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Mark Williams

Williams’ main ambition for the 2008/09 season was to regain a place among the top 16 of the world rankings, and he duly achieved that with some fine performances during the campaign.
Forced to enter the pressure-cooker of qualifying for the first time in 12 years, having dropped out of the elite at the end of the previous season, Williams won five out of his eight qualifying matches – plus enough at the venues to climb to 15th by the end of the season.
He made a strong start by reaching the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Trophy, then went one step further in the Roewe Shanghai Masters, beating Ali Carter and Jamie Cope in the Far East before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals.
The Welshman also got to the last eight of the Maplin UK Championship, scoring an impressive 9-7 win over Mark Selby then beating Graeme Dott by the same scoreline before being edged out 9-8 by Ali Carter; Williams unfortunate to suffer a kick on a red when leading 29-0 in the deciding frame.
His most important match of the season came at the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield, where Williams faced Tom Ford in the final qualifying round of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship. He played superbly to win 10-5, making a break of 145 and four more over 70.
“It’s been difficult this season,” he admitted. “At the qualifiers, no matter who you are, you won’t get to every venue. The players are too good. It’s been strange going to the qualifiers but I knew I had to get on with it. For the last six to eight months, in practice I’ve been playing as well or better than I was when I won the world title. I can still win tournaments.”
On to the Crucible, and Williams was drawn to face his best friend off the table and one of his fiercest rivals on it, fellow former World Champion Stephen Hendry. Williams looked in control at 7-5, but problems with his cue tip, which he was forced to make emergnecy repairs to midway through the concluding session, contributed to his collapse as Hendry won the last five frames for a 10-7 success. “Ideally you need a couple of days to bed a new tip in, and out there on those tables it catches you out,” he said. “From 7-5 up I had plenty of chances. I’ve been playing well coming into this tournament and thought that a good run was on the cards, but towards the end my head had gone.”
Williams’ last tournament success came at the 2006 China Open at the Student Gym in Beijing. He already had a fine record in Asia having won four ranking titles on the continent, and he further enhanced his reputation as a good traveller by making that a high five by beating John Higgins 9-8 in the final.
Known for his awesome single-ball potting and exceptional touch, Williams first ruled the Crucible in 2000 when he became the only left-hander to win the world title.
He came from 13-7 down to beat fellow Welshman Matthew Stevens 18-16. His second world title followed three years later when he beat Ken Doherty by the same scoreline in another close final. That completed an incredible hat-trick of snooker’s biggest titles as earlier that season he had won the UK Championship and the Masters.
He has won 16 ranking titles in all as well as the Masters twice. His first Wembley crown came in dramatic circumstances in 1999 as the final against Hendry went down to a respotted black, Williams potting it to a baulk corner after Hendry had missed a chance to a centre pocket.
Williams made the first competitive 147 of his career in a match against Rob Milkins at Sheffield in 2005 – and that was handy timing as it scooped him a £161,000 bonus. He became the fifth player to make a maximum at the Crucible.
In 2004, Williams was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. "It is a tremendous honour for me, for Wales and for the game of snooker," he said.
In his teenage years, Williams was a keen boxer and won several fights before being on the wrong end of a thumping from an older, heavier boy which curtailed his brief career in the ring. His hobbies include playing golf and five-a-side football as well as driving exotic sports cars and motorbikes. He and partner Joanne have sons called Connor, born in 2004, and Kian, born in 2007.

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