Snooker star Shaun Murphy has stepped down from his role as WPBSA Players Chairman after his recent Masters victory. The 42-year-old was elected to the board in December 2023 before being named chairman in May.

Murphy won his second Masters title last month, defeating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final. He also achieved a 147-break in his semi-final triumph over Mark Allen during his impressive run at Alexandra Palace.

After suffering a string of disappointing results in 2023, the former world champion decided to join the WPBSA Players board. However, Murphy has confessed that his Masters win convinced him to stop juggling his behind-the-scenes role and solely focus on his snooker career.

“There’s no way of me sugarcoating it,” Murphy said on his OneFourSeven podcast. “The win at the Masters a couple of weeks ago has really shone a torch for me, into my own game and self-belief, that I can actually still do it at the very cutting edge, top end of the sport.

“I had started to think that that had gone. So, I started to look at other areas in the game where I could make a difference. That win has given me a tap on the shoulder to say, ‘you know what? You can still do this.’

“In the end, you can’t be all things to all people,” he continued. “You can’t be everywhere all at once, and it’s not a job I’m willing to give half of myself to. It’s not a responsibility – looking after the members, representing them, and fighting on their behalf – that I’m willing to give 75 per cent to it.

“I’m either in or I’m out. At the minute, I’m not able to represent them as well as I want and be as committed as I want to. So I think it’s right that I stand aside and allow somebody else to take the reins.”

On Tuesday, the WPBSA announced that Murphy had stepped down as Players chairman with immediate effect and also left his position as non-executive player director. In a statement, Murphy described the role as a “great honour” but cited an increasing workload as his reason for leaving his post.

Following his Championship League victory in July 2023, Murphy failed to reach the main draw in seven of his next 14 ranked events, only going beyond the second round twice. However, Murphy’s recent performances have reminded the world No.6 that he is still among the best players in the sport.