Wilson Jones

The name of Wilson Jones is to billiards what the name of Dhyan Chand is to hockey. These words are the exact quote from scholarly, sports journalist Kishin Wadhwaney. Wilson Jones was as much a wizard at the green-baize table as was the original ‘Wizard’ Dhyan Chand on the lush-green turf.

Wilson Jones, an Anglo-Indian based in Bombay, was the person who first put India on the world billiards map. The great heritage of India in billiards and snooker began from this most amiable of giants.

His sterling attributes at the billiard table and beyond has hardly ever been bettered. From top to toe, he was a thorough gentleman: a role model for future of generations of outstanding cueists that India has produced.

India’s unheralded Wilson Jones became the world amateur billiards champion in 1958 and stunned the world with his miraculous skills and amazing consistency. He remained among the leading international players for more than six years. He regained the title in 1964. His exploits have almost been forgotten in the land of his birth.

Wilson Jones’ cue cast a magic spell on the glistening balls atop billiard-tables. The coloured shiny spheres seemed to dance to the tunes of Wilson’s magic wand. The handsome man from Bombay, ever modest and unassuming, looked relaxed and in meditation as he contemplated his moves around the table.

Billiards is a game of precision or ‘exactitude’ in Jones’ very words. Even a very small error of judgement can magnify into a gigantic mistake. One slight mistake can give away the initiative to the opponent. A minor lapse in concentration can set one back by hundreds of points. Concentration akin to deep meditation is one of prerequisite of success in this sport of very precise judgement.

Wilson Jones, born in Poona, was brought up in Bombay. Not many people played the game at the competitive level in India at the time in the 1950s. Fewer still were the billiard facilities available. Some facilities were available at the prominent social clubs, perhaps a few more at the fashionable gymkhanas and at the top-tier hotels of the city. Not many young men had the opportunity to pursue the sophisticated sport.

Wilson Jones was fascinated by his uncle’s ‘magic touch’ very early in life. He was one of the fortunate few youngsters who got the opportunity to hone his skills on the billiard-tables at Bombay. His inherent relaxed attitude, his amazing contemplative mentality and his extraordinary sense of judgement helped him to become the national champion at 28 years of age. In the 16 years between 1950 and 1966 he won the national billiards title 12 times. During the same period he was also the national snooker champion on six occasions.

Ever since he took part at the national level, he gave the impression that he was a champion in the making. According to PN Roy of Great Eastern Hotel at Calcutta, which happened to be the centre of billiards activity in the country, “He had every possible quality one would aspire for. And something more, which is inexplicable. He was born with all the attributes to be a champion. Through sheer dedication he made himself into one. A great player. A great man.”

His hard work-ethic was not lost on the people who saw him practice. Hour after hour in splendid solitude the young man would be polishing his skills. Nothing would distract him from the work in hand. He was like a sage in deep contemplation.

No power could touch him in any way. No one could disturb him in any manner. Nothing would be an irritant as he fixed his concentration on the precise nature of his activity. Pocketing ball after ball from numerous angles and rebounds seemed the easiest of tasks. Never broke a sweat as he gracefully handled his cue hour after hour. A touch artist at his creative best. Miraculous powers of concentration and amazing sense of angles and depth, he possessed.

Wilson Jones became the world amateur billiards champion at Calcutta in 1958. He regained the title in New Zealand in 1964. Once in 1960 and again in 1962, he just missed the title losing in the final round on both occasions. To be among the very best of the billiards world for eight long years shows the man’s amazing skills and consistency. Hardly any Indian sports persona has been at the pinnacle for such a long period of time, except of course Dhyan Chand.

His credit was all the more because he hardly had any facilities in India worth mentioning. Hardly any worthy opposition as well to motivate him. There were never enough funds for experience and exposure abroad. Absolutely negligible support from the government or from the billiards federation. Every player had to fend for himself. Even the magnificent Wilson Jones was no exception.

When he became the world champion in 1958 at Calcutta’s Great Eastern Hotel, it was without doubt a great eastern achievement. No other Asian had done it before. The magnificent victory was against all odds. The favourites were Leslie Driffield and Tom Cleary. Dreffield of England was a former world champion and the Australian Cleary was defending his world title.  

Wilson defeated both the former as well as the defending world champions, Driffield and Cleary, on his road to the final. Against the Briton Leslie Driffield it was a historic fight-back. Trailing by 665 points he had just about 105 minutes remaining. According to Wadhwaney, “…Wilson translated a hopeless situation into a rip-roaring success …He won the match 2865-2729.” In the final he had a comparatively easier passage against a very talented fellow compatriot – Bombay-born, Calcutta-based – Chandra Hirjee.

By 1964 Wilson’s stature had grown. He was a towering personality with his 6-foot plus frame and an upright bearing. On the avenue to the final he defeated eight top-class players. In the final, Alfred Nolan of England could not match up to Wilson’s phenomenal supremacy and lost 874-1742. Such domination at a world championship final was rare. But Wilson Jones was indeed a rare, exceptional player and person.

Wilson Jones’ pioneering path led to the magnificent achievements of Michael Ferriera, Geet Sethi, Arvind Savur, Ashok Shandilya, Om Agarwal, Satish Mohan, Shyam Shroff, Subhash Agarwal, Yasin Merchant and the Kotharis, among others, in the years that followed. They upheld the fantastic Indian tradition at international billiards championships laid by the one and only Wilson Jones. His great influence touched one and all in the world of Indian billiards.

Thankfully the Government of India recognized his worth and paid him the best possible compliments. Wilson Jones received the Arjuna award in 1962, the first billiards player to receive it. Later he was honoured with the Padmashree in 1966. Finally in 1997 followed the Dronacharya award. No wonder he is known as the ‘Father of Indian Billiards’.

The wonderful gentleman was known around the world as the ‘Gentle Giant’. Again according to Wadhwaney, “…he once gulped 12 kulfies after a full gujrati thali meal.” It is said that he loved his food and loved to dress in formals.

Was vegetarian food his favourite? PN Roy – the owner of Great Eastern Hotel – who had known him very closely said, “No, no. He enjoyed the typical Calcutta Chinese prawn dishes as well as beef-steak which had to be ‘very well-done’. Loved nolen gurer sandesh and payesh. He had a sweet tooth. We enjoyed preparing meals for him at Great Eastern. Fascinating appetite, boundless energy. An exemplary gentleman. A genuine world champion. Our national pride.”

 He was the epitome of class. A gentleman of character. A gentleman worthy of reverence. A cueist par excellence. A man who inspired a generation of world-class billiard and snooker champions from India.