Williams moves top after ton saver - 21/10/2010

Mark Williams 3 – 3 Marco Fu 45 (40) - 63 (32), 54 - 45, 125 (104) – 0, 9 – 66 (51), 8 – 122 (43, 78), 122 (122) - 0

TWO-TIME World Champion Mark Williams moved to the top of the PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker after a scrappy but well-contested encounter with Marco Fu at the Spiceball Leisure Centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The highlights of the match were Williams’ two century breaks, which increased his financial haul from the match to the tune of £1,000 apiece.
With a win for either player sending them to the top of the table it was always going to be a hard fought affair and Fu took the opener as both players looked to settle.

Williams struggled with positional play in the second game as he couldn’t get set but with the black and pink both unavailable, Fu had to work hard, initially with the baulk colours and then the pink. The Hong Kong potter looked in a great position but missed a red with an unconfident attempt.

It was a very bitty frame and in the end it went Williams’ way to level the score at 1-1. The third frame was in sharp contrast as the Welshman constructed a smooth century to move into a 2-1 lead.

The fourth frame also got bogged down but it was a decisive break of 51 from Marco Fu that saw him take the rack and tie the score up at 2-2.
Fu took the lead for the second time in the match to secure at least a point when run of 43 and a closing 78 put him in the driving seat.

Williams though, saved the best till last with a break of 122 to level the match, share the points and move into first position in the table.
Play continues next week at Penrith in the Lake District when Marco Fu takes on Ding Junhui and Ronnie O'Sullivan, who lies unusually at the foot of the table, faces Mark Williams.