Shaun Murphy inspired by the record-breaking 'Class of 92' and salutes them as snooker trailblazers

Murphy overcame qualifier Lyu Haotian - one of a record 12 Chinese players in the main draw this year - 6-2 to progress in the £1.2 million Triple Crown event.

Runner-up at the 2019 Indian Open, Lyu twice lead early on but was pegged back each time by world number nine Murphy, who after the mid-session interval pulled rank.

Victory for 43-year-old Murphy - who is aiming for a second UK crown after his 2008 triumph - means he will face 50-year-old Higgins in this tournament for the first time.

Two of the World Snooker Tour’s most experienced and decorated cueists, Murphy and Higgins have been involved in several huge match-ups down the years, including the 2009 World Championship final at the Crucible Theatre that the latter won 18-9.

Their most recent encounter on the top flight only came a few weeks ago at the International Championship in Nanjing, China, where Higgins emerged a 6-2 victor in the quarter-finals.

Reigning Masters champion Murphy has been one of the outstanding performers of the season, so far. He won his 13th ranking title at the British Open in September, and nearly made it back-to-back triumphs by reaching the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix - the following main venue event on the circuit.

Ahead of his latest clash with the four-time world champion, Murphy - one of the great students of the sport - paid tribute to Higgins and his fellow ‘Class of 92’ contemporaries Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams, labelling the revered trio as trailblazers.

Speaking to the World Snooker Tour after his win over Lyu, Murphy said: "I was sat this morning having my breakfast watching the news and there was a lovely piece about the ‘Class of 92’. There is no escaping these guys and what they continue to achieve is remarkable. I've enjoyed watching John throughout my career. He has been a big help to me and helped me a lot as a junior player. I have watched him a lot, I just hope I don't have to watch him too much in the next round!

"It has shown what the rest of us can do if we keep our heads down. When I started snooker you used to think your career would be over by 40. The ‘Class of 92’ have been trailblazers all of their lives and they continue to do that."

When six-time world champion Steve Davis won the 1997 Masters at the Wembley Conference Centre - defeating O’Sullivan in a memorable final - aged 39, this was seen as a surprise due to his age.

Fast forward nearly 29 years later, though, and over half of the current world’s top 16 are aged 40 or over, with Mark Allen (39) and Ding Junhui (38) not far off that bracket. World number one Judd Trump is 36.

The three youngest members of the top 16 (at the 2025 UK Championship) are all Chinese - Zhao Xintong (28), Wu Yize (22), Si Jiahui (23).

Heading into York this year, all three members of the ‘Class of 92’ are ranked inside the top six. Williams and Higgins reached 50 earlier this year, and O’Sullivan is set to join them in the coming days with his birthday on December 5th.

Having briefly slipped out of the world’s elite top 16 last year - for the first time in over 29 years - Higgins has enjoyed a revitalising 2025 by winning two ranking events, and making the final of the aforementioned International Championship.

Williams became the oldest-ever World Snooker Championship finalist earlier this year, and last month at the Xi’an Grand Prix he broke fellow Welshman Ray Reardon’s long-standing record as the sport’s most senior ranking event champion when he denied Murphy in the final.

O’Sullivan - the youngest (won in 1993) and oldest (won in 2023) UK Champion of all-time - is currently on a title dry spell, but only a few months ago reached the Saudi Arabia Masters final having made two 147 maximum breaks within the same match and session in the semi-finals, the first time this feat had been achieved in professional competition.

To view the full draw, results, match schedule, and other information from the 2025 UK Championship, visit here.