An emotional Wilson offers apology to Jak after clinching title
KYREN Wilson secured the World Snooker Championship title and then apologised to Welshman Jak Jones following an intense showdown.
An emotional Wilson eventually won 18-14 after Jones valiantly fought his way back into contention after being 7-0 down.
Jones made a determined effort to conjure an unlikely comeback, winning three consecutive frames while Wilson was poised one away from victory.
However, an exceptional 18th frame win allowed Wilson to seal his inaugural championship, and the emotion almost overwhelmed him as he was still at the table.
After sinking the decisive ball of the match that meant Jones would need snookers to win, Wilson enthusiastically shouted “Come on!” towards his loved ones in the audience.
Later, he expressed regret for his emotional show of relief, apologising to Jones during their post-match interviews.
Taking to BBC presenter Hazel Irvine, Wilson said, “I’d like to say sorry to Jak for that outburst but it does just mean so much to all of us,” at the first given opportunity to express his remorse.
He then warmly welcomed his family to join him in celebration of the epic climax of 17-days’ worth of riveting snooker action, crowning a fresh world champion.
Jones was vying to be the first qualifier to clinch the World Championship since Shaun Murphy’s victory in 2005.
However, Wilson maintained a consistent lead throughout the contest, securing his place in the final after defeating Dominic Dale, Joe O’connor, John Higgins and David Gilbert.
Jones insisted he never lost hope of fashioning what would have been the greatest comeback on the final day of the tournament.
“I think if I’d won one more, at 17-15 he could have really started twitching, and I had couple of little chances, but he held himself together well in the end,” said Jones.
“I just gave myself too much to do in the first session, but Kyren came out flying in the first session so he deserves it.
“I’m proud because I don’t feel like I’ve played well here at all. I’ve played my B game and my C game to beat some of the best players in the world and get to the final, so to come so close to winning it should give me a lot of confidence going forward.
“About a month ago I was twitching in my first qualifying match. It’s been a long month but I’m happy with it.”
He candidly admitted he hadn’t carried “a lot of hope” going into the final but that he hoped his showing would help him “move forward in a good way.”
Wilson praised Jones on his first final and said he had “conducted himself in an amazing fashion and I’m sure he will be back.”
He added that the crowd had been well behind the Welshman, joking: “I don’t know if there is any people left in Wales, the amount they were cheering for him! They made it a fantastic atmosphere.”
Despite the loss, it has been a successful tournament for Jones, who by qualifying for the semi-finals had already secured the largest single amount of prize money of his career. He leaves as runner-up with a £200,000 sum from the prize pot, while Wilson netted a cool £500,000 as champion.
THE week Jared Payne has had penciled into his diary since the start of the season has finally arrived, as he prepares to take on his former team.
Payne spent more than a decade with Ulster Rugby as player and coach, winning 20 caps for Ireland along the way.
After spending a year in France working at Clermont Auvergne, he moved to west Wales last summer to join the coaching staff at the Scarlets.
It’s in that role he now finds himself going up against Ulster who are the visitors to Llanelli this Saturday for a BKT URC clash.
“When I first came here, I did check out when the Ulster fixture was,” admits the 38-year-old.
“It’s like anything in nature, you want to check that one off in the book and see when it is.
“I still keep in touch with a few of those guys and I will catch up with them before and after the game.
“I was there for ten, eleven years and I’ve got lots of fond memories. I can’t fault anything that happened. It was a good time there.”
Payne joined Ulster in 2011 having had Super Rugby spells with the Chiefs, Crusaders and Blues in his native New Zealand.
He soon made a mark in Belfast, both with his assured displays and his versatility, being able to slot in at centre, full-back and wing.
After qualifying for Ireland on residency, he established himself on the Test stage and in 2017 he was selected for the Lions tour of the land where he was born.
“It was a great thing going back to New Zealand,” he said.
“I never thought I would get to play rugby down there again.”
Yet that trip was to end up being his final chapter as a player. Towards the end of a try-scoring outing against the Chiefs in Hamilton, he suffered a head injury which was to ultimately force his retirement.
“The interesting point is I played my first and last professional game at the same ground,” he says.
“My first game as a pretty young fella was at Waikato Stadium and then so was my last one as a professional from overseas.
“You go round the whole world and end up finishing in the same place you started.
“It’s funny the way the world works. “It was a bit annoying having to retire through injury, but I had a lot of highlights throughout my time.
“I enjoyed the whole thing. There were good and bad times.
“It’s the ups and downs of professional sport, but in general I had a pretty good time. I was pretty lucky with what I got to do.”
Payne transitioned into coaching at Ulster in 2018 and admits it was an eye-opening experience.
“The work that goes on behind the scenes from a coach gave me a real shock,” he said.
“There is a lot to learn, a lot of homework.
“The game changes all the time. Things are constantly moving.
“You have got to work a bit harder to stay involved as a coach and the days are that much longer. But it’s all good, it’s all part of it.”
Payne continued: “I was always a bit of a grumpy player at times when I shouldn’t have been.
“Sometimes you expect a lot out of yourself and those around you. I have probably had to chill out a bit more as a coach!
“You learn a few lessons coaching that I wish I had known as a player. I try and stay reasonably level headed.
“You are always learning something new. If you think you know it all in coaching, you are going to get a hell of a shock.
“You are constantly learning, constantly trying new stuff.
“I definitely coach a lot differently now compared to when I first started.”
Having been a defence coach at Ulster and Clermont, Payne switched to attack on joining Scarlets, but since February he has reverted to primarily focusing on defensive duties.
“It’s good here,” said the father-oftwo. “The family is settled, there are lots of nice beaches around.
“It’s a bit colder than France, it took a while to get used to that again, but I definitely can’t complain.
“It’s a really lovely part of the world and the people around here are very friendly.”
He concluded: “I am very fortunate to still be involved in the game. I am very lucky.”