Mark Williams has enjoyed a career of winning titles and has proved he can still do it in his 40s.
His victory at the World Six Reds Championship in Thailand this week may not be the most prestigious win during his trophy-laden years playing the sport, but it proves he was right not to hang up his cue just yet.
Since returning the baize this season, deploying the coaching methods of Sight Right, he’s reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the opening two ranking events and has now added silverware with a comprehensive 8-2 win against Thepchaiya Uh-Nooh in the final here.
This win evokes fond memories of Thailand for Williams and his fans. Back in his hey day, he won the Thailand Masters three times in four years between 1999 and 2003 and although the Welshman has never been the kind of player to reminisce over past glories, his fans are quick remind the snooker world of what a dominant force he once was.
“When I came here I didn’t have any great hopes of winning this,” 42-year- old Williams told World Snooker. “I battled away and I’m so pleased to win an event. I wasn’t looking to make any big breaks, just to win frames. “I think over the years I haven’t got any further than the last 16 of this event so I suppose I’ve surprised myself this week. I’ve won a lot of money playing in Thailand and China and I’ve become a good traveller.”
Social media has also dubbed this win as the completion of a new ‘tongue in cheek’ triple crown of the sport. Williams has now won the World Championship (2000 and 2003), the World Seniors Championship (2015) and the latest World Six Reds Championship.
The latter two titles in this hat-trick are without doubt of lesser significance when compared to the titles won by Williams down the years. After all, Mark himself is always quick to point out that he may not be operating at the levels he once was, which is backed up by the fact that his last ranking title came six years ago at the German Masters. But you can’t help feeling that it would be foolish to dismiss his opportunities of winning another this season.
Williams is still ranked 17 in the world and has proved in recent months that he’s still capable of picking up results. He’s had a habit of winning throughout his career and it’s impossible to lose that predatory instinct. He may be about to prove this season how much experience really counts for.
