Thursday 6 October 2011

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EXCLUSIVE: Williams: I never expected Premier League return - 15/09/2010

By Michael Emons

MARK Williams plays his first Premier League Snooker match in more than five years on Thursday at the Plymouth Pavilions.

However, Williams, a two-time World Champion, admitted he thought he would never play in the competition again after plunging down the world rankings.

“It feels very good to be back in the Premier League,” said Williams, who booked his spot in the 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker when he won the China Open in April. “I haven’t played in it for many years and it’s one of the best tournaments around so I’m looking forward to it.

"I wasn’t confident of getting back in the Premier League and I thought it was far away and the chance had gone.

“I was too far down the rankings and was never going to get a wildcard as you have be in the top six or seven to have a chance.

“For 12 to 18 months it looked like there was no way on earth that I would get up there but somehow I’ve managed to do so.

“I dropped down the rankings like a stone and at one stage I was at 47 and couldn’t see a way back to the top.

“But with a lot of hard work and practise I started to climb the rankings the right way. It’s a lot easier to fall down the rankings than to climb back up.”

Williams, 35, won the World Championship in 2000 and 2003 and was a regular in the PLS, losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan in his last match - the 2005 spring final.

However, a poor run of form saw him drop down the rankings and face the dreaded prospect of having to qualify for the televised stages.

“It’s soul-destroying when you see the place you have to play the qualifiers in; it’s absolutely dreadful,” said Williams.

Williams' last PLS match came in the final in May 2005 against Ronnie O'Sullivan
Williams' last PLS match came in the final in May 2005 against Ronnie O'Sullivan

“It’s not a place any person wants to play as you have cubicles with four or five seats in and it’s just depressing.

“But I was never close to quitting snooker. I can’t do anything else and it’s not as if I can just go and work on a computer as I can’t even turn one on.

“It was just a bonus for me that I started playing better, practised hard, climbed the rankings, won a tournament and got back in.

“I’m playing ok and I’ve got as good a chance of winning as anybody else.”

All the action from Plymouth will be shown live from 7.30pm on Sky Sports 2 on Thursday and Williams meets Masters Champion Mark Selby in the first match.

Ronnie O’Sullivan then plays Ding Junhui as both players need the points having failed to win last week in Southampton. O’Sullivan drew 3-3 with Marco Fu, while Ding slumped to a 5-1 defeat against reigning Premier League Champion Shaun Murphy.

Ali Carter
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Ding Junhui
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John Higgins
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Shaun Murphy
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Ronnie O'Sullivan
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Neil Robertson
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Matthew Stevens
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Judd Trump
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Jimmy White
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Mark Williams
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