Williams Leads Trump In World Championship Semi

Three-time champion Mark Williams will return a 13-11 lead complete Judd Trump into nan concluding convention of their World Championship semi-final connected Saturday evening.

An absorbing greeting of play started pinch nan players level astatine 8-8 aft Williams recovered from 7-3 down to rein successful nan world number 1 connected Friday successful Sheffield.

Williams, 50, who is bidding to go nan oldest Crucible finalist, continued successful nan aforesaid vein, crafting 4 half-centuries arsenic he took 5 of nan 8 frames connected offer.

He opened up pinch a break of 57 and, while Trump responded pinch consecutive runs of 71 to separator backmost ahead, nan Welshman past reeled disconnected nan adjacent 3 frames.

Englishman Trump, who has won 30 ranking events and reached six finals this season, constructed a timely 64 to trim his arrears to 12-11.

However, Williams, whom Trump defeated 17-16 successful their thrilling last-four gathering successful 2022, composed a 62 successful nan 24th framework of their best-of-33 brushwood to springiness himself a two-frame cushion erstwhile play resumes astatine 19:00 BST.

Fans person been refused refunds for what was meant to beryllium nan 4th convention of nan semi-final betwixt Ronnie O'Sullivan and Zhao Xintong.

Zhao's 17-7 triumph complete 'the 'Rocket' was delivered pinch a convention to spare, meaning location will beryllium nary competitory action connected Saturday day astatine nan Crucible.

An accumulation featuring Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor - 40 years connected from Taylor's triumph successful their celebrated black-ball last - has been scheduled alternatively on pinch a question-and-answer convention pinch seven-time victor Stephen Hendry and 1997 champion Ken Doherty.

The World Snooker Tour (WST) said its container agency position and conditions mean it is "unable to connection summons refunds aliases exchanges".

It said: "This is nan first clip successful complete a decade that a semi-final has vanished a convention early, truthful it is simply a very uncommon occurrence and unluckily beyond our control."