‘Never change' say fans as Mark Williams spotted ‘punching' Zhao Xintong after losing World Snooker Championship final
The Welsh wizard lost the final of the Crucible tournament on Monday night to Zhao, who made history by becoming China 's first snooker world champion.
3
But Williams was in a somewhat jovial mood after missing out on the trophy, posing for a snap with his conqueror after the match.
And he jokingly pretended to punch the Chinese 'Cyclone', raising his fist to his face as they posed for a snap.
Snooker fans loved the sportsmanship from Williams, with one saying: "Mark taking it well.
Another said: "Love this. Mark Williams is a class act. And Zhao, what a champion."
And another said: "Great character, always liked Willo."
One remarked: "You just can't not love Mark. What a fella."
Fan favourite Williams, 50, said of his Crucible run: "I think it's been a brilliant tournament for me.
'The support I have had from the crowd over the last two weeks have been unbelievable.
'What a potter he is over there, I'm glad I will be too old when he;s dominating the game.
BBC World Snooker Championship commentator brutally shut down live on air by Shaun Murphy in 'very awkward' exchange
'I have nothing but admiration for what he has done, having come through the qualifiers.
'He hasn't played for two years, bashed Ronnie up, bashed me up, bashed everybody up.
'There's a new superstar of the game and here's over there.
'Let's see where I am in the ranking at 60. I am still playing quite good stuff. Even though it's a bit blurry.
"What I can say, the night belongs to him and congratulations.
'It was unbelievable, the reception I have had all week, but tonight it was special.
"Everybody was on their feet and it was like a tear to the eye.'
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Williams sympathises with Scotland's contract woes
Women's Rugby World Cup 2025: Scotland v WalesVenue: Salford Community Stadium Date: Saturday, 23 August Kick-off: 14:45 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online and BBC Sounds Wales co-captain Kate Williams says she sympathises with Scotland players who are going through contract uncertainty in the build up to the Rugby World than half of Scotland's squad fear being left without a professional deal after the tournament in October.A source in their camp told the BBC in June players were suffering with their mental and emotional experienced similar upheaval last year when they were given ultimatums and threatened with withdrawal from the World Cup when contract talks broke Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) later apologised for its handling of the situation."I wouldn't wish what we went through on any other team," said Williams. Scotland are due to meet Wales in their Pool B opener on is a game which could decide which team makes it through to the quarter-finals, with Canada expected to top the group and both sides tipped to beat Fiji."I think it's really poor timing for them, that they're going through this now," said Williams."I guess our timing was possibly a bit better," with Wales' woes coming prior to WXV2 rather than the World while Williams says she and her team mates "feel their pain", there will be no time for sympathy in Salford."We are here to play rugby and we're here to win that Test match," she added."We know how important it is, so it's just going to be who's better on the day."
The Review Geek
2 hours ago
- The Review Geek
The Invincible Swordsman (2025) – a fight film with an old-fashioned texture
The Invincible Swordsman – a fight film, the old-fashioned way Releasing August 19th in the US and other markets, The Invincible Swordsman is a Chinese 2025 fantasy film depicting a wuxia story of a student who gave up his path to stay true to his heart. Based on the novel, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, by Jin Yong, the long-loved story first appeared as a series in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao between 1967 and 1969. In Chinese, the title of the novel, Xiao Ao Jiang Hu, translates to 'a carefree life in a mundane world of strife.' And Linghu Chong is as carefree as they come, drinking fine wine – or crappy wine – at every possible moment. In fact, it's wine and song that gets him into trouble with two women, captivating them with this charm, in addition to his childhood friend. In a world with many stern faces and serious rules, he does have a cheeky little smile. After the wonderfully shot and choreographed, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In last Autumn, I was so ready for another Chinese fight flick. Yet, this film feels much older than it is, like rewatching a classic Sinbad film circa 1973 with a bit of remastering. But not much. Not only are the colors muted and the action scenes old-school, but the subtitles are weirdly quick and the voiceover occasionally out of synch. On top of all that, the story is tough to follow, aiming to crowd a whole series' middle novel into 118 minutes. The basics are still there. Cultivator-in-training Linghu would rather drink than fight, play music not study and make friends instead of enemies. Yet every time he thinks he's out, they pull him back in. It's not that he can't fight – he can, and studies under a new master when he's kicked out of his old guild for rule-breaking. It's more that he doesn't see the point of fighting, choosing to study to improve himself and to befriend people with like interests, including music, travel, good food and plenty of booze. Starring Yuqi Zhang (The Double, The Outsider) as Dongfang Bubai, Tim Huang (Reborn, Creation of the Gods franchise) as Linghu Chong and guest starring Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, Ip Man) as Feng Qingyang, the story hands us another warrior who can battle almost without thinking but chooses to avoid confrontation when possible. Plus he's got three women building expectations of him when he'd rather keep doing his wandering thing. It's terribly distracting as he battles to save his previous sect. Jin Yong/金庸, the pen name for Louis Cha Leung-yung, is well known in the wuxia world, as he created 15+ novels in the genre, selling over 100 million copies of his works worldwide. Linghu Chong was previously played by Jet Li in a 1992 version, a tough act to follow, paired with Brigette Lin as cult leader, Dongfang Bubai – Invincible East. Ultimately, this is a tough movie to follow unless you're familiar with the storyline. It feels messy, disjointed and lacking the slickness of typical modern fight films. But if you're keen, you'll be able to catch it via WellGoUSA or Prime this week. Planning to catch The Invincible Swordsman? Have you seen the Jet Li version? Love to hear your take in the comments below. Read more: Movie reviews
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper announces the birth of his third baby with adorable snap as he reveals little one's sweet name
Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper has announced the arrival of his third baby with his fiancée Taya, sharing the little one's sweet name. The farmer, 27, took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal that Taya had given birth to a baby boy named Ashton on Thursday evening. The couple are already the proud parents to son Oscar, four, and two-year-old daughter Willa. Sharing a photo of their son wrapped up in a blanket and a knitted hat, Kaleb proudly wrote: 'Baby number 3. everyone meet Ashton weighing 6.13lb born 14th august at 6:28pm at chipping norton maternity.' While he also posted another snap showing him tucking into a Chinese takeaway in the hospital while Taya cuddled Ashton. The experience farmhand added in the caption: 'Ps don't worry I bought the amazing midwife's a Chinese as well'. Kaleb's baby announcement came after Jeremy Clarkson already spilled the beans in his column for The Sun. The presenter revealed that his right hand man had become a father for the third time and also detailed the moment Taya notified him that she was in labour. Jeremy gleefully explained that Kaleb told her to hang on and he would be there as soon as he had finished harvesting the field. Despite quipping that the response was 'very farmerish', the Top Gear star went on to say that Kaleb still managed to finish in record time to dash off and be by Taya's side as they met the newest member of their family. However, Jeremy managed not to let slip the couple's choice of moniker, as he revealed that his own suggestion has quickly been shot down. He explained how he and one of Kaleb's pals had suggested calling the baby after the field where the farmer had been harvesting when the exciting call came through that Taya was in labour. But he went on: 'Nice idea, except for one small detail. The field was called Deadman'. Kaleb and Taya are childhood sweethearts having got together in 2016, with Kaleb then proposing on Christmas Day 2022 and the couple becoming parents in March 2021, with the arrival of son Oscar. Previously opening about becoming a father, Kaleb confessed he felt 'useless' during Oscar's birth, as he felt he didn't know what he was doing. He told The Times Magazine: 'It was f***ing terrible, because when I'm helping that cow, I know exactly what I'm doing. I can bring the calf around to the mum and so on. 'Now, when Taya was giving birth, I felt useless. I'm seeing her in pain having one of my kids.' Kaleb added that he was glad to have had children while relatively young, as he could still be 'energetic' when they were older. He said: 'I wanted a girl and boy, which I've got and am very grateful. Then when I get older I can go down the pub with them, or out on the tractors, and I can still be energetic.' Asked if he could be having more fun now, he said: 'I'll make all the money now, hopefully have a farm, then chill out, go partying and be in Ibiza, though I can't think of anything worse than being in a nightclub.' The proud parents are yet to tie the knot but Kaleb previously revealed that they've been planning since the birth of their second child and hope to walk down the aisle soon. While he sweetly paid tribute to his long-term love, gushing: 'My other half is the reason I am where I am today'.
