Features
South Yorkshire cueman Shaun Murphy backs new online handicap system
South Yorkshire snooker star Shaun Murphy is backing a major drive to increase participation in the sport following his success at this year’s 888.com World Snooker Championships in Sheffield.
Rotherham hotshot Shaun, who is through to the semi finals at the Crucible Theatre, is urging snooker fans to sign up to Cuefactor, a brand new statistical snooker handicap system launched in Sheffield this week.
Cuefactor is the world’s first online snooker handicap system, inspired by the well established and universally used golf handicap system.
Shaun hopes the system will trigger a major increase in participation for the sport as the introduction of the system nationally means that players of all abilities can play with or against each other and have an equal chance of winning.
Shaun said: It's great news that Sheffield's snooker heritage is being used as a launch pad for this scheme which potentially has massive ramifications for the sport at a recreational and club level.
I believe Cuefactor has the potential to revolutionise the way that both amateur and grass roots snooker is played. Even if you only ever play against your best friend or your dad in the local club and never play seriously, it will make games more enjoyable and competitive and for the first time the players will have an accurate way of charting their improvement.
Hopefully the system will really encourage youngsters to take up snooker, which can only be good for the future of the sport.
The Cuefactor team is on site in World Snooker's 'CueZone', directly opposite the Crucible Theatre in Tudor Square, until May 7. Free public events include fun challenges, competitions, prize draws and a daily Pot Idol talent contest. These activities will give snooker fans the chance to learn more about the new online handicap system from 10am-6pm each day.
Cuefactor handicaps range from 8 to 147 and once registered online, players can update their statistics via the website or their mobile phone. Colour-coded wristbands, from white through to black denote a player’s current ability.
For more information about the Cuefactor snooker handicap system and planned events at the 888.com World Snooker Championships visit www.cuefactor.com.
Released on behalf of Cuefactor by HR Media Ltd, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BE www.hrmedia.org.uk. For further information contact Alexander Mills on 0114 296 5567.
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