Match report
Here is Aaron Bower’s report from another memorable night at the Crucible. Long may it reign. Thanks for joining me, and goodnight.
Wilson is the second first-time winner in a row after Luca Brecel’s triumph last year – and he’s up to No 3 in the world rankings, bumping the Belgian down to No 4. There’s also a new world No 1, in the shape of Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.
Provisional world top 16: 1) Mark Allen, 2) Judd Trump, 3) Kyren Wilson, 4) Luca Brecel, 5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Selby, 7) Shaun Murphy, 8) Ding Junhui, 9) Mark Williams, 10) Ali Carter, 11) Gary Wilson, 12) Zhang Anda, 13) Tom Ford, 14) Jak Jones, 15) Barry Hawkins, 16) John Higgins.
Here’s Barry Hearn to dish out the prizes – Jak Jones gets £200,000 as runner-up, while Kyren Wilson will collect £500,000, and the famous old trophy, which he kisses and holds up to the rafters. Wilson lifts his kids up on to the table as the ticker tape rains down. It’s the moment that every player who ever picked up a cue dreams about.
And now the world champion, Kyren Wilson. “Can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if I’ve lost, with Bailey dressed like that?” he says, pointing at his son in full snooker garb, lounging on his dad’s chair. Is Judd Trump still Bailey’s favourite player? It seems so from the lad’s reaction.
Wilson is still choked up, thanking his mum and dad – “they remortgaged their house, gave me everything to try and make this happen” – and says sorry to Jones for “my outburst at the end.” He thanks the crowd for “making this so special – I was robbed of this in the Covid final, and I’ll never forget this.” Winning it probably helps, too.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 6, 2024
2. Judd Trump
3. Dad
Kyren Wilson may be world champion but his kids keep him humble 😂#BBCSnooker pic.twitter.com/RAxk8w87TR
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Hazel Irvine, ever the unflappable pro, is straight over to the runner-up, Jak Jones. “About a month ago, I was playing my first qualifier – it’s been quite a month,” he says. “Kyren and his family really deserve this title,” he adds. “He’s got such a solid all-round game. I didn’t have much hope after going 7-0 down yesterday.”
Jones will be back next season – his run to the final means he’s into the top 16 – and he hopes it will help him kick on. He thanks his wife, dad and mum, who is here watching him live for the first time. Like many people who get undue stick on social media, he seems like a nice, down-to-earth sort of bloke.
Kyren Wilson wins the 2024 World Snooker Championship!
He led 7-0 on Sunday, and then 17-11 earlier tonight – but after an agonising 90-minute wait, watching Jak Jones claw back three frames, Kyren Wilson gets over the line! He is the world champion for the first time, and is hugging his kids on the Crucible floor.
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Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 71-4) Another missable red drops in, and as frame-ball disappears, Wilson lets out a roar of “come on!” to his coach, family and friends. The blue follows, and the title is his. He looks close to tears and pretty much abandons the break, sticking his tongue out in sheer relief.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 51-4) Another red rolled into the middle, and now Wilson stuns in the brown. His arm will weigh a ton, but the finish line is in sight …
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 46-4) Wilson knocks in the red and gets perfectly on the next off the yellow. A little nudge into the pack, and this is now a chance to win frame, match and championship – but he drifts out of position and leaves a tough pink into the middle. But he takes his time and drops it in!
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 29-4) Wilson takes on a tough long red and hits it at full tilt, rattling it in both top pockets. Jones is going for a back-double into the middle – the Higgins – but misses it and leaves it on. He holds up a hand in frustration. Has he just handed Kyren Wilson the trophy?
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Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 29-4) It’s now 90 minutes since Wilson won a frame and he’ll have to sit and wait again as Jones pots red and green. He takes on a tricky red to the middle, and hits the near jaw – but there’s nothing easy on for his opponent.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 29-0) Everything is just such hard work for Wilson now, though, and he runs into the blue off his first red. He takes on a green with the rest and rattles it in the jaws. He’s beginning to look a little deflated.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 28-0) Wilson has to play safe off the bunch, but hits the yellow and is lucky to see the cueball roll up to the cushion. Jones takes on the pot, and is so very close, but it rattles out, and it’s another opportunity for Wilson.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 28-0) Wilson knocks it in but doesn’t get on the black – the rub of the green has deserted him – but he’s on the blue, which he cuts into the middle pocket. The next red clears a path to the black, he knocks it in – but loses control of the white, and is back on nothing again!
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 14-0) Now then – Jones has missed twice when there are reds he can clearly hit; so another miss here would hand Wilson frame, match and world title. He’s not getting the trophy that easily, Jones taking a more straightforward shot this time – but he does leave a red over the pocket.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 14-0) Wilson puts Jones in bother with his next safety shot, and he misses twice, catching the pink with his second attempt. A bit of admin for Paul Collier, the referee who is overseeing his final match before retirement here tonight.
