Williams wins Crucible thriller

By Dan Warren
BBC Sport at the Crucible

Mark Williams survived an amazing Ken Doherty fightback to win 18-16 and take his second world title in one of the tournament's best-ever finals.

It was a victory which seemed simple after Sunday night's play, when the Welshman's brilliant snooker had given him an 11-5 lead.

Even that emphatic scoreline represented something of a comeback for Doherty, who had been 10-2 down at one point.

But the Irishman has proved remarkably resilient and he was full of fight on Monday.

The number five seed produced a spellbinding session on Monday afternoon, winning six frames in a row to pull back to 11-11.

Williams looked bewildered at that point, but finally bagged a frame as he edged a tight 23rd to regain his lead.

But Doherty was in no mood to let go.

Every time Williams moved ahead, he fought back, moving the score on to 14-14.

The Welsh world number one finally clicked into form, and when he moved 16-14 ahead, it looked as though Doherty's challenge could be over.

But again the Irishman rallied, taking the score to 16-16.

All Doherty's previous opponents had wilted in the face of the pressure, but Williams responded in emphatic fashion.

He took the final two frames, the last with a 77 break, to clinch his second world crown and complete the treble of the UK Championships, B&H Masters and Embassy World Championships in a single season.