Nothing is ever decided on the first day World Snooker Championship final. Far from it, actually. But if Kieren Wilson, who leads 11-6, lifts snooker’s most prestigious prize on Monday night instead of plucky Welshman Jack Jones, there is no doubt that three hours of mayhem on Sunday afternoon will have been the difference.
Jones deserves huge credit for his rally in the Sunday evening session to make this year’s final look even on the second and final day. Trailing 7-0 at one stage earlier in proceedings, we were indeed entering historic territory.
Not since 1993 has a spare session final been decided, but when Wilson won the first seven frames without reply, it was hard not to wonder what legends of the past would be in attendance Monday night in a fill-the-slot exhibition.
However, Jones has most likely ensured that the final will come on Monday night after putting up a great fight. He raised his fist to the crowd in apparent sarcasm this afternoon after winning his first frame to avoid being noticed in the opening session.
He would consider doing the same again at the climax of the evening session, but this time with the belief that he could win against all odds. However, you can’t help but wonder just how significant the final frame could prove to be on Sunday night.
Both players had their chances to win it. Had Jones prevailed, he would have trailed by just three. However, Wilson not only claimed the frame moved five further overnight, but also the momentum – and he is now hot favorite to win his first world title.
The only other two players to trail 7-0 after the first seven frames in a final were Jimmy White in 1991, who eventually lost to John Parrott – and Dennis Taylor, who trailed 8-0 in 1985. And we all know what happened this year.
Perhaps it was the fact that Jones had to play late on Saturday night against Stuart Bingham, while his opponent had already done the job earlier in the day. There is no doubt that Jones, who had to play more than 20 hours of snooker from Wilson to reach the final, looked tired on Sunday afternoon.
Perhaps it was Wilson’s previous experience with a final – having admitted in the build-up to drinking too much beer and eating too much pizza the night before his Final loss for 2020 by Ronnie O’Sullivan – which helped him settle in faster. But whatever the reason, the first final contested by two players, both bidding for a first world title in almost 20 years, was only going one way at 5pm on Sunday.
It’s at least a little more in the balance now, but Wilson is a strong favorite, leading 11-6. Wilson was as magnificent as Jones was indifferent on Sunday afternoon. Two century breaks and four more over 50 put him 7-0 up, but there were undisputed frames Jones could and perhaps should have won.
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The history books were being rewritten as Wilson went 7-0 up, but when Jones claimed the final frame of the session to close the gap to six, it at least felt like there was something to build on. But the pair split the first four frames of the evening session, leaving Wilson in control at 9-3.
However, Jones responded well in the final frames of this session. He won three of the next four to make it 10-6; a commanding lead for Wilson, yes, but one that could have been much worse given how production began earlier in the day. The final frame of the day was huge: perhaps the most important of both players’ careers to this point.
It was the difference between a five- or three-frame occasion in one night, and it was lined with tension. Jones left Wilson needing a snooker, which Wilson got before clearing the flush to black. However, Wilson missed it, leading to a gut-wrenching and nerve-wracking safety exchange.
The winner of that frame wouldn’t necessarily have held the lead overnight, but it would undoubtedly have had the momentum. Both players clearly knew it given how nervous their play was. And when Jones tried a risky double, he could only leave the black over the pocket.
Wilson took full advantage and this time it was he who broke the Crucible crowd. On Monday night, that framework could prove to be the most important of all.
