Top 10 moments of 2022/23 snooker season: No. 4 – Mark Williams becomes oldest maximum man in epic Neil Robertson battle

No. 4 – Williams sets new maximum record at English Open

“I don’t think I’ve seen two players play that well in a best-of-nine,” said Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White, the six-time World Championship finalist, in his post-match assessment of a modern classic in the Home Nations.

Neil Robertson and Mark Williams – two genuine giants of the game – served up a quite delightful feast of snooker in their English Open quarter-final in December that saw both men exhibit the very best of attacking, clinical matchplay brilliance in Brentwood.

Aussie icon Robertson helped himself to three centuries and fizzing frame-winning breaks in the 90s and 70s, with the carefree Williams responding with a landmark maximum, a century and a 60-odd of his own.

“He’s the best player in the world at the minute,” said Williams. “His scoring ability, there’s no one in the same league as him at the minute.

“Every time he gets in, he doesn’t look like he’s going to miss.”

Robertson began the match cooking with gas, sizzling as much as a slab of your finest steak on a boiling Melbourne barbeque.

Williams was restricted to a watching brief in the opening three frames as his fellow world champion galloped clear with breaks of 73, 97 and 100 in just over 30 minutes.

Having done nothing wrong, Williams was not for feeling sorry for himself as he emerged from his seat to complete the third maximum of his career, becoming only the 21st man in history to make three or more competitive 147s.

Getting the trademark slow walk on around the table is always a key sign of the Welshman’s comfort with cue in hand as it also belies the speed of his shot selection and crystal-clear thought process.

At the age of 47 years and 270 days, the maximum was never in doubt. He thus became the oldest player to produce a 147 in the history of the game with a knock of the very highest order.

“It was a brilliant 147 from Mark, he knocked that in for fun at 3-0 down, but that’s the way he always is,” said Robertson. “It was awesome, almost perfect.

“I think that makes Mark the oldest player to make a max and I hope I am still making then into my late 40s. There is no reason that someone can’t make one at 50.

“Though it is most likely it will be Mark, John Higgins or Ronnie O’Sullivan that does it.”

Robertson redoubled his efforts after the interval as a further rousing contribution of 102 saw him career 4-1 clear.

Williams was not yet cooked as a rapid 67 and a further 123 of his own dragged the match into the depths of a penultimate frame that barely seemed possible with Robertson’s game in such mint condition.

Grasping the first chance that came his way, Robertson prevented a final-frame decider with another wonderful break of 127 to repel the Willo surge.

“Phenomenal game of snooker,” commented White. “147 for Mark Williams. Not had a shot for three frames, steps in makes a 147.

“Another couple of centuries. It looked like whoever got the first red would basically win the frame, it was that good a match.”

To illustrate the cut-throat level of play, Robertson produced only two points in the three frames he lost with Williams a meagre 17 from the opening frame as a deluge of heavy hitting wooed the Essex crowd.

“It was a real exhibition of break-building and scoring. Marvellous match and even Mark Williams is not going to come away disappointed after that.”

‘Nobody deserves to be a loser’ is one of the oldest clichés in professional sport. But nobody was that day.

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