Wilson Jones was born on May 2 , 1922 in a middle class Anglo-Indian family at Poona . Coming of a well-known sporting family his uncle , Mr. O. V. Massey better known as Massey who was selected for the Berlin Olympics was one of the best centre halves ever produced by India . His Christian faith emanates from the Church of England .
He did not find enough scope for prosecuting his studies which he had to terminate at the Junior Cambridge Stage . He subsequently joined the Ammunition factory at Kurkee as a daily wages earner on the out-break of the last World War in 1939 . Being retrenched in 1946 , he was fortunate in getting a job as Secretary to Mr. Gharpuri whom he met in the Deccan Gymkhana in 1947 at Poona .
Jones who had started playing Billiards and Snooker at the age of 16 years (sometime in 1938 ) got his first lesson in top-table play from Mr. Gharpuri , a fine Maharastrian gentlemen . Before this Jones used to enjoy playing Snooker mainly but the discerning eyes of Mr. Gharpuri discovered the Billiards talent in the young Wilson and advised him to give up Snooker and take to Billiards solely .
Subsequently he joined several other firms in his quest for a permanent job . He was fortunate in one respect that wherever he worked he got a patronishing hoss for the cultivation of his Billiards talent . From 1947-50 , he worked as a Security Officer and in other capacities with the Mazagon Docks , a ship-building and repairing concern .
I9n the meantime , he Billiards and Snooker were both making progress . In 1947 , on hearing Kingsley Kennerly , then a professional was going to play in Bombay he went to see the game but was pressed by Mr. Rafiq Dina and Byculla Y. M. C. A. authorities to play an exhibition Billiards match against the visitor . He did not fare bad against Kennerly and was greatly inspired by his encouraging performance .
Thereafter he concreted more on Billiards and as a result of his efforts he was nominated to play in the Nationals in 1947 by the Deccan Gymkhana who sent him to Calcutta . His first effort was not fruitful being knocked out in the first round , both in Billiards and snooker . His highest break then was only ‘44’ .
FIRST MAJOR SUCCESS
He met his first major success in the Nationals when he won the National Snooker Title in 1948 . His first real success in Billiards came in 1950 when he won the National Crown . Repeating the success in 1951 and 1952 he earned the coveted Double Crown in the last mentioned year when he also won the snooker title .
In 1950 he joined the business concern of the Vissanjees . Mr. R. K. Vissanjee from then onwards gave Jones all sorts of facilities for the development of his game . from 1950 to early 1956 he remained with the sister concern of A1-Sales Ltd. , where Mr. M. K. Bhimani was also of great help to him . This year in April , he joined the firm of Wallace Flour Mills , of the same Vissanji enterprise where he is still working .
Jones of all his patrons , is mostly indebted to Mr. M. M. Begg , Chairman of the B. A. C. C. I. who has been watching his prowess at the game since he came to Calcutta in 1947 . Mr. Jones admitted after the game that Mr. Begg was a prime factor in his billiard make-up . On his advice he made up his mind to devote full energy at the development of Billiards , of which Mr. Begg found great prospects in his game . By arranging trips abroad and exhibition and championship matches at home . Jones received the necessary fillip for lifting up his game . After the 1947 Nationals in Calcutta he then decided to remain at Bombay where there was ample scope for his improvement . Profiting from such backing he reached the finals of the National Billiards nine times winning the same six times (1950-52 ; 1954-55 ; 1958 ) . Reaching the finals of the National Snooker five times , he was successful on four occasions ( 1948 , 1952 , 1954 , 1958 ) , taking the Double Crown in 1952 and 1954 .
He first represented India at the World Amateur Billiards Championship at London in 1951 and then at Calcutta in 1952 and Sydney in 1954 . He also traveled to Burma , Ceylon , Pakistan and Hong Kong on a Billiards goodwill mission .
Among the National champions , he is the only one who has beaten all the visiting players and world champions in Billiards who visited India before the current World Championship . He beat Bob Marshall in 1949 in exhibition match ; Frank Edwards (World no. 2 in 1951) in the National semi-final in 1950 ; Tom Cleary in 1951 (National semi-final) ; and Leslie Driffield at Bombay in November , 1958 in the Final of the Western India Billiards Championship .
He holds the National break record of 452 , world’s second highest break record of 501 , for World Championship . His aggregate score of 2810 for 4 hours game at Bombay this year in the Western India Billiards Championship is also the highest aggregate score record .
He married in 1951 before going to the World championship at London . He has one son aged 7 years named Geoffrey Wilson whose future coach will now be no better person than the World Champion himself .
