One would expect a snooker star to toast their World Championship victory with a celebratory bottle of champagne or a handful of pints.

But not Mark Williams.

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It’s safe to say Williams didn’t expect to be the last man standing at the 2018 World Championship when he walked away with £425,000 in prize money – a record high in a snooker event – at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

That’s because of the eye-catching promise he made prior to the tournament.

If the Welshman won his third world title, he vowed to conduct his victorious press conference naked.

Prior to his semi-final showdown with Barry Hawkins, Williams, then 43, hadn’t been overly troubled at the tournament.

He’d beaten Jimmy Robertson, Robert Milkins and Ali Carter to book a date with sixth seed Hawkins in the final four.

It proved to be an incredibly tense affair, as Hawkins led 13-11 and 15-14.

But Williams held his nerve to prevail 17-15 in a thrilling encounter to book a spot in the final against fellow snooker great John Higgins.

It marked the first time Williams had reached the final since 2003.

The Welshman would no doubt have viewed that as a positive omen given he went on to win the world title that same year.

Williams and Higgins went on to play what many snooker pundits and fans considered to be one of the best finals in World Championship history.

It was Williams who emerged victorious with a 18-16 win over Higgins.

Williams’ triumph made history given it was the longest time span between world titles, as 15 years had passed since his 2003 win.

But all the focus after the final was centred on his outfit, or lack thereof, for the post-match press conference.

Observers no doubt had a chuckle to themselves as Williams arrived for media duties dressed in nothing but a towel.

Remarkably, Williams wanted to leave nothing to the imagination but world snooker chairman Barry Hearn felt some semblance of decorum was required before removing it once he sat down at the table.

“It’s cold in here, innit,” Williams joked.

“It feels a little bit uncomfortable at the minute. I had to wear the towel on the orders of Barry Hearn otherwise I would have just walked in, crying.

“It’s an unbelievable story. Twelve months ago I was thinking about chucking it, and here I am doing an interview having won the 2018 World Championship, naked.

“If I won this again next year, I’d do this again – I’d cartwheel round here naked.

“I’m going to party the night away. Last time I won it I think I had half a pint of milk and went to bed.

“I’m not going to bed this time – it’ll be daylight before I get to bed.”

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one’s stance regarding nudity, Williams bowed out of the 2019 World Championship in the second round so there would be no naked cartwheels.

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He came closer in the following three editions of the tournament though, making the quarter finals twice and the semi-finals in 2022.

Who knows what Williams would have in store should he pick up a remarkable fourth world title when the 2025 edition begins in April.

At the very least, someone should keep a towel nearby.