As Wales’ sports stars continue to shine on the global stage and represent their country to the best of their ability, we’re taking a look at the latest Welsh representatives to emerge in the sporting world and what the may go on to achieve in the future, with snooker player Jak Jones creating history at this years’ World Championships.
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00:00 So James, coming off the back of a fantastic crucible run by Welshman Jack Jones, I mean
00:09 this is a sports story that's completely set the world alight, it's a massive story, especially
00:15 in Wales as well. How important is it that there's another Welsh player, because we've
00:20 seen some fantastic Welsh snooker players over the years, he's made new ground and so
00:25 so close to becoming a world snooker champion. What was your take on it and how special is
00:31 his achievement?
00:33 No one saw this coming, it was amazing watching him for those two weeks. You were looking
00:37 at the draw, some tough matches for all the Welsh guys playing out there. You had the
00:44 one half of the draw, you had Ronnie and Judd in it and you had some of the Welsh guys there.
00:48 It was looking tough at one point, Mark Williams went out in the first round, but Jack Jones
00:53 just kept winning, he kept frustrating opponents, he kept getting through it and none of them
00:58 were really close in the end, the actual results of all the matches. They were all by three
01:03 or four clear frames every time. There's been a lot of talk about him obviously, even early
01:07 on he was frustrating opponents. He's not a young guy, but he's not done this before,
01:15 this is his first finally ever made it to, so to see this come out is amazing. Welsh
01:19 people, people who wouldn't have been watching snooker, I'm sure they would have been watching
01:22 him in the final at least, because it was so exciting. If he'd have done it, that would
01:28 have been one of the most impressive comebacks in sports history, not just snooker history
01:33 I think, but so close at the end. He did everyone in Wales proud and it was a remarkable achievement.
01:38 Obviously, you say how outspoken he is, he's a real character and he was quite frustrated
01:45 when he was announced to the stage in the final, because he was announced as he was
01:49 under pressure by Rob Walker. Claiming he was under pressure, but he actually beat world
01:55 champions Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham on his route there. It was quite incredible,
01:59 he had every right to go into that as a near favourite really, because it was Kyron Wilson
02:05 winning his first as well. How tough was that final, but his run to the final certainly
02:10 can't go undermined as well.
02:12 The final itself was some amazing teethy. For him to go down 7-0 at one point, he got
02:19 the last frame that night and you could see him giving a good little punch to the air,
02:23 he's happy about that, he got through, got one. At the start of the tournament, he would
02:28 have taken one frame in the final, that's all he would have needed to go into it. In
02:34 the next sessions, he got back into it and at the end of the first day, he was something
02:38 like 10-6 down I think it was. That's crazy, no one thought that was going to be the way,
02:43 or 10-7 down it might have been, but no one thought he was going to be at that position.
02:47 He didn't think he was going to be at that position, but he got through. To be honest,
02:51 I say that, the way he's played and the way he's spoken, he might have thought he was
02:55 going to get in that position. He thought he was in it all the way through.
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