MARK WILLIAMS admits his snooker is in terminal decline and he is no longer good enough to win major titles, writes Will Jennings.

Cwm’s three-time king of the Crucible slumped to another premature exit at the UK Championship as he went down 6-5 against world No.46 Ricky Walden in the last 32.

Williams, a 22-time ranking event winner, has slipped to No.14 in the world rankings and is yet to progress past the second round of an tournament this season.

The Welshman fumed at his performance against Walden and accepts his days lifting silverware have come to and end.

“I tried my best but at the end of the day, I wasn’t good enough, simple as that,” said the 45-year-old.

“I missed so many balls and I’m just not good enough. I keep trying to the end, and I got it back to 5-5, but I didn’t get a look in in the last frame. You’ve just got to state facts, and I’m just not good enough.

South Wales Argus:

“I’ll keep on practicing and keep on trying. My game’s not going to get better – it’s going to slowly decline.

“That’s what happens when you get to my age – you can’t improve on anything and just try to stay up the rankings and win as many games as you possibly can.

“He played a good last frame but I missed two or three dead straight blacks off the spot in the first four of five frames, and you just can’t do that.

“Those easy misses are creeping more and more into my game. I still try my best and I nearly got in in the end, but I’m just not good enough.”

Walden raced into a 5-2 lead at the Marshall Arena before breaks of 106 and 56 from Williams help tee up a nervy decider.

But Walden, an experienced three-time ranking event winner, held his nerve to book a last 16 clash against world No.1 Judd Trump.

Next up for Williams is a tilt at December’s Scottish Open where he will face Germany’s Lukas Cleckers in the first round.

The two-time Masters champion reached the final in Aberdeen in 2000 and hopes ‘fudging’ wins can haul himself back into contention.

“I’m just trying to fudge frames – make 40, try and run away and then get another chance,” added Williams.

“The top boys now are knocking long ones in and making 80s, 90s, centuries every frame. That’s pretty much what you’ve got to do to win a tournament these days.”

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