British Open Final Tip: Back Selby to Claim the Clive Everton Trophy in Cheltenham

The Pick

Mark Selby to win the 2026 British Open — recommended at odds of around 4/7 (1.57). The four-time world champion is the clear favourite heading into Sunday's final at the Centaur in Cheltenham, and on balance, that market assessment looks about right. Selby versus Jak Jones is a genuinely compelling final, but logic — and the head-to-head record — points firmly in one direction.

The Analysis

Let's start with the obvious caveat: nobody expected Jak Jones to beat Judd Trump in the semi-finals on Saturday, yet there he is, in another ranking event final. The Welshman beat Trump 6-3, capitalising on a performance from the world number one that was a considerable step down from his dominant quarter-final dismantling of Zhao Xintong. Jones is a tricky, awkward customer at the table — he makes life difficult for opponents, grinds frames out, and clearly has the temperament for big occasions. His run to the World Championship final in 2024 proved that, and his Championship League Snooker title victory in July appears to have reignited something in him this season. This is already his second ranking event final of the 2026/27 campaign. He is not here by accident.

That said, Mark Selby is a completely different proposition to Judd Trump. Where Trump can occasionally be lured into a false sense of security against Jones's brand of attritional snooker, Selby is arguably the all-time grandmaster of exactly that style. He wrote the rulebook on making frames uncomfortable, on forcing errors, on winning matches that have no right to be won. The 43-year-old from Leicester has, if anything, grown stronger as this week has progressed. He arrived in Cheltenham complaining of jet lag after returning from China — where he won the China Open in Taiyuan, his first ranking title of the season — and scraped through three of his opening matches in deciding frames. Yet here he is, in the final, having dispatched Liam Highfield 6-3 on Saturday with the kind of assured display that separates the elite from the rest.

The head-to-head record is stark and cannot be ignored. Selby hammered Jones 10-2 at the Crucible in the first round of the World Snooker Championship back in April, and Jones has beaten Selby just once in eight previous meetings. That is a brutal ledger for any underdog to overcome. When two players are closely matched stylistically — both content to grind, both capable of making the other squirm — experience and pedigree tend to win out. Selby has four world titles and a career's worth of pressure matches behind him. Jones is growing in confidence, but he is still early in his journey at this level.

The Odds

Those odds on Jones aren't without merit given what he did to Trump, and if you fancy a flutter on the upset, there's a case to be made. But at 6/4, you're essentially being asked to back a player with a 12.5% win rate against his opponent in a discipline — grinding, defensive snooker — where his opponent is historically the better practitioner. The value simply isn't there at that price.

If you're looking for a slightly more speculative angle, Selby to win 6-3 or 6-4 in the correct score markets could offer some appeal at most firms. He's shown the ability to pull clear in the latter stages of matches this week, and Jones — for all his resilience — may find Selby's ability to play the long game even harder to combat than Trump's flair. Check the Bet365 and William Hill snooker specials sections for those markets ahead of the afternoon session on Sunday.

The Verdict

Mark Selby lifting the Clive Everton Trophy for the second time — he won this title back in 2024 — feels like the most probable outcome. A victory would also push him firmly into contention for the world number one spot currently held by Zhao Xintong, adding extra motivation to an already hungry champion. Jak Jones has been superb this week and deserves enormous credit for another fine run, but Sunday is likely a step too far against this particular opponent.

Bet: Mark Selby to win the 2026 British Open @ 4/7

Please gamble responsibly. Visit BeGambleAware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Only bet what you can afford to lose. 18+.