<p>Mark Williams is one the most colourful characters in the World Snooker circuit today. The heavily tattooed southpaw, a two-time world champion, is a phenomenal gallery player, hardly missing a chance to draw laughs from the audience with his theatrics and mannerisms even when under the gun.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Trailing 2-3 against Aditya Mehta in the Indian Open last-16 encounter on Thursday when the game was poised on a knife’s edge with just the final three colour balls remaining and the black ball delicately hanging on the mouth of the top-left corner pocket, Williams sought a toilet break in animated fashion that had the everyone, including his opponent, in raptures.<br /><br />That is exactly who Williams is. The first left-hander to win the coveted world championship in 2000 and repeat the feat three years later, Williams is a true all-rounder having made the switch from a sport as brutal as boxing to something as serene and gentlemanly as snooker.<br /><br />“Too many punches in the nose!” gushed Williams while reasoning his migration from boxing to snooker. “I used to do both but when I was 16 years old, I received too many punches and decided to shift to snooker. I still like boxing and watch it most of the times,” added the Welshman whose favourite pugilist is the cocky Floyd Mayweather.<br /><br />Williams, who has won 18 ranking titles and became the fifth player to score the maximum 147 at the temple of snooker -- the Crucible -- had had a disappointing last two years where he has failed to register a single victory. That prompted talks of retirement which the 38-year-old quickly rubbished.<br /><br />“I never said I wanted to go away from the sport and it was the English journalists who made up that story. You say something and they put something different in the paper. <br /><br />Obviously it is getting tougher, I got three kids and it is not easy travelling always, to China, India for weeks together. Fifteen years ago I didn’t have any kids and I loved travelling. It is getting difficult for me now. I’ll enjoy it as long I keep playing.”</p>
<p>Mark Williams is one the most colourful characters in the World Snooker circuit today. The heavily tattooed southpaw, a two-time world champion, is a phenomenal gallery player, hardly missing a chance to draw laughs from the audience with his theatrics and mannerisms even when under the gun.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Trailing 2-3 against Aditya Mehta in the Indian Open last-16 encounter on Thursday when the game was poised on a knife’s edge with just the final three colour balls remaining and the black ball delicately hanging on the mouth of the top-left corner pocket, Williams sought a toilet break in animated fashion that had the everyone, including his opponent, in raptures.<br /><br />That is exactly who Williams is. The first left-hander to win the coveted world championship in 2000 and repeat the feat three years later, Williams is a true all-rounder having made the switch from a sport as brutal as boxing to something as serene and gentlemanly as snooker.<br /><br />“Too many punches in the nose!” gushed Williams while reasoning his migration from boxing to snooker. “I used to do both but when I was 16 years old, I received too many punches and decided to shift to snooker. I still like boxing and watch it most of the times,” added the Welshman whose favourite pugilist is the cocky Floyd Mayweather.<br /><br />Williams, who has won 18 ranking titles and became the fifth player to score the maximum 147 at the temple of snooker -- the Crucible -- had had a disappointing last two years where he has failed to register a single victory. That prompted talks of retirement which the 38-year-old quickly rubbished.<br /><br />“I never said I wanted to go away from the sport and it was the English journalists who made up that story. You say something and they put something different in the paper. <br /><br />Obviously it is getting tougher, I got three kids and it is not easy travelling always, to China, India for weeks together. Fifteen years ago I didn’t have any kids and I loved travelling. It is getting difficult for me now. I’ll enjoy it as long I keep playing.”</p>
