British Open 2023 snooker: Mark Williams holds off Mark Selby to become second oldest ranking title winner

Mark Williams won the British Open for the third time with a 10-7 victory over Mark Selby in Cheltenham.

The Welshman becomes the second oldest player (48 years and 194 days) to win a ranking title, with only his compatriot Ray Reardon (50 years and 14 days) ahead in that category. By the time the Class of ’92 of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Williams retire, that record will surely have fallen.

Remarkably, Williams and Selby had last met over two years ago at the 2021 World Championship in Sheffield, with Selby blitzing through their Crucible quarter-final with a session to spare.

Williams was chasing his first ranking success since defeating Gary Wilson in the final of this event two years ago and he made a fine start as century breaks of 110 and 133 guided him into a 5-1 lead.

Although Selby won the final two frames of the afternoon session to leave the match nicely poised, the Welshman was still favourite for a 25th ranking title.

The Selby charge continued upon the resumption with a brilliant 112 break trimming the gap to one frame. And when Williams missed a black in the next, it looked like the comeback was firmly on.

But after seeing his lead evaporate, Williams belatedly settled and fired home a brilliant red in the 10th frame after a Selby safety went astray. With plenty of loose reds on the baize, the three-time world champion quickly went on the offensive and although he missed a double on frame ball, leaving Selby 66 behind with 67 on, he was soon sitting on a two-frame cushion again.

The pair shared the 11th and 12th – the former featuring arguably the shot of the match from the Welshman as he arrowed a red down the left cushion – as the nerves started to creep into both players’ games, with Williams heading into the interval with a 7-5 advantage.

Williams returned from the break with a delicious pot into left middle, but he was soon left cursing the most tentative of blacks and the subsequent miss that invited Selby back to the table. Still, Selby was unable to capitalise after being forced to take on a difficult pot off the cushion and Williams soon swept back in to open up a three-frame lead.

But no final featuring Mark Anthony Selby is complete without at least one marathon frame, and the 14th was the perfect setting with the balls clustered ominously towards the bottom cushion. Such was the length of the frame that Williams required a comfort break midway through – a decision that looked disastrous when he immediately missed to gift Selby a chance to cut the deficit once more.

Selby obliged and then delivered a swift 68 knock in the next to close within one at 8-7. All of a sudden, he was 56-0 ahead in the 16th and looking set to draw level for the first time.

Then Williams roused himself. A composed 69 break saw him snatch the frame and move one from the title. He saved his greatest escape act for what turned out to be the final frame, forcing Selby into a mistake when needing a snooker before clearing the table to black to clinch a famous title.