Latest news with #SnookerWorldChampionships
Wales Online
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Mark Williams having second thoughts as he issues update on career-threatening condition
Mark Williams having second thoughts as he issues update on career-threatening condition Mark Williams faces Judd Trump in the Snooker World Championships at the Crucible today Mark Williams of Wales (Image: ai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images ) Welsh snooker star Mark Williams says he has "a big decision to make" over whether to undergo lens replacement surgery. The 50-year-old is in the semi-finals of the Snooker World Championships and is currently level at 8-8 with Judd Trump heading into the final day of their last-four clash at the Crucible. Williams revealed earlier this year that his "eyes had completely gone" and that his eyesight in general had deteriorated steadily over the last six months. The cueist had been considering surgery to try to rectify the issue threatening his career but a conversation with a contemporary has put him off. Williams said: "I have been reading up and talking to people who have had it done and I've got to be honest, it is putting me off a bit. "I've got a big decision to make. Article continues below "A couple of people I have spoken to, especially Anthony Hamilton at length, have said it is no good under the lights and it has ruined his career. Mark Williams during his match with Judd Trump (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved ) "It has sort of put me under pressure. "After this is finished, it is something I am going to have to look more into." Williams has tried playing with contact lenses during matches but decided to go without them after talks with coach Lee Walker. Should Williams overcome Trump in the semis he would face Zhao Xintong in the final after the Chinese star beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the other last-four tie. "I am in the semi-final of the biggest tournament we've got," Williams added. "I am still playing all right. What do you do? Do I keep playing blurry? I don't know." Xintong was full of praise for his "idol" O'Sullivan following his win on Friday. "I can't believe that. I need to say thank you to Ronnie because he has helped me a lot before. He's my idol," Xintong said after beating O'Sullivan. Article continues below "It's my first time playing on the single table here, it's an amazing time for me and I just want to enjoy it because I don't know how many times I can try to enjoy it here. "I've played here and sometimes the crowd is helpful for Ronnie and he deserves that, he is a legend here so I needed to control myself."
Wales Online
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Mark Williams' staggering net worth and wife's public admission about their marriage
Mark Williams' staggering net worth and wife's public admission about their marriage Mark Williams could hugely increase his net worth in the coming days. Mark Williams has a supportive family behind him. (Image: (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) ) Welshman Mark Williams will become the oldest semi-finalist at the Snooker World Championships since 1985. The 50-year-old defeated John Higgins 13-12 at the Crucible in a tight contest which was tied at eight-all over night. Williams managed to nail a hugely important blue pot which he described as "probably one of my best shots in years". He is now two wins away from his first world title since 2018. The man from Cwm has set himself up for a semi-final match with world number one Judd Trump. The latter booked his place in the final four with a victory over 2023's champion Luca Brecel. Elsewhere, Ronnie O'Sullivan faces Zhao Xintong. Williams v Trump will be a rematch of the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters final, where Trump took home a 10-9 victory and a £500,000 cash prize. This year's match up will take place at 7pm on Thursday, May 1. Welshman Williams has been struggling with an eye issue lately, and will eventually require surgery. Despite his fine form at the Crucible, he has revealed to the BBC that his eyesight has deteriorated to the point where he sometimes sees "three of four balls at a time". He has planned an operation to fix this issue, but he is now considering cancelling it to accommodate for his recent run of form in Sheffield. "I've got a big decision to make now, do I cancel my op? I don't know," he said. "I haven't played with glasses yet, that was my next step. I tried contacts, struggled with them. Looks like I'm still doing all right, half blind." Article continues below Thanks to his success over the years, Williams has earned himself a staggering amount of money. Across his superb career in the sport, he has earned £7.1million, according to To put that figure into context, just for finishing second at the Saudi Arabia Masters last year, he earned £200,000. According to OLBG, he earned £438,500 in the 2023/2024 season. If he goes on to win the tournament on Monday, he will pick up £500,000 in prize money. Williams' wife Joanne is a successful entrepreneur, and they have been married since 2011. She has a business called Maximum Travel, which she started in 2019. They have three sons together - Conor, Kian and Joel. Despite being the wife of a sporting star, she keeps a relatively low profile on social media. She admitted that their marriage "shouldn't have worked" but they proved people wrong. Article continues below Back in March, the couple celebrated 25 years together, with the Hartlepool-born businesswoman saying: "An English girl, a Welsh boy working on different sides of the world, it shouldn't have worked but we proved them wrong." Joanne was outraged in 2019 after the video game Snooker 2019 left her husband off the cover, and he was the world champion at the time. She labelled World Snooker's decision to leave him out as "massive prejudice" and suggested it could be because he's Welsh. The video game account responded: "There are 128 players in the game and only space for four on the cover. We were never going to be able to please everyone so we worked with World Snooker to make the tough decision." She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Snooker in general doesn't get the praise deserved and is constantly overlooked at the SPOTY awards. How do they expect others to respect the game when they don't even support their own World Champion #baffled."
