World Championship final LIVE – Jones and Wilson go head-to-head as each man eyes maiden crown

Our MC, talking’s Rob Walker, introduces the player. Jak steps in first to a blast of the Stereophonics, and to a thunderous ovation. Kyren follows, to much whooping and hollering also. Oh boy, the Crucible crowd are up for this, and rightly so. All the talking is done, let’s get to the action. It’s best of 35 for the title, eight frames of which are in the coming session. A note to for our referee Paul Collier, officiating his last ever game on tour.

Kyren leads this 4-1, with the most recent meeting seeing him hose down Jak 6-0 in the last 64 of the 2021 UK Championship. They’ve never met in anything beyond a best of 11 though, so you can probably sling the form book like a frisbee out of the nearest window.

The man they call the Silent Assassin fired a warning shot at the Crucible last year, when in his debut appearance he beat Ali Carter and Neil Robertson before falling in a narrow defeat to Mark Allen. Now 30, Jak spent his early career dropping off and then back on the tour, before returning for good in 2018 and steadily climbing the rankings since then. This is his first ranking event final, so he’s breaking new ground all the time; if he wins here he’ll be the fourth world champion from Wales, joining the illustrious company of Ray Reardon, Mark Williams and Terry Griffiths. Just two weeks ago he was a 150/1 outsider to win this title, and he’s only the ninth player to get to the final after coming through the pre-tournament qualifiers.

John Parrott, Mark Williams, Peter Ebdon, Graeme Dott, Mark Selby and Judd Trump; that’s a list of world champions that lost a world final before landing the title later in their career. Kyren was a runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in that Covid-delayed summer tournament in 2020, an experience that could prove invaluable to him today. He’s been a semi-finalist twice here too, and a Masters runner-up; for the last six seasons he’s been in the top 10 in the world rankings. Kyren has been threatening something big for a while now, and this could be his time. His game and temperament look made for the long haul format and after blasting through his side of the draw he’ll start as favourite today.

It’s here, and before we go any further something needs saying: no one ever flukes a world title in snooker. It’s unlike any other competition in the calendar, a merciless examination of a players’ game in nerve-sapping, long haul contests over 17 days. You’ll have to survive the draining schedule, gut-wrenching swings in momentum and crises both internal and on table. If you’re not on your game, you’re going home. It’s that simple.

If you’re walking out at the Crucible on the Sunday prior to the May Day bank holiday, you’ve earned it. A final between Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones is one that no one would’ve predicted at the outset, but a stage that both more than deserve. Kyren has dominated all of his matches on the way here; only the great John Higgins was able to get within five frames of beating him, as the Warrior applied pedal to metal. And Jak? What a run. He followed up beating the dangerous Zhang Anda and Si Jiahui by besting two former world champions in Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham.

They’re the last two standing, and what a prize on offer. Never mind the five hundred large, however long that will keep the lights on for; this is a shot at being the champion of the world, the very best in your profession. To be at the table with Ronnie, Selby, Hendry, Williams, Reardon, two fellas named Higgins and three named Davis. Jak is having his first look at this, Kyren his second; both men know this game well and know it might not come around for them again. This is happening right here, right now, and for the winner this will last forever.

It’s taken 569 frames to get to this point and we’ve got a maximum of 35 left, in four sessions over the next two days. It doesn’t get any more important than this, so let’s get into it. Kyren versus Jak, for the biggest prize in the game.

Wilson and Gilbert were locked together after two sessions, but the former made his move on Friday evening to open up a four-frame advantage.

Gilbert faced a huge task on Saturday, and was unable to mount a revival as Wilson advanced to the championship match – four years on from his loss to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2020.

While the clash between Wilson and David Gilbert was filled with quality, it was attritional stuff between Jones and Bingham.

Jones held a three-frame lead heading into the session, and it took them almost two and a half hours to play the opening four frames of the evening.

Referee endures epic ball replacement after Jones miss from amazing snookerReferee endures epic ball replacement after Jones miss from amazing snooker

Bingham, who led 3-0 early in the match, had chances but missed too many of them and Jones held firm late in the evening to book his place in a Crucible final with a 17-12 win.

All times GMT

• Kyren Wilson v Jak Jones

• Kyren Wilson v Jak Jones