Mark Williams (snooker)
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| Mark Williams | |
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| Personal Information | |
| Date of birth | March 21, 1975 |
| Nickname | Sprog |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Career | |
| Professional | 1992–current |
| 2005/6 World Ranking | 9 |
| Best World Ranking | 1 (3 years) |
| World Championship Best | Winner (2 times) |
| Highest Break | 147 (2005) |
| Ranking Tournament Wins | |
| World Championship | 2000, 2003 |
| Grand Prix | 1996, 2000 |
| LG Cup | 2003 |
| British Open | 1997 |
| Irish Open | 1998 |
| Thailand Masters | 1999, 2000, 2002 |
| UK Championship | 1999, 2002 |
| China Open | 2001 |
| Regal Welsh Open | 1996, 1999 |
| Other Tournament Wins | |
| Benson & Hedges Masters | 1998, 2003 |
Mark Williams (born 21 March, 1975, Cwm, Wales) is a Welsh professional snooker player.
Williams has won 14 ranking tournaments, including two world championships. His first world title in 2000 was earned in dramatic fashion after highly improbable comebacks against John Higgins in the semi-finals and Matthew Stevens in the final. Although he has been ranked number one for three of the last four seasons, he does not dominate the game, facing stiff competition from the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins.
On April 20th, 2005 he became the first Welshman, and the fifth player in history to score the maximum 147 break at the Crucible Theatre, during the Embassy World Championship.
Williams was originally an amateur boxer.
Williams is often referred to as Mark J Williams, to distinguish him from another Mark Williams, an English player from the 1990s. After one of his World Champion wins, the check for more than 200.000 pounds was sent to the wrong Mark Williams by accident.
Williams is best known for his great single-ball and long potting. His break-building is supreme but he often needs his potting skills to make up for playing a bad positional shot. One of his great qualities is his laid back character. Although this helps him to withstand pressure, it sometimes causes him to play a careless shot or to purposely miss a ball when the frame is safe.
Because of his confidence in his abilities and his carelessness around the table, he sometimes plays shots that are questioned by many. In the 2005 World Championships he tried to pot a respotted black from the D, which resulted in him losing the frame. In an interview he fiercely responded to criticism by the words: "That's my shot choice. I'm gon' play how I play, so I don't give a ****".de:Mark Williams pl:Mark J. Williams nl:Mark Williams