Snooker star Shaun Murphy sends message to Mark Allen in response to UK Championship row
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Shaun Murphy insists he has 'no regrets' about noting Mark Allen's slow play at the UK Championships.
Allen took exception to Murphy's commentary with the BBC at the weekend when he accused Allen of purposefully playing slow in his marathon match with Barry Hawkins.
The Northern Irishman eventually lost 6-5 to Hawkins and hit back at Murphy after the match for bringing his 'personal feelings' into the commentary box.
He wrote: “As for Shaun in commentary, he’s absolutely entitled to his opinion on things.
Shaun Murphy has attempted to play down his spat with Mark Allen
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“But perhaps it’s best to leave personal feelings out of the commentary box in future. All because I called out some of his recent BS.”
The 2005 world champion has now retaliated to Allen's comments and claims there has been a misunderstanding along the way.
“I know as much as you know about it. I was disappointed to see his comments following the game," he said on the OneFourSeven podcast.
"But, you know, you come off a match that you’ve lost. It’s a high-intensity moment. You’re trying to win the UK Championship, you’re in the semis, and it means a lot.
“You’re thrust into a media centre and possibly given a quote of a sentence I’ve said in the commentary box, and then asked to give an opinion on it.
“It’s not easy to think clearly in those moments. But I don’t look back at the match or my contribution to the broadcast with regret or anything like that.
“It seems as if, judging by Mark’s social media output, that he has taken my comments about his game very personally. They certainly weren’t meant personally.
“I’m employed by the BBC to call the game as I see it, and that’s what I did. I don’t remember ever saying that there was anything wrong with what he did.
Mark Allen was unimpressed with Shaun Murphy's comments on BBC
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“I said he was perfectly within his rights, perfectly within the rules.
“And if I’m totally honest, I was watching in admiration because he was breaking down a player who the day before had slaughtered me.
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Shaun Murphy was knocked out by Barry Hawkins at the UK Championship
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“You’re watching the play and trying to work out what you could have done differently, and Mark’s slow play did seem to work. At one o’clock in the morning, they’re still playing.
“I can only reiterate that I don’t think I said anything that was out of order. I didn’t mean any of my criticisms in the way it seems to have been taken.”
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