MALVERN pool ace Andy Jones reached the last 32 of the World Eight Ball Championship at Blackpool's Hilton Hotel.

Jones was also part of the Wales team that finished mid-table in the team league format against teams from Australia, India, South Africa and the West Indies, as well as sides from the Home Nations and Europe.

In the singles' competition, Jones played Stuart Keith from Scotland in the first round, beating him 7-3, then played his Welsh team-mate Wayne Smith in the second round, beating him 7-3.

He then played Stan Makh from India and won 8-5 before he went on to play the Welsh team captain, Paul Hawkins and beat him 8-5 to reach the last 32.

There he met Yannick Beaufils of France, who has previously reached the finals of this event and is seeded number three in the competition. In a very tense and tactical match, Jones narrowly lost 8-6.

In the team competition, Wales played well but faced tough competition. They won six of their 13 matches and finished 7th, just missing out on a play-off spot.

This is the first time Jones has played in the World Championships, though he has represented Wales for the last two years at the European Championships