Ladbrokes Players Championship: Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui progress

Snooker

Mon March 19, 2018 · 7y ago

Shaun Murphy overcame Kyren Wilson and injury to progress in the Ladbrokes Players Championship.

Murphy was returning to action after missing the chance to defend his Gibraltar Open title and last week's Romanian Masters because of injury.

The Magician took a 5-1 lead against Wilson but he was pegged back to a 5-3 advantage before getting over the line for victory.

Murphy now has a break until Friday for his next match at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno and the focus is on getting his troublesome neck and shoulder issues on the right track.

"I’ve been struggling really badly," he told ITV4 after defeating Wilson.

"I’ve not really hit a ball since the Welsh Open three weeks ago. I had to pull out of the Gibraltar Open and I was defending champion in that tournament. I couldn’t go to Romania last week.

"I’ve had this problem with my back and neck for some time now, years and years. It usually comes for a few days, says hello, gets a bit of treatment from the physio and off it goes and leaves me alone. I’ve had this now for some weeks and it’s causing me a lot of problems.

"Normally with that big a gap (until Friday for his next match) I’d go home but with my problems with my neck I just don’t fancy sitting in a car for three or four hours there and back.

"I’m going to stay here and see what physio treats Llandudno has to offer. If there are any good physios out there, now’s your chance!"

Ding Junhui was also a winner on Monday night.

The Chinese player was the first player to secure a win at this year's tournament when he defeated Mark Allen 6-2.

Monday March 19
Evening Session
TV Coverage: ITV4
First Round (Best of 11 frames)