“Thank you for your commentary,” writes Val Crawford. “We are two new snooker fans following your blog from France. We can’t watch it on the telly. It is so exciting! We’re hooked. Well I am, my other half Colin is asleep.” Merci Val, et bienvenue.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 4-0) Jones takes on an ambitious plant into the middle, and misses. Wilson has a gettable pot to the middle … and misses. Jones plays safe, with the black blocking out the bottom-right corner pocket.
Wilson 17-14 Jones (Frame score: 4-0) Kyren Wilson is one frame from winning the biggest prize in his sport – yet who among us would trade places with him now? Still, Jones offers him a shot at a long red to settle his nerves – and he takes it. Can he finally set up a match-winning chance? No – an awkward black with the rest rattles in the jaws!
Jones wins the frame! Wilson 17-14 Jones The pink leaves Wilson needing snookers, and Jones makes sure by rolling the final red along the cushion. “Are we about to see something special?” asks Dennis Taylor. He’s still three frames behind, but Kyren Wilson may be starting to sweat. He has to watch Jones fluke the yellow and pot the blue in exhibition style, to boot. Frame score: 22-80
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Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 22-54) Wilson takes on a long red, misses it by some distance, and leaves an awkward chance for Jones. With the lead he has, he’ll surely go for it – and it in goes! Aside from a fly invading the table, there are no obstacles to a third straight frame for the qualifier.
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Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 22-53) He opts against taking it on – he may have not quite had the potting angle. Instead, it’s dispatched up the table, with the other red covered by the black.
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 22-53) Both players are back, and Jones escapes the snooker but leaves a tough red along the cushion. Wilson takes it on – and drains it! Nerves of steel, and he’s on the blue – but after rolling that in, he’s only on another very tricky cut …
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 16-53) Wilson isn’t on a colour, so opts to free the yellow and put the cueball behind the green. And Jones has asked for a comfort break – Wilson decides he’s also going to step out of the arena. The tension’s rising …
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 16-53) Wilson escapes quite beautifully, rolling up to the red and leaving everything safe. Jones sends the cueball back up to the baulk cushion, but allows Wilson to split the reds with his next safety shot. He does so – but then knocks the yellow safe. Jones, though, leaves him a shot-to-nothing on a long red – and Wilson pots it!
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Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 15-53) Jak Jones sees off an awkward pink to the right middle, but he still has to break up the clutch of four reds around the black – and he looks a little straight on the pink to do so. He tries a shot with power and topspin, but misses the reds – end of break, but he plays a delightful safety in behind the green.
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 15-20) And now, Jak Jones is punishing these errors – he slams in a long red and is back among the balls, albeit with the black still out of commission …
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Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 15-6) Jones escapes the snooker but leaves a red on to the middle and Wilson pounces. His turn to try and break the pack, but he leaves only one red to the middle. It’s close, but just slips out of the unforgiving pocket. Another half-chance gets away from the champion-elect …
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 9-6) Wilson rolls in a long red but has to take the black, even though it is tied up once returned to its spot. He pots a fine red into the middle but ends up behind the pink, close to the baulk cushion. A very delicate touch later, avoiding the miscue, and he has Jones thoroughly snookered.
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Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 0-6) Jones has a chance to break the bunch open off the blue, but instead clanks into the pink. End of break, and we’re into a safety battle.
Wilson 17-13 Jones (Frame score: 0-1) Jones looks far the more relaxed player now, perhaps understandably, and he gets another opening in frame 31 as Wilson misses a long red.
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Jones wins the frame! Wilson 17-13 Jones Jones comes up short with his effort along the side cushion, missing out on what would have been a very strange maximum. He started with a wild miss, got a bit of luck, and he’s now cut the cap down to four. Frame score: 0-96
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Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-96) There’s still a lot to do, with most of the remaining reds near the right middle – and he misses one chance to free a red from the cushion. He’s left a mid-range red, which he knocks in, and gets onto that awkward red off the black …
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Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-73) The first job for Jones is to make the frame safe, and he pots a ninth black to leave a frame-ball red that will require the rest. It’s in, and now he can dream …
Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-49) It won’t be at the forefront of his mind, but Jones is still on a maximum here, having racked up six reds and six blacks. A seventh red is dropped into the middle and he’s on the black again, albeit hampered slightly.
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Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-32) As Stephen Hendry points out, the balls are laid out here like a practice routine – but can Jak Jones navigate them? He opts for a tricky snick into the corner with easier reds on, but makes it and follows up with the black.
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Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-8) Wilson is forced to play safe and leaves Jones only a tricky long red – which he drains, and cannons into position on the black! Now, he’s the man in amongst the balls with a chance to build a lead …
Wilson 17-12 Jones (Frame score: 0-0) Wilson misses a tentative long-range cut, leaving a red on for Jones. He has to power it in to get position, but gets nowhere near, clattering into the pack … but somehow leaving not a single red on.
The players are back out. Can Kyren Wilson get the frame he needs straight away, or does this final have another twist in it?
Ryan Day has won the shot of the championship for a cue-bending screw shot against Barry Hawkins. Fair play to him, but for me it had to be that John Higgins double to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat against Mark Allen.
