Jamie Jones has spoken of his journey from being on snooker's scrapheap to becoming the Crucible's comeback kid.

The 33-year-old was suspended from the tour for breaching betting regulations in 2018. He failed to report his knowledge of match fixing to the authorities and the ban was handed down.

To get back near the top of the game, he had to go through the rigorous Q School but he impressed sufficiently over the past 12 months and earned his Sheffield spot in style - additionally, Jones will return to the top 64 rankings.

It's been a long road back for the Welsh potter but Sunday's classy 10-4 victory over Stephen Maguire was an important moment for Jones.

"I have said in interviews all season how proud I am of myself," he said following the impressive win.

"I felt like I lost everything, but if anyone is struggling with anything then I think it’s important to talk to people, which I did, and make positive choices, which I did.

“It is easier said than done – it is so easy to make the wrong choices – but maybe I’m a little bit of proof how making good choices can work out for people.

"It's always special to play here. I felt as comfortable out there tonight as I ever have. I felt as calm as you can be under pressure. It was a nice feeling."

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Jones will face either Ding Junhui or Stuart Bingham in the second round next, and is looking forward to the best-of-25 frames clash.

He added: “I love the longer matches and I get to play first to 13 now, so it’s good."

Later tonight sees two other first round games played to a finish, and both are evenly-poised.

Anthony McGill holds a slender 5-4 advantage over Ricky Walden, whilst on the other table Gary Wilson leads by the same scoreline against Kyren Wilson.