Selby takes on the Crucible Curse

MARK SELBY will become the latest man to take on the Crucible Curse when he begins the defence of his first snooker world title today against Kurt Maflin.

The Curse, which has affected even the greats like six-time winner Steve Davis and seven-time champion Stephen Hendry, has ensured no first-time winner has successfully defended their crown.

Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998 have come closest to this achievement, reaching the Final before losing to Davis and John Higgins respectively.

But the fact that only Davis, Hendry and, more recently, Ronnie O'Sullivan have won any sort of back-to-back titles at the Sheffield venue shows just how difficult it is.

Indeed, it would be a surprise if Selby was to break the mould. It is not that the Jester from Leicester has turned into a bad player - but his status as the defending champion will always lend itself to a bit of extra pressure.

And that is not always something he has dealt with, as he has admitted himself.

Still, it would be a massive shock if Selby lost in the first round to World Championship debutant Maflin who - though born in Lewisham - lives in Oslo and represents Norway following naturalisation.

Instead, Selby's biggest threat in the top quarter of the draw would appear to come from fellow-Englishman Shaun Murphy.

The 2005 world champion cued beautifully to win his first Masters title at the Alexandra Palace in January, eventually thrashing Neil Robertson 10-2 in the Final.

Murphy also seems to have an altogether much more relaxed outlook on life after a rollercoaster start to his career.

For, when the Magician won his world title 10 years ago, he was aged just 22 - becoming the second-youngest champion after Hendry.

He was also only the third qualifier ever to win and had been 150/1 with the bookmakers at the start of the tournament.

The success did not last - and was even considered in some quarters to be a complete flash-in-the-pan until the 2008-09 season brought him a UK Championship title and another Crucible final appearance.

Still, though, the lack of a second world title drove him to the verge of quitting, something he openly admits in a revealing interview on the BBC Sport website.

"There were a few dark years when I wasn't practising enough, was doing too many golf days and charity events," said Murphy.

"Then when I started putting the hard work in, banging balls in all day long, day after day, I still wasn't getting anything for it.

"Losing 6-1 to Mark Selby in the semi-finals of the Masters last year was almost the final nail in the coffin. I could have easily walked away from snooker there and then."

But, without much of a fall-back plan, Murphy persisted - and victory in the Masters meant he completed snooker's prestigious Triple Crown.

Another run of form like that over the next 17 days and the Harlow-born 32-year-old will be a massive threat - he is my tip to emerge from the top quarter.

The second quarter is dominated by the presence of Australian Robertson - the only former world champion of the section.

By his standards, the Aussie has not had a particularly great season with the Wuxi Classic - played last June - his only ranking title of the campaign.

He also seems to have got into the nasty habit of giving his opponent the initiative early on in his matches.

In the Final of the Masters, he was blown away by Murphy before he even had a chance of getting into the game.

Similarly, the Thunder from Down Under found himself 5-0 down to Graeme Dott in the fourth round of the UK Championships in York before a stunning comeback to 5-5 ultimately failed.

At least, in this respect, the marathon format at the World Championships favours Robertson - and he also has a good record against his likely second-round opponent Ali Carter.

A place in the semi finals is the least Robertson would expect of himself - but, on current form, it would be difficult to see him going past this stage.

Quarter three is headed nominally by world number three Ding Junhui - but, with only one quarter final and one semi final in eight previous Crucible appearances, the Chinese has little World Championship pedigree.

Instead, Higgins leads the way in the section with four world titles - though his overall reputation is little recovered from the infamous News of the World sting operation.

Judd Trump, then, is the talent who most people will be keeping their eye on for a run deep into the tournament - and, as the last player to start his campaign on Wednesday night, the 2011 runner-up will be itching to get under way.

In the bottom quarter, Welsh friends Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens have been paired in what promises to be an entertaining repeat of the dramatic 2000 World Championship Final, won 18-16 by Williams.

The section, though, is dominated by five-time champion O'Sullivan who, like Trump, is another relatively late starter this year.

O'Sullivan is also inevitably the bookmakers' favourite - but, following his defeat in the Final last year, the Rocket seems to have arrived in Sheffield to less of a fanfare than usual.

His absence from the China Open last month for unspecified "health reasons" suggests his mind may not be as firmly on the game as it could be.

And, in a recent interview with the Guardian, he was typically enigmatic about his future, both in the short-term and the long.

Now aged 39, O'Sullivan knows there might not be many more chances for him to catch Davis and Hendry.

Nevertheless, with his standing in the game already assured in his own right, this is undoubtedly something for the writers and pundits to obsess about, rather than O'Sullivan himself.