“It’s a pretty intriguing watch this final … mainly because it’s so bad,” writes Andrew Harper. “It’s got to be up there as one of the worst quality finals in Crucible history. Ridiculous amount of unforced errors from both players throughout the match.”
True, although that’s perhaps to be expected when you have a favourite trying to win his first title, against an outsider who has never been in a match of this magnitude. And as previous years have shown, even the best players can melt into a sorry, pub-league level puddle in this arena.
Mid-session interval: Kyren Wilson is in his dressing room, eating fruit, drinking coffee and chatting to a guy who looks like he’s come dressed as David Brent. Time for some music; we’ll be back soon to see if and when Wilson can get the job done.
Jones wins the frame! Wilson 17-12 Jones All about whether Jak Jones can clear up from here. He can’t, missing on the blue – but the job’s done and we’ll have a mid-session interval at least. Not that Jones realises it – he goes back to his chair, breaking into a grin when he realises his mistake. Frame score: 8-88
Wilson 17-11 Jones (Frame score: 8-68) Jones splits the reds with gusto and has the frame at his mercy now. He rattles in an edgy blue, but otherwise holds it together and a routine red gets him over the line …
Wilson 17-11 Jones (Frame score: 8-38) Jones goes for broke, taking on a very tricky red to the middle pocket. And he pots it! Wow. He’s missed about 12 easier shots than that tonight. But no matter – he’s got a second chance to win the frame here.
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Wilson 17-11 Jones (Frame score: 8-21) Could that be Jones’ last mistake of this final? Wilson has a routine red, then the black – but then he runs aground and has to feather the cueball down to the bottom cushion.
Wilson 17-11 Jones (Frame score: 0-21) It’s worth remembering that Jak Jones lost the first seven frames of this final; from that point, he’s leading 11-10. But now we see a key reason why he hasn’t cut any further into the deficit – he takes his eye off a pot on the black and it rattles in the jaws!
Wilson 17-11 Jones (Frame score: 0-12) Wilson misses a gettable cut to the middle, and goes in-off. Can Jones punish him? He’s off to a good start, punching in a long red and holding for the black …
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Steve Davis described that as a “nightmare frame for both players” – both had chances to win, both thought they had lost it, and both made bizarre, hare-brained errors. It feels a lot closer than it now is; Wilson needs one more, and Jones can hope only to get to the mid-session interval from here.
Wilson wins the frame! Wilson 17-11 Jones Wilson breaks off and sits the black nicely on the cushion. Jones goes for the low-risk double, missing but leaving it safe. Wilson then makes a mess of his attempted safety, and Jones has a straight pot on the black. Huge chance … but it climbs out of the jaws! An exchange of safeties, and then Wilson plays the black off two cushions, and watches it roll into the bottom corner! A crazy fluke, and Kyren Wilson has one hand on the trophy. Frame score: 80-73
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Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 73-73) Jones goes slightly awry on the brown, having to play round the table – but he gets it done, pots blue and pink, and now has to rattle this black along the rail. He plays it slowly, which is brave in the circumstances, and pots it! A respotted black it is …
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 73-55) It’s the kind of pot Jones has been missing – but not this time! And he gets on the green – we could be on for a respotted black here …
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 73-46) Is Wilson hedging his bets here? A tentative effort at the yellow never looks like going in, but he does push pink and black towards the cushion. Wilson then gets out of a snooker with swerve, but leaves a tricky yellow along the bottom cushion for Jones …
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 73-46) Wilson gets Jones snookered, albeit with a one-cushion escape – but he misses the yellow! Foul and a miss, but he does the business at the second time of asking. Hang on – WTCBG?! – Jones goes in-off the yellow on his next attempt, and now can only tie the frame.
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 65-46) That was a nervy mistake from Wilson, and he has to clatter the baulk colours to escape. He leaves Jones a gettable long-range yellow … and it rattles in the merciless jaws of the corner pocket.
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 65-46) Wilson quickly clears the reds and sets up a shot on the blue that gives an angle to get on the yellow … but he overhits, and its snookered behind the brown!
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 37-46) In the words of Mitchell and Webb, ohhhhh, that’s a bad miss. Jones passes up the tricky red for a more open option – but he tries to play it with side to get on the black, and misses the pot. This is gift-wrapped for Wilson now …
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 37-41) Jones stays on track with a delicate red to the middle – his biggest remaining obstacle now is the red glued to the pink and blocking the right corner pocket. He has an angle on the blue to get it out of the way …
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 37-26) That’s the Crucible for you – Wilson was about six pots away from ending the match at a contest, but the floor went from under him, and he has to sit and watch Jones eagerly eating into his lead.
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 37-6) Wilson is able to loosen the pack of reds and appears set for a frame-winning total – but he goes for a red next to the pink and catches the latter first, conceding a foul and leaving Jones in the balls. That was a bizarre error.
