 In the inaugural , non @-@ ranking Northern Ireland Trophy , he reached the quarter @-@ finals before he was defeated 4 – 5 by Neil Robertson . In the first three ranking events of the season — the Grand Prix , the UK Championship , and the Malta Cup — he reached the last 16 , losing final @-@ frame matches to Bingham , Robertson , and Graeme Dott , respectively . After his loss to Bingham , he complained about having to play his match on an outside table , given his world champion status . In the revival of Pot Black , a single @-@ frame knockout tournament not staged since 1991 , Murphy was defeated in the final by Stevens . Murphy was awarded Sportsman of the Year at the BBC East Midlands Sports Awards in December 2005 . 
