MARK WILLIAMS’ chances of a second F66.com German Masters title ended at the first hurdle in Berlin – and the two-time world champion admitted he has never been so bored playing a game of snooker, writes Ross Lawson.

The Cwm cueman succumbed 5-3 to Anthony Hamilton in the Tempodrom, losing out in a match lasting well over three hours.

Neither player was able to hit top form with just two 50-plus breaks in eight frames, with Williams quickly finding himself 2-0 behind with minimal time at the table.

But while an effort of 53 saw him go into the interval at 2-2, the second half of the contest proved a struggle for the 41-year-old, unable to recover despite Hamilton twitching in a match-winning opportunity.

“I was awful, I don’t think I’ve ever been so bored playing a match in my life. It just took forever,” he said.

“It was a slow game, one I couldn’t really enjoy and I wasn’t able to get into any sort of rhythm. I was watching games around me more than my own at times so that sums up how I was feeling.

“Each frame took a long time but it’s just one of those things, the match is over so you can leave it behind you, I can go home to the practice table and work on a few things.”

The world number 17 had been in reasonable form heading to Berlin, with quarter-final berths in both the UK Championship and Coral Northern Ireland Open highlighting his autumn.

But since winning the competition in 2011, any additions to his title have looked unlikely for Williams, losing in the first round in three of the last four events in Germany.

That success six years ago also marked the latest of the Welshman’s 18 ranking titles, a drought he admitted was not difficult to work out the cause of.

“I’m not as good as I was anymore – that’s just a fact of life and there’s no point worrying about it,” he added.

“I played a poor game and lost the match, whether the game was slow or not I didn’t play a good game and you have to expect to get beaten.

“Now I’ll focus on whatever is next and hope that one is better.”

Watch the German Masters live and exclusive on Eurosport 1, featuring daily studio analysis from Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.