Kyren Wilson v Jak Jones: World Snooker Championship 2024 final – live

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!