LUCKY Jak Jones has squeezed into the Crucible thanks to less than £6,000 in prize money.
Last year the Welsh potter made a stunning run to the World Snooker Championship final – as a qualifier – where he was defeated 18-14 by Kyren Wilson.
GettyJak Jones, right, stunned the world when he reached the 2024 Crucible final, where Kyren Wilson triumphed in a high-class contest[/caption]
PAJones is the 16th and final seed for the Crucible[/caption]
The Silent Assassin almost missed out on the top 16 this time and was on the verge of having to prepare for two rounds of qualifying once again.
However, Chinese cueist Wu Yize’s 10-8 quarter-final defeat to compatriot Xiao Guodong in the Tour Championship has finalised the seeding pots for this month’s marquee event.
And Jones, 31, has jumped ahead of Newcastle’s Gary Wilson by just £5,900 on the world rankings list – it will be the first time he will have a seeded number against his name.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is seeded fourth at present.
But the Rocket, 49, has not played a competitive match since snapping his cue in anger at a low-key event in Leicester in January.
Qualifying rounds for the Worlds run between April 7-16 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
The tournament starts on Easter Saturday with defending champion Wilson attempting to do what no man has done before – break the Crucible Curse.
The Kettering cuer leads the seeds ahead of World No 1 Judd Trump.
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Here’s how the rankings look for the Crucible showpiece, starting on April 19 .
1 Kyren Wilson
2 Judd Trump
3 Mark Selby
4 Ronnie O’Sullivan
5 Mark Williams
6 John Higgins
7 Luca Brecel
8 Mark Allen
9 Neil Robertson
10 Ding Junhui
11 Barry Hawkins
12 Zhang Anda
13 Si Jiahui
14 Xiao Guodong
15 Shaun Murphy
16 Jak Jones
England’s Gary Wilson, ranked No 17, is on standby should O’Sullivan – or anyone – pull out.
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Four-time Crucible king Mark Selby, 41, is third on the list.
And O’Sullivan is top of the three Class of ’92 legends – with Mark Williams fifth and John Higgins sixth.
Should the Rocket, or anyone else, withdraw, then England’s World No 17 Gary Wilson is the player waiting in the wings.
The tournament at the compact but iconic Sheffield theatre runs from April 19 to May 5.
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