Lynn cueman still dreams of turning professional

Nathan Jones says his dream of playing professional snooker remains intact despite seeing his hopes of securing a place on the main tour dashed at the weekend.

The Lynn cueman suffered a 4-2 defeat against Niels Vincent at the second Q School event after losing a titanic battle 4-3 to former world top-32 player Barry Pinches in the first round of games seven days earlier.

But once again, the 33-year-old displayed his potential on the table at the Leicester Morning Side Arena with 4-3 and 4-2 victories over Mike Finn and Anthony Kysra respectively in the opening round of each series.

Jones said: “The Q School experience was incredible but also there’s a lot of mixed emotions stepping out into the arena.

“You put hours of practice in to be there for this event, so the pressure is on you to perform as everyone there is there for one thing only.

“To play Barry again in the second round wasn’t what I wanted to be honest but to get to where you want to be you’ve got to beat them all.

“Despite going 2-0 down, I dug in and played some great safety play which got me back in the match to 3-3. “Unfortunately, it was a repeat of the scoreline when I played him in Poland back in 2014.

“I started well against Niel Vincent and felt comfortable to take a 2-1 lead, but it felt like flicking a switch and everything just turned.

“You need a good run of the balls in these matches to help you, but everything I did went wrong and the game just changed hands.”

Looking ahead, Jones said: “It’s now the end of the season so I will put my cue up and have a much-needed break and spend some time with Hannah and the family.

“I’ll be looking forward to the new season. The next step will be the Open Series, Q Tour and the Amateur Championships and then head back to Q School next year.”

Jones thanks the following for their continued support: Webber Roofing, Kieran Mayes Brickwork, Maltings Q Club, Richard Thorpe, Steve Kirk and everyone else for their support.