Interview with Ben Williams (III)

We have the immense pleasure and honor to interview Ben Williams, a World-class Snooker referee. Born in Skipton (Yorkshire, England) 50 years ago, he made his debut on the professional circuit, currently called the Wolrd Snooker Tour, in 2005. He refereed his first televised Final at the 2016 Senior Wolrd Championship, with Mark Davis‘ victory over Darren Morgan.

His first Ranking Final was at the 2017 Riga Master, in which Ryan Day beat Stephen Maguire. The English Open in 2018, the European Master and the Welsh Open in 2021 complete the finals that he has under his belt. He has «sung» three Maximum Breaks. In 2011 at the PTC (Players Tour Championship), a tournament that at that time was a Minor Ranking, to Ding Junhui, in 2018 to Liang Wenbo in the Wolrd Champions qualifiers and to John Higgins in the undoubtedly best scenario, at the Crucible¹ , the temple of Snooker, during the 2020 World Championship, on an unusual date due to all the consequences that the Pandemic had and continues to have.

Mediatic referee

SA: This season you have refereed the British Open where you were the Marker of the final and you have been in the qualifiers for the Northern Ireland Open. The situation of the Pandemic is already changing tournament dates. The Turkish Masters has been moved, for the moment, just before the Gibraltar Open, so all tournament dates may vary. But in your forecasts, regardless of whether it is finally held and you are appointed, do you plan to come to the Gibraltar Open? There are fans who are waiting for you with as much interest as some players.

BW: Yes, I have been to the British Open and you are right, all the dates are still in the air. Yes, I am aware that people are looking forward to seeing me there in Gibraltar. I have not yet been asked to go there. I think I mentioned to you last season or the year before that I would like to go … It is not closed to the main tournament, so there is no reason why I could not go, it just depends on my superiors offering me the opportunity, yes they do, then I’ll be there.

SA: Another hard question. What clothing do you prefer to referee? Habitual Style, Home Nations Style or Shoot Out Style?

BW: I am very relaxed in this aspect, I like all the styles that we use. Of course the Shoot Out style is very nice and relaxing with the polo shirts, it is very comfortable, and, again, the whole idea of the black shirts in the Home Nations gives the game its own style, and of course the traditional suit for the Triple Crown and many other tournaments. So I feel good about all the options, I don’t think I have a favorite. If I had to choose one, it would be the suit, which I have always refereed with.

SA: Ben, you are without a doubt the referee who interacts the most with the fans and one of the most beloved. Does so much attention from fans become annoying?

BW: It’s very easy to answer this (laughs). I was educated that if people talk to you, you speak back to them, you should not ignore people, so it is inappropriate for me to ignore the fans. I don’t consider myself anyone special, I’m the referee, people go to games to see the players, not the referee, it just happens that some people like me too (laughs), which I think is great, and I’m very happy interact as much as they want, I enjoy every moment doing it.

SA: Thank you very much Ben for attending us so nicely. It was a pleasure, an honor, to have spoken so nicely. For our part, we could continue chatting with you for hours. Just tell you that we hope to see you this season refereeing several finals and that one of them is a Major and the other… the Gibraltar Open.

BW: (Laughter) The pleasure is all mine! Of course, if I have the opportunity to go to Gibraltar, I am sure that I will go … What happens, happens, with the finals, we do not ask, they tell us as we arrive which end is going to touch us. So yes, I hope there are many more and I see you all there. Thank you very much, greetings!

References:

The Crucible Theater, considered the temple of Snooker, has hosted the World Championship since 1977.
Mike Ganley is a referee and tournament director. He was the son of fellow referee Leonard «Len» Ganley.
Jan Verhaas is a referee and member of the Board of the World Professional Snooker and Billiard Association (WPBSA) and the first non-British referee to refereed a Wolrd Championship final (2003)
Eirian Williams is a former referee and currently a board member of the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA)
Ball on is a ball that can be hit by the first contact of the Cue Ball or pocketed. It can be any red or colored ball designated by the player. Ball not on is any ball that cannot be played first or pocketed. Any colored ball if you have to play a red ball or a different color from the one intended by the player or the one that corresponds to in the compulsory exercise. If the Cue Ball hits a ball not on first or pockets it after hitting a ball on, it is a foul.
Foul and a miss. When the player does not hit a ball on first and the referee considers that he has not done enough to make the correct shot, he may signal Foul and a miss. The opponent may instruct the player to repeat the shot from the previous position, to play from the current position of the cue ball, or to play himself from that position. To signal Foul and a miss it is essential that there are enough points on the table to win.
Triple Crown: They are the three most prestigious Snooker tournaments. The United Kingdom Championship that is held in York, the Master that is held in London and is only played by the Top 16 in the ranking and the World Championship that is played in Sheffield
Rest, spider and Swan neck are extensors used during play