Michael White knocked out Mark Williams in the first round of this year’s World Championship.

YOUNG Welsh prodigy Michael White held his nerve to clinch a famous win over Mark Williams in the first round of the World Championship.

The Neath youngster, making his first appearance in snooker’s biggest competition, knocked out the two-times world champion with a 10-6 win in the all Welsh encounter – undoubtedly White’s biggest win of his career.

As a youngster White would have watched Williams when he was at the top of his game in the late 1990s and early 2000s – so to beat him at the Crucible is truly a memorable moment for the gifted 21-year-old.

Leading 5-4 overnight, Williams won the opening frame of the deciding session with a break of 90.

But White responded in strong fashion winning the next three frames with a top break of 72 to go into the mid-session interval just two frames away from glory.

Williams closed the gap in the first frame after the restart after White missed a thin cut on a red into the centre pocket.

But the young professional managed not to let his miss get to him as he took the next frame with a break of 90.

And White sealed a memorable win with a stunning break of 96 in the sixteenth frame of the contest.

Meanwhile, four-times world champion John Higgins was involved in a real battle in his first round match against Mark Davis.

At time of publication, world number 16 Davis was 5-3 ahead after coming back from 2-0 down.