Jak Jones won the first professional title of his career, coming from 2-1 down to beat David Gilbert 3-2 in the final of the BetVictor Championship League, the first ranking event of the new season.
Welshman Jones earns £33,000 as well as a place in the Champion of Champions in November, but most importantly lifts a trophy for the first time since he turned pro in 2010. He had to top the table three times in the group phases of the 21-day tournament to reach the final in Leicester, then edged out Gilbert in a tense battle.
Jones made a huge breakthrough in 2024 when he reached his first ranking final at the World Championship, beaten by Kyren Wilson at the Crucible. He struggled to reach the same heights over the next two years and suffered a low point last season when he broke his hand by punching the table in frustration during a practice session.
But the 32-year-old can now celebrate his first silverware. “It feels unreal, I was more nervous tonight than I was in the world final,” said the player from Cwmbran. “It’s a monkey off my back and good to get that out of the way. It’s great for my wife and son who support me. And my parents have spent 15 years watching me lose, so it’s nice to win one for them.”
Gilbert, who won this event in 2021, took the opening frame of the final with a break of 104, before Jones levelled with a run of 64. Frame three went Gilbert’s way thanks to a break of 66 and he looked to have the advantage early in frame four when his opponent was trapped in a tough snooker, but Jones executed an incredible escape to hit the brown off four cushions, leaving the table safe. He later made an 86 for 2-2.
First opportunity of the decider went to Gilbert but he made just 11 before missing a red with the rest. Jones replied with 55 then a pink to centre hit the near jaw, but Gilbert’s hopes ended when he rattled another red in the jaws of a top corner, handing Jones the chance to add 14 for victory.
In the group phase, Jones opened with a 3-0 win over Hossein Vafaei with a top break of 116, then drew 2-2 with Zhang Anda. He sealed top spot in the group with a 3-0 victory over Dylan Emery, firing runs of 70 and 87.
Gilbert top scored with 104 and 101 in a 3-1 defeat of Lei Peifan then made 102 and 82 as he drew 2-2 with Elliot Slessor. He wrapped up the group by beating Noppon Saengkham 3-1, finishing with a superb 140.
I’m very happy for Jak Jones and his family … because he hasn’t got it easy and neither have they.
Here are some facts about Jak that will explain what I mean … Jak has nine siblings, one sister and eight brothers. His parents Colin and Debbie have made huge sacrifices to help him reach the pinnacle of his sport of choice. His dad has travelled the globe to watch him play. I remember him, at PTCs, always supportive and present for his son. His mum is a huge supporter as well, but she gets very nervous when he competes and can’t watch … so she prefers to stay away from the venues. The family certainly isn’t rich, but they are proud Welsh and, even when he was a kid, Jak’s snooker attire was always elegant. I remember one waistcoat in particular, a dark blue satin one, featuring tiny yellow stars … it was like he was wearing a bright and mysterious summer night …
This title may not be the most prestigious one, but it’a a ranking title and Jak will be invited at this season Champion of Champions. He will probably get better/additional sponsoring too. As I wrote above, I’m very happy for him and his family.
