Murphy on tour!
Me again!
I’ve arrived in China after an epic 30-hour trek from near Manchester via Heathrow and Bangkok. This week it’s the Wuxi Classic, which is a tournament I won last year, so I’m hoping to put up a good defence of the title this week.
I’m actually away from the UK for a few weeks as, after China, I’m going on to Australia. I’ll be heading down to see some friends in Brisbane for a week before taking part in the Australia Goldfields Open, which starts on July 18 in Bendigo.
I’m used to starting the season in somewhere like Aberdeen so playing in China and Australian comes as a massive difference. I’m really excited by the tournament schedule for this season and in between China and Australia is the Snooker World Cup in Bangkok. While I’m not playing in that one, I’ll be cheering on Mark Selby and Ali Carter who are representing England that week.
Back to this week and the Wuxi Classic. It is played in a first-class arena that is purpose-built for snooker and can accommodate 3,000 fans. Last year, the atmosphere for the final, in which I played Ding Junhui, was absolutely crazy.
When the match started, all the fans were pulling for Ding. But as I fought back from being 8-2 down, they started to want me to win. At 8-8 the place was absolutely mental and I’ll never forget the atmosphere around that final frame, which I managed to win.
Hopefully, I’ll have another good week in China. Anyway, be sure to check back during the tournament as I’ll be updating as it unfolds. Hope you all have a good week too!
Shaun
