• Williams on the mend?

    We reported last week that two-time world champion had broken his wrist in a fall at home.

    We caught up with him earlier this week to see how the healing process was going.

    The current world number 15 told Global-snooker.com that the pain had not eased much and sleeping was far from comfortable.  His biggest complaint though was just how bad daytime television really is.

    We asked about the road to recovery and when he anticipated picking up a cue, and the all important question would he be ready to play in the Shanghai Masters in September?

    After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that a player had competed with broken bones.  Stephen Hendry won his fourth world title with his arm in a sling after slipping on the bathroom floor of his Sheffield hotel.  And in 1989, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins won the Irish Masters hopping around the table after breaking his foot in a fall – “out of his girlfriend’s window”.

    We told Mark this and he indicated that he was already thinking of it.

    “I actually went to the Emporium in Bargoed on Monday to see whether I could play with the cast on, as the doctors have not given me much confidence that it will be off in time for Shanghai.

    “When I got there Andrew Pagett was practising, so I figured it was too good an opportunity to miss.

    “Andrew has played in the same club as me for years now and he is pretty good at the wind-ups.  I have always said that I could beat him one-handed, so this seemed like the opportunity to prove it.

    Pagett, who is ranked number 16 on this season’s PIOS tour after two events is not known for being the shy and retiring type, and was happy to accept the challenge.

    The banter continued and in true Pagett form, he issued a suitable response, claiming it was all a ‘publicity stunt’ and telling his Facebook ‘friends’, “5-1 it woz people but he made 2 hundreds, 80, 70, and a 60 so I wouldn mind a broken arm aswel”.

    We will keep you informed with Mark’s progress in the countdown to Shanghai, and you can follow Andrew’s PIOS progress on global-snooker.com from Sunday.