World order was restored in snooker circles last night when Stephen Hendry dramatically reclaimed the Embassy World Championship crown for a record seventh time, beating Mark Williams 18-11.
Hendry's win over the 24-yearold Welshman gives him £230,000 in prize money and one championship title more than the previous six-times winners Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, making him indisputably the most successful player in the history of the game.
While it was not always vintage Hendry, who occasionally seemed to lack concentration, the overall poise and calculated game plan of the 30-year-old frequently rose to levels approaching those prior to 1997 when Ken Doherty then denied him his seventh title. Punching the air in victory, the win came at the end of the worst and most frustrating periods of the Scot's distinguished career.
"I'm speechless. I don't know what to say. I've turned the season around and this is unbelievable. There's no doubt, no doubt at all that this is worth more than the other six titles put together," said Hendry.
"This was the last real ambition in snooker I have. There's nothing else do do but that's not to say I can't come back and win it again," he added before pointing to Williams and saying; "And this guy here is the best potter in the world. He didn't play as well as he did against John (Higgins) in the semi-final but there is a world title in him."
Only sporadically reaching the confidence-sapping potting ability he demonstrated so mercilessly in his semi-final, Williams seemed always to be stretching himself in a frantic effort to close what became an ever widening gap.
Compared to semi-finals which were mesmerising in their ability to squeeze incomparable frames out of all four contenders, smallish breaks and scrappy play were the norm of the final for both players. But given that Hendry was in terminal decline six months ago when he lost 9-0 to Marcus Campbell in the first round of the UK Championships, the Scot's renaissance has indeed been meteoric and there were few in the Crucible who could deny him his rightful acclaim.
Earlier in the session Williams, who's purchase of a new £120,000 Ferrarai 355 may ease the pain a little, had made floundering attempts to bridge Hendry's 10-6 overnight lead and although that four-frame advantage was damaging, it was observed that Hendry himself had come back from worse in 1992.
Facing Jimmy White the Scot came from 14-8 down to win 10 frames in succession to claim the first of his five-in-a-row titles. Of course, White is not Hendry, although the Welsh left-hander has figured in the final of six world ranking tournaments, all of which he has won until now.
That devastating frailty was little in evidence as Hendry moved from the overnight lead to win five out of the next eight frames in the third session for 15-9, posting a 106 break to add to his earlier 132. It left Williams with a mountain to climb in last night's final session.
Needing just three frames from the remaining 11, Hendry, bolstered by his six-frame cushion and sensing the title within his grasp, ruthlessly set about the total destruction of his opponent, moving to 17-9 with breaks of 62 and 63 and to within a frame of the championship.
Not about to roll over quite so easily, Williams stung back with an 89 break, his highest of the match and a 63 for 11-17 before Hendry rounded off his historic evening with an 88 break.
