Williams Crowned as Champion of Champions
Mark Williams claimed a maiden Grosvenor Casinos Champion of Champions title after defeating Xiao Guodong 10-6 in Bolton.
The momentous triumph came in a week which also saw Williams clinch his first match win in the event. The world number six had exited in the first round in all of his three previous appearances.
Evergreen Welshman Williams is still thrilling fans around the world with his unique brand of snooker, just five months short of his 50th birthday.
Earlier this year, he clinched a 26th career ranking title at the Tour Championship. In September he came agonisingly close to becoming the inaugural winner of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, losing the final 10-9 to Judd Trump.
Victory for Williams sees him pocket the £150,000 top prize. That goes some way towards making up for the disappointment of missing out on the £500,000 winner’s cheque in Riyadh, where he had to settle for £200,000.
Xiao can reflect on a week where he has produced some sensational snooker during his Champion of Champions debut. He defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Mark Allen to make the title match. Xiao earned his place in the event after winning a maiden ranking crown, 17 years after turning professional, at last month’s Wuhan Open.
The afternoon session saw Williams charge into a hefty 5-0 advantage, but Xiao pegged him back to 5-4 to head into this evening with the match in the balance.
Williams reasserted his authority when tonight’s session got underway. Runs of 104 and 62 helped him to move 7-4 ahead. The following two frames were traded to see Williams head in for the mid-session 8-5 in front.
Xiao again reduced the deficit when play resumed, but breaks of 95 and 67 saw Williams over the line with two on the bounce to capture the title.
Williams said: “I can’t believe it. I don’t know how I’m doing it but I’m sticking in there. He played great all week as well. I didn’t do much wrong for him to come back to 5-4. He just outplayed me for four frames. The interval came at a perfect time for me. If it carried on, he could have ran away with it.”
Williams added: “It is another season where I’ve picked up a trophy. I don’t know what to say really. It seems the older I’m getting, the more support I’m getting from the crowd. It is unbelievable. I’m lost for words.
“I’ve got nothing to prove anymore. I’m just going to enjoy it. Even if I’d lost today I would have congratulated Xiao and said well done. I’m over the moon.”
Xiao said: “The crowd was very nice and I’d also like to thank the Chinese fans who watched me play during the night time. I played a legend today and I learned a lot. I want Ronnie, Mark and John to play for another ten or 20 years!”
Article by WST
