Latest: Wilson 15-10 Jones
Thanks for joining us. We will be back with the conclusion of this year’s final just before 7pm with Kyren Wilson chasing only three more frames to become world champion for the first time. Does Jak Jones have anything left in the tank? Needs a fast, fast start this evening. See you then.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (81-9)
A 15-10 lead then for Wilson before this evening’s final session. Job done for Wilson this afternoon. 4-4 the session ends. Wilson chasing three more frames for victory.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (61-9)
The tension really building as Kyren makes 22 before thumping a red with too much pace. That is an unbelievable miss. Suddenly a reprieve for Jones that he didn’t see coming when he missed black. Only one red left on the side cushion. Moved the red, but then misses the yellow to right middle. Another dreadful miss. And that should be that. Jones faltering at the wrong time.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (41-2)
Jak Jones slots a tremendous long red, but then misses the black off the spot. That is a shocker, and Jak knows it. What a chance he has passed up there. Golden chance for Kyren to move five frames clear.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (32-1)
A quick knock of 32 from Kyren before a red to right centre comes back out. Didn’t see him missing that. Jones almost in behind the brown for a telling snooker, but pops back out.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (14-1)
Straight red from distance for Jak, but he hits across the white and red is nowhere near the target. Stun shot too. So easy opener presented to Wilson, who is not having to work for these chances. The final continues to rattle along at a very good pace.
Wilson 14-10 Jones (0-1)
Corking long red by Jak to get the party started in this 25th frame. Screws back to baulk so no colour to follow, but a solid safety shot off the yellow. Such a big frame in the context of this final.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (106-1)
So there we have it. A delightful clearance of 87 from ‘The Warrior’ to regain forward momentum. Only four frames short of the winning line in this final. One more frame to come then in this third session. The difference between five frames and three frames coming back tonight.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (72-1)
A solid response from Kyren as he produces a dominant display. Just when he needed it most. Back to a four-frame lead in this final.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (49-1)
Kyren doing well to steady the ship here after navigating some choppy waters in the past two frames. Should really see away this frame now.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (19-1)
Huge fluke for Jones as he butchers a safey shot, but somehow sees red drop down a top bag. Awkward cueing on the blue over another red, and he is well off the potting angle. But Kyren then misses a tough pink across table after dropping in red. All getting very tense in this world final as Jak than can’t slot a red from distance.
Wilson 13-10 Jones (13-0)
Huge two frames coming up of this third session. Jones is the man who refuses to go away in this final. But he misses a long red as the object ball narrowly fails to drop. Wilson slams in a mid-range red to get first go at the table in this 24th frame. But he is out of position on 13 and opts to run the white safe.
Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-74)
A 73 break from Jak as a brilliant red to right centre drops at pace. This final is suddenly right in the mixer. Anybody’s final now.
Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-58)
Jak looking very, very assured. And he is starting to move too between shots. Somebody in audience has taken ill so a bit of a delay in proceedings. Hopefully, all is well. But that delay is only brief. Jones pots blue and lands nicely on the next red. Still two reds needing moved. But not much more needed to reach snookers required.
Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-31)
Great shot by Jak as he clips in the black and lands nicely on the next red. The pack of reds also dislodged. This is looking like a very decent chance to move into double figures in this final. Which would be another little landmark moment for the Welsh underdog
Wilson 13-9 Jones (22-9)
Well, just when you thought it was safe to step back in the water, Wilson misses a red to left middle. Nerves starting to build out there. Jak rolls in a fine red using rest, and suddenly he is back in the box seat with cue in hand.
Wilson 13-9 Jones (0-1)
This final is far from over if Jak can pick up another two frames of this session. Would dearly love to trail only 14-11 ahead of tonight’s final sesh. Which is still a possibility as another blunder by Wilson sees Jones hole a brilliant long red. But he misses a straight blue to green bag. That was a twitch, and his frustrated reaction shows you that.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (23-105)
A lovely break of 90 from Jones as he continues his battle in this 48th World Championship final.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (23-85)
This is a quality response from Jones just when he needed it most. Still fighting the good fight with three frames to come of the session.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (23-47)
Superb screw shot by Jak to bring red back a few inches to land perfectly on black. Huge applause from the Crucible, and suddenly here is the chance to close to within four again. Jones still on course to win this session. Which was the main objective starting out.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (23-16)
Aggressive safety shot by Kyren leaves a red over the top bag, but Jak opts to go for a pink that didn’t look on after dropping in red. Ends up missing the pink by some distance, and suddenly Wilson is gifted a glorious chance to win another frame. Chance to mop up the tears as Jak returns to his seat, but he then misses a black off spot. Only 17 from the visit. Remarkable.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (6-14)
Error by Kyren gives Jak a simple enough start this time. Vital that he pieces together a few points this time. But doesn’t land on a red from the black and just the safety shot to follow.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (0-0)
Four more frames to come this afternoon. Wilson with the break-off this time. Jones goes for a long red. So close to dropping, but he at least gets cover on the red via the black. So no damage done.
Wilson 13-8 Jones (0-0)
Wilson 12-8 Jones (83-0)
No century for Kyren as a red is jawed on 83, but the job is more than done for this frame. The Kettering man again leads by five frames.
