Emotional snooker star Shaun Murphy thanks his late manager for saving his life after his drink was spiked with ketamine

SNOOKER STAR Shaun Murphy has thanked his late manager for saving his life after his drink was spiked with ketamine.

The terrifying ordeal happened in 2008 when Murphy, now 42, attended a pro-am darts competition in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

PA:Press AssociationShaun Murphy was spiked with ketamine while watching a pro-am darts event in 2008[/caption]

GettyMurphy claims ‘it could have been the end of me’ if not for his late manager, Brandon Parker, pictured[/caption]

A late-night party had been thrown for the players in attendance but the former world snooker champion fell gravely ill by the end of the evening.

Little did he realise at the time that he had consumed something that had been laced with the Class B drug, which is a dissociative anaesthetic that causes hallucinogenic effects.

Had it not been for his manager Brandon Parker – the ex-snooker director died in July 2020 aged 55 after a battle with kidney cancer – it could have been even worse.

Murphy, who was voted a top 10 keynote speaker in the UK, told SunSport: “There were a number of players on this particular night out. The promoter had thrown a big party in this bar.

“I don’t think I was the only player who was attacked that night. I was in a real bad way.

“I have never taken drugs in my life. Didn’t know what ketamine was. But that’s what it was.

“It was awful. I have no doubt that that could have been the end of me.

“Had it not been for my dear friend Brandon Parker, who I was with that night and sharing a room with, who pretty much nursed me through the night.

“Got me on a plane the next day home. The worst bit about it was we had a 24-hour turnaround and we had to go to China for the Shanghai Masters. It was an awful experience.”

Murphy has calmed down these days but there were times, following his first divorce, where he would go out with the lads on a regular basis and really let go.

PA:Press AssociationMurphy won the UK Championship in 2008 – the same year of his spiking ordeal[/caption]

Instagram / shaunmurphy147The star says drink and food became crutches – win or lose[/caption]

Though he was a highly successful sportsman and a member of the Triple Crown Club – one of 11 men who have won all three major titles in the sport – he reckons he “gave a few years of my career away probably to the pub”.

The 2005 world snooker champion explained: “Going back to being a young boy, food and – as soon as I was old enough to – drink became my crutches.

“You know, you would celebrate with food and drink – and you would commiserate with food and drink.

“In snooker, living on the road in a competitive world in which I have grown up in, you are always doing one of those two things. You are either always celebrating or commiserating.

“Food and drink was the thing that I went to first. It didn’t matter who I had in my corner at the time.

“I have had plenty of people who have been on Team Murphy over the years.

“Friends, drivers, coaches and road managers. We’d always, following a big win, say to each other, ‘Right, where are we going for food?’

“Or following a bad loss, we’d say: ‘Where’s the nearest Irish bar?’ And that was a trend.”

Murphy continued: “I come from a big drinking family. Most of the adults in my family growing up were either alcoholics or very heavy drinkers.

“So for me to grow up liking a drink hasn’t shocked anybody and I feel like I kind of gave a few years of my career away probably to the pub.

“I became very good at drinking Strongbow but my snooker went through the floor. And it has taken me a long time to try and reclaim what was mine.

“I have put myself through all sorts to get there. I still like a drink and I don’t think there is anything wrong with liking a drink.

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