October 23rd 2024.
Shaun Murphy was a helpful player at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, lending his cue to a fellow pro in need. It was a busy day for the former world champion, not only because he was wielding his own cue, but also because he offered it up to Noppon Saengkham, a Thai star whose cue had not arrived for his opening game.
Luckily, Noppon ran into Shaun the night before his match and the kind-hearted Englishman offered up his cue if needed. With only 10 minutes of practice with the unfamiliar stick, Noppon managed to defeat his compatriot Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a thrilling 5-4 match. After retrieving his cue, Shaun went on to defeat Zhou Yuelong 4-2 in the evening.
Shaun explained the situation to WST, saying that he had bumped into Noppon at the hotel and noticed he was distraught. When Noppon mentioned his cue had not arrived, Shaun immediately offered his help. He added that all players on tour would do the same in a similar situation, and that he was happy to assist.
Noppon's impressive performance with Shaun's cue meant that the Englishman couldn't practice before his own match. However, Shaun didn't see it as a problem, stating that he had been playing since he was eight years old and could afford to take an afternoon off. He was just glad to have been able to help Noppon, and said that such offers were common among players on tour.
Shaun has already secured a spot in the last 16, where he will face Stuart Bingham. Noppon, on the other hand, will face Mark Williams in the bottom half of the draw. The two would have to face each other in the final for the cue sharing to become an issue. Shaun joked that if that were to happen, Noppon would be in trouble as he would need his cue back. But he added that Noppon was welcome to use it again if needed, as long as he wasn't playing.
Interestingly, Shaun has been experimenting with taking multiple cues to events, but had only brought one to Belfast. He joked on social media that it was ironic that the one time he didn't bring his spares, someone needed to borrow his cue.
Mark Williams, who beat Jamie Clarke 4-0 on Tuesday, is also facing Noppon in the next round. The three-time world champion is getting used to a new cue and has been playing more Chinese 8-Ball pool than snooker recently. He admitted that his snooker game may suffer because of this, but he was happy to have reached the final of the Saudi Arabia tournament, even if it meant he hadn't been practicing as much.
Mark also commented on Noppon's win over Thepchaiya, saying it was a great match to watch and that both players were tough opponents. He acknowledged that they were favorites to beat him, but he was still hopeful for his own chances.
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