by Stamford Mercury

Referee Patricia Murphy has chalked up a memorable achievement after being selected to officiate at this month’s World Pool Masters in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old from Radcliffe Road in Stamford will be stepping out at the Riveria Hotel and Casino for the biggest moment of her career.

It is a meteoric rise for Murphy who only qualified as a referee in 2004 and has wasted little time in progressing in the snooker world where she is only the second-ever female referee to have officiated on the sport’s main tour.

She explained: “Predominantly, I am a professional snooker referee with the World Snooker Association.

“I do a lot more snooker than I do pool. My partner Lewis Roberts is a professional snooker player, but also played nine-ball pool at local level and I got into it from going with him.

“I’m really excited. It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career.

“I’m thrilled to be going to Vegas as I have always wanted to go, but it’s a bonus to be going there to referee such a prestigious event as the World Pool Masters.”

And, although the prospect of refereeing some of the biggest names in the game on television could prove daunting for the first time, Murphy is fully confident in her abilities.

She added: “I always enjoy a challenge and every match offers a different experience which I like.

“It doesn’t matter if I ref big name players, each player is treated the same and equal.

“Players can become very emotional during matches, especially high pressure games.

“A referee needs the ability to know where the line is between showing emotion and becoming troublesome.

“You need to be able to handle all kinds of situations and troublesome players can sometimes be one of them.”

Originally from County Clare in the Irish Republic, Murphy moved to Stamford three years ago to be with her partner Roberts.

She used to work in a snooker hall back in her homeland where she first took up the game before going on to captain a ladies pool team and then getting more into the snooker side where she started refereeing local games.

After presiding over many top players in exhibitions around Ireland, she started work for World Snooker in September 2004 and officiated at her first venue at the 2005 UK Championship in York.

Murphy made her television debut in the 2006 Junior Snooker Pot Black final and officiated again at the same tournament in 2007.

She has also been selected for the forthcoming world snooker series which starts in Jersey next month and features the top eight players while visiting five different counties.

At this weekend’s Masters, Murphy will be working as number two to Michaela Tabb and will take charge of around half of the 15 matches.

It was Tabb’s success in the world of pool and subsequently snooker that first inspired Murphy to don the white gloves.

She continued: “When I first saw Michaela refereeing it made me believe that I could be a referee and she was someone I looked up to so much.

“Over the years she has given me great advice and become a very close friend to me.”

Inside POOL Magazine speaks with Patricia Murphy at the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas, NV.

Fellow referee Michaela Tabb speaks about Patricia Murphy and her debut with Matchroom Sport at the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas, NV.

Following hot on the heels of Matchroom Sport’s No.1 referee Michaela Tabb comes Patricia Murphy, a 27 year-old Irish girl who makes her big-time pool debut at the forthcoming PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters in Las Vegas in May.

A professional snooker referee by trade, Trish is also a distinguished English 8 ball ref and has plenty of 9 ball experience too.

O riginally from County Clare in the Irish Republic, Murphy now resides in Stamford, Lincolnshire in the UK.

“Predominantly, I am a professional snooker referee with the World Snooker Association but I do a lot more snooker than I do 8 ball,” she explained.

“My partner Lewis Roberts is a professional snooker player but also played 9 ball at local level and I got into it from going with him.”

Murphy made her television debut in the 2006 Junior Snooker Pot Black Final and officiated again at the same tournament in 2007.

At the Masters, which tales place from 9-11 May at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Murphy will be working as No.2 to Michaela Tabb and will take charge of around half of the 15 matches.

The prospect of refereeing some of the biggest names in the game on TV could prove daunting for the first time but Trish is fully confident in her abilities.

“I always enjoy a challenge and every match offers a different experience which I like. It doesn’t matter if I ref big name players, each player is treated the same and equal,” she said.

“Players can become very emotional during matches, especially high pressure games. A referee needs the ability to know where the line is between showing emotion and becoming troublesome.

“You need to be able to handle all kinds of situations and troublesome players can sometimes be one of them.”

It was Tabb’s success in the world of pool and subsequently snooker that first inspired Murphy to don the white gloves, “When I first saw Michaela refereeing it made me believe that I could be a referee and she was someone I looked up to so much.

“Over the years she has given me great advice and become a very close friend to me.”

Murphy jets out to Las Vegas a few days before the tournament for what will be her first visit to the city and first refereeing experience outside the UK.

“I’m thrilled to be going to Vegas as I have always wanted to go but it’s a bonus to be going there to referee such a prestigious event as the World Pool Masters,” she said.