Wilson 16-11 Jones (Frame score: 1-0) Jones leaves a half-chance for Wilson with a long, straight-ish red – and he nails the pot. He gets position, too, so this is a very quick opportunity after letting the last frame slip …
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That is Jones’ third century of the tournament – Wilson has racked up eight. The total in the 2024 event is now 62, which will be the lowest since 2014.
Jones wins the frame! Wilson 16-11 Jones This would be Jones’ first century of the final, and after getting on to the yellow off the black, he hoovers up the colours off their spots. Frame score: 16-105 (Jones 105 break)
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 16-63) Jones pots red and blue, and another red sunk with the rest makes the frame safe. Now to try and bag a century …
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 16-56) A brief moment of panic as the cueball just squeezes past the red, but Jones is otherwise looking good here. Red and a colour required …
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 16-20) Jones flicks a long red in off the black, tidies up the blue Wilson left in the jaws, and recovers from another iffy positional shot with a clinical cut on the pink to the bottom-left corner. This is now a presentable chance – but can he find his rhythm?
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 16-0) It looks like Wilson is poised to make hay here, but on the next red he cannons into the black, pushing it near the pocket but with a red blocking his path. Time to play safe? No, he tries a slow roll of the blue towards the top left, and comes up just short. A chance for Jones, although the balls aren’t ideally situated for a big break.
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 15-0) Jones aims for a shot-to-nothing into the left corner, but instead glances off the pack – it looks like he’s been lucky this time, though, with nothing easy on for his opponent. Wilson opts to take on a risky plant, using the freedom a six-frame cushion provides – and he makes it!
Wilson 16-10 Jones (Frame score: 11-0) Wilson misses a speculative shot on a red but benefits from an almighty fluke. When it’s your night, and all that. A poor positional shot off the blue swiftly ends the break, but he has Jones on the rack with a perfect safety, the cueball in the jaws behind the green.
Wilson 16-10 Jones Both players head out for a break after a testing opener – one that Jones really had to win. In the last three frames, he’s had half-chances and failed to build on them – had he even won two of the three, this would be a very different game.
Kyren Wilson wins the frame! Wilson 16-10 Jones Wilson downs the brown, drops the yellow into the middle and brings out the rest to pot the green. That leaves Jones needing snookers and Wilson’s lead is insurmountable by the time he jaws a wafer-thin cut on the blue. Frame score: 67-35
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Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 54-35) Jones hits the red but leaves it on, Wilson dispatching it into the top right corner. It’s his frame to lose now …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 53-35) Wilson gets out of a tricky snooker and lands Jones in one. It requires a hit of side – and Jones misjudges it, missing the red altogether. Wilson will put him back in, as the red isn’t on for him, and this will take a little work with the monitor for the referee.
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 49-35) Jones gets the snooker but Wilson is able to escape via a single cushion, although he leaves a tempter for his opponent. It’s a tricky one, the red a long way from cueball and pocket, and he misses by a distance. It’s not left on for Wilson, though, so back to safety play we go …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 49-35) Wilson plays an attacking shot, potting one red and moving another off the cushion – but he’s unlucky, as it rebounds to an unpottable position near the middle pocket. He tries again to free it off the blue, but no dice, and he has to call time on the break. One red and the colours remain …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 35-35) An opening red, and a black that nudges another red into play, and Wilson looks well set here. How are the nerves? One overhit black wipes its feet before dropping, but he quickly cancels out Jones’ hard-earned lead …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 5-35) The problem for Jones is that he is making hard work of these breaks – this time, an imperfect setup shot leaves a tricky pink, which he pushes wide of the middle pocket. Three chances, just 35 points, and now Wilson will get a go …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 5-34) Wilson plays a hit-and-hope, almost flukes a red and then catches the middle pocket jaw with the cueball. It leaves a mid-range, missable red for Jones – and he drains it. Lovely shot, and he follows up with the yellow – although we do get our first Where’s The Cueball Going?! (WTCBG?!) of the night from John Virgo.
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Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 5-26) Wilson has turned down a couple of pots already; surprising, considering that Jones is not a master break-builder. Safety battles are the Welshman’s forte, and he demonstrates that with a superb shot, tying Wilson up behind the yellow.
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 5-26) Jones goes for a tricky-ish long red but rattles it, and Wilson pounces with a cut to the middle pocket. He leaves a tricky shot on the black along the rail, though, and decides to play safe.
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 4-26) Jones doesn’t make the most of it, potting the pink but running out of position. He opens the pack of reds while playing safe, and there’s now a battle to try and get in behind that black, perched a few inches off the top cushion.
Wilson 15-10 Jones (Frame score: 4-19) Wilson’s skittish safety attempt kisses the black, leaving a tempter of a red over the right corner pocket. How is Jak Jones’ arm? Well, he nails the pot and follows up with the blue into the top-right. Another chance here …
Wilson 15-10 Jones (4-13) Jones comes up a half-inch short with his escape; Wilson sizes up an awkward pot to the middle, then decides to put Jones back in. This time, he nails the safety – perhaps Wilson should have gone for the pot.
