Stoke man who bought pool table with lottery winnings gets bronze medal

Mr Jones bites his bronze medal he won at the European Blackball Championships in Malta in November

A man who bought a pool table after winning £2.4m on the National Lottery has now won a bronze medal for England in a tournament in Malta.

Former tiler Neil Jones, 59, from Stoke-on-Trent, won the money with his partner just before Christmas in 2010.

He retired and bought a professional-grade pool table so he could practise.

He played at the European Blackball Championships earlier this month after being picked to captain the England B1 team in an over-50s Masters category.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the tournament, he said: "There was an open trial for anyone who wants to trial for England, and I got in. That's when it became real.

"It's overwhelming and you just think, I wish my dad was here," he added. He has now dedicated the bronze medal to his late father.

Mr Jones said that before the lottery win he had just £13 in his pocket and did not have enough money to get through Christmas.

But a celebration at a pool hall with friends led to Mr Jones measuring up his dining room so he could buy a decent pool table.

At the tournament, his team 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 final.

Mr Jones said: "It was the most amazing journey and I can't believe that we won a medal. I am so proud.

"The [lottery] win allowed me to retire and practise, which I couldn't have done while I was still working."

The 59-year-old says he couldn't have afforded a professional-grade pool table before the win