Ray Reardon
Mark Williams
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Ray Reardon leads 2 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Ray Reardon at #6 and Mark Williams at #8.
The case for Ray Reardon
The dominant figure of snooker's television revival and the bridge between the amateur game and the professional boom. A former coal miner and policeman, Reardon turned professional in 1967 and won six world titles in nine years (1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978), reaching seven finals in all. He became the first official world number one when the ranking system was introduced in 1976, and his 1978 title made him world champion at 45, the oldest until Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2022. He also won the Masters in 1976, taking his Triple Crown tally to seven. Because ranking events barely existed in his prime — the World Championship was the only one until 1982 — his single ranking title badly understates his record. Nicknamed Dracula for his widow's peak and his habit of finishing opponents off slowly, he later coached O'Sullivan through his 2004 world title.
The case for Mark Williams
The purest long potter of the modern game and the owner of its most remarkable second act. Williams won world titles in 2000 and 2003, disappeared from contention for well over a decade, then won again in 2018 at the age of 43 — the longest gap between first and last world title in the sport's history, and a result he had considered so unlikely that he had promised to attend the winner's press conference naked, and did. He has more than 25 ranking titles, two UK Championships (1999, 2002), two Masters (1998, 2003), seven Triple Crown titles and over 600 career centuries. In 2025, at 50, he reached the world final again, becoming the oldest Crucible finalist before losing 18-12 to Zhao Xintong. Left-handed, with an unusually relaxed technique and the best cut-back potting of his generation, he is the third member of the Class of 1992 alongside O'Sullivan and Higgins.