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Wilson 15-10 Jones (0-13) Jones tries to screw back off the black but ends up rattling the jaws! The pink comes to his rescue, though, and Wilson has to play safe. Which he does, getting the cueball in behind the very black ball Jones just missed.
Wilson 15-10 Jones (0-12) It’s Jak Jones who will get the first chance of the night, with Wilson leaving a red on to the middle. It’s snicked into the pocket, and Jones gets position off the green. Or does he? A bit o’ swerve gets him out of trouble on the red, and this is a decent chance now …
Here come the players! First, Jak Jones to the strains of the Stereophonics; followed by Kyren Wilson, who walks out to a Chase and Status track. Let’s do this!
The Beeb kicks off their coverage with a rapper, summarising the players’ strengths and tournament journeys in a broad Yorkshire brogue. Hey, you’ve got to try new things. Steve Davis and John Parrott then cue us up with a more traditional recap of the day’s play so far. Oof, that missed yellow in frame 25 will surely haunt Jak Jones.
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On BBC Two, Marcus Wareing has just served up his tomato tart with peppermint salad, which means we’ll be joining Hazel and the team in Sheffield very soon. It’s a May Bank Holiday tradition – but will we ever see drama and agony like 1994 again?
It feels like there are two possible scenarios tonight: either Wilson, buoyed by grabbing that last frame of the afternoon, will quickly reel off the three frames he needs; or Jones will be able to drag out the battle, in which we could be in for a late one. The qualifier really needs at least three of the first four frames to make this interesting, though.
Welcome back
Play resumes in about 45 minutes at the Crucible Theatre, where Kyren Wilson has a five-frame lead over Jak Jones and needs just three more frames to secure his first world title.
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We’re about two hours away from the evening session at the Crucible – so why not have a go at our quiz, or read Aaron Bower’s take on the world championship’s future?
Wilson 15-10 Jones – match resumes tonight at 7pm. “Kyren might have dodged a few bullets there,” says Steve Davis as the session ends 4-4. You can say that again. The Crucible pressure is weighing heavily on both players and it’s looking as if Wilson’s early 7-0 lead will ultimately prove the stretch of play that decides the match. Wilson needs three, Jones eight. That’s it from me today. Niall McVeigh will take you through the final knockings tonight – he’ll be on about 6.30pm-ish – while I sit back and watch and feel all sad that’s it all over for another year. At least they don’t play the 12” version of the original title music (“Drag Racer”) anymore. That always took me over the edge.
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Wilson 15-10 Jones Jones dislodges the tricky red but at the expense of position on his next colour. The yellow has strayed into the middle of the table and that’s the one he goes for. This is a must-pot but he misses! A massive mistake in the context of the match and Wilson now has the frame at his mercy. He takes it to walk out of the arena with a mixture of relief and anticipation that he’s now just three frames away from being world champion. Jones, quite frankly, looks knackered and from her carefully compiled book of stats, Hazel Irvine tells us that Jones has spent 53 hours in action at this world championship, 22 hours more than Wilson. It’s telling.
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Wilson 14-10 Jones (54-8) Wilson’s thin cut when playing a pot with safety fully in mind knocks a red near the corner pocket. Jones shows great guts to drive it in and, by a fraction, stays on the black. But then an unforgivable mistake as he misses the back off its spot. One of those ones where the director knows he’ll now have guaranteed footage of the player slumped in his chair, shaking his head. Jones obliges with the money shot. Wilson adds 22 to move 54-2 up but, showing his own nerves, hits a red too hard and there’s still enough for Jones to win the frame. “A huge visit to the table,” says Hendry. He’s right. There are three more loose reds but one troublesome one on the cushion.
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Wilson 14-10 Jones (32-1) After a brief safety exchange, Jones is left another long red and, as has been the case too often, he’s not even close to potting it. And this time he played the red with stun so Wilson is left bang in the balls. A quick note on the average frame time: 16 minutes, 25 seconds. That gets Hendry’s approval; he never liked to hang about. But you also sense it doesn’t help Jones who thrives better in a more grinding contest. Back at the table, Wilson runs to 32 but then misses a red into the middle bag. The upside: he’s left nothing easy.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (0-1) This final frame of the session is huge. If Kyren wins it, he gets out of it 4-4 and his five-frame advantage stays intact. Jones, you feel, has to narrow the gap to three going into tonight. The magnitude of this closer seems apparent as Wilson plays safe rather than going for an opener he would surely have attempted at the start of the session. Jones takes the long red on though, cueing it beautifully but almost too well as he screws the white right back down the table to the baulk cushion. Jones plays safe off the yellow to return the white to its starting point.
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Wilson 14-10 Jones The power of staying the right side of the blue. Wilson does a great job, making it easy for himself and eventually gets on the strayed pink to put the frame out of reach. He builds further confidence by potting a couple of awkward ones before eventually getting back in prime position to clear the colours. He completes the job, knocking the black into the middle for a break of 87 and a four-frame advantage again. “A class break,” says John Parrott.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (43-1) Who wants this frame?! Jones misses from mid-distance (again!) and Wilson now has the chance to go at these 10 remaining scattered reds. The black is tied up and the pink near the bottom cushion so it’s not straightforward. Blues will have to do for now and Wilson does a good job of getting on the right side each time as he builds his lead to 42 with 75 remaining.
