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Fans noticed what Stephen Maguire did after Shaun Murphy's reaction to winning frame against him at World Championship

Murphy and Maguire are contesting a last 16 clash at the Crucible.

Fans noticed what Stephen Maguire did after Shaun Murphy's reaction to winning frame against him at World Championship

Updated 13:55 27 Apr 2024 GMT+1Published 13:49 27 Apr 2024 GMT+1

Snooker fans saw Shaun Murphy's reaction after winning a key frame against Stephen Maguire at the World Championship - and how his opponent reacted.

Murphy and Maguire are facing off in a last 16 match at the Crucible - their first match against each other in two years.

While every match at the Crucible is fiercely contested, this one has extra bite about it given the history between the two rivals.

The main incident of their 'feud' dates back to the 2004 Grand Prix, which was held at the Guild Hall in Preston and remains one of the biggest ranking events in the snooker season.

After entering the arena, Maguire forgot to bring his chalk and went backstage to retrieve it, which caused the match to be delayed. He was docked a frame for causing the delay, with the incident being dubbed as 'chalk-gate'.

Murphy was seen talking to the match referee, with Maguire since reiterating his belief on numerous occasions that the Englishman was the one who asked for the frame to be docked. Murphy, however, has always denied that claim.

Before the tournament, Maguire said he 'doesn't hate him or anything like that', and that both players 'talk about snooker and everything's okay'.

It's fair to say, though, that the pair still aren't exactly the best of friends - and they are in the midst of a tough battle in Sheffield.

Maguire won the final two frames of Friday's opening session to take a 5-3 lead into Saturday's second session, before winning frame number nine.

Maguire took the final two frames before the end of the second session to take a 10-6 lead into the final stanza of the best-of-25 frame clash.

And it could have been even more of an advantage had the Scot won frame 10 to take a 7-3 advantage.

As it happened, the frame ended on the black ball, with Murphy potting it to make it 6-4.

The 2005 world champion then celebrated with a fist pump.

In response, Maguire simply glared in Murphy's direction as his opponent left the arena, before setting his focus back onto the table.

The winner of the match will take on David Gilbert, who won seven frames in a row to beat Robert Milkins 13-4, in the quarter-finals.

That tie will take place on the opposite side of the draw to Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump, meaning one of the three above players, Joe O'Connor, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen or John Higgins are assured of making the final at the Crucible.

Featured Image Credit: BBC Sport

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