Tall , standing 6 feet 1 inch with a chest of 40 inches and knit with a handsome physique weighing 175 lbs . Jones is above all a great sportsman both on and off the table very genial and affable in manners .
He did not find enough scope for prosecuting his studies which he had to terminate at the Junior Cambridge Stage . He subsequently joined the Ammunition factory at Kurkee as a daily wages earner on the out-break of the last World War in 1939 . Being retrenched in 1946 , he was fortunate in getting a job as Secretary to Mr. Gharpuri whom he met in the Deccan Gymkhana in 1947 at Poona .
Jones who had started playing Billiards and Snooker at the age of 16 years (sometime in 1938 ) got his first lesson in top-table play from Mr. Gharpuri , a fine Maharastrian gentlemen . Before this Jones used to enjoy playing Snooker mainly but the discerning eyes of Mr. Gharpuri discovered the Billiards talent in the young Wilson and advised him to give up Snooker and take to Billiards solely .
Subsequently he joined several other firms in his quest for a permanent job . He was fortunate in one respect that wherever he worked he got a patronishing hoss for the cultivation of his Billiards talent . From 1947-50 , he worked as a Security Officer and in other capacities with the Mazagon Docks , a ship-building and repairing concern .
I9n the meantime , he Billiards and Snooker were both making progress . In 1947 , on hearing Kingsley Kennerly , then a professional was going to play in Bombay he went to see the game but was pressed by Mr. Rafiq Dina and Byculla Y. M. C. A. authorities to play an exhibition Billiards match against the visitor . He did not fare bad against Kennerly and was greatly inspired by his encouraging performance .
Thereafter he concreted more on Billiards and as a result of his efforts he was nominated to play in the Nationals in 1947 by the Deccan Gymkhana who sent him to Calcutta . His first effort was not fruitful being knocked out in the first round , both in Billiards and snooker . His highest break then was only ‘44’ .
FIRST MAJOR SUCCESS
He met his first major success in the Nationals when he won the National Snooker Title in 1948 . His first real success in Billiards came in 1950 when he won the National Crown . Repeating the success in 1951 and 1952 he earned the coveted Double Crown in the last mentioned year when he also won the snooker title .
In 1950 he joined the business concern of the Vissanjees . Mr. R. K. Vissanjee from then onwards gave Jones all sorts of facilities for the development of his game . from 1950 to early 1956 he remained with the sister concern of A1-Sales Ltd. , where Mr. M. K. Bhimani was also of great help to him . This year in April , he joined the firm of Wallace Flour Mills , of the same Vissanji enterprise where he is still working .
Jones of all his patrons , is mostly indebted to Mr. M. M. Begg , Chairman of the B. A. C. C. I. who has been watching his prowess at the game since he came to Calcutta in 1947 . Mr. Jones admitted after the game that Mr. Begg was a prime factor in his billiard make-up . On his advice he made up his mind to devote full energy at the development of Billiards , of which Mr. Begg found great prospects in his game . By arranging trips abroad and exhibition and championship matches at home . Jones received the necessary fillip for lifting up his game . After the 1947 Nationals in Calcutta he then decided to remain at Bombay where there was ample scope for his improvement . Profiting from such backing he reached the finals of the National Billiards nine times winning the same six times (1950-52 ; 1954-55 ; 1958 ) . Reaching the finals of the National Snooker five times , he was successful on four occasions ( 1948 , 1952 , 1954 , 1958 ) , taking the Double Crown in 1952 and 1954 .
He first represented India at the World Amateur Billiards Championship at London in 1951 and then at Calcutta in 1952 and Sydney in 1954 . He also traveled to Burma , Ceylon , Pakistan and Hong Kong on a Billiards goodwill mission .
Among the National champions , he is the only one who has beaten all the visiting players and world champions in Billiards who visited India before the current World Championship . He beat Bob Marshall in 1949 in exhibition match ; Frank Edwards (World no. 2 in 1951) in the National semi-final in 1950 ; Tom Cleary in 1951 (National semi-final) ; and Leslie Driffield at Bombay in November , 1958 in the Final of the Western India Billiards Championship .
He holds the National break record of 452 , world’s second highest break record of 501 , for World Championship . His aggregate score of 2810 for 4 hours game at Bombay this year in the Western India Billiards Championship is also the highest aggregate score record .
He married in 1951 before going to the World championship at London . He has one son aged 7 years named Geoffrey Wilson whose future coach will now be no better person than the World Champion himself .
Tall , standing 6 feet 1 inch with a chest of 40 inches and knit with a handsome physique weighing 175 lbs . Jones is above all a great sportsman both on and off the table very genial and affable in manners .