MY, MY, MARK

Jones inspires Williams magic

- By Shane MacDermott

MARK WILLIAMS revealed he was inspired by Tom Jones after he held his nerve to pip old rival John Higgins on the final black in a Crucible classic.

It was a quarter-final billed as a heavyweight clash between two Class of 92 all-time greats and it certainly lived up to the hype.

Three-time winner Williams, who walks out to Jones’ hit Delilah, left Higgins feeling blue with a dramatic 13-12 victory.

Herculean Higgins, a four time Crucible champion, hauled himself from 12-8 behind to force a fitting final-frame shoot-out, but rattled a match-ball blue as Welsh wizard Williams became the oldest Crucible semi-finalist for 40 years after late compatriot Ray Reardon, who was 52.