Pop Icon Jones Keeps Williams' Title Hopes On Track

It's not different for Mark Williams to beryllium successful nan semi-final of nan World Snooker Championship. After each he is simply a three-time victor of nan sport's biggest prize.

However, arsenic he bids astatine 50 to go nan oldest world champion, he admits he is seeking a small spot of other thief from nan green, greenish writer of home.

After beating John Higgins successful a dramatic last black-finish to their quarter-final, Williams told nan BBC televsion assemblage it was nan euphony of Tom Jones that sewage him complete nan line.

And Williams head Lee Walker, himself a fomer snooker player, has revealed Williams past said to nan popular icon connected nan telephone aft nan match.

"They're bully friends," Walker told BBC Radio Wales' Breakfast programme.

"Funnily capable erstwhile we had vanished he was really talking to Tom Jones erstwhile we were backmost successful nan hotel."

Williams uses Jones' 1960's deed Delilah arsenic his locomotion connected euphony and, aft his 13-12 triumph complete chap 'Class of '92' seasoned Higgins, said different of nan Welsh singer's hits besides kept him going earlier Wednesday morning's last session.

"I conscionable kept playing Tom Jones 'Delilah' and 'A boy from nowhere' complete and complete this greeting arsenic I was getting fresh because I'm knackered, I've sewage to beryllium honest," explained Williams successful his post-match interview.

"In nan dressing room I was still playing and singing those 2 songs complete and complete conscionable to effort and enactment pinch it you cognize because it's reliable retired location particularly nan older you get and you're playing each day."

Walker, who reached nan quarter-final astatine nan Crucible successful 1997, says nan relationship betwixt nan 2 Welsh legends is long-standing.

"Many years agone we went to vacation successful Las Vegas and Mark was trying to get tickets and went and seen Tom and fundamentally they've been friends ever since," he said.

Also a adjacent friend of Williams, Walker added: "Quite a funny story, erstwhile he [Williams] won nan Worlds successful 2018 I was driving his car backmost and this number kept ringing and he wouldn't reply it.

"I said 'look your're going to person to reply it mightiness beryllium a newsman wanting an question and reply aliases thing for illustration that', truthful he benignant of answered it and went 'hello' and nan sound connected nan different extremity went, 'Mark, it's Tom, good done'.

That 2018 triumph was William's 3rd world title, beating Higgins 18-16 astatine nan property of 43.

He now faces a semi-final against world number 1 Judd Trump (Thursday, 19:00 BST), truthful could nan Welshman who was first crowned world champion successful 2000 assistance nan trophy again 25 years later?

"Yeah, 100% he has a chance," says Walker

"Judd Trump is number 1 subordinate successful nan world, he's astir apt playing nan champion snooker of anyone successful nan tourney truthful it's going to beryllium incredibly difficult, but complete nan past fewer times they've played, each their matches, whether Mark has won aliases whether Judd has won, they've ever been very adjacent affairs.

"The only point I would opportunity is Mark is 50 years of property now, to really triumph this tournament, you cognize he played 2 sessions Tuesday, past we had to get up early, played different convention yesterday and I cognize earlier we went into that convention he was incredibly tired.

"Fatigue successful this tourney does play a facet truthful that mightiness travel into a small bit, but arsenic acold arsenic has he sewage a chance to win? Absolutely."