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Wilson 13-10 Jones (19-1) Wilson needs to address this slide and he starts the 24th frame by knocking in a confident mid-range red to the bottom right corner pocket. The pink’s spot is taken so it has to be carefully placed at the bottom of the pyramid of reds. Wilson has a chance to dislodge it with a blue to middle but the cannon doesn’t move much. At first glance, he has a red to corner but, to the surprise of Virgo and Hendry, it doesn’t go and Wilson retreats to baulk. And then… a huge stroke of luck for Jones who flukes a red via a rather bungled safety attempt. He’ll need to follow it up with a tricky, long blue to fully cash in but, nope, it misses by a distance and he’s left Kyren with one over the pocket. Wilson takes it but then misses the pink. Nervy, nervy stuff!
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Wilson 13-10 Jones Correction, we have two more frames to play this afternoon. Thanks Hazel Irvine for putting me right. I’m getting excited.
Wilson 13-10 Jones A penny for Kyren Wilson’s thoughts now. Jones has won 10 of the last 16 frames and has all the momentum. One more frame to go in the afternoon and Jones could close Wilson’s overall lead to just two frames. “He’s done himself absolutely proud,” says John Parrott of Jones, likening his tenacity and ability to “play the right shot at the right time” to Mark Selby and John Higgins. High praise.
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Wilson 13-10 Jones Jones has to pause as referee Paul Collier whispers that an audience member has been taken ill. Let’s hope they’re okay. Play resumes quickly. Jones gets a big stroke of fortune as his attempted cannon off the blue into the pink and two reds nicks off another red which he leaves on. He takes advantage, knocking one of the final three reds into the centre pocket and rolling in a black off its spot to move 45 ahead with 43 remaining. He drills the penultimate red into the opposite middle pocket for added insurance and the gap is just three. Well, well, well!
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Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-45) Wouldn’t you know it, Wilson breaks down straight away, his red across the table to left middle catching the far jaw. This is becoming a bit of a grind for the man in front. Jones is in. In commentary, Stephen Hendry makes the point that in frames when Wilson doesn’t make a one-visit kill, Jones is very good at mopping up the scrappy frames. Despite a little positional scare on the pink, Jones is building a nice lead in this one.
Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-1) A much better break off from Jak Jones this time as he leaves the white almost on the baulk cushion. Wilson thinks he may have spotted a plant but he hits the first red far too thick and leaves Jones a mid-range starter. The Welshman pots it but then misses a straight blue into baulk. Far from a sitter but he has to pot balls like those and, unusually for one so placid, he shows his frustration with a bit of a frustrated cue wave. A graphic shows Wilson’s pot success has dropped each session: 94%-87%-84%. A chance here to get it back up again as he opens the pack off the black to go 22-1 up.
Wilson 13-9 Jones Jones doesn’t convince when in the balls, leaving the impression that something a little loose/costly is always around the corner. But there aren’t any obvious crisis points in this break and he negotiates the final reds nicely enough to put the frame to bed. Past the winning line, the confidence starts to flow and, with his arm loose, he knocks in a 90 (missing the final black) to match his best break of the final so far. Fact: Jones has now taken nine of the last 15 frames. He’s still in this. Frame score: 23-105 (90).
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Wilson 13-8 Jones (23-30) Wilson makes a mess of his opportunity too, only getting 23-15 up before breaking down with a poor positional shot and missed cut on the black. Jones pots a red fairly close to the side rail and has five or six more easy reds to go at. Surely he’ll cash in better this time.
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Wilson 13-8 Jones (14-15) Wilson blinks first in the safety battle and Jones gets first look. But coming off two cushions when potting black into middle, he lands on nothing and has to retreat to the long grass. It’s a 14-0 lead but not much. A twist from John Virgo as he shrieks “where’s the pink ball going” as the sphere with a six-point value is inadvertently knocked into the middle by Jones. But Wilson makes a mess of his next safety and Jones has another opportunity. The pink takes centre stage again. Will it pass into the corner pocket? He eyes it up several times but hits right across the white and misses by the proverbial country mile. The baton passes to Wilson who has everything out in the open.
Wilson 13-8 Jones Wilson breaks off in frame No.22, leaving Jones a long ‘un. It rattles but stays out although the black comes to the Welshman’s rescue as it stops Wilson having an easy starter. Time for a bit of safety.
Simon McMahon writes: “Afternoon David. Wilson will feel a lot better at the mid session interval after those last two frames. Jones I think realistically needs to win three of the next four if he’s to have any chance tonight. Otherwise I fear we’re looking at an early finish, and maybe some time to fill on the BBC schedule with reruns of some classic Pot Black?” Ah, that title music!
