Snooker
Cue Change Pays Off: Mark Williams Wins Champion of Champions After Criticism
Mark Williams silences critics with a stunning Champion of Champions victory after a controversial cue change. The 49-year-old proves his resilience and defies expectations.
Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images
Mark Williams believes he has proved the critics who questioned his decision to change cue wrong after winning the Champion of Champions.
The Welsh Potting Machine was lambasted by seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, as well as other pundits, for using his Zhang Yu cue after signing a sponsorship deal in China earlier this season.
Granted, the timing seemed strange as it came immediately after he was one ball away from beating Judd Trump to the £500,000 winner’s prize at the mega-money Saudi Arabia Masters.
He was hammered 4-1 by Rory Thor at the British Open and then suffered the same scoreline to Ben Woollaston at the English Open in his first two matches after the swap.
But the evergreen 49-year-old silenced the doubters as he beat Xiao Guodong 10-6 to land the prestigious Champion of Champions title for the first time in Bolton on Sunday night.
Williams told SportsBoom.com: “I swapped my cue after Saudi. I didn’t have to use it, I just picked it up and I liked it.”
“I thought I wasn’t really in the club much practicing but if I start using a new cue I’ll get in the club a little bit which I did.”
“I knew I’d lose a lot of games 4-0, 4-1 when I first started using it. I played Thor and lost 4-0 or 4-1. I played Ben Woollaston and lost 4-1, but I knew I would.”
“It didn’t make any difference to me because I’m in all the tournaments anyway after getting to the final in Saudi.”
“I wanted to try something different, and it takes a while to get used to a new cue, of course it does.”
I got some absolute stick saying this that and the other about it from commentators and people on social media. I don’t worry about stuff like that. All of a sudden, I’m used to it and I’ve won a big tournament here.
Mark Williams
“People will now probably be saying it’s the best thing I’ve ever done!”
“It’s just one of those things, you can’t please everyone. I done it for myself and I’m glad I did.”
That tough 10-9 defeat on the final black to Trump, after missing a match ball red, would have been enough to derail Williams’ campaign for the foreseeable future.
But less than two months later, the Welsh wizard was lifting silverware once again at the prestigious invitational event.
Williams continues to defy Father Time and who knows when he will stop clocking up the titles?
All we know for sure is fans have to savour one of the biggest characters in the sport for however long he decides to continue playing.
“I’d have rather have won the Saudi one because it was half a million for that!” Admitted Williams.
“But it didn’t come across my mind at all. It’s nice for me at my stage of life to be getting to finals and pushing these top players all the way.”
“I missed a red to win that one in Saudi. A lot of people said then it would take a long time to get over that. What a load of nonsense. I was over it within about five minutes.”
“I’ve won this one a month or two later. It’s unbelievable really. I don’t know how I’m still doing it. I’m still fighting away.”
Shane is a respected journalist who has covered a range of sports for a number of years.