£2.4m Lottery Winner Becomes England Pool Captain

Winning a lottery jackpot can really change your life. Neil Jones from Stoke-on-Trent in England, won a £2.4 million prize in 2010 and bought a pool table. Now he’s about to captain England in the European Pool Championships.

The big win for Neil and his partner Julie Kirkham came just at the right time. Christmas was on the way and the tiler was struggling financially. Then came the £2.4 million lottery win but the couple didn’t immediately go public or change their lifestyle even with Christmas on the horizon.

Neil (now 59) kept to his plan of giving £100 to each of those receiving presents. “I wanted to get our old life out of the way,” he said.

Time to buy a table

He admits that without his big win he’d still be working as a tiler. When he went public about his win at the start of 2011, a celebration was held with his friends at a local pool hall. Soon after he was measuring up his dining room to confirm he had enough room for a pool table.

Being able to quit his job gave him more time to practice playing pool on his new table. He’s busy honing his skills while his partner watches Coronation Street and other television shows.

Having his own pool table certainly helped him during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Pubs and pool halls were temporarily closed but he was busy practicing at home.

Conquering his nerves

Earlier this year all that practice paid off as he was chosen to play for England’s pool team. That was a difficult debut and the lottery winner admits to suffering from nerves and being like a “rabbit in the headlights.”

His nerves are better now and he’s off to Malta to captain the England B1 team that’s hoping to win the European title. “I can’t wait to fly out to Malta, put on that England shirt and lead the team out,” said the delighted lottery winner. How would your life change if you won a big lottery prize?

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