MARK Williams has beaten Shaun Murphy 3-1 in a disappointing final to win the second PartyCasino.com Premier League mini-tournament at the Guildford Spectrum.
Williams missed a series of shots he would normally be expected to pot with ease, but all too often Murphy failed to take advantage of his opponent’s mistakes.
A double-kiss on a long red allowed Williams in for the first scoring opportunity of the match, but he only managed 16 after failing to get enough back spin on the white, and was forced into playing a safety.
Following a cagey safety exchange, Murphy potted a long red, coming off the cushion, but didn’t do enough to take the frame after missing an easy red on 65. However, Williams added just seven more points, after which followed an exchange which saw both players miss chances on reds. Murphy missed an easy one to baulk pocket, which left the reds in an inviting position for Williams, and the twice world champion completed the frame with a break of 44, with a tricky yellow against the baulk cushion being his only serious obstacle.
A Murphy long red at the start of the second started a break of 24, which ended when he ran out of position. He soon found himself back at the table, and this time he missed another long red, and was a tad fortunate when the cue ball landed in the jaws of the pocket.
After another safety exchange, Williams rushed a safety on a red when the shot-clock bleeps caused him to panic, and he left it on for Murphy, who made a run of 27 before missing a long blue. Williams, who had already missed a number of straightforward pots and had played some indifferent safety shots, missed another easy red, but his opponent failed to capitalise. When Williams returned, he played a superb long red into baulk, clipping it off another red close to the pocket. He looked on course to make a frame-winning break, but once again this was to be a false dawn as he missed an easy red in baulk, having added just 13 points.
Once again, Murphy failed to punish his opponent’s mistake and a missed red to the centre allowed Williams back in, only to see him carelessly under-hit a black. This time, the 2005 world champion took advantage and levelled the match at 1-1.
Murphy started the third by potting yet another long red to the same top corner pocket as in the first two frames, and landed nicely on the blue for what looked like being an inviting break-building opportunity, only for it to end with a break of 20 after he landed on the wrong side of the blue to go into the pack, forcing him to play a safety.
Following a safety battle, Williams made an excellent cut on a red at the top of the pack to start a break of 13, but he soon returned and potted an excellent long red to baulk. However, he would soon counter this achievement by missing an easy red to the top corner pocket after putting too much emphasis on the cannon on the black.
There was a period of safety, and Murphy eventually returned to the table to make a break of 26, which ended when he under-cut a red. Williams added 22 on the colours, ending on the pink which gave him a 2-1 lead.
Williams rolled in a red early in frame four to give him a break-building opportunity, but he had an unlucky cannon into the pack when he’d made just 17. However, Murphy soon had some bad luck of his own when he potted the first red, only for another to land in the path between the cue ball and the black, forcing him to play a safety.
The first time foul of the 2011 Premier League soon followed when Williams thought deeply about a long shot from baulk, but Murphy accepted his five points from the penalty and put his opponent back in.
Murphy then took on a long red and missed, presenting a golden opportunity to Williams, who put his poor form in the match behind him and took full advantage. With 60 points from the break and the match safely won, Williams played an under-body exhibition shot, successfully potting the red and nudging the last red off the side cushion to hand off the pink, and completed his victory with a break totalling 101.
Following his victory, Williams admitted he was fortunate that his opponent didn’t capitalise on his many mistakes in the match. He said: “I nicked a couple of frames off Shaun which he probably should have won.
“That’s how it goes – it’s easy to make breaks but you’ve got to win the ones that hurt your opponent.”
RESULTS
Semi-finals:
Mark Williams 3-0 Jimmy White
105 (105)-1; 61-30; 82 (60)-5
Shaun Murphy 3-2 Ronnie O’Sullivan
48-63; 71-45; 49-68; 115 (115)-6; 91 (85)-0
Final:
Mark Williams 3-1 Shaun Murphy
67-65 (65); 14-66; 62-47; 118 (101)-6