Wilson Jones

Who was Wilson Jones?

Wilson Lionel Garton-Jones was a professional player of English billiards from India. Jones, a dominant national amateur champion for more than a decade, won the amateur world championship twice, in 1958 and 1964. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1962, the Padma Shri Award in 1965, and the Dronacharya Award in 1996.

Jones, an Anglo-Indian, was born in Pune in Maharashtra, and studied at Bishop High School and St. Vincent's High School, before joining the War Service in 1939. In 1950, he won his first national title, defeating T. A. Selvaraj in the final. During the next sixteen years, he won the amateur National Billiards Championship of Indian twelve times. In 1958, he won the World Amateur Billiards Championship held at Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta. This was followed up by another world title in 1964 in New Zealand.

After retirement, Jones moved on to coaching, and mentored professional champions such Om Agarwal, Subhash Agarwal, and Ashok Shandilya.

In 2003, Jones died following a heart attack.