Shaun Murphy urges fans to give Saudi 'golden ball' snooker a chance

Former world champion Shaun Murphy has backed the announcement of Saudi Arabia's first ever invitational snooker event and the introduction of a new golden ball which could increase the maximum break to 167.

The inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will take place in March with seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan set to feature in the 10-player field alongside 2019 world champion Judd Trump and current holder Luca Brecel.

The tournament will see the introduction of a 23rd golden ball, known as the Riyadh Season ball, which will be worth 20 points, but can only be potted once a maximum break of 147 has been completed.

Murphy urged traditionalists to give the novel idea a chance, likening it to the single-frame Snooker Shoot-Out, which was met with plenty of resistance when it was introduced, but has evolved into a permanent fixture on the world ranking calendar since 2017.

Murphy, who as the current world number six is set to feature in the tournament, said: "It was heresy when the Shoot-Out was brought in as a ranking event - people were nearly out with torches on the streets - but I haven't met a single person who has been to the Shoot-Out and not enjoyed it.

"You should never criticise something unless you've tried it. It's just something different and it's not the first time the sport has tried new ideas.

"At the end of the day you'd rather have the event than not."

"I imagine they [World Snooker Tour] had to make a few concessions to get the event over the line, and the new promoters in Saudi will want their event to stand out and be different. At the end of the day you'd rather have the event than not."

Precise details of the format relating to the golden ball are yet to be revealed, but it's understood