Snooker star Jackson Page begins very different job after landing huge 147 bonus
The 23-year-old continued to make good progress in his snooker career, enjoying the best season of his young career so far last time round.
A run to his first ranking final at the Championship League and two more ranking quarter-finals were encouraging, but the highlight came in World Championship qualifying.
The Welshman became the first player in the history of the game to make two 147s in the same match, doing so in a 10-2 demolition of Allan Taylor.
The amazing achievement saw Page won a huge £147,000 bonus for making two maximums over the four biggest events on the calendar – he just only needed one game to do it.
Some of those winnings have gone on a new venture, very different from potting balls, in Brynmawr, south Wales.
AJ's Trading Cards opened at the end of last month and Action Jackson is loving taking his hobby to the next level. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKaQ14topfR/
'Everyone on tour knows that I am really into collectible stuff like Pokemon Cards and other things,' he told WST. 'I just decided it would be great to open up a shop as a bit of a thing on the side.
'It is a bit of an interest for me and something I like to do when I'm not focussing on snooker. It has been a brilliant experience seeing it open up, I obviously can't work in there as I'm a snooker player but I've got someone to work there and it is a good hobby to have.'
'We've got all sorts of things in there like Lego sets and Plushies, as well as the trading cards. It has been fun setting it up. We've got a few cards in there worth over £2,000. The most valuable and rare Pokemon Card we have is called a Moonbreon.
'When I was a kid I used to collect cards and I got back into it a couple of years ago. Now I'm in a position where I'm able to open a shop so I'll see how it goes. It will be exciting to see how it pans out. Mark Williams popped over the other day to see the shop, his boy is into it all as well. So it was nice to have him come along.'
New world champion Zhao Xintong shares an interest with Page, as he showed by sporting the Pokemon Chimchar on his bowtie at the Crucible.
The shop's owner hopes to see the world champ come and spend some of his £500,000 winnings.
'He's just won a fortune, so he could be a good customer,' he said. 'Despite being there for the final, I had no idea he had that on his bowtie.
'We have a Chimchar Funko Pop in the shop actually. I could maybe sell that to him!'
Page made the two 147s in the penultimate round of World Championship qualifying but then was beaten by Joe O'Connor at the last hurdle before the Crucible. More Trending
He said after that loss that he would swap the history and huge bonus for a trip to the Crucible, but is a bit more philosophical on the situation now.
'It was hard to be too disappointed coming off the back of what I'd just done and what I'd won,' he said. 'It would have been a great buzz to go to the Crucible, but Joe is a great player and he played well.
'There's swings and roundabouts, wins and losses. At the end of the day I need to come back next year and try to be in a position where I don't have to qualify.'
Page gets the new season underway with a Wuhan Open qualifier against Ross Muir on June 24 and is back in action the following day in British Open qualifying against Elliot Slessor.
MORE: Zak Surety on wild Crucible debut: They can't ever move from there – it's mad
MORE: Wuhan Open and British Open draws made as Ronnie O'Sullivan enters both
MORE: Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty disagree on most