Williams defeats Doherty in epic final

World number one Mark Williams held off a brave fightback by Ken Doherty to win the Embassy World Championship for the second time tonight.

The Welshman won 18-16 to land the £270,000 first prize and emulated Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry in taking the triple crown of the UK Championship, The Masters and the world title in the same season.

However, Doherty played his part in a remarkable final.

The Irishman defeated Shaun Murphy 10-9 in the first round, overcame Graeme Dott 13-12 after trailing 7-2 and then overturning a 15-9 reversal in the semi-finals to dispose of Paul Hunter.

The final hurdle was just beyond him, however, and maybe the fact Doherty went into the final having played 98 frames compared to the 72 of Williams eventually took its toll.

The 33-year-old, who at one stage trailed 10-2, levelled at 12-12 at the end of today’s first session.

But Williams was consistently good throughout the tournament and clinched the title in the 34th frame with a break of 77.