Mark Williams breaks silence on icy feud with snooker nemesis Darren Morgan after excruciating interview live on BBC

MARK WILLIAMS has lifted the lid on his “icy” feud with former Welsh cueist Darren Morgan. After winning his opening match of the Welsh Open on Monday with three centuries, the former world champion, 49, was interviewed in the BBC Wales studio – and sat next to nemesis Morgan. There was an awkward moment when Morgan, who was with Ireland’s former world champion Ken Doherty, asked a question directly to Williams.

Morgan, 58, said: “Here’s one for you, would you say you enjoy it more these days now than when you were younger, with how well you’re playing now, coming up to your 50th birthday?”. Williams, who turns 50 on March 21, did not look in Morgan’s direction and just replied “no comment” before crossing his arms. The animosity goes back seven years to the 2018 Welsh Open and an explosive social media spat.

Newport-born Morgan accused his compatriot, a two-time Welsh Open champion, of being a “bully” and “keyboard warrior” in a press interview. Morgan, a former top-ten player, had been beaten 4-3 in tournament qualifying by Rhydian Richards but their two wildcards came at the expense of then 16-year-old Jackson Page. Though Page did eventually play in the tournament, the wildcard decision was mocked online by mentor Williams, who sarcastically said: “Morgan v Richards in the Welsh, tha (sic) should bring the crowds in.”.

Morgan told BBC Sport Wales: “You can’t fault Mark as a player. We’ve all blocked him on social media.”. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. He added: “I know he’s fighting Jackson’s corner but he’s a total joke. And it’s quite disappointing to us. “He thinks it’s a bit of banter but there’s consequences to everything people do and say. “But where he thinks it’s banter, to a lot of people it’s cyber bullying. He’s abusing his position.

“He’s a bully. He’s a keyboard warrior... but he gets away with it.”. Those comments surprised Williams – who is still close to Page – and vowed since then not to engage or speak with Morgan, whose wedding he once attended. The world no.5 – who plays Scotsman Stephen Maguire in round two – has rarely spoken about this issue in the past and usually keeps his opinions to himself. But asked if that reunion on TV could be described as “frosty”, Williams replied: “Iced, I’d say, more than frosty.

“It came about in the Welsh a few years ago. I didn’t even know there was any problem and all of a sudden I saw in the paper, him calling me a cyber-bully or bully or something like that. “I’ve never talked to him since and never will. “We were never really close friends but we always got on okay. I went to his wedding and his stag trip and stuff. “But when he said that and put that in the papers, for no reason really, that’s it for me, there’s no coming back from that.”.