Murphy through to Masters

Shaun Murphy staged a stirring comeback to snatch the Benson and Hedges Championship title in Malvern late on Wednesday night and book his place in next year's Benson and Hedges Masters.

Shaun Murphy staged a stirring comeback to snatch the Benson and Hedges Championship title in Malvern late on Wednesday night and book his place in next year's Benson and Hedges Masters.

Murphy, 18, became one of the youngest winners in the tournament's 11-year history, recovering from 5-2 down to beat Stuart Bingham 9-7 and pocket the £5,000 first prize. Bingham, the world No 43 from Basildon, picked up £3,000 but that was of little consolation with so much at stake for the winner.

Recovery seemed improbable for Murphy after a disappointing opening session but he slowly clawed his back into contention. The 10th frame was just one of the close frames that tipped the balance in Murphy's favour as he fought back from 54-0 down with a superb 63 break. He eventually drew level on 6-6 with a break of 99 and began to grow in confidence, taking the next two frames to lead 8-6 but lost the seventh to Bingham's half century.

The 16th frame saw Bingham miss the final blue using the rest and Murphy stepped in to pot two of the last three colours for his fairytale victory.

"I didn't come here expecting to win the tournament but now I have it's a dream come true. I've been to Wembley many times to watch and it looks a fantastic place to play.

"It will be awesome and I can't wait to get there."