Murphy keeps Potters hopes alive - 17/11/2011

Semi Final 1: Shaun Murphy 3-0 Judd Trump
75-1 (Murphy 46), 122-0 (Murphy 122), 111-14 (Murphy 100)

SHAUN MURPHY kept his slender PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker alive as he trounced Judd Trump 3-0 in just 31 minutes at the Grimsby Auditorium in front of a 900 strong crowd.

Murphy needed to win both matches tonight and rely on Ronnie O’Sullivan to come a cropper against Jimmy White in the second semi-final, and he got off to an excellent start as he took the opening two frames with Judd Trump scoring just a single point.

Trump had already previously qualified for the play-offs which take place on the 26th and 27th November, so was under no pressure and the first frame went the way of Murphy with a break of 46.

The 2009 Premier League Champion put himself in a great position to claim the top break of the evening prize of £1,000 with an excellent 122 in the second. Murphy sealed the match with another century as he rolled the final black up table from a tight angle to get into three figures.

It was a magnificent performance from Murphy who is now hoping that Jimmy White can shock Ronnie O’Sullivan to take himself into the play-offs.

“I feel like the manager of a Premier League team in relegation zone; I’ve done our bit but it’s not up to me now.

“I played in the PTC in Belgium last weekend and played poorly lose to Michael Holt but it’s a fickle game and form comes and goes,” said Murphy.