Get the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing by signing up for our free sports newsletter
For all the latest news, sign up for our free sports email
It took Jack Jones a while to reach snooker’s biggest stage, but the Welshman has made his presence felt since stepping into the Crucible. Jones, 30, tried and failed nine times to qualify for the World Snooker Championship before finally breaking through last year. However, Jones quickly established himself as Sheffield’s specialist.
He started the 2023 edition having reached the quarter-finals of ranking events just twice in a career that began in 2010, but the pinnacle of his accomplishments was the semi-finals of the now-defunct Gibraltar Open. For a player who played a perfect game and seemed to have the ideal temperament, it seemed strange that Jones had yet to make a mark.
However, the long matches that the World Championship offers suit the calm character with the nickname “Silent Assassin”. Victories over Ali Carter and Neil Robertson saw him reach the last eight on his Crucible debut, but a close 13-10 loss to Mark Allen in the quarter-finals left the Cwmbran-born potter a player to watch in the future. became.
This strong run did not immediately become a springboard for the 2023/24 season. Out of seven tournaments this season, Jones has only made it past the second round once, at the Welsh Open on his home turf, and the momentum he gained from reaching the last eight appeared to be gone.
But once again, he saved his best snooker for when it mattered most. If the quarter-final match against an in-form snooker player looked like it would be the end point for another breakthrough, his win over Judd Trump to reach a single-table set-up is proof that Jones can win the big match bottle. was.
“I don’t really think about it,” Jones said after his last-eight victory. “I’m just playing snooker like I do every day in the club. Obviously it’s a little different outside. I’m just trying not to think about it… I’m just playing snooker.”
The Crucible World Championship has only ever been won by a qualifier twice, with Terry Griffiths’ feat in 1979 being repeated by a young Shaun Murphy in 2005. Jones has been into snooker since a chance encounter at the 1994 World Championships and will apply to join the exclusive group this weekend. Championship semi-finalist Darren Morgan on holiday in Corfu.
Noting his natural talent for pottery, his fellow Welshmen encouraged him to join the club upon his return. Morgan instructed his former pupil to develop further from here.
“I think this is going to be Jack’s year. No one plays better than him, that’s for sure,” Morgan told BBC Radio Wales. “As long as he can hold himself together, I think he’ll be fine.
“He’s a very cool customer, very quiet, very reserved. He got married in the last 12 to 14 months, is doing well in his career, and is a hard worker. The boy practices and practices. That hasn’t changed since I was at the club. You only get out what you put in, and if you keep knocking on that door, it will open someday.”