World Snooker final: Mark Williams picks John Higgins’ pocket to lead enthralling class of ‘92 final

Mark Williams won three frames from losing positions to take a commanding 10-7 lead over his old friend John Higgins heading into the final day's play at the Crucible

Mark Williams won the first four frames of the match (Getty)

Mark Williams is a master pickpocket. Three times in this occasionally sublime and often chaotic evening session of the World Snooker final he pilfered from John Higgins’ bare hands, including the final two frames, to earn himself a 10-7 lead overnight in what is building into an enthralling battle between two of snooker’s greatest players.

The jovial mood of the afternoon gave way to tension as these two battle-hardened match players spent much of the evening clawing over what little scraps were on offer. Several frames descended into bloodbaths, reds splattered across the table, pinned against every cushion, occupying every safe space.

But in between the attritional play there were spells of brilliance which showed exactly why these two former world champions – members of snooker’s supreme class of ‘92 – are still at the top of the sport. Higgins will dig in on Monday, and this could yet unravel into a classic.

John Higgins is chasing his fifth title (Getty)

Beginning the evening 5-3 ahead, Williams raided the opening frame. The Welshman came to the table 46-9 down with the cue ball pinned to the top cushion, but fizzed a red into the left middle – one of many outrageous middle-pocket pots – before compiling a careful 72 to extend his lead to 6-3.

What followed was an exhausting 35-minute frame of to and fro, including a period of abyss in which both players forlornly pushed balls in the general direction of pockets without success. Higgins saw off a few reds until he ran out of position and played safe; Williams crashed in a long pot but missed one along the rail. Finally, after Williams sent the cue ball in off, Higgins hauled himself over the winning line.

The Scot followed it with the most fluent break of the match, racking up 127 to move within one frame, before another scrappy duel went Williams’ way via a couple of visits, leaving the score 7-5 at the mid-session interval.

Mark Williams, right, leads the way against old friend John Higgins (Getty Images)

Higgins regained the initiative after the restart, clinching the 13th frame with a precise long red before what seemed a telling moment in the 14th frame: with Williams amongst the balls and in full flow he suffered the kind of unlucky break that can turn a match, the cue ball screwing off the bunch and into the corner pocket as he tried to split the pack. In reply, Higgins rattled off a captivating 117 – rarely in full control, constantly trying to realign by a few degrees, but always finding a way to pot one more ball and keep Williams in his seat.

How would Williams react? Brilliantly, delivering a searing 118 break to restore his one-frame advantage. Then another steal, as Williams recovered from 35 points down after Higgins had missed a blast at the black. He cleared the table to lead 9-7 going into the final frame of the evening, and when Higgins inadvertently fouled by potting the brown, Williams pounced again. In a battle of gritty resilience, Williams has schemed and grafted his way to claiming the upper hand heading into the final day of the championship.