SHAUN MURPHY has lifted the lid on being home-schooled aged just 13 after having “the living Jesus beaten out of me” in a violent attack by half-a-dozen school-mates.
The 2005 snooker world champion, 42, was badly beaten by a group of boys after being sent on an errand by a teacher.
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The Magician was warned to never return to school by his saviour, but has exclusively told SunSport how the moment shaped the direction of his life, giving him the inner-resilience to never quit.
Murphy, who is one of the UK’s best sporting motivational speakers, explained: “On the penultimate day of year nine or something like that, I was badly battered by a group of lads who were much older.
“I cannot remember the absolute specifics of it but I know I was sent on an errand by one of the teachers, and when I turned into the humanities block… bang.
“I was set upon by half a dozen of them. And it was violent. They dragged me into the toilet, kicking and screaming, beating the living Jesus out of me.
“They’d have left me there but for the teacher who found me, Mrs Heathfield. She took me home.
“It wasn’t a long drive at all but I remember she got me home. My mum and dad sat around the kitchen table.
“I remember Mrs Heathfield’s words: ‘If you take my advice, you won’t send Shaun back to this school.’ Not only did they not send me back to that school, I never went back to school at all.
“I have children myself. I’ll spot a bully a mile away. In whatever setting we are in.
“I think I used those experiences, at different times in my career and probably different times of my life.
“You know there were moments in my snooker career where it’d have been easier to have walked away.
“It would have been easier to have admitted defeat but you know the memories of those kids who attacked me in such a way.
“And other people who said you’ll never amount to anything, you will never do it, you never make a success of yourself, those memories burn brightly.
“Perhaps they were the difference between me not walking away.”
So while Murphy doesn’t necessarily regret that fateful day 30 years ago, the snooker star does have one frustration – being too “gobby” and wishing he’d kept his strident religious beliefs to himself.
I’m not sure I ever had a genuine faith where I believed in a God, who created the world in seven days and all of that stuff – I’m not sure I ever really truly believed that
Shaun Murphy
In the build-up to becoming champion of the world, Murphy told the snooker press all about his upbringing and how his then-fiancée Clare were involved with the “tremendous” New Life Christian Centre in Rotherham.
As he won seven matches, two of them in qualifying, to bank the £250,000 top prize at the Crucible in May 2005, his born-again Christian beliefs were routinely mentioned and asked about.
Especially as he had met Clare in an online Christian chatroom and he revealed he would pray in his dressing room before matches.
Yet when he looks back on that “confusing” period of his life, Murphy admits he never “really truly believed” what he was saying about doing God’s will.
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More Shaun Murphy exclusives
He reflected: “I said a load of things back then. When you’re young and involved in a religion – and then thrown into the public spotlight – you’re being told backstage that this is your platform to do God’s work.
“And before you know it, you’re saying things that you really shouldn’t say. You have no business saying all these things. So I regret that.
“I wished I hadn’t been so gobby but I think anyone that knows me knows that I have been like that since I was a young child… very opinionated and always, if I felt I was right, I have ran with it.
“Listen, I can’t turn the clock back, I can’t go back and change any of those things. I wish I couldn’t but I cannot.”
What religion did bring him, as someone who was badly bullied at school, was a safe environment, a strong community background, plus he “loved” the heart-tugging music.
He also met lifelong friends, people like kind-hearted Alan and Dorothy Graham, who are missionaries out in Harare, Zimbabwe, and run a “massive orphanage”.
Murphy said: “In that period of my life, I was going to church at least twice a week. I was at the bible study groups. I remember having close connections through Christians in Sport.
“It’s a time of my life that I look back on, in some ways, with a bit of confusion, because I’m not religious. I’m not sure I ever was, if I’m totally honest.
“I’m not sure I ever had a genuine faith where I believed in a God, who created the world in seven days and all of that stuff – I’m not sure I ever really truly believed that.
“The only community before that I had ever really been a part of was the sort of gambling gangsters of the snooker world and snooker clubs.
“Being a part of something that felt a bit bigger and a bit kinder and a bit gentler was nice.”
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
The “straw that broke the camel’s back” in 2009 was when he got divorced – the couple had married in July 2005 – and suddenly the community he had been a part of now shunned him.
He continued: “I don’t think I ever needed any real pushing to walk away from the church. I think it was going to be the fact, when my marriage ended, it was a case of persona non grata.
“Don’t call us, we will call you, that type of thing. Yeah, that was a shame. But you live and learn.”
Going back to his love of music, Murphy played the piano as a kid, inspired by his grandmother and dad.
Yet he wishes he had taken “proper piano lessons” during that time, which was dominated by his passion for snooker.
Nonetheless, whenever there is a snooker after-party, the world No15 is quick to show off his skills by tickling the ivories. Murphy said: “I can play the piano. Not very good. The more drink I have, the better I think I am.
“My other half is a world-renowned professional pianist. She actually can play the piano. That’s what she does for a living. The joke we have in the house is if there’s a piano anywhere, I’ll be on it first.
“She’ll play you anything at will by request perfectly, first time. I can’t do that. But I can have a sing-song, knock out a few Elton John classics at the world snooker after-party until 4.30am in the morning.
“A few years ago, I was at the Crucible covering for the BBC, having lost to Si Jiahui in the first round and Luca Brecel had beaten Mark Selby in the final.
“We went to the after-party. The main bar was closed. The night porter let us help ourselves to more drinks.
“There was a piano in reception. We started playing and we were there until the very early hours of the morning.
“In fact, I turned to Mark at one point, mid-Oasis song, and said: ‘We need to pack it up now.’
“He said: ‘Mate, why?’ Let’s keep going.’ I said: ‘Because they have just started breakfast service behind us.’ So it was time to pack it up.”
