Snooker: Williams bids to end dry spell

In addition to plain old professional pride, Mark Williams has five separate motivational forces pushing him forward at this week’s £597,200 (€964,818) Regal Welsh Open in Cardiff.

The most pressing concern for the patriotic Welshman, who badly wants to triumph on home soil, is to end a barren 16-month spell stretching back to his last tournament win at the Grand Prix in October 2000.

Since then, the 26-year-old left-hander from Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, has figured in a string of finals and semi-finals but has failed to swell his trophy collection.

‘‘It’s been very frustrating and I got so disillusioned at one stage last year that I was only practising for an hour or so a day,’’ admits Williams.

‘‘I kept losing big matches and getting thrashed into the bargain, so I didn’t see the point in working hard.’’

Now, though, Williams has rediscovered his enthusiasm, has realised the importance of thorough preparation and has cranked his daily practice workload up to six hours once again.

‘‘I’m spending a lot more time at the table and I honestly feel my game is coming together,’’ explained the 2000 world and UK champion, who has plenty of incentives to author a Welsh success story at his country’s leading event.

A first prize of £82,500 (€133,284) goes to Sunday’s winner and if Williams is to retain his world number one spot at the end of the season, he must put together a sequence of outstanding results in the remaining five ranking competitions.

And the player recognised as the game’s finest potter, who shot to prominence by landing long odds at the 1996 Regal Welsh in Newport, is also attempting to become the first three-time champion in the event’s history following his dramatic 9-8 pink-ball success against Stephen Hendry in their classic 1999 final.

With all 16 first round matches crammed into a hectic, three-session first day at the International Arena, Williams opens his challenge tonight against Barry Pinches, who has already negotiated five qualifying contests at Burton earlier this month.

Williams takes on the former English amateur champion from Norwich determined to safeguard, and indeed, extend a proud record.

Since suffering a surprise defeat by Peter Lines at the Regal Scottish Open in February 1998, Williams has cleared his first hurdle in no less than 33 consecutive world ranking tournaments.

‘‘I know I’m going to lose early on somewhere sooner or later but I just hope its not going to be this week. Doing well in Wales is a big thing for me, it means a lot,’’ said Williams.

World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, gunning for his second straight ranking event win after recapturing the UK title last month, is the bookies’ favourite.

O’Sullivan, well clear at the top of the provisional world rankings and on course to replace Williams at the head of affairs when the 2001/2002 campaign reaches its conclusion at the Embassy World Championship in May, tackles Preston’s Ian McCulloch.

Ken Doherty, who hammered Paul Hunter 9-2 in the Regal Welsh final last year, plays James Wattana; John Higgins, currently top of the money list with £285,700, meets Ali Carter and Stephen Hendry, who returned to the winner’s circle at the European Open in Malta seven weeks ago, is involved in a clash of the titans against Steve Davis.