Former winner Murphy stunned by Jones

World number 51 Jamie Jones stunned former champion Shaun Murphy with a 10-9 victory at the Crucible.

Welshman Jones dumped the 2005 winner out of the Betfred World Championship, holding his nerve to seal the deciding frame 72-1.

The 30-year-old turned the tide yesterday afternoon with a superlative 124 break in the penultimate frame to take the match the distance.

And then the Neath native kept it together to ensure he despatched the world number eight, booking a second round clash with Kyren Wilson.

Also yesterday, Mark Allen saw off Crucible debutant Liam Highfield 10-5 to move into the second round.

“This time last year I was away in my caravan getting drunk”

l Mark Williams almost packed away his cue for good when he failed to qualify for the World Championship last year but now believes he can triumph for a third time.

Wife Joanne persuaded the Welshman to stick at it, and the persistence has paid off, with 43-yearold Williams closing in on season’s earnings of £500,000 while having one eye on the Crucible title he landed in 2000 and 2003.

He halted a six-year stretch without a ranking title by triumphing at the Northern Ireland Open in November and also landed silverware at the German Masters and Six Reds World Championship.

“This time last year I was away in my caravan, getting drunk and watching the World Championship on TV,” he said.

“But 12 months on I’m playing in it and looking forward to it. ”

Williams, who has climbed to seventh in the world rankings, starts his campaign against qualifier Jimmy Robertson today.