ATWSC Group H: John Pulman v Mark Williams

Being posted early as I won't be on at midnight

John Pulman v Mark Williams (Best of 20 frames)
Group: H
Date: November 24
Match: One of six
Match day: One of three
Venue: Assembly Rooms, Derby, United Kingdom

Vote for which of the two players you think was greater. Vote honestly, and leave your bias out of it. Don’t vote for a player just because you like them, don’t vote against a player just because you dislike them.

Consider the table conditions to be whatever conditions would have the least impact on the result.

You can use your own personal criteria for measuring greatness once it’s free of any bias towards/against (delete as applicable) players you like/dislike (delete as applicable).

Voted Mark Williams as I don't know much about Pulman.

Hard to rank Pulman really. Obviously he held the world title from 1957 to 68 but except for his first they were all under the “Challenge” system. Having said that, he defended it impressively. There wasn’t really a professional circuit between 57 and 68, which is why the top amateurs like Ron Gross, Marcus Owen, Pat Houlihan and Reardon and Spencer were probably the best players in the world - certainly they’d have been more match sharp than the professionals, even if they maybe lacked the polish. Pulman showed what a great player he was when, aged 46, he reached the 1970 World Championship final, demolishing Gary Owen in the semi and then recovering from 14-27 down against Ray Reardon, to trail only 33-34, only for Reardon to have a timely fluke to help him to the sixty-eighth frame and then take the last two to win 37-33. Pulman’s last genuine attempt was in 1977 at the Crucible, when, aged 53, he reached the semi-finals, going down only 18-16 to Spencer. Pulman would probably have achieved more in the 70’s were it not for his inclination to engage himself in some pretty legendary late night drinking sessions. Great character, and commentator.

Williams wins by 11 frames to 3.