Mark Williams throws towel on the table to end match after Judd Trump fluke

Mark Williams threw in the towel to end his Players Championship quarter-final against Judd Trump after a bizarre fluke.

Trump won the match 6-3 to progress to the semi-final, where he will take on John Higgins on Saturday.

The 36-year-old went 4-1 up against Williams, before the three-time world champion clawed back the deficit to 4-3 after a break of 105.

But any hopes of a comeback were swiftly ended by Trump, who hit a break of 70 to restore his two-frame advantage before scoring 123 to win.

It was a remarkable victory for last year's Players Championship runner-up, given that Williams missed just three balls throughout the entirety of the match.

Trump, though, made key contributions when he got to the table, and was on for a potential 136 clearance in the final frame.

In trademark Trump style towards the end of the break, he played a lavish shot on the blue, attempting to rebound the white off four cushions in order to land on the pink.

The cue ball fell just short of his intended target, while the blue also cannoned off the jaws of the pocket.

However, in a remarkable fluke, the blue went up the table and went straight into the top right pocket.

Trump immediately apologised to Williams, who then threw a black towel at his opponent as he got down to play the pink.

97% pot success and the towel still gets thrown in! 🤣😩@Sportsbetio | #PlayersChampionship pic.twitter.com/XpTfhrJUig

— WST (@WeAreWST) February 20, 2026

The towel throw was taken in good humour by both players and the crowd in attendance, with Trump then attempting to hit the cue ball off the towel and on to the pink but failing to do so.

The two players shook hands at the end of the match to rapturous applause from the spectators in Telford, with there being little more that Williams could have done to overhaul the current world number one.

Trump has only won one ranking tournament this season but, remarkably, that draws him joint-level with all the other players to have tasted success this season.

Only Higgins can now make it 15 consecutive different ranking title winners on the World Snooker Tour this season.

Speaking after his victory over Williams, Trump told WST: "I think it's just the same with him, John and Ronnie [O'Sullivan]. They are the class players, and I've got to play well against them.

"I'm probably somewhere near the peak of my career, and I think those guys are maybe just a tiny bit past it... in their own eyes, probably not in my eyes!

"But their standard is still unbelievable. It just makes for a great match-up.

"I was in control of that whole game, really, and I kind of just let it slip away. Little bit disappointed with how the match finished, especially the good chance I had to get over the line.

"It was not my greatest performance in the end, but I can take a lot of positives."