food and drink was the thing that I went to first. It didn’t matter who I had in my corner at the time.
“I have had plenty of people who have been on Team Murphy over the years.
“Friends, drivers, coaches and road managers. We’d always, following a big win, say to each other, ‘Right, where are we going for food?’
“Or following a bad loss, we’d say: ‘Where’s the nearest Irish bar?’ And that was a trend.”
Murphy continued: “I come from a big drinking family. Most of the adults in my family growing up were either alcoholics or very heavy drinkers.
“So for me to grow up liking a drink hasn’t shocked anybody and I feel like I kind of gave a few years of my career away probably to the pub.
“I became very good at drinking Strongbow but my snooker went through the floor. And it has taken me a long time to try and reclaim what was mine.
“I have put myself through all sorts to get there. I still like a drink and I don’t think there is anything wrong with liking a drink.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins
“But I don’t do what I used to do when I lived in Manchester post-2008 for a good few years.
“Me and my mates would be out at least four nights a week on it. Like really go out.
“You know you cannot do that and be a professional sportsperson at the same time.”