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Good point this. Wilson seems to have the ideal temperament to push on for another.
If (when)Kyren wins thus and becomes World Champion, I don't think he'll struggle with the expectations next season like Luca did. I think he could thrive and have his best season yet. And he'll be determined to beat the Cruicble curse.
— Lorenzo (@InTheBalls147) May 5, 2024
I’ll take a break too. In the meantime, a shout out for two of my favourite snooker podcasts: the Snooker Scene podcast by Dave Hendon and Talking Snooker featuring Nick Metcalfe and Phil Haigh. Available at the usual places and a cracking weekly listen.
Secret BBC cameras show Wilson eating some sort of healthy snack in his dressing room as brother Taylor gives him a pep talk. Jak Jones was reported to be on his own backstage earlier in the tournament which is some nice cockney rhyming slang-based nominative determinism.
Wilson 13-8 Jones Wilson perhaps doesn’t yet have the swagger of that opening session but there’s definitely more of a positive spring in his stride and stroke. On 55, he pauses (with a smile) to ask a spectator to remain still and then knocks a red into the middle bag. All this has come from Jones hitting the blue full in the face from his break-off. A black goes in and that’ll be the frame. There’s no century this time as he misses a red on 83 but the gap is back to five and Jones’ mini-comback has been repelled. The session is shared 2-2 and that was probably what Wilson had in mind. Jones remains at arm’s length. Frame score: 83 (83)-0.
Wilson 12-8 Jones (33-0) Jones winning the opening two frames today means we’re guaranteed a final session although how long it lasts remains to be seen. And Jones’ hopes aren’t helped by a terrible break-off – perhaps not aided by a spectator wandering back in and catching his eye – which leaves Wilson with a fairly easy opener. Kyren takes it and he’s now starting to punch his shots into the back of the pocket with more authority. The sound is different. On 20, he opts to pot the black and swerve into the pack. It’s not a perfect split but he has one on and the break continues.
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Wilson 12-8 Jones Wilson builds his lead to 67-7, knocking the final red into play to give himself hope of a total clearance. But he misses a cut on the yellow and the break ends at 50. No matter, the frame is won and he edges a frame closer to the finishing line. Six more and he will be world champion. Frame score: 67-7 (50)
Wilson 11-8 Jones (55-7) Wilson goes 41-7 in front and plays for the black which he left on the top cushion a few minutes earlier. It’s not without risk but he knocks it in and everything is on now with the black back on its spot. A chance here to knock in a sizeable break and get that margin back to four.
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Wilson 11-8 Jones (34-7) Jones lays a good safety behind the brown and with Wilson’s attempt to escape a little heavy, the white hasn’t nestled in the pack. Jones can cut a red in here with some help from the rest and he does so. He trickles in the blue but then rather butchers a red and Wilson is in position to cash in. A punched blue into the top-left baulk pocket is a real nerve-settler and there’s plenty of low-hanging fruit here if Kyren keeps his focus.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (17-0) Some BBC graphics show Wilson ahead on pot success and positional success but Jones leading the safety stats. Average shot time: Wilson 22 seconds, Jones 25. All fairly guessable really if you’ve been tuned in over the last fornight. Wilson is the far more accomplished break builder but Neil Robertson said earlier this week that he ranked Jones as one of the top five or six safety players in the game. Some claim. Back at the table, Wilson plays a blue into middle with a ton of running left-hand side to move 17-0 but can’t land one of the five or six loose-ish reds. He plays safe again but, surprisingly, knocks the black onto the top cushion as he does so. Surely it’s in his interests to keep the table open.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (5-0) Wilson wanders out of the arena, perhaps to splash some water on his face and look in the mirror. He’s still in the box seat but a three-frame lead is into the realms of making him feel vulnerable. But he makes the first move in frame 20, attaching a mini-cue extension and knocking in a longish red. The brown brings him back towards a fairly tight pack and, with nothing on, he has to play safe.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (0-48) It’s not exactly a masterclass of break-building with the odd ball wobbling in and position often leaving plenty to be desired. On 53, Jones so nearly goes in-off into the middle which would have been totally unncessary. But he battles on, knocks in a red with a rest to go 67-0 ahead and that break of 59 is enough to seal the frame. 11-8!
Frame score: 0-67 (59)
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Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-41) Tight against the top cushion, Jones knocks a do-or-die red into left middle. Great courage. He can now reap the rewards with so many reds out in the open. Perhaps it’s not as straightforward as it seems with the four reds around the pink covering each other but he plays a lovely little cannon into the cluster and everything is on now. Jones is bang in the balls and takes his break to 33 and counting. A BBC graphic shows he’s had 69% of the table time so far. Wilson looks pensive in his chair. The gap could be down to three very soon.
