A call from mega-star Tom Jones would be enough to turn most of us to jelly, and even the ultra laid-back Mark Williams admits he was astonished when he first heard that famously distinctive voice on the phone.

But given that the pair have become firm friends in recent years, it was not unusual for legendary singer Jones to drop his fellow Welshman a line after Williams won the Cazoo British Open earlier this season.

“He loves watching snooker and if I do well he always calls me to say ‘well done’. After the British Open he said it was about time I won something,” smiles three-time Crucible king Williams. “He even rings me when he’s in the USA.

“I first met him in Las Vegas, he was there with (actor) Don Archell and we went out for a few drinks for four or five nights in a row. He was getting us into bars and restaurants that I’d never get into otherwise. It felt unbelievable, to be going on nights out with Tom, given how famous he is. But he’s just a cracking bloke.

“When I won the world title in 2018, he got me to come to one of his concerts in Cardiff and go up on stage with the trophy. That was more nerve-racking for me than playing in the world final but it was great to watch him sing.”

Jones, age 83, first became a star in the 1960s, winning a Grammy Award as Best New Artist, and has since sold over 100 million records, renowned worldwide for his powerful voice and charisma on stage.

Williams, whose walk-on song is the Jones hit Delilah added: “He has never come to watch me play live but I think he watches a lot of snooker TV, and maybe one day he’ll come to an event.”