MARATHON MAN Jak Jones will attempt to become the third qualifier in Crucible history to win the World Snooker Championship.
The Welshman30, knocked out former world champion Stuart Bingham with a 17-12 victory in the second semi-final, which lasted more than twelve hours.
Remarkably, this is the first ever ranking tournament final on the World Snooker Tour.
The Silent Assassin secured a place in the main draw this spring with two qualifying victories at the English Institute of Sport.
And he is the ninth qualifier to take part in the two-day final in South Yorkshire.
He joins the list that includes the Canadian Cliff Thorburn (1977), the South African Perrie Mans (1978), the Welshman Terry Griffiths (1979), the English Shaun Murphy (2005) and Mark Selby (2007), Scotsman Graeme Dott (2010), born in Bristol Judd Trump (2011) and China's Ding Junhui (2016).
Griffiths, 76, and Murphy, 41, are the only two people to go all the way, despite not being in the top 16.
That's the challenge that awaits Jones – who is in only his second year in the sport's hallowed arena – when he fights Kyren Wilson about the best of 35 frames.
The 47-year-old Bingham tried to become the oldest world champion in history, but he will look back on the fourth session with horror on Saturday evening.
In frame 25 he made an odd decision on the final green, playing a safety shot that Jones had cleared, when it would have been much easier to try to pot the color initially.
Then in frame 26, Bingham broke off and the cue ball ended up in a ball cushion – a disaster for any professional cueist.
And in frame 27, Ball Run accidentally knocked into the black when he went for long red.
Even when he tried to fall into the trap Jones in notes with a complicated safety position, the world number 44 managed to escape the drama.
At least Basildon Baize star Bingham can now prepare for the UK Open pool competition as he focuses on nine-ball.
Jones is a notoriously slow player and there were times when there were empty seats in the front rows.
Probably because punters needed the toilet after seeing long security battles between two qualifiers, especially after frame 28, which lasted about 28 minutes.
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After the match, Jones said: “I can't believe it. When I watch the world finals every year, what an incredible event it is. It doesn't really feel like I'm in it. I couldn't be happier.
“It hasn't been easy, there are a lot of players on Tour.
“I haven't reached the quarter finals all season. I didn't come here with any confidence or sharpness.
“I'm not playing well, I'm winning, I'm not doing exceptional things, I'm not scoring big. But I wasn't nervous there.”
