SHAUN MURPHY IS cruising to a place in the World Snooker Championship final — but he had to deal some appalling luck along the way.
After taking an early 3-0 lead in his semi-final against Barry Hawkins on Thursday, the fourth frame turned out to be an edgy back-and-forth affair.
Murphy looked to have gifted Hawkins the frame, but the latter still faced a tricky cut on the black:
And rattled the jaws:
It left Murphy facing this straightforward finish for a 4-0 lead:
But, as John Virgo would say, “Where’s the cue ball going?”
Desperately unlucky – and neither player could really believe it:
It hasn't proved to be too much of a setback. Murphy leads 10-3 at the time of writing.
