Jak Jones' mum has never watched him play as she faces World Championship final dilemma

Jak Jones has achieved the greatest feat of his career by reaching the 2024 World Snooker Championship final, where Kyren Wilson awaits at the Crucible. But the Welshman’s mum has incredibly never watched him play and she now faces a serious dilemma ahead of the biggest match of his life in Sheffield.

Jones has shocked the snooker world by coming out of the bottom half of the draw instead of seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and word No. 2 Judd Trump.

He defeated Trump 13-9 in the quarter-finals before toppling O’Sullivan’s conqueror, Stuart Bingham, 17-12 on Saturday evening to book his spot in the final.

The 30-year-old qualifier is one victory away from entering the history books, having also beaten Jamie Clarke, Zhou Yuelong, Zhang Anda and Si Jiahui en route to his showdown with Wilson.

However, after beating Trump earlier this week, Jones revealed that his mum refuses to watch him grace the table because she gets too nervous.

“She won’t even watch me on the TV. At home now when I’m playing she’ll be doing the ironing or cleaning the house,” Jones explained.

“She doesn’t like watching me, she pretends it’s not happening and waits for my dad to call her with the result.

“A Crucible semi-final is obviously a different matter and maybe she will come up, but she won’t come into the arena.”

Before progressing past former world champion Bingham, Jones also provided an update on whether his mum will break her habits to support him in the late stages.

He said: “My mum… Everyone keeps asking, ‘Is your mum going to come up, now you’re in the semi-finals?’ But she’s just never watched.

“But she did come up a couple of days ago for the evening, washed my shirts, and went straight home.”

While Jones’ mum has been absent from the Crucible, he paid tribute to his dad after his latest triumph, a regular throughout his inspired journey to the final.

“My dad has probably helped. He’s here, we don’t really talk about snooker too much or get too excited about what happens in the sessions,” Jones added.

“I don’t feel like I’ve played well, I’ve not come here with any confidence. If anything I wish I put on something better for the people watching. I suppose if anything, I’m winning like that, it doesn’t get better.

“If it had been expected it would have been something, but because it’s come out of nowhere, it’s a great moment.”