Wow, what a final to cap off a fabulous week for snooker. Despite a valiant effort from Mark Selby, the Welsh Potting Machine Mark J Williams has hung on to claim the 2011 German Masters title with a 9-7 victory in Berlin tonight…
Following a free-flowing afternoon session which saw Mark Williams emerge with a 5-3 lead in under two hours, we could have been forgiven for expecting a repeat this evening. As the first frame saw two re-racks however, it soon became evident that this was going to be a different session of snooker entirely, full of drama, pressure, intriguing and errors as the winning line drew ever closer.
In front of another brilliant crowd, Williams eventually survived those two re-racks and a nasty kick to take the opening frame of the session following a missed red down the cushion by Selby. As the next two frames were shared to give Mark a 7-4 lead, the pressure began to mount on his opponent and it looked like Williams might secure a surely unassailable 8-4 interval advantage. Selby though as he showed yesterday against Ding Junhui is more than capable of holding his own in a safety battle and eventually took the frame to keep himself within two frames of his opponent at the frame.
This frame suddenly took on even greater significance following the next frame as Selby reduced the deficit to just one with a break of 60, before he took advantage of a missed yellow from Williams to level up at 7-7 and reduce the match to a best of three. With Telford fresh in the memory, it was hard not to think back to how Williams lost that final from being well in control and wonder whether he might again.
The big frame in this match proved to be the 15th as having got in with 44 before accidentally knocking the brown in and subsequently finding himself snookered, Williams looked favourite to clinch it. From there however he was unable to get it safe in three attempts, the first memorably giving Jan Verhaas a headache by spreading the balls far and wide, eventually leaving Selby with a clear chance to take the lead.
To everyone’s surprise however there was to be another twist and Selby somehow missed a black to give Williams a reprieve. Although he could not do it in one visit, the Welshman eventually snatched the frame on the colours and found himself back in the lead and just one away from his 18th ranking event title.
Frame 16 began with the fifth re-rack of the match, just two off the amount recorded between Selby and Graeme Dott during one session of last season’s World Championship. Again it was Mark Williams who was to earn the first real opportunity and this time he was to make no mistake, completing a memorable 9-7 victory and taking the German Masters title.
Following the winning balls the crowd gave both players a terrific reception and quite rightly Mark Williams went well out of his way to praise them at the end of the match, noting that they were the best he had playing in front of apart from maybe those at the old Wembley Conference Centre. All week it is clear that he has revelled in the atmosphere, raising his cue extension longer than normal as he has left the arena and he really gave them a fitting tribute tonight, fair play to him.
But back to Mark himself, he has looked to be the best player in Berlin virtually from the start of the event and deservedly took a fifth victory from five against Selby tonight to secure the title. His attitude, his long game, his break-building, his safety – everything clicked this week for the Welshman who now looks a good bet to move up to top spot in the world rankings by the end of the season.
For Selby meanwhile it will be something of a body blow but having reached his fourth ranking event final and moved back into the top four of the world rankings, he cannot be too unhappy with his week’s work. Just needs to find his scoring boots which for once deserted him this week.
Finally however, another mention to the German crowd and an event which like the Sky Shootout the week before, has been a roaring success. Sure there might be quibbles about the lack of cameras on the outer tables but all in all it has been great to see the crowds over there enjoying themselves so much and in all honesty, who can blame them when they have had to wait so long for a major event. For sure we will be back there in 2012, I think there would be a riot if not.
Next stop, Newport!