Why Jak Jones has both of his names on BBC snooker scoreboard

Snooker fans have been asking why Jak Jones has both of his names on the BBC scoreboard, and it turns out the answer is pretty simple.

The 2024 Snooker World Championship has lived up to expectations and them some, with the two-week tournament jam-packed with drama and incredible performances.

On Sunday the competition will draw to a close with the final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, although unusually, none of the games top-ranked players will be there.

Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones will contest the world title, despite the fact their are placed 12th and 44th in the world rankings respectively.

The likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby and Luca Brecel bowed out earlier in the tournament, before former world champion Stuart Bingham fell 17-12 to underdog Jones in Saturday' semi-final.

Welshman Jones has never before appeared in a ranking final, and had to win two qualifiers just to reach the first round of the competition.

A victory against Wilson in the two-day final would make him one of the most unlikeliest champions in world championship history, and would go down as one of the all-time great snooker stories.

All eyes have been on Jones remarkable run through the tournament, but fans watching the action on TV have noticed something strange.

BBC Sport's live snooker coverage shows the players' names on the scoreboard, but as a matter of house style, only surnames are listed.

However, viewers noticed that the BBC deviated from that approach by including Jones' forename as well. For example, during his semi-final defeat of Bingham the scoreboard read: Bingham - Jak Jones.

Viewers wondered why that was the case, but it turns out the BBC took that decision to avoid confusion between Jak Jones and Jamie Jones, who appeared earlier in the competition.

Jamie Jones - also Welsh - suffered a 10-6 defeat to John Higgins in the first round last month.

The two-day final begins at 1pm on Sunday.

Featured Image Credit: Getty and BBC Sport

Topics: Snooker, World Snooker Championship, Ronnie OSullivan

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

@alex_brotherton