Mark Williams: Triple world champion wins first title in three years

Mark Williams won his first title in three years but admits he does not think he can repeat his 2018 World Championship victory next month.

On his 46th birthday, Williams topped the WST Pro Series final group to become the oldest ranking event winner since Doug Mountjoy in 1989.

Williams believes he can compete in any match at the Crucible in April but not for the title.

"If you want the honest opinion, no I don't think so," he said.

"Can I give people a game, absolutely. Whether I can carry the form through nearly three weeks I don't know, but the only thing I can guarantee is I'll be trying 100% in every game."

Williams beat Judd Trump, Sam Craigie, Kyren Wilson, Ali Carter, Jack Lisowski and Xiao Guodong to guarantee the Pro Series title before losing his final match against Stuart Bingham.

The Welshman's prize for winning his first ranking title since the 2018 World Open is £31,500 and a place in the Champion of Champions event later this year.

"Unbelievable really, a nice birthday present for me," said Williams, who rattled off his latest victory in rapid style.

"I'm loving it. I've been saying it for months now, I'm just going out there and play pretty much as fast as I can.

"I'm not thinking about it, if there's a shot I'm going for it, if it goes in great, if it doesn't that's OK but I'm still going for them.

"I still have two or three frames in a row where I can't pot a ball for half an hour but that's just the way it is, there's nothing I can do about that, I just have to accept it.

"My average frame time can't be much more than 10-12 minutes every frame I've played in the last six months."

Williams won the world title in 2000, 2003 and most recently in 2018 when he beat John Higgins in the final, but admits he has lost some of his appetite.

"To do what I did in 2018, the work I put in, the practice I put in and the practice I knew I had to put in, I'm just not prepared to do that anymore," said the world number 11.

"I'm not prepared to practice six, seven hours a day even though there's a world title possibly at the end of it.

"I'm just not prepared to sacrifice the time you need to put enough hours in to win tournaments, but I'm OK with that, I've accepted that.

"I'm going to practice as much as I can, two to three hours most days, play as much golf as I can and I just keep ticking over and just enjoy it.

"I've got nothing to prove to anyone anymore. I think 2018 must have proved all the doubters wrong so I'm just playing for enjoyment, obviously try and win as much money as I can.

"If a tournament comes along as well fantastic but it's just all about enjoying it for me now and seeing how long I can stay on the tour.

"There's no one who tries any harder in any competition than me, I'll be out there, I'll try my guts off, but if I lose I've got no problem, I just go home and turn up at the next."

Williams' victory was also a poignant one as he matched fellow Welshman Mountjoy's feat of winning a ranking event aged 46. Mountjoy died last month.

"I should dedicate this to Doug really, because I went to his funeral last week," said Williams.

"It would have been lovely if he had been alive to see it."