Shaun Murphy ended a 26-month wait for a ranking title with a commanding 10–7 victory over Anthony McGill in the final of the 2025 British Open at the Centaur in Cheltenham. The 43-year-old produced some of his finest snooker across the week, dispatching defending champion Mark Selby 6–1 in the semi-finals before overpowering McGill in a best-of-19 final that he controlled from the middle stages.
McGill got off to a flying start, with breaks of 68, 78 and 109 helping him build a 3–1 lead. But Murphy regrouped superbly, levelling at 4–4 by the end of the afternoon session with runs of 78 and 112. The evening followed a similar pattern—McGill edged ahead to 7–6 before Murphy reeled off the final four frames with breaks of 76, 72 and 66 to clinch the Clive Everton Trophy.
The title—Murphy’s 13th ranking crown—moves him one ahead of Mark Allen into tenth place on the all-time list. His route to the final also included victories over Judd Trump and Neil Robertson, capping a dominant week that underlined Murphy’s enduring quality at the highest level. For McGill, appearing in his first ranking final in more than eight years, it was a painful reminder of how margins can shift in the closing stages of a big match.
Key facts:
Venue: The Centaur, Cheltenham
Dates: 22–28 September 2025
Final score: Shaun Murphy 10–7 Anthony McGill
Winner’s prize: £100,000 (ranking event)
