Mark Williams captured the 2023 British Open title with a 10-7 overcome Mark Selby in Cheltenham on Sunday.

The Welshman prevailed from a principally tight affair at The Centaur to gather the £100,000 high prize.

Success for Williams takes his whole tally of rating occasions to 25 – fifth on the all-time record.

His first on the World Snooker Tour was 27 years in the past when he claimed house glory within the 1996 Welsh Open.

A 12 months later, Williams emerged together with his maiden British Open title, and he now has three in his assortment having additionally gained the match in 2021.

At 48, the world quantity ten is the second-oldest rating occasion champion after countryman Ray Reardon.

Williams in the end by no means relinquished his lead within the British Open ultimate after establishing a 3-0 cushion early on.

A showdown between two of the game’s all-time greats – who boast seven world titles between them – had been billed as a possible basic.

However when an out-of-sorts Selby fell 5-1 down, a runaway scoreline briefly gave the impression to be on the playing cards.

By that time, the Leicester man had principally sat in his chair as his opponent reeled off breaks of 133, 110, 74, and 55.

Contributions of 98 and 73 for Selby, nonetheless, supplied him with a level of hope at simply two frames down heading into the night session.

A wonderful 112 then decreased the hole to just one, however Williams was at all times capable of maintain his nostril in entrance.

A scrappy trade of frames ensued, however the important thing second of the competition materialised within the sixteenth body.

With Selby 56 factors in entrance and poised to make it 8-8, Williams produced a trademark clearance of 69 to maneuver to throughout the brink.

He then gained the snooker he wanted within the subsequent body to create the chance for a match-clinching clearance.

“Unbelievable. I don’t suppose many individuals actually gave me a lot probability beating him over two periods” Mark Williams informed the World Snooker Tour.

“I feel all day I competed with him and doubtless outplayed him within the security division, which is de facto good for me.”

“He’s one of the best on the planet at it, and if I didn’t outplay him within the security, I positively competed with him.

“I potted some actually good lengthy pots and had a very good clearance to go 9-7. It was trying like 8-8 and he was the stronger particular person.

“I used to be flagging a bit, however simply to compete with him over two periods in an enormous match is unbelievable for me, at 48.

“It’s bought to be up there with certainly one of my finest wins ever.”

Not solely is Mark Williams again within the winners’ enclosure after a two-year absence, however this victory may also convey with it many further rewards.

A spot within the upcoming Champion of Champions is assured, and the previous world primary can also be in a powerful place to qualify for the celebrated Tour Championship later this time period.

Selby missed out on what would have been a twenty third profession rating title, however he has usually been probably the most constant performers throughout the final six or so months.

There’s not a lot relaxation for both competitor, with the English Open as a consequence of start on Monday in Brentwood.

British Open draw

Final 128

(held over fixtures)

Robert Milkins 4-2 Jiang Jun
Judd Trump 4-2 Anton Kazakov
Ali Carter 4-3 Allan Taylor
Luca Brecel 3-4 Ding Junhui
Gary Wilson 4-1 Ahmed Aly Elsayed
Neil Robertson 4-1 Jamie Clarke
Mark Allen 4-1 Anthony McGill
Mark Williams 4-1 Peng Yisong
Mark Selby 4-2 Ben Woollaston
Ryan Day 4-0 Sean O’Sullivan
Kyren Wilson 4-1 Martin O’Donnell
Steven Hallworth 0-4 Jimmy Robertson
Shaun Murphy 4-1 Rebecca Kenna
Jack Lisowski 4-3 Joe O’Connor
John Higgins 4-1 Lengthy Zehuang
Barry Hawkins 4-1 Stan Moody

Final 64

Xu Si 4-0 Ali Carter
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 1-4 Oliver Traces
Ma Hailong 4-0 Mohamed Ibrahim
Yuan Sijun 4-0 Ben Mertens
Judd Trump 3-4 Hammad Miah
Oliver Brown 2-4 Hossein Vafaei
Lyu Haotian 3-4 David Gilbert
Noppon Saengkham 2-4 Fergal O’Brien
Si Jiahui 4-1 Neil Robertson
Stephen Maguire 2-4 Mark Williams
Scott Donaldson 4-0 Liam Graham
Jamie Jones 0-4 Julien Leclercq
Robert Milkins 1-4 Barry Hawkins
Ken Doherty 3-4 Matthew Stevens
Jimmy Robertson 4-3 Wu Yize
Andy Hicks 2-4 Graeme Dott
Jack Lisowski 4-3 Shaun Murphy
Gary Wilson 4-3 Chris Wakelin
Anthony Hamilton 0-4 Xiao Guodong
Rod Lawler 4-1 Dominic Dale
Ryan Day 4-1 Thor Chuan Leong
Ding Junhui 4-3 Liu Hongyu
Fan Zhengyi 4-1 Ross Muir
He Guoqiang 4-1 Muhammad Asif
John Higgins 1-4 Robbie Williams
Mark Selby 4-2 Tian Pengfei
Daniel Wells 2-4 Ashley Carty
Matthew Selt 4-1 Zak Surety
Mark Allen 0-4 Kyren Wilson
Stuart Bingham 2-4 Ishpreet Singh
Tom Ford 4-3 Ashley Hugill
David Grace 3-4 Sanderson Lam

Final 32

Matthew Stevens 3-4 Fergal O’Brien
Yuan Sijun 2-4 Hossein Vafaei
Mark Williams 4-2 Gary Wilson
Hammad Miah 3-4 Ma Hailong
Graeme Dott 4-0 Ashley Carty
Ali Carter 4-2 Ryan Day
Julien Leclercq 0-4 Ding Junhui
Oliver Traces 1-4 He Guoqiang
Scott Donaldson 4-1 Robbie Williams
David Gilbert 4-1 Ishpreet Singh
Xiao Guodong 4-1 Sanderson Lam
Barry Hawkins 4-1 Kyren Wilson
Si Jiahui 1-4 Mark Selby
Jimmy Robertson 0-4 Tom Ford
Rod Lawler 2-4 Fan Zhengyi
Jack Lisowski 4-2 Matthew Selt

Final 16

Ding Junhui 2-4 Mark Williams
Graeme Dott 2-4 Hossein Vafaei
Ali Carter 2-4 Xiao Guodong
Tom Ford 4-1 Scott Donaldson
Barry Hawkins 3-4 He Guoqiang
Fan Zhengyi 4-1 Ma Hailong
David Gilbert 3-4 Mark Selby
Jack Lisowski 4-2 Fergal O’Brien

Quarter-Finals

Mark Williams 5-1 Fan Zhengyi
Hossein Vafaei 5-2 He Guoqiang
Tom Ford 3-5 Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby 5-4 Jack Lisowski

Semi-Finals

Mark Williams 6-3 Hossein Vafaei
Xiao Guodong 0-6 Mark Selby

Ultimate

Mark Williams 10-7 Mark Selby

Featured photograph credit score: WST