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Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-8) Referee Paul Collier racks up the balls again and announces “19th frame”. Not the greatest break-off from Jones and he leaves a thin one into left-middle but Wilson undercuts it and the white runs into the loose-running red as it journeys back down the table. It leaves Jones in with the first chance of the frame. He pots an opening red before Collier has to clear a bug from the table. Ken Doherty makes a joke about it coming from Dennis Taylor’s rarely-opened wallet and the crowd, all with earpieces in listening to the BBC commentary, lap that old classic up. Jones isn’t laughing shortly after though as, on 8, he misses an easy red. But no opening emerges and we’re into cat-and-mouse tapping into the pack territory with four reds in baulk and another two out in the open. Kyren finally whacks them open but screws back to the top cushion. One mistake here and their opponent is in.
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Wilson 11-7 Jones Jones adds the yellow to leave Wilson needing three four-point snookers but the Englishman plays on. Wilson takes green and blue but any attempts to to put Jones in trouble fall short and the Welshman knocks in a blue from distance to close the frame out. Job done. A break of 64, some confident pots and the gap is down to four. Frame score: 39-72 (64)
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Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-65) Jones has the white under control and just needs the final red fairly close to the left-side cushion to leave Wilson leading snookers. With full concentration, he rather wobbles it in although forgets about position and a missed length-of-the-table pink leaves his advantage at 33 with just 27 left. Memories of last night maybe when Wilson won the closing frame from this kind of position. Jones’ 64 break is certainly a settler and he’s in prime position to cut the gap to four.
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Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-43) One obvious difference between these two is scoring when in the balls. Wilson has knocked in four centuries in the final so far but Jones hasn’t managed a single ton. The Welshman has only reached triple figures twice all tournament which backs up the idea that a century looks good, elicits much applause but only wins you a single frame. Jones isn’t exactly in full control but he’s ahead in this opener and still going with his break now on 42.
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Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-2) Wilson takes the easy red over the middle pocket and screws back for black. Four reds and blacks follow but, on 32, he falls out of position when trying to nudge the pack open and has to take his medicine and play safe. It’s rather careless, rolling into the yellow, and leaves Jones a thin red which he knocks in. He’s on a baulk colour too.
Wilson 11-6 Jones Wilson’s break off has left one sticking out down the right and Jones punches it home with aplomb. Great start. But it leaves him with a mid-length blue to the top-right baulk pocket and it wobbles in and out. Kyren is in and has some loose reds to work with.
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A surprise from Kyren Wilson as he comes out to Completely and Utterly by The Chesterfields. Not really. According to the walk-on music thread I’ve found, it’s Chase & Status.
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Rob Walker is suited and booted too. No doubt he’s run a 10k this morning. Here comes Jak Jones to the strains of The Stereophonics.
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We’re close. Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis – 13 world titles between them and looking rather smart – give their thoughts to Hazel Irvine. Rob Walker will be working the room shortly and bringing on the players.
Can you win having been 7-0 down in a world championship final? John Parrott burst into a 7-0 lead over Jimmy White in 1991 and prevailed 18-11 which suggests no. And yet we all know what happened in 1985. Dennis Taylor was actually 8-0 behind against Steve Davis before Ted Lowe’s “nooo” on The Nugget’s cut-back black in that famous decider which allowed Dennis and his giant spectacles to erupt in stamping, finger-wagging euphoria.
The clock ticks down for this third session of four. Well, hopefully four if you want some green baize entertainment this evening. At 11-6 up, Wilson can be crowned world champion this afternoon if he wins seven of the eight frames. Unlikely, although he did just that yesterday afternoon.
Preamble
For the second year running, a new name will be engraved on the world championship trophy later today. Twelve months ago, carefree Belgian potter Luca Brecel struck a blow for Continental Europe but this time the winner will come from two of the game’s dominant forces: England and Wales. From John Spencer (1977) and Ray Reardon (1978), the winners of the first two editions at the Crucible, English and Welsh players have peppered us with iconic memories at the world championship. Those multiple victories for Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis and Mark Selby, Jimmy White’s continuous heartbreak, Reardon’s asides to the crowd, Doug Mountjoy’s frilly red shirts, Terry Griffiths’ revelation that “I’m in the final now, you know” before winning as a qualifier…
Ah, yes, winning as a qualifier. That’s what Jak Jones is also trying to achieve this week after a gutsy run to the final that took him past Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui, Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham, the latter two both former world champions. It seemed as if Jones had woken up during a bad dream when England’s Kyren Wilson opened with a century and raced into an eyepopping 7-0 lead on day one. But if there’s one thing we know about Jones it’s that he doesn’t lie down easily. From an ironic raised fist to the crowd after putting his first frame on the board, the 30-year-old from Cwmbran won the second session 5-4 to limit Wilson’s overnight lead to 11-6.
That doesn’t tell the whole story though. Jones looked on the brink of hitting his pillow at just 10-7 down when compiling a 64 break in the final frame of the day, leaving Wilson needing a snooker. But the Englishman found one, won a dramatic black-ball safety exchange and ensured the gap was five.
Wilson, beaten by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2020 final, is the red-hot favourite to claim the title from here but Jones isn’t the type to roll over. Can he continue the fightback in today’s afternoon session? We’ll soon find out!