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I want more respect.. it comes down to hard cash' – Snooker chief Barry Hearn offers huge update on future of Crucible
BARRY HEARN expects the future of the Snooker World Championship to be decided by the end of this year – and it 'comes down to hard cash'. Positive informal talks were held on Thursday morning with Hearn and Sheffield City Council officials and they will all meet again in three months' time. Advertisement 4 The Snooker World Championships have been held at the Crucible for the last 47 years 4 But the Crucible's deal to host the event expires in 2027 4 Snooker supremo Barry Hearn is ready to move the World Championship from the Crucible The contract to stay at the Crucible expires in 2027 and Hearn, 76, wants more 'respect' shown as the parties try to negotiate a new deal. Hearn, president of Matchroom Sport, has threatened to take the event away from its spiritual home of Sheffield and perhaps go abroad, especially given his close business ties to Saudi Arabia . Plans to expand the 980-seater venue are one option but there are limitations to what can be done and within an appropriate time frame. It is likely a site fee, boosted by government funding, might be written into the next contract should a compromise be reached. Advertisement Hearn, who managed Steve Davis during his six world championship wins, said: 'I want a bit more respect. We love Sheffield. We love the Crucible. 'In any relationship if the other side doesn't love you back, it's destined for failure. 'So, at the moment we're engaged and I'm hoping in the next few months we're going to get married again. Let's keep our fingers crossed. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Advertisement Most read in Snooker Exclusive World Snooker Championship 2025 WE are BACK at the Crucible for another thrilling fortnight of snooker action! There will be a new champion this year after reigning champ You can follow every frame of the tournament LIVE - plus the latest news, interviews and reaction - as it happens with our dedicated BLOG. Latest News Snooker Explained FULL schedule and results for 2025 How much prize money can be won? Who are the BBC snooker presenters and pundits? 'I was impressed with the passion and commitment that Sheffield Council have got for snooker. We view the Crucible as the home of snooker. 'But again, we have to live in the real world. We agreed to meet in another three months with a view to knowing exactly where we are by the end of this year. And the pressure is on. BBC presenter and snooker legend Steve Davis slams cue down and turns his back on camera as trick shot goes wrong 'Both sides are really happy here with each other, but we can't turn away from the realities of sports life, which is centred around prize money . 'We have to do something big for the players because they deserve it. This event's going to be seen by 300-400 million people. Does it get the respect? Advertisement 'So the talks went well. There was a frank exchange of the problems that we face. 'I think both of us agree that this is something where Sheffield can only go so far, but with government assistance it can go further and it can be maintained. 'So the onus is still on Sheffield to come up with something in line with government, in line with our thinking of where the game stands in terms of prestige and respect. 'This is a major event in England . But there's a huge amount of money outside of the UK to stage the World Snooker Championship. Advertisement 'Give me the respect. Help me to do what I want to do and I won't be outrageous in my demands. I feel we're both on the same side. I'm a little more optimistic today than I was yesterday.' The PDC have bumped up the prize money for the World Darts champion to £1million this Christmas and Hearn wants to do the same for a future snooker conqueror. 4 Barry Hearn wants to bump up the prize money for the World Snooker Championship Credit: PA Yet he has no plans to change the format of the tournament – so it will be kept to 17 days of action involving 32 players and with 71 frames needed to be the best. Advertisement Britain's leading sports promoter said: 'The game's in good shape. We have some problems, of course, Sheffield being one of them. And the other one is prize money. 'As much as it sounds pretty barbaric, it all comes down to pound notes. 'Darts players are going to be multimillionaires and snooker players need to catch them up. 'Hopefully, if all goes well, we can start thinking about a million-pound first prize instead of £500,000 for snooker. That's clearly on the agenda as quickly as we can. Advertisement 'We can sell this place out a dozen times if we wanted to. We need a halfway house. Read more on the Irish Sun 'There's a value to Sheffield City Council for having it in Sheffield. It comes down to hard cash. 'So, show me the money, show me the way forward, and hopefully we can sign another 10-year deal at the Crucible.'
