Championship League Snooker
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British Open Final: Mark Williams vs Gary Wilson

The last encounter of the competition will see the winner earn £100,000.

Mark Williams and Gary Wilson will contest the British Open final after a dramatic Saturday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

Both the quarter-finals and semi-finals took place amid a hectic schedule as the snooker ran past midnight on the penultimate day of action.

Williams, who won the old British Open title way back in 1997, first came from behind to edge a tense last-eight affair with Ricky Walden in a decider on the final colours.

The Welshman had a slightly easier time of it in the last four against Jimmy Robertson, although he did produce a superb clearance in the fourth frame when it looked as though his opponent was going to restore parity.

Williams duly won that encounter 4-1, and the laid-back 46 year-old is now just one victory away from a 24th career ranking success.

The three-time world champion’s opponent in the British Open final will be Wilson, a somewhat surprise package who few would have predicted reaching this far.

Wilson demonstrated all of his renewed battling qualities as he emerged from back-to-back fixtures that lasted the distance.

The former China Open runner-up came from 2-0 and 3-2 behind to overcome Championship League winner David Gilbert 4-3 before repeating that scoreline in his semi-final ousting of close pal Elliot Slessor – a high-quality affair in which the English pair traded century breaks.

Following a desperate run of form, Wilson had been in some danger of being relegated from the Main Tour towards the end of last season.

The 36 year-old suffered a string of early exits to see his ranking plummet, but a strong display in the World Championship qualifiers saw him qualify for the Crucible and safeguard his professional status.

Wilson has clearly built on that, and the former world under-21 champion has also taken advantage of the fact that he hasn’t had to face any top 16 member to reach the end hurdle.

Williams will be a step up in class, and it will be interesting to see if the Wallsend competitor can rise to the occasion to land a maiden glory at this level.

History would seem to be on the former’s side, however, with Williams totalling three victories from three previous encounters against Wilson on the circuit.

Live coverage of the British Open final is on ITV4 in Ireland and the UK.

Click here to view the full draw (Times: CET)

Featured photo credit: WST

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