Mark Williams
Mark Williams was born in Cwm in South Wales on 21 March 1975.
2004 was a good year for Williams away from the snooker table. In April, his first child, Conor was born; and then, in June, he received the MBE. His snooker form, however, has not been that hot since 2004, and Williams has talked about how he has trained less.
It was not until March 2006 when Mark Williams beat John Higgins 9-8 in the China Open final that Williams gained his first ranking title since his phenomenally successful 2003.
It was also at the 2006 China Open that Mark Williams got his 200th snooker career century.
In 2003, Mark Williams won the World Championship at the Crucible, after a hard-fought final, eventually defeating Ken Doherty 18-16. Williams had gone ahead with a massive 10-2 lead before being pegged back to 11-11 and then 16-16.
That was Mark Williams's second world title. In 2000, he came from 13-7 down to beat Matthew Stevens 18-16.
Mark Williams turned professional in 1992; and in the late nineties and early 2000s he was a permanent feature in the first three in the world snooker rankings.
He is one of the many leading snooker players who has adopted poker as a hobby.