I won £4.2m on the lottery and bought pool table as first purchase – now I’m going to represent England in championships
AN ex-tiler whose first buy after a £2.4million lottery win was a pool table is to represent England in the sport’s European championships.
Neil Jones, 59, said taking part in the tournament in Malta next month will be his “proudest moment”.
He had just £13 in his pocket when he and partner Julie Kirkham won the cash in a National Lottery draw just before Christmas 2010.
Neil, of Stoke-on-Trent, bought a pool table, having played snooker as a junior.
With more free time after retiring, and the onset of Covid, he honed his skills at home.
He become a county player before his first England trial in 2021.
After narrowly missing out, he was asked to try out again this year.
He was successful and was then awarded his England colours during a Home Nations tournament.
Now Neil — who has put in “thousands of hours” practice — has also been asked to captain England’s B1 team.
He said “Winning the lottery allowed me to put those hours in.
“If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the table, I wouldn’t have had the time — I’d still be on my hands and knees tiling.
“I can’t wait to fly out to Malta, put on that England shirt and lead the team out.”