Jamie Clarke stuns under-the-weather Mark Williams in UK Championship as upsets continue
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Updated 15/11/2022 at 00:59 GMT
Mark Williams is out of the UK Championship, joining Neil Robertson and John Higgins on the absence list at the second-round stage. The two-time champion was clearly unwell, leaving twice during two separate frames for a toilet break, and his fellow countryman Jamie Clarke took full advantage to emerge victorious courtesy of a 6-3 scoreline. Stream the 2022 UK Championship on discovery+.
‘He’s disappeared!’ – Williams drops cue and dashes to the toilet
Jamie Clarke claimed a huge scalp at the UK Championship, knocking out an out-of-sorts Mark Williams in the first round.
Clearly feeling unwell, with food poisoning suspected, Williams was unable to get anywhere near his top level, and Clarke - ranked 49th - took full advantage to send his fellow countryman packing.
Two-times champion Williams is the latest big name to be eliminated after Neil Robertson and John Higgins were stunned by Joe Perry and Tom Ford respectively on Sunday.
Clarke will meet Ding Junhui in the last 16 on Thursday.
There were early signs of Williams’ ill health as he ran to the toilet just five minutes into the opening frame, to the surprise of everybody in the audience.
He potted a red and a pink before putting his cue down and dashing to the back of the arena, presumably for a comfort break.
Remarkably, Williams came back into the arena five minutes later like nothing had happened and made a frame-winning break of 70.
Clarke was in control of the early stages of the second frame before a lax safety shot allowed Williams back in. The Welshman made 38 before running out of position, and on another visit to the table Clarke took advantage with a terrific pink and then stole the frame with the black.
Williams quickly put that disappointment behind him, but in the early stages of what looked like could be a potential 147, he suddenly left the arena again when on a break of 41.
Williams knocked the black in on his return but missed a tricky red to the middle which ended his chance of making a maximum. However, he did go on to win the frame to take a 2-1 lead.
The veteran looked set to put daylight between him and his opponent in the fourth frame before he jawed a red when leading 45 with 51 remaining.
Clarke may have been 4-0 down in the session but once again he took advantage of Williams’ mistake to clear up and level the scores at 2-2.
Williams, clearly under the weather, made two more errors when attempting a clearance in the fifth frame, as Clarke – sensing a real opportunity - hit the front for the first time in the match.
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Williams wants to see UK Championship return to best of 17 frames
Nevertheless, Williams was staying positive in his shot selection. After dispatching a superb long red, he strung together 39. On this occasion he had the rub of the green; after allowing his opponent back into the frame, Clarke pulled off an excellent safety shot only to inadvertently pot the red in doing so. In an impossible situation, Clarke conceded the frame to make it 3-3.
Clarke would edge back in front but ultimately made hard work of it with a scrappy break of 56.
He was struggling to find any rhythm, however, and despite making 48, he failed to put the eighth frame to bed, with his cue-ball control letting him down. Williams, despite his poor condition, was determined to carry on but missed a simple red by his standards and declared a foul.
And Clarke, this time, would not be denied, as he moved to within a frame of progressing in the tournament.
Clarke had to fight back in brilliant fashion to seal the biggest win of his career. Williams looked set to extend the match but, typical of his night, missed a red to the middle pocket.
Behind 49 but with 75 remaining, Clarke cleaned up and left the arena to a deserved rousing reception.
Meanwhile, Stuart Bingham is safely through to the next round thanks to a 6-2 win over Liam Highfield.
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