Williams claims Pot Black prize

Mark Williams breezed past John Higgins to lift the Pot Black Cup at the Royal Automobile Club in London on Saturday.

The Welshman beat Higgins with a 119 clearance - the highest break in the event's 37-year history, eclipsing Shaun Murphy's run of 111 a year ago.

"I can't believe I made a century to win it," said Williams. "You'd never expect that in a one-frame match."

The 31-year-old from Cwm, the fifth Welshman to win the event, beat Murphy and Ken Doherty to reach the final.

Interview: Mark Williams

Williams was within one pot of defeat in his opening match in the eight-man competition before sneaking past Murphy on the black.

In the semi-finals, Williams erased a 50-point deficit to edge Doherty with a 72 clearance before seeing off Higgins, who had beaten defending champion Stevens and Peter Ebdon.

In addition to the £10,000 winner's cheque, Williams also collected the £2,000 high break award for his 119 - only the sixth century in Pot Black.

The other Welshman to win Pot Black are Ray Reardon (1969 and 1979), Doug Mountjoy (1978 and 1985), Terry Griffiths (1984) and Matthew Stevens (2005).

One notable absentee was Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is in Nevada for the World 8-Ball Pool Open Championship.