The Irish Sun
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Premier League legend spotted in stands of Crucible to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan in action at World Snooker Championship
PREMIER LEAGUE broadcasting legend Geoff Shreeves has been spotted enjoying some time at the Snooker World Championships. Shreeves, 60, became a household name as he spent more than 30 years working with Sky Sports as a pitchside reporter. 3 Geoff Shreeves was spotted enjoying some snooker at the Crucible Credit: BBC 3 Shreeves became a broadcasting legend after more than 30 years with Sky Sports Credit: Getty 3 He was watching Ronnie O'Sullivan take on Pang Junxu Credit: Getty However, he quit the broadcaster in late 2023 after He did not have to wait long to land his next role behind the mic after becoming a freelancer as he joined CBS Sports Golazo. But this weekend he swapped pitchside reporting for a seat at the Crucible. This weekend sees snooker legend It follows on from The Rocket's resounding 10-4 victory over arch rival Ali Carter in round one midweek. O'Sullivan had been unsure whether he would even enter the tournament this year for a chance at his eighth world title after pulling out of a host of competitions this year. But after his win over Carter, O'Sullivan said: "I had no expectations so there were no nerves. I didn't expect to perform well based on the last three or four years. I just wanted to make a game of it. "Ali had his chances yesterday, on another day he would be 6-3 up [after the first session], and again today he had a couple of chances. I cued a lot better than I did yesterday. Most read in Snooker BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "I have some mental tools to work with to keep things tight, I will always tinker, but it's about when to let go I suppose." Last year it was announced that Shreeves was embarking on a new project to interview big name stars from football and beyond about their love of music. Inside Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker academy filled with legend's memorabilia More recently, Shreeves has interviewed the likes of fellow broadcasting icon Martin Tyler on The Joy of Football Podcast. World Snooker Championship 2025 WE are BACK at the Crucible for another thrilling fortnight of snooker action! There will be a new champion this year after reigning champ The likes of Shaun Murphy and John Higgins are also expected to be contenders. You can follow every frame of the tournament LIVE - plus the latest news, interviews and reaction - as it happens with our dedicated BLOG. Latest News Snooker Explained FULL schedule and results for 2025 How much prize money can be won? Who are the BBC snooker presenters and pundits?
The Sun
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Premier League legend spotted in stands of Crucible to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan in action at World Snooker Championship
PREMIER LEAGUE broadcasting legend Geoff Shreeves has been spotted enjoying some time at the Snooker World Championships. Shreeves, 60, became a household name as he spent more than 30 years working with Sky Sports as a pitchside reporter. 3 3 3 However, he quit the broadcaster in late 2023 after SunSport exclusively revealed he was set to be part of a major cost-cutting effort the broadcaster was making at the time. He did not have to wait long to land his next role behind the mic after becoming a freelancer as he joined CBS Sports Golazo. But this weekend he swapped pitchside reporting for a seat at the Crucible. This weekend sees snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan taking on Pang Junxu in the second round of the Snooker World Championships. It follows on from The Rocket's resounding 10-4 victory over arch rival Ali Carter in round one midweek. O'Sullivan had been unsure whether he would even enter the tournament this year for a chance at his eighth world title after pulling out of a host of competitions this year. But after his win over Carter, O'Sullivan said: "I had no expectations so there were no nerves. I didn't expect to perform well based on the last three or four years. I just wanted to make a game of it. "Ali had his chances yesterday, on another day he would be 6-3 up [after the first session], and again today he had a couple of chances. I cued a lot better than I did yesterday. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "I have some mental tools to work with to keep things tight, I will always tinker, but it's about when to let go I suppose." Last year it was announced that Shreeves was embarking on a new project to interview big name stars from football and beyond about their love of music. More recently, Shreeves has interviewed the likes of fellow broadcasting icon Martin Tyler on The Joy of Football Podcast.
