Match Reports from the 888.com World Championship
Williams Outlawed!
Mark Williams 9 - 10 Joe Swail
Joe Swail won four of the last five frames to beat Mark Williams in an enthralling match.
The Outlaw made a flawless 64 in the final frame, only to run out of position at the crucial moment. In the following safety exchange Williams gambled on a long red and missed, handing over frame and match.
The Welshman has had a terrible season, but he evoked memories of his victories in 2000 and 2003 by winning the opening four frames.
In what would emerge as the pattern for the match, Swail hit back with four consecutive fifty-plus breaks to square the match after the interval. Williams claimed the ninth to finish ahead.
The players traded frames at the beginning of the evening session in a period of high-class snooker. Williams pulled clear again to become favourite at 8-6, but back came Swail to level.
The world number 30 fell behind once more, but breaks of 69 in the 18th and that 64 in the 19th got him home.
The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland seems to save his best for the Crucible, and has a history of spectacular comebacks. In 2000 and 2001 he won the last five frames of his quarter-finals to make the last four on a deciding frame.
By David Pritchard
