Williams Wins Friendly
Mark Williams got his 2011 Betfred.com world championship crusade off to a good start beating his close friend, Ryan Day by ten-frames-to-five at the Crucible in Sheffield.
The Crucible uniquely seats the players right next to each other in the early rounds and throughout the second session, the pair chatted and laughed together as the match unfolded.
Williams led 6-3 after Saturday’s first session and was always in control of the match.
Day, who has returned to somewhere near his best after a disastrous start to his season saw him slip to number 24 in the world, did threaten the two champion briefly as he closed to 7-5.
But Williams, who can regain his world number one spot after this event responded with three frame winning breaks.
The German Masters champion was delighted to come through what many people would consider to be the toughest of the 16 qualifiers.
He will now face Jamie Cope for a place in the quarter-final after the number fourteen seed from Stoke struggled past Andrew Pagett by ten-frames-to-seven.
Elsewhere, 2005 Crucible champion Shaun Murphy looked in good form against Marcus Campbell.
The Scot managed to avoid the dreaded whitewash by taking the opening frame on Sunday but Murphy sealed a 10-1 win in the next and will now face a mouth-watering clash with Ronnie O’Sullivan if the Rocket can see off Dominic Dale.
Allister Carter also cruised into the last 16 by winning 10-3 against Dave Harold.
