Murphy wins Players Championship to end three-year trophy drought

'The Magician' breezed to victory and the £125,000 prize at Aldersley Leisure Village, ending a three-year trophy drought in the process.

The win was made even sweeter for the 40-year-old, whose 11 centuries made at the tournament broke the previous record of eight.

Five of those tons came in the final against Carter, which Murphy said was one of the best displays in his career.

"Not just win but to play like that, I am going to put that down as one of my biggest achievements in my career," he told ITV. "I am really going to take that like a feather in the cap.

"The last few seasons I have really struggled, but you have to keep going and persevere.

"There have been a lot of honest conversations in front of mirrors and a lot of soul searching, but I am very lucky to have some great support, with friends and family back home."

Murphy started on the front foot taking a 3-0 lead before Carter put his first frame on the board.

With the match at 4-2, Murphy then upped the ante by extending his lead to four frames with two centuries in that spell breaking John Higgins' record.

 The onslaught did not stop there as Murphy made it 8-2 before Carter hit back with two in a row to cut the frame deficit. 

But they would be a mere consolation for the German Masters champion as Murphy took the final two frames, adding another century to his tally in the last of the match.