MARK Williams, pictured, has snookered everyone - costing one of his friends on the professional circuit a tenner into the bargain.

It is not as if six times world snooker champion Steve Davis cannot afford £10. But he, and everyone else, was well and truly stitched up by Cwm-based Williams before the Welshman had even potted a ball at the World Nine-ball Pool Championships at Cardiff International Arena at the weekend.

Crafty Williams, a former world snooker champion, claimed last week he did not even know the rules of nine-ball pool when in fact he did.

So, when Davis saw Williams' group, he put on his bet at the CIA for the Cwm man to finish rock bottom of the entire tournament at odds of 7-1.

Davis stood to win £80, but Williams was having none of that and now stands on the threshold of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the tournament by actually topping his group.

He beat American Troy Frank 5-4 on Saturday and then won his next match by whitewashing top Canadian Mario Morra 5-0.

Yesterday he lost one match to Rodolfo Luat, of the Philippines, 5-4 before turning over the top seed in the group, Ching-shun Yang of Chinese Taipi, by a masterly 5-1 scoreline.

Williams revealed the Davis bet had helped him get in the mood, saying: "It was a bit of an incentive, but not to keep me off the bottom of the table but for Davis to lose his money.

"I have not really practised for this because, for me, it's a bit of fun and I suppose the pressure is on the other players because they are expected to beat me.

"I turned Troy over and maybe I can take out a few more. Davis told me that I was in a difficult group and that's why he picked me to flop.

"But the atmosphere at the CIA is great, so much different from snooker, and I have really enjoyed myself so far."

While Williams is having a ball, another Gwent snooker professional, Lee Walker from Newbridge, is looking as though he will be heading towards the exit door unless he pulls his socks up over the next two days.

Walker won a single match out of the four he played during the weekend to leave his hopes of qualification hanging by a thread.

However, it will not bother him too much if he returns home early.

Walker went over to Bristol to try to qualify for the nine-ball tournament just as something to do this summer before getting down to snooker practice again for the new season - and ended up getting through to the big stage by winning his qualification group.

He said: "It's good fun. I didn't do so well on Sunday after winning my first match, but it's one of those games where you need some luck.

"I have only won one match out of four and I need to win two of the next three at least to have any chance."