ALI CARTER was crowned the English Open champion as he claimed his home county tournament.
The Colchester cueist was a 9-6 winner against Welshman Mark Williams in the final at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.
Ali Carter won the English Open after a 9-6 win over Mark Williams Credit: Getty
Mark Williams produced a miracle comeback in the semis but couldn’t conjure up any magic here Credit: Getty
Though Willo, 51, had breaks of 136 and 132 in the opening three sets and then led 5-3 before the evening session, the Captain rallied back with a commanding display.
Carter, 47, won six of the seven frames in the evening sessions as tiredness hit veteran potter Williams, who had come from 5-1 down to defeat Shaun Murphy 6-5 in Saturday night’s semi-finals.
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This is Carter’s seventh ranking tournament success but first for two years and sees him return to the top 16 in the world rankings thanks to the £100,000 winners’ cheque.
Williams was unable to re-produce the magic of his incredible comeback against Murphy.
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He was 4-0 and 5-1 behind before a superb fightback saw him win 6-5.
But it was Carter who earned the headlines after banking his big prize.
The Captain has previously reached two World Snooker Championship finals in 2008 and 2012.
He lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan on both occasions – but this week he revealed this week he couldn’t remember either after a battle with testicular cancer and Crohn’s disease.
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Carter has now won seven ranking tournaments but this was his first in two years Credit: Getty
Carter made a full recovery after have gruelling chemotherapy more than a decade ago but said his struggle with illness had affected his memory.
He told TNT Sports: “As a youngster I had Crohn’s really bad.
“Three bowel resections and then obviously I got ill with my cancer and that spread into my lung and there was a moment I thought I might not be around, which it’s affected me in a big way.
“It’s affected my memory. I can’t even remember getting to big finals in the World Championships, the maximum that I made.
“And that is pure trauma. My brain has shut off that part of my life because it was so traumatic. I’ve got a good memory, it’s just very short.
“I’ve been up against it but it’s what’s made me the person I am today.
“Like me or hate me, I am who I am and what I am and I say how I feel. If that doesn’t suit everyone then sorry.”
