Mark Williams stuns protege Jackson Page in second round

Three-time world champion Mark Williams produced a dominant display to beat his protégé Jackson Page 13-3 and advance to the quarter-finals of the Snooker World Championship.

Williams had described Page as a “fourth son”, but he showed his fellow Welshman no mercy when they faced each other, producing six centuries and eight breaks of 50 or more to win the match with a session to spare.

The ‘Welsh Potting Machine’ was utterly dominant in the first session on Thursday night, winning the first frame with a fantastic 125 in what swiftly turned out to be a definite statement of intent. Williams produced breaks of 74, 53, 50, 100, 75 and 121 to keep his friend in his chair, showcasing his excellent cue ball control and demonstrating an incredible ability to find pots at all opportunities.

Page did little wrong, but he simply had few chances to get going, such was Williams’ total control. In the end, in frame eight, Page made a clearance, getting on the board and avoiding a session whitewash by his mentor.

Still, 7-1 would be a hard lead for Page to overcome, even without Williams on the form he was displaying. The overnight rest did little to dampen the momentum – in the afternoon session, Williams came to the table and made an immediate break of 110. Page responded with a break of 69 in the 10th frame, but a fantastic clearance by his opponent meant he stole the frame by a single point.

If Williams continues this way, there’s little reason he couldn’t add a fourth world title to his collection

Two breaks of 65 extended the score line to 10-1, and although Page belatedly got on the scoreboard again, it was clear that the evening’s concluding session may not be required when the players left for what would be the final interval of the match. Williams produced breaks of 117 and 127 to take the next two frames, moving within one of victory.

Page responded with a break of 63, winning his third frame of the match, but it only delayed the inevitable, and the three-time world champion swiftly took the final frame of the session and the match.

After the match, Williams said: “If it was anybody else with a session to spare it would be ‘good, hammered him’, but I don’t feel like that playing Jackson. I played really well, kept him under pressure and it is a good learning curve for him. He can bounce back.

“I played really well and didn’t really give him any chances. I did not ease up all game and he can’t be too disappointed. I can’t play any better than that at my age.”

World number 90 Page said: “He was unbelievable in the first session and it set the tone of the match. He ran away with it and it takes your very best to compete with that. He was just absolutely ridiculous. You can’t fault it.”

Williams will play either Mark Selby or Yan Bingtao in the quarter-finals, in a match beginning on Tuesday 26 April. In the form he’s in, whichever opponent he faces will face a tough battle to remain in the tournament. He has made 10 century breaks across his two matches already, and neither Page nor Michael White looked close to stopping him. If he continues this way, there’s little reason he couldn’t add a fourth world title to his collection.