Snooker folk always suspected that Shaun Murphy was an exceptional talent but even those with intimate knowledge of the sport were shocked when the adopted Yorkshireman won the 2005 World Championship as a 150-1 outsider.

Inevitable parallels were drawn between Murphy and Joe Johnson, who won in 1986 at similarly unlikely odds. However, while Johnson was world No 16, Murphy was 48th in the rankings and widely regarded as a gross under-achiever given his potting ability and cue action.

All of that changed as, 17 days after arriving at the Crucible as an overlooked qualifier, the multiple junior champion finally and spectacularly made the impact expected three or four years earlier.

Five months after supplying a sign of things to come by reaching the semi-finals of the British Open, Murphy’s confidence surged.

Having laboured to score a 10-5 first round win over Chris Small, handicapped by the degenerative spinal condition that would end his career, Murphy caught fire.

Although far superior when it came to safety, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon were all unsuccessful in taming Murphy, whose pot on sight approach continued to reap dividends.

Unfazed by the occasion, Murphy also prospered in the final, beating Matthew Stevens 18-16.

Watch the action between Murphy and Stevens here.

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