Top 10 shots of 2021/22 snooker season: No. 3 – Mark Williams creates Crucible magic with thrilling yellow
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Updated 24/06/2022 at 12:38 GMT
The 2021/22 season has been another remarkable campaign with an array of spectacular shots bewitching millions across the globe on Eurosport, the home of snooker. We pick 10 of our favourite shots from the past nine months. Today, we recall Mark Williams finding golden form with a terrific yellow during the World Championship semi-finals. Stream top snooker live and on-demand on discovery+.
'Shot of the Championship so far!' - Williams nails 'brilliant' long rocket
After the conclusion of another extraordinary snooker season, we pick 10 of our favourite shots from the 2021/22 campaign as captured by the Eurosport cameras.
You can vote for your personal choice when we reveal our final list of contenders this month.
No. 3 – Williams makes mark with fearless pot on yellow
Judd Trump summed up succinctly the state of potting utopia reached by Mark Williams during their epic semi-final at the World Championship in April.
"It was like playing a computer game on hard. Every time I broke off and left a red, game over, game over," said Trump after completing a titanic 17-16 win over the three-time Crucible winner. "Only Ronnie (O'Sullivan), John (Higgins) and Mark are capable of playing like that.
"I led 12-5, but you are probably better being close against them. You know something is going to happen."
Suffering the mental exhaustion of an elongated 13-11 win over Yan Bingtao in the quarter-finals, a flagging Williams trailed 7-1 to Trump after the first session before mounting a quite remarkable recovery.
Exquisite breaks of 138, 137, 137, 119, 77, 70, 59, 58, 57, 53 and 52 over the final 25 frames found the rejuvenated Welshman producing peak form under the most intense scrutiny.
The long potting that has been the trademark of his golden 30-year career came to the fore with his pot on a yellow during the death throes of the 20th frame particularly memorable.
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'Shot of the Championship so far!' - Williams nails 'brilliant' long rocket
Williams trailed 12-7 and 50-44 when he contemplated opting for an easier safety offering or attempting a tough pot on yellow at the top end of the table. His decision to attack producing a thrilling outcome.
The pot was difficult enough, but his cue ball control in missing the black, swinging the white around his own crafted angles and holding for the green off four cushions was something to behold.
"Brilliant, brilliant," said 1986 world champion Joe Johnson. "Is it going to bounce enough? What a shot that was. That is the shot of the championship so far.
"He thought about it and thought about it. What a shot he has played there."
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‘What a pot’ - Williams pots stunning yellow and green to help him win frame
Trump somehow steeled himself to claim the final two frames from 16-15 behind in a match that shed the old cliché about nobody remembering semi-final losers.
Not many onlookers will forget this classic Crucible dust-up.
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 4 – Yan enjoys deadly double in Berlin
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 5 – Trump delights Turkey with pioneering red in 147
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 6 – Vafaei produces miraculous pot on red
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 7 – Robertson's granite green in epic Masters semi-final
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 8 – Williams in the pink with masterful one-handed escape
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 9 – Allen's 'toughest' yellow in iconic Belfast 147
- Top 10 shots of 2021/22: No. 10 – O'Sullivan's magical 'cocked hat double'
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Stream top snooker live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.
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