After three days of hard battle, we have our 2024 Crucible finalists: Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones. This is certainly a line-up not many would have expected but it is a really interesting one and we will have a new name on the trophy no matter who wins tomorrow night. This is the first time in the last 10 years that the final of the World Championship features two finalists who have never won it before, and it’s only the second time in the last 10 years that both finalists are under 35 years old. This has to be good news for the sport. Here is how they got there as reported by WST:

Kyren Wilson 17-11 David Gilbert

WILSON THROUGH TO SECOND CRUCIBLE FINAL

Kyren Wilson moved a step closer to fulfilling his dream of winning snooker’s greatest prize as he beat David Gilbert 17-11 in the semi-finals of the Cazoo World Championship.

World number 12 Wilson pulled away from 9-9 to take eight of the last ten frames to reach the Crucible final for the second time. Four years ago he was denied the trophy by Ronnie O’Sullivan, losing 18-8, but this time the Warrior will start favourite against either Stuart Bingham or Jak Jones. First to 18 frames on Monday will take the £500,000 top prize.

The 2020 final was played during the Covid pandemic, with limited crowds, so this will be a different atmosphere. “I can’t wait,” said Wilson. “It’s what you dream of, to play in the Crucible final with a packed crowd. I’ll try to soak it all in because you never know if you’ll get another chance. It will be a fairy tale ending for whoever wins.”

Kettering’s 32-year-old Wilson hopes to become the 23rd player to win the title at the Crucible, and he would be the lowest seeded winner since Graeme Dott, then ranked 14th, took the silverware in 2006. He will be playing in his 14th ranking final, and looking for a sixth title, his most recent coming at the 2022 European Masters. Wilson had shown only glimpses of his best form this season before arriving in Sheffield, with just one ranking semi-final appearance, but since round one has looked the best player in the field, knocking out Dominic Dale 10-1, Joe O’Connor 13-6, John Higgins 13-8 and now Gilbert.

Tamworth’s Gilbert may look back on the 20th frame on Friday night as a turning point, as he missed the yellow and the brown when he had chances for 10-10. This is his second Crucible semi-final defeat, having lost 17-16 to John Higgins in 2019. Today’s result also ends his hopes of climbing into the world’s top 16 – Gilbert will finish the season 21st and Higgins will hang on to his place among the elite. 

Wilson was on 25 in the opening frame today when he overcut the black to a top corner, and Gilbert stepped in with 70 to draw within three frames and raise his hopes of a fight-back at 14-11. Wilson took control of the next with a run of 47, and though Gilbert took it to the colours, he made a safety error on the yellow which handed his opponent the chance to regain his four-frame cushion.

Gilbert had a scoring chance in frame 27 but made just 10 before rattling a red in the jaws of a top corner, and Wilson’s 54 helped him to the brink of victory at 16-11. Battling to stay afloat, Gilbert made 49 in the next before over-cutting a tricky mid-range red, and Wilson clinched the result in style with a superb 67 clearance.

“Dave cued the ball very sweetly for the first two sessions,” added Wilson after his fourth Crucible semi-final. “I stayed mentally strong and didn’t panic. It’s a long tournament and he had been through the qualfying rounds, so maybe on Friday night that caught up with him, he missed a few and I knew I had to take advantage at that stage. I have had some big defeats here and have tried to learn from those and become a better player. I feel I can handle any situation now.  

“You can arrive at the Crucible with no form, and find it here. Before the event I had a holiday in Portugal with the family, then had two weeks practice, so I came here fresh. Perhaps some of the top players who have had great seasons had gone stale.“

Gilbert said: “I lost it last night, I lost my way with my cueing and alignment and sliced a couple. I couldn’t believe some of the shots I hit. I feel as if I could have won 17-11 instead of lost. Kyren looked confident but I kept landing awkward and he had a fair bit of luck. It was brilliant to be out there. The reception we had, you can’t buy that and it makes you feel special. I wanted to be part of the game today and make it hard for him, but I was too far behind.

“It will be great for Kyren and his family if he wins it, good luck to him. I don’t want to go missing now for another couple of years so I’ll be back to the practice table soon.“

Nice words from David Gilbert there.

The “underline” part is my doing. It’s an interesting point raised by Kyren. Ronnie and Judd both won five titles during the season – Ronnie in particular had won the other two “triple crown” events – but neither was able to find top form here. I don’t think it was about pressure. Snooker is very demanding, mentally and emotionally. Ronnie was visibly “on edge” emotionally during the QFs, Judd looked totally flat and devoid of energy at the same stage.

Jak Jones 17-12 Stuart Bingham

JONES BEATS BINGHAM TO CONTINUE EPIC RUN

Jak Jones, a 200-1 outsider at the start of the tournament, beat Stuart Bingham 17-12 at the Cazoo World Championship to become the ninth qualifier ever to reach the Crucible final.

Welshman Jones, seemingly unfazed by his extraordinary run, came from 9-8 down to win nine of the last 12 frames to reach the final of a ranking event for the first time in his career. Arguably the most unlikely finalist in Crucible history, he will meet Kyren Wilson over 35 frames on Sunday and Monday for the trophy and £500,000 top prize. The world number 44 is the lowest ranked player to get this far since Shaun Murphy, then 48th, won the title in 2005.

And this will be the first final since 2005, when Murphy beat Matthew Stevens,  that we are sure to see a new name on the trophy. Jones, who had only previously played in one ranking event semi-final since turning pro in 2010, aims to become the 23rd player to hold the silverware at the Crucible. Already guaranteed £200,000, by far his biggest ever pay-day, the 30-year-old from Cwmbran will jump 30 places up the ranking list to 14th even if he loses the final, and will climb to number six if he wins.

He will be the sixth player from Wales to contest the final, joining Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths, Doug Mountjoy, Mark Williams and Stevens, and victory would make him only the third qualifier, after Griffiths and Murphy, to wear snooker’s most coveted crown.

Back in 2011, Wilson and Jones met for the first time, in the less glamorous surroundings of Q School. Wilson came from 3-0 down to win 4-3, and Jones was eventually relegated from the tour, not returning until 2013. His progress as a professional has been slower than he would have liked, but over the past fortnight he has shown he has the talent and temperament, and is now set for the biggest match of his life.

Bingham, the 2015 champion, misses out on the chance to become the seventh player to win the title at the Crucible more than once. Having knocked out Ronnie O’Sullivan in the previous round, his confidence could barely have been higher, but he made too many errors against Jones and the Essex man’s third Crucible semi-final ended in disappointment. 

Going into the concluding session 13-10 down, Bingham took a scrappy opening frame to close the gap, and he had chances in frame 25 but crucially missed a red to a top corner when he led 25-5 and later made a safety error on the final green which gifted Jones the chance to go 14-11 up. Bingham was on 16 in the next when he went in-off when potting the blue, and Jones responded with 65 to extend his lead.

In frame 27, Jones led 28-0 when he over-cut a tricky red to a top corner. Bingham build a 55-35 lead and trapped his opponent in a snooker with three reds left, creating the chance to close to 15-12. After the interval, Bingham was on 23 when he missed the black to a top corner, and Jones replied with 70 to go four up with five to play. And he went on to dominate frame 29 with runs of 44 and 58 to cross the line.

“It’s crazy, this was totally unexpected at the start of the event,” said Jones, who won two matches to reach the Crucible before knocking out Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui, Judd Trump and Bingham. “I don’t feel I have played that well, but my matchplay has got me through. Hopefully I’ll start playing well tomorrow. I watch the world final on TV every year, it has always been a dream to play in it and find out what an amazing occasion it is. It would mean everything to win it, but Kyren is playing as well as anyone.

“I have had so much disappointment in my career that I don’t tend to get too high when I win or low when I lose. I don’t feel that excited yet – but maybe when I get introduced into the arena tomorrow it will hit me.“

Bingham said: “I’m gutted. I gifted him so many chances. In the fourth frame I missed a blue which might have put me 4-0 up, and after that he got his teeth into the match. I must have given away eight frames. He is tough to play against, it’s hard to get a rhythm against him.“

Jak Jones is the youngest player in this final but his ways around the table are quite “old school”. He’s not ultra defensive, but he’s a quite solid all-rounder, with huge reserves of patience, and a hard match player. Neither his game, nor his temperament are suited for the short “sprint” formats that prevail in early rounds of most events nowadays which is probably why he hasn’t done “better” on tour during his career so far. Kyren has to start favourite, if only because he has been in a Crucible final before, but he will have to work hard if he is to win tomorrow. He will know that. It’s an intriguing final we have in store. Bring it on!