Jak Jones wins Championship League group in dramatic circumstances on pro tour return

Welshman Jones memorably reached professional snooker’s showpiece fixture as a qualifier only several weeks ago and the 30-year-old returned to top tier action on Monday where he was making his bow as a member of the world’s top 16 rankings.

In his first professional match since that epic Crucible run, Jones went 2-0 down to recent Q School graduate and rookie Antoni Kowalski, but breaks of 54 (twice) and 70 saw him take the final two frames to grab a 2-2 draw and a share of the points.

Returning later for the evening session, the world number 14 lost the opening frame of his match to Bulcsu Revesz - another young European rookie - who fashioned a 76 break. However aided by runs of 66 and 88, Jones strung together the next three frames to win 3-1 and collect all three points.

Going into the final match of Group 8, Jones was locked on four points with opponent Jordan Brown - the only two players who could now win the group.

Breaks of 72 and 61 in the opening two frames respectively put Jones 2-0 ahead and on the path to qualification, although former Welsh Open champion Brown compiled a 54 in frame three to put the outcome in doubt.

With identical results from earlier in the day, a 2-2 result here meant that Jones and Brown would be level on points, have the same net frame difference and their head-to-head outcome would be a draw.

In order to separate the players and their positions in this situation, the player who made the highest break during the entire day’s play goes through - a unique quirk of this tournament. On that front, Jones held the advantage due to his 88 against Revesz. Jones also held the second highest break between the two which was the next differentiator in line.

Therefore, Brown not only needed to win frame four to get the draw, but he also had to make a break over 88.

In a thrilling climax, Brown potted pressure ball after pressure ball, securing the frame and getting up to an effort of 87. Just two more pots away, though, from an incredible escape act, he missed the penultimate red to fall agonisingly short, leaving Jones to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Elsewhere on day seven of the competition, European under-21 champion and rookie Robbie McGuigan got his professional career off to an ideal start as he finished top of Group 7.

The group’s top seed Tom Ford withdrew following an opening match loss to Barry Pinches, meaning the pool altered to three players. Between themselves, McGuigan, Pinches and Sanderson Lam each won and lost a match, but it was 19-year-old Northern Irishman McGuigan who advanced due to a marginally better net frame difference.

Both Jones and McGuigan qualify for the second stage (last 32) of the competition in a few weeks time.

2024 Championship League Snooker Ranking Event: Monday 17 June Results

Group 7

• (69) Tom Ford 1-3 Barry Pinches (84) - match subsequently scratched due to Ford’s withdrawal
• Sanderson Lam 0-3 Robbie McGuigan
• (83, 89) Sanderson Lam 3-1 Barry Pinches
• Tom Ford o/w Robbie McGuigan
• Robbie McGuigan 1-3 Barry Pinches
• Tom Ford o/w Sanderson Lam

Group 8

• (54, 54, 70) Jak Jones 2-2 Antoni Kowalski
• (59) Jordan Brown 3-1 Bulcsu Revesz (52)
• Jordan Brown 2-2 Antoni Kowalski (93)
• (66, 88) Jak Jones 3-1 Bulcsu Revesz (76)
• Bulcsu Revesz 2-2 Antoni Kowalski
• (72, 61) Jak Jones 2-2 Jordan Brown (54, 87)