World Snooker Championship LIVE – Kyren WIlson maintains five-frame lead against Jak Jones in final – Eurosport

Error by Kyren gives Jak a simple enough start this time. Vital that he pieces together a few points this time. But doesn’t land on a red from the black and just the safety shot to follow.

Four more frames to come this afternoon. Wilson with the break-off this time. Jones goes for a long red. So close to dropping, but he at least gets cover on the red via the black. So no damage done.

No century for Kyren as a red is jawed on 83, but the job is more than done for this frame. The Kettering man again leads by five frames.

Break reaches 55 with seven reds left above board. Kyren drops in red to right middle as he continues his path towards finalising the frame.

Kyren given a start in this 21st frame, and he is so far happy to accept it. Looks very good for Wilson to again move five frames ahead. Which would be a real result after how the opening two frames of the third sesh began. White ball under lock and key here. Looks like 13-8 incoming.

Blunder by Jak in colliding with the blue from the break-off shot. Poor really from Jones at this level. An easy enough starter for Kyren as he slots red before running back down table for the colours.

Doesn’t matter how you win frames in this final. As long as you win them. A nice frame to settle Kyren down in restoring the lead to four frames. A break of 50 and a lead of 12-8 now.

Kyren finally on the move as a blue to yellow pocket disappears. Sweet strike on the white ball, but he almost misses red to yellow bag seconds later. Jones not taking his chance in this frame after butchering an easy red among the balls. Which could yet be a pivotal error. Jones cutting a dejected figure.

Wilson not finding this easy going so far today. Adds 12 points before knocking the black safe. Jones then slots another superb long red. Long game working to great effect today.

Jak sees a red elude him heading for right centre pocket. And Kyren rams in a mid-range red to top right-hand pocket. That is super cueing. Chance for Kyren to settle in here.

Jones with an early poke at a long red. Nothing doing and Kyren responds by carting home a red from distance to the opposite bag seconds later. Would dearly love to discover some scoring form. But only a brown to go with red. And safety it is.

Break moves to 58 from Jones as he continues to crack on here. In goes the red he needs to leave Kyren chasing a snooker. Glorious start to the day for the young Welshman. A 59 break as black to right centre doesn’t drop, but Kyren has seen enough as he heads for a comfort break. Game on!

This is look very, very promising for Jones to claw back another frame. Almost reduced the gap to three frames last night, but looks good to take the next step now. Wilson forced to digest the lead being reduced from seven frames yesterday avo.

Cue a bout of tense safety with reds getting moved to the other end of table with white screwed back to the top cushion. Jones then produces a fabulous pot on a red to the left centre pocke. Lands on blue, and suddenly has chance to build a lead in this frame.

So Wilson continues his hunt for a maiden world title, but he is the hunted at the moment. Jones breaks off the 19th frame of the final. Three more frames before the mid-session break. Wilson tries to play a safety shot, but ends up with the double kiss of a red in centre of table. Mid-range red for Jak to attack. Which he buries. But he then misses red to left centre when he expected to score.

In goes the blue from distance, and that 64 break is key to this final being reduced to only four frames. Wilson led 7-0 yesterday, but Jones has won seven of the next 11 frames to mount this recovery.

A fine break of 64 from Jak as the final red drops down a side cush using the rest. Excellent pot. Two snookers needed on the colours for Kyren. Jones a strong favourite to close back to within four frames. And in goes the yellow with a swerve shot. Now three snookers required.

Excellent shot by Jak to come in and out of baulk to land on the blue. Four reds remaining here, and none of them look too challenging. Ideal opportunity to win the first frame of the day for the ‘Silent Assassin’. Wilson left to wonder what might have been.

Jones picks out a supreme cut on a red from distance. What a shot that is. Wilson punished for not getting the white ball tight on the baulk cushion. A very decent chance to launch the counter attack here.

Jones slotting a brilliant long red straight off the bat after coming down the stairs at the Crucible to a huge ovation amid the sounds of Dakota by the Stereophonics, but he misses a blue to the green pocket seconds later to give Wilson chance to score with hand on table. Nice to get moving early on, but he is out of positon on 32 and is forced to run safe.

This duo have faced each other six times outwith this final with Wilson 5-1 up on the career head-to-heads. Wilson was a 6-0 winner in the UK Championship last 64 three years ago with Jones a 5-4 winner at the same stage of the 2021 German Masters.

The final day of the final, snooker’s biggest showpiece match, and the 48th World Championship with a new champion set to be crowned. Kyren Wilson holds an 11-6 lead heading for home and will rise to number three in the world if he can win another seven frames. But it is far from a done deal with Jak Jones aiming to continue his comeback today after losing the first session 7-1, but reducing his arrears to 11-6 last night. He’ll be looking to win this third session at least 5-3 which would enable him to return this evening trailing only 14-11. Easier said than done. If Wilson repeats yesterday opening blitz, we wouldn’t need another session tonight. Boys on baize at back of 1pm.

But Eurosport’s Alan McManus reckons Jones’ steely handshake to end Sunday said a lot.

“Some of the best statements that you see from players out there are the ones that aren’t actually said at all,” ‘Angles’ said.

“It’s the look in the eye, I loved the handshake. Jak kind of looked at him, it was like ‘see you tomorrow’. That’s what his eyes were saying, he wanted to look Kyren in the eye.

“Tomorrow’s all business and I’ve got you in my sights – it was one of those.”