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The fact that Wilson Lionel Garton Jones was the first Indian world champion at any sport speaks volumes about the quality of the man. During an illustrious career, Jones won the World Billiards Championship twice and reigned supreme in the national stage, winning the National Billiards Championship a whopping 12 times.
Born at Pune in Maharashtra on May 2 1922, Wilson Jones studied at the local Bishop High School and St. Vincent's High School before joining the War Service in 1939. Jones shot to limelight in 1950 when he won his first National title defeating T. A. Selvaraj in the final. From 1950 to 1966, Jones remained Amateur Billiards Champion of India for 12 years.
Wilson Jones' first endeavor in the World Billiards Championship did not make much of an impact as he finished last. Undaunted, he persisted with grit and determination and soon carved a niche for himself in the international stage. Finally, in 1958, came his biggest moment when he became the first Indian to win the coveted World Amateur Billiards Championship held at Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta. Jones won the crown again in 1964 in New Zealand.
Post-retirement, Jones acquired a formidable reputation as a billiards coach, passing on an invaluable experience of eight World Championship appearances. That many of his wards like Subhash Aggarwal and Ashok Shandilya went on to become professional world champions bears testimony to his coaching prowess.
In honor of Wilson Jones' contribution to the three-ball game, the nation conferred him with the Arjuna Award in 1962, Padma Shri in 1965 and the Dronacharya Award in 1996. His demise in 2003 has left a void in the cue sports arena.
