World Snooker Championship Final 2015: Scores, Results, Schedule and More

Stuart Bingham won his maiden Snooker World Championship title at the legendary Crucible Theatre on Monday, beating Shaun Murphy 18-15 in an epic final.

At the start of the 2015 tournament, there would have been few tipping Murphy or Bingham for glory this year. But the pair put on a thrilling showdown which threatened to go one way and then the other.

Murphy took an early lead on Sunday, but Bingham produced his best snooker to complete a fantastic comeback on Monday, ultimately winning the title in an engrossing final session.

Read on for a full recap of the action from Sheffield.

Monday Update

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Shaun Murphy 15-18 Stuart Bingham

Stuart Bingham played a phenomenal afternoon session on Monday to turn a one-frame deficit into a three-frame lead heading into the final session of the World Championship, and he finished the job during the evening in one of the best sessions of snooker we've seen all year.

The veteran, who appeared in his first final at the Crucible, showed no signs of the nerves that plagued him on Sunday, as he won the first four frames of Monday's afternoon session in comfortable fashion.

Murphy was relegated to the role of spectator, and breaks of 87 and 51 gave Bingham the lead before he came agonisingly close to a maximum.

Showing great patience in clearing the table, Bingham overplayed a difficult pot and had red and black nearly touching with 105 already on the board. It marked the end of the break, but Bingham bounced back to take the next frame as well.

Murphy finally won his first frame with a break of 59 and would add one more with a high of 84, but he entered the evening session facing a 14-11 deficit. 

To his credit, Murphy clawed his way right back into the match by winning four of the first five frames, tying things up at 15 apiece. The 2005 world champion produced a 102 break that had fans wondering whether the relatively inexperienced Bingham would recover, and after another great frame from Murphy, the 31st looked as if it would decide the match.

What followed was one of the longest frames of snooker you'll ever see, a lengthy battle with just four balls on the table that ultimately fell Bingham's way. To watch the frame, which lasted well over an hour, click here. 

Fired up, Bingham allowed the Magician to bag just four points in the final two frames, winning his first ever world title.

Former footballer Michael Owen congratulated the veteran and noted Murphy was incredibly gracious in defeat:

"

Amazing scenes. Delighted for Bingham and what a great sportsman Murphy is. http://t.co/rCejGS2wEk

— michael owen (@themichaelowen) May 4, 2015"

Speaking to BBC Sport, Bingham could hardly believe he had finally won the world title after years of toiling in obscurity and playing in minor tournaments:

"

At one stage at 15-15 I thought I was going to do Shaun's speech. It was a 64-minute frame to go 16-15 and that really calmed me down. Four words: Winner, winner chicken dinner. My mum, dad, my wife, my family. My whole team I have to thank.

Coming in to it was a bit different. I got to two semis out of three events. It didn't start brilliantly but I went from strength to strength. And in the final I beat the second best man in the tournament! To beat Shaun in the final tops everything off.

Twenty years as professional, blood sweat and tears on the road. Qualifying in places like Prestatyn and Malvern. So many family and friends have backed me. It is unbelievable.

"

Bingham's rise to the top of snooker has been nothing short of amazing, and the Brit certainly earned his first win at the Crucible the hard way, having to go through the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump just to make the final.

His shocking run through the tournament has to be ranked among the finest sporting moments of the year. A cash prize of £300,000 won't hurt, either, via the event's official website. 

Sunday Update

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Shaun Murphy 9-8 Stuart Bingham

Shaun Murphy’s bid to win his second world title got off to an ideal start, as he finished the opening day of this final with a 9-8 lead over Stuart Bingham

As he did against Barry Hawkins in the previous round, the 2005 champion began this match in scintillating style, and at one point, he looked poised to motor away from Bingham. But credit must go to the first-time finalist, who showed brilliant fortitude to drag himself back into contention on a couple of occasions.

Bingham should have won the first frame of this match, but some sloppy play let Murphy in. From that point on, he rattled in breaks of 68, 59 and 65 to go 3-0 in front, but Bingham finally got on the board with the final’s first century break in the fourth frame.

The final debutant was beginning to grow into the contest, and he eventually finished the first session level at 4-4 with Murphy. But drawing on all of his final experience from a decade ago, the man known as the Magician came flying out of the traps once again at the start of the evening session.

Breaks of 74, 106, 121 and 51 saw Murphy romp into an 8-4 lead, stunning the Crucible crowd with some of his exceptional break-building and long potting. But as was the case in the opening session, the leader was unable to shake off Bingham.

The Basildon-born star had Murphy sitting in his chair for the best part of half an hour, as he responded to those four setbacks with three frames on the bounce himself, notching breaks of 76 and 89 either side of a scintillating 123.

Murphy took the next to establish a cushion of sorts, but despite being in among the balls in the day’s final frame, he allowed Bingham to claw his way back into contention to make it 9-8 after two sessions.

While these men don’t typically command the kind of gravitas you would associate with players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby or Judd Trump, it’s absolutely clear this is a final of the highest quality. For neutrals, the game is perfectly poised, and Monday’s climax should be absolutely thrilling.