Background
Williams was born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales.
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John Williams
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Career
He presided over eleven World Championship finals, including the 1985 final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis. He was well-educated and passed his 11-plus at the age of nine. And when he left school, he had obtained seven O-levels.
He got a job in the local steel works, and passed up the opportunity of becoming a professional football player, declining an invitation to join Bolton Wanderers as an amateur because he worked on Saturday mornings.
After nearly 20 years in the steel industry, he left to join the civil service as an executive officer in the Department of Employment. While at the civil service, he displayed his all-round sporting versatility by turning out regularly for the Wrexham civil service cricket team
Williams started refereeing snooker matches during the mid 1960s, leaving the civil service in 1981 to become a full-time referee. Wiliams was at the centre of many unusual incidents during his time as a professional refereeing career.
He officiated in the 1973 World Snooker Championship quarter-final match between Fred Davis and Alex Higgins at the Manchester Exhibition Hall when rain stopped play.
There was no television coverage, but Granada television cameras got an interest in this unusual event, bringing fame to Williams himself. As the popularity of snooker on television grew during the 1980s, Williams became a household name along fellow top referees Len Ganley, John Street and Alan Chamberlain. After Sydney Lee"s retirement in 1981, he became the referee in Pot Black.
He remained in the role for the remainder of the series and its revivals during the 1990s.
He was also the referee during Cliff Thorburn"s maximum break against Terry Griffiths. He retired from refereeing after the 2002 World Championship final, in which Peter Ebdon beat Stephen Hendry in another final frame decider.
There has been 3 final frame deciders at the world championships, and Williams has refereed them all. Williams made a return to snooker refereeing when he officiated matches in the 2011 World Seniors Championship, and returned for the 2012 tournament.