Wilson 12-8 Jones (61-0)
Break reaches 55 with seven reds left above board. Kyren drops in red to right middle as he continues his path towards finalising the frame.
Wilson 12-8 Jones (28-0)
Kyren given a start in this 21st frame, and he is so far happy to accept it. Looks very good for Wilson to again move five frames ahead. Which would be a real result after how the opening two frames of the third sesh began. White ball under lock and key here. Looks like 13-8 incoming.
Wilson 12-8 Jones (1-0)
Blunder by Jak in colliding with the blue from the break-off shot. Poor really from Jones at this level. An easy enough starter for Kyren as he slots red before running back down table for the colours.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (67-7)
Doesn’t matter how you win frames in this final. As long as you win them. A nice frame to settle Kyren down in restoring the lead to four frames. A break of 50 and a lead of 12-8 now.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (48-7)
Kyren finally on the move as a blue to yellow pocket disappears. Sweet strike on the white ball, but he almost misses red to yellow bag seconds later. Jones not taking his chance in this frame after butchering an easy red among the balls. Which could yet be a pivotal error. Jones cutting a dejected figure.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (17-1)
Wilson not finding this easy going so far today. Adds 12 points before knocking the black safe. Jones then slots another superb long red. Long game working to great effect today.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (11-0)
Jak sees a red elude him heading for right centre pocket. And Kyren rams in a mid-range red to top right-hand pocket. That is super cueing. Chance for Kyren to settle in here.
Wilson 11-8 Jones (5-0)
Jones with an early poke at a long red. Nothing doing and Kyren responds by carting home a red from distance to the opposite bag seconds later. Would dearly love to discover some scoring form. But only a brown to go with red. And safety it is.
Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-67)
Break moves to 58 from Jones as he continues to crack on here. In goes the red he needs to leave Kyren chasing a snooker. Glorious start to the day for the young Welshman. A 59 break as black to right centre doesn’t drop, but Kyren has seen enough as he heads for a comfort break. Game on!
Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-50)
This is look very, very promising for Jones to claw back another frame. Almost reduced the gap to three frames last night, but looks good to take the next step now. Wilson forced to digest the lead being reduced from seven frames yesterday avo.
Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-14)
Cue a bout of tense safety with reds getting moved to the other end of table with white screwed back to the top cushion. Jones then produces a fabulous pot on a red to the left centre pocke. Lands on blue, and suddenly has chance to build a lead in this frame.
Wilson 11-7 Jones (0-8)
So Wilson continues his hunt for a maiden world title, but he is the hunted at the moment. Jones breaks off the 19th frame of the final. Three more frames before the mid-session break. Wilson tries to play a safety shot, but ends up with the double kiss of a red in centre of table. Mid-range red for Jak to attack. Which he buries. But he then misses red to left centre when he expected to score.
Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-72)
In goes the blue from distance, and that 64 break is key to this final being reduced to only four frames. Wilson led 7-0 yesterday, but Jones has won seven of the next 11 frames to mount this recovery.
Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-66)
A fine break of 64 from Jak as the final red drops down a side cush using the rest. Excellent pot. Two snookers needed on the colours for Kyren. Jones a strong favourite to close back to within four frames. And in goes the yellow with a swerve shot. Now three snookers required.
Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-50)
Excellent shot by Jak to come in and out of baulk to land on the blue. Four reds remaining here, and none of them look too challenging. Ideal opportunity to win the first frame of the day for the ‘Silent Assassin’. Wilson left to wonder what might have been.
Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-21)
Jones picks out a supreme cut on a red from distance. What a shot that is. Wilson punished for not getting the white ball tight on the baulk cushion. A very decent chance to launch the counter attack here.
Wilson 11-6 Jones (32-1)
Jones slotting a brilliant long red straight off the bat after coming down the stairs at the Crucible to a huge ovation amid the sounds of Dakota by the Stereophonics, but he misses a blue to the green pocket seconds later to give Wilson chance to score with hand on table. Nice to get moving early on, but he is out of positon on 32 and is forced to run safe.
Wilson holds upper hand
This duo have faced each other six times outwith this final with Wilson 5-1 up on the career head-to-heads. Wilson was a 6-0 winner in the UK Championship last 64 three years ago with Jones a 5-4 winner at the same stage of the 2021 German Masters.
Welcome back to the final
The final day of the final, snooker’s biggest showpiece match, and the 48th World Championship with a new champion set to be crowned. Kyren Wilson holds an 11-6 lead heading for home and will rise to number three in the world if he can win another seven frames. But it is far from a done deal with Jak Jones aiming to continue his comeback today after losing the first session 7-1, but reducing his arrears to 11-6 last night. He’ll be looking to win this third session at least 5-3 which would enable him to return this evening trailing only 14-11. Easier said than done. If Wilson repeats yesterday opening blitz, we wouldn’t need another session tonight. Boys on baize at back of 1pm.
Can Jones do it?
But Eurosport’s Alan McManus reckons Jones’ steely handshake to end Sunday said a lot.
“Some of the best statements that you see from players out there are the ones that aren’t actually said at all,” ‘Angles’ said.
“It’s the look in the eye, I loved the handshake. Jak kind of looked at him, it was like ‘see you tomorrow’. That’s what his eyes were saying, he wanted to look Kyren in the eye.
“Tomorrow’s all business and I’ve got you in my sights – it was one of those.”