Shaun Murphy is calling for a rule change in snooker to speed up play and prevent frames exceeding 100 minutes, a stance backed by Steve Davis. The call follows the longest frame in World Snooker Championship history, a 100-minute 21-second semi-final between Mark Allen and Wu Yize.
Six-time world champion Davis described the frame as 'an embarrassment to snooker' on the BBC, urging officials to find a solution. The previous record was 85 minutes, set by Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao in 2022.
Murphy proposes capping frames at 900 seconds (15 minutes), with a 30-second shot clock and a spotted cue ball, as used at Friday's Global Snooker 900 Championship in Reading. He supports a 'ball in hand' rule, saying it would eliminate 'professional fouls' and reward attacking play.
'I've been a fan of the 900 since its inception,' Murphy said. 'With a ball in hand and a shot clock, you certainly wouldn't have had the ridiculousness of the 100-minute frame.' He added that the rule change would stop 'deliberate fouls' and encourage players to 'play to win rather than playing not to lose.'
Stephen Hendry also criticised the incident, blaming referee Marcel Eckardt for not intervening sooner. Murphy's comments come after his narrow 18-17 defeat to Wu in the World Championship final, where he earned £200,000.
