Mark Williams banked massive £200,000 payday but said he wouldn’t see a penny of it

 While Mark Williams banked a six-figure sum despite his loss in Saudi Arabian Masters, the Welshman surprised fans with his comments about the prize money

Mark Williams celebrated his victory over Judd Trump on Saturday

Snooker icon Mark Williams scooped £200,000 in prize money after his runner-up finish at the Saudi Arabian Masters – but he quipped that he wouldn't see a penny of it. The 50-year-old veteran, who secured his spot in the World Snooker Championship final following an impressive 17-14 victory over Judd Trump on Saturday, joked about the final destination of his earnings from the Middle East last year.

Despite missing out on the hefty £500,000 winner's share at the tournament, he bagged himself £200,000. Yet, he humorously remarked post-final that the entire amount would be going elsewhere, candidly stating: "£100,000 goes to her (his wife, Joanne) and £100,000 goes to the tax man."

In a sweet twist of fate, Williams got the better of Trump when they met again on Saturday, setting a new record as the oldest player ever to reach a World Championship final.

Opening up about his nerve-racking experience to BBC Sport, Williams confessed: "I was starting to twitch towards the end, I'm not going to lie.

"I nearly missed the black in the last frame - I did feel a bit of tension on the back arm. I'm never normally nervous at any stage but I was in that break. I can't believe I'm in another final - I don't know how I'm doing to be honest."

Williams, a triple world champion, is gearing up for his fifth Crucible final on Sunday where he stands to pocket a cool £500,000 if he can clinch victory.

The Welshman is heading into his fifth world championship appearance

Trump heaped praise on Williams after their contest, admitting: "Mark was the more consistent player throughout and in the end he really deserved the win. There are no negatives, I tried my heart out and just ran out of steam," reports the Express.

"Any other player apart from Mark and I probably would have been in the final, so I think you just have to take your hat off to him, he was too good over the three days and I'll try to improve for next year," the 2018 champion went on to say.

In the finale, Williams faces China's Zhao Xintong, who ousted Ronnie O'Sullivan with an assertive 17-7 victory, dashing the 49-year-old's aspirations for a historic eighth world title. Reflectively, after his defeat, O’Sullivan questioned his snooker career's longevity.

Ronnie O'Sullivan poured doubt over his snooker future

"I think I'm going to be moving out of the UK this year," O'Sullivan stated. "A new life somewhere else. I'll still try and play snooker but I don't know what the future looks like for me really.

"I'm moving away soon so I'll just see how it goes. There's a lot of more important things in life to worry about than a game of snooker.

"For me, it's a big part of my life but I've got to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it's playing or not."

The world championship this month was only O'Sullivan's first tournament of the year after spending several months away from the sport.