Shaun Murphy leads Vera Selby tributes after death of first women's world champion – 'A pioneer of women's snooker'
Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, has led the tributes to Vera Selby after the death of the first women's world snooker champion on Monday, the day of her 93rd birthday. Born in the Yorkshire town of Richmond in 1930, Selby lifted her maiden world title in 1976 with a 4-0 victory against Muriel Hazeldine in Middlesbrough before emulating the feat five years later, courtesy of a 3-0 win against Mandy Fisher on the Isle of Wight. Ad She continued to play, coach, referee and commentate on the sport – including being part of the BBC team during Alex Higgins' famous run to the 1982 Crucible crown in Sheffield – after lifting the women's world billiard championship eight times between 1970-1978.
