Mark Williams is locked in a battle with John Higgins at the World Snooker Championship.
Mark Williams was said to be “annoyed” after being defied by an overzealous bounce at the World Snooker Championship. The Welshman was in action against John Higgins when he ran out of position after the cue ball cannoned back off the cushion with more pace than he expected.
Williams, 50, reached the quarter-finals of snooker’s showpiece tournament after overcoming Yize Wu and Hossein Vafaei in his opening two matches at the Crucible. And he found it tough in the early stages of his showdown with Higgins as the Scot stormed into a 5-3 lead by the end of the opening session on Tuesday afternoon.
The players returned to the table on Tuesday evening, with Williams handed an early opportunity to get amongst the balls. But he saw his break come to an end while still in single digits due to the unusual bounce.
Following the incident, Williams made his sentiments perfectly clear as he sarcastically put his thumb up to the table and shook his head.
And Neal Foulds told viewers on TNT Sports: “I'm not sure if that was a big bounce or not, because it didn't look like he'd hit it too hard.”
Commentator Dave Hendon explained: “He thinks it was, with that rather ironic thumbs up to the cushion.”
Foulds then said: “Maybe they'll try and sort it for tomorrow. Because a few players have been talking about this big bounce coming down the table. It looks like he'd hit it at a good speed.”
And Hendon added: “This is where temperament is so important, because even early on in a session, a lot of players, that would really affect them, the sense of injustice. He was annoyed, you can see that, but he has the [mindset] to put it to one side.”
Williams eventually won the frame to reduce his deficit, before Higgins stretched his lead once again in the next one.
The Welshman was in no mood to roll over, however, as he won three frames on the bounce to move ahead for the first time in the match.
Higgins, 49, regained the lead before Williams won the final frame of the night as the duo ended the day with eight frames apiece.
The match resumed on Wednesday morning, with BBC commentator John Virgo explaining: “A clash of the titans. These are encounters to be savoured, to be treasured. What a match this has been so far.
“I thought Mark Williams was just getting the edge last night, but John Higgins - what a competitor - fought back.”
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