Wilson ready to 'soak it all in' as he takes on Jones in the World Snooker Championships final

The 32-year-old reached his second world final in the space of four years with an emphatic 17-11 semi-final win over David Gilbert on Saturday.

The match had been nip and tuck throughout the first half, and at one point the players were tied at 9-9.

But 12th seed Wilson then produced a superb run of snooker to win eight out of the next 10 frames and seal a brilliant victory and leave him just one way away from becoming world champion, and taking home the £500,000 top prize.

Wilson will be hot favourite going into the final against world number 44 Jones, who beat former world champion Stuart Bingham 17-12 in the other semi, and he is looking forward to the challenge.

The last time Wilson, who trains at Barratts Club in Northampton, reached the final in 2020, it was during the Covid pandemic and the crowds were limited, but it will be a full house on this occasion.

And Wilson admitted: "I can't wait. It's what you dream of, to play in the Crucible final with a packed crowd.

"I'll try to soak it all in because you never know if you'll get another chance. It will be a fairy tale ending for whoever wins."

Looking back on his semi-final victory, Wilson, who has now featured in four World Championship semi-finals, felt his Crucible experience stood him in good stead.

"Dave cued the ball very sweetly for the first two sessions," said the Kettering man.

"I stayed mentally strong and didn't panic. It's a long tournament and he had been through the qualfying rounds, so maybe on Friday night that caught up with him.

"He missed a few and I knew I had to take advantage at that stage.

"I have had some big defeats here and have tried to learn from those and become a better player. I feel I can handle any situation now.

"If you keep yourself in a positive mental frame at mind you give yourself a chance of performing.

“I feel I can handle whatever is thrown my way, whether it is a tough gruelling safety battle, a long pot or break building.”

And he added: "You can arrive at the Crucible with no form, and find it here.

"Before the event I had a holiday in Portugal with the family, then had two weeks practice, so I came here fresh.

"Perhaps some of the top players who have had great seasons had gone stale."

Wilson has enjoyed a brilliant tournament so far, seeing off Dominic Dale 10-1, Joe O'Connor 13-6, four-times world champion John Higgins 13-8 and Gilbert 17-11.

Welshman Jones, 30, who had to work his way through qualifying, has been the surprise package of the tournament, seeing off Bingham. Judd Trump, Si Jiahui and Zhang Anda.

He is aiming to become the first qualifier to win the world title since Northants potter Shaun Murphy did so in 2005.

Play in the final starts at 1pm, with live coverage on BBC TV.