Mr Jones bites his bronze medal he won at the European Blackball Championships in Malta in November
A male who purchased a swimming pool table after winning ₤ 2.4 m on the National Lottery has actually now won a bronze medal for England in a competition in Malta.
Previous tiler Neil Jones, 59, from Stoke-on-Trent, won the cash with his partner prior to Christmas in 2010.
He retired and purchased a professional-grade swimming pool table so he might practice.
He dipped into the European Blackball Championships previously this month after being selected to captain the England B1 group in an over-50s Masters classification.
Speaking with the BBC ahead of the competition, he stated: “There was an open trial for anybody who wishes to trial for England, and I got in. That’s when it ended up being genuine.
“It’s frustrating and you simply believe, I want my daddy was here,” he included. He has actually now devoted the bronze medal to his late dad.
Mr Jones stated that before the lotto win he had simply ₤ 13 in his pocket and did not have adequate cash to survive Christmas.
An event at a swimming pool hall with good friends led to Mr Jones determining up his dining space so he might purchase a good swimming pool table.
At the competition, his group played other second-level over-50s sides from France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland and Gibraltar, before losing to Wales in the semi-final. Scotland won the gold medal in the last.
Mr Jones stated: “It was the most fantastic journey and I can’t think that we won a medal. I am so happy.
“The [lottery] win permitted me to retire and practice, which I could not have actually done while I was still working.”
Image source, PA Media
The 59-year-old states he could not have actually managed a professional-grade swimming pool table before the win