JAK JONES has pulled out of the English Open but he has a valid reason for the sudden withdrawal – his wife is due to give birth this week.
The Welsh potter, 33, out-grinded the ultimate snooker grinder Mark Selby as he won the £100,000 British Open 10-6 on Sunday night in Cheltenham.
On Monday afternoon, he was set to face Chang Bingyu – formerly caught up in a match-fixing probe – in the first round of the ranking tournament in Brentwood, Essex.
Sometimes players can be fined if they withdraw from events at short notice but Jones will be forgiven by baize bosses for his absence on this occasion.
Jones and his wife, who already have an 18-month-old son Harry, are planning a visit to the maternity ward in the coming days.
The former Crucible World Championship finalist said: “I am pulling out because my wife is due to give birth in the middle of the week.
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“I didn’t stay in a hotel during the British Open. I was travelling back and forth for every match, which wasn’t ideal.
“I was playing in the evening and getting home at 1am most mornings. The final was a bit of a struggle.
“I have had other things on my mind. But I didn’t expect this to happen. It is incredible.
“I’ll spend the money on nappies and toys for the babies. Harry is flying around the place right now. Hard work.”
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Though Jones had won the season-opening Championship League in July that is often derided as a second-class event and devoid of the top names.
This victory was live on terrestrial TV, in front of a big crowd, with serious money on the table – and he did it the hard way, beating Chang, Judd Trump and then Selby across the week.
Jones said: “I didn’t feel good all day of the final. And I felt tired all week. I suppose I out-grinded Mark Selby.
“Doing it for the first time, while Mark has been in millions of finals. There’s nobody more experienced than him.
“For me, it was something new, playing in front of a big crowd. I battled through. And it was enough.
“I hadn’t really won anything before. I have practised hard but not come home with trophies. To come away with a trophy for a change is good.
“If you haven’t won anything, then it’s hard to have the belief that you’ll win something. But once you have, then I suppose it takes that problem away.
“I know I am good enough to win tournaments. It’s good.”