SNOOKER: PALS ON CUE FOR MARK

A FERRARI sports car with F1 gear controls and his own luxury bungalow feature among the trappings of success for snooker world champion Mark Williams.

But the 25-year-old from the former mining village of Cwm in the valleys of South Wales remains a down-to-earth young man.

"My mates wouldn't let me be anything else and I don't want to be," said Williams, the son of a miner whose early teens were spent in a boxing ring until he was hit too hard by an older opponent.

Prok, Tugwell, Zippy, Tremmo, Squeak and Sarge are among the friends who have helped to keep Williams's feet firmly on the ground.

Then there's his constant minder Chris "killer" Lewis, who travels with him everywhere he goes in an attempt to help him relieve the boredom of living out of a suitcase. "These guys are the salt of the earth, we have fun but I'm never allowed to forget where I come from and what I'm trying to achieve," said Williams.

The Liverpool Victoria UK champion today defends his title against John Higgins or Stephen Hendry. Only Steve Davis and Hendry, have successfully defended a UK title and after Williams beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals, he expressed a preference to face the seven-times world champion.

"Then I can give him another whopping," said Williams, who has already appeared in three other finals this season and a total of eight in the past 12 months.

Williams and Hendry are rivals on the table and best of friends off it - so much so that when he was confirmed as world No.1 a month before the end of last season, he called the Scot's mobile.

"It's official, I'm No.1, up yours," he said with a grin.

Only three players, Hendry, Higgins and Steve Davis had won 10 or more world ranking events until Williams joined the club following his second Grand Prix victory at Telford in October.

Typically, he admitted: "I never dreamed I would win that many. But if nothing else I'm a trier."

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