They come for Ronnie O’Sullivan. They stay for Mark Williams.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ability to draw a crowd has been hugely significant to the success of snooker over the last thirty years. His impact cannot be understated – his appeal to the mainstream sports fan and his ability to ensure that snooker reaches the back pages is an absolute dream for a smaller sport like snooker. But snooker needs more than one player to ensure that those potential fans become hooked when they start watching. Fortunately, over those last thirty years, Mark Williams has been waiting in the wings ready to entertain the discerning sports fan.

Ok, that’s not entirely true. Ten years ago, Williams found himself struggling. His ranking was in decline, and he looked as though he may never threaten the winners’ enclosure again. In 2017, he was forced to qualify for the Crucible and failed. It looked as though his career was over and he was contemplating retirement, only for his wife to encourage him to keep going to provide for his family. 

He has done that very well. Not financially, though of course that must be a huge relief for any family. Rather, the memories he has given his young family over the last seven years will stay with them for a lifetime. In 2018, he bounced back. He famously promised a naked press conference should he lift the world title, and he duly delivered. It was one of the great finals too. John Higgins – the third prong on the famous trident – was beaten 18-16 despite playing some exhilarating stuff himself. For Williams, though, it was the end of the redemption arc.

What makes Mark so great is his ability to play without pressure. He has freely stated that he doesn’t mind losing - can that be true of a professional sportsman? Well, first, I think that Mark does care whether he plays well – win or lose. But as for the result, I truly believe that he doesn’t care. This is a man who was ready to write off his career, and everything he has achieved in the last seven years is a bonus. 

The freedom he plays with is testament to that. In 2018, he frequently tested his cue action by playing shots with his eyes closed. The number of those that he made was eye-watering. He has often played shots ‘under-arm’, where he approaches the ball with both his arms to the right of his torso. He escapes snookers one-handed, he clears up with the rest, he breaks unconventionally at times. These are the quirks that make the game interesting, and that’s why fans keep coming back.

Yesterday’s victory at the Champion of Champions was Williams’ fifth title since his World Championship in 2018. They’re not the statistics of a prolific winner – Judd Trump has won twenty-five tournaments in that time – but for a man in his fiftieth year it is an enormous achievement. Aside from that startling year in 2003 where he won all three triple crown titles consecutively, he hasn’t been a prolific winner at any point of his career. But throughout, he has been an entertainer. Not just through his play, but also by providing moments of comic relief during moments of incredible tension.

Over the last three decades, so many have queued up to watch O’Sullivan, only to be bowled over by Williams’ approach to the game. Let’s hope that his love affair with snooker continues for a little while longer. Thanks for making fans of those people, Mark. 

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By Leon Parrott