Mark Williams has claimed it’s “amazing” that he, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and John Higgins are all still going, while seemingly changing his tune on the Class of 92 label placed upon himself and the others.
Luke Thrower Trends Writer
14:03, 01 Dec 2025
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams are part of the famed ‘Class of 92’ in snooker(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
Mark Williams has celebrated the fact that he is still competing at the top level in Snooker, having reached the second round of the UK Championship.
The 50-year-old overcame David Gilbert in the first round, landing a 6-4 win that had a fair few challenges for the experienced star.
Williams went 2-1 down in the match, with Gilbert looking the likelier to come out on top. A poor shot from the Welsh Snooker ace saw him jokingly gesture that he should throw his cue into the crowd, such were his frustrations in the match.
After a disappointing start, Williams managed to win four frames on the bounce before a mini revival from Gilbert that caused some concerns.
The former world number one managed to hold on, though, ensuring he could land a decisive frame to put him through to the next round of the competition.
Speaking after the match, Williams was asked about the Class of 92, which consists of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and himself. He told TNT Sports: “It’s amazing how the three of us are still going.
“I’ve always been chasing their tails for 30, 40 years. But I think in the past five, six years, I’ve been a little bit better than the other two at the minute. All my results are showing it, so that’s an achievement in itself.”
Mark Williams(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
He continued: “I can take playing badly and missing a ball better than the other two. If I miss a sitter, I don’t really care. Especially Ronnie, who is used to making frame-winning breaks.”
That statement comes as a change of tune from Williams, who earlier this year claimed that he was getting tired of the comparisons between himself, Higgins, and O’Sullivan in particular.
Speaking to SportsBoom back in May, he said: “I’ve never really liked it. I’ve always said that them two they’re the two best players in the world ever. Ronnie, by far the best, and John the second-best player ever for me, and I’ve always said that.”
It seems as though the Welsh star is much more comfortable with those comparisons, as he looks ahead to the rest of the UK Championship.
“Much better after the interval,” Williams reflected on his performance against Gilbert. “Before the interval, it was like watching [Stephen] Hendry play [Steve] Davis. After the interval, it was quite good stuff from both of us.”
The 50-year-old has Pang Junxu in round two of the UK Championship, where he is still hopeful about landing a tournament win somewhere along the way.
“[I’m] 51 soon. It’s unbelievable,” Williams said, talking about his staying power in the sport. “All I wanted to do at the start of the season, if I could nick a tournament, I’d be over the moon, but I’ve done it pretty early on, and we’re still going on. Whatever happens from here, I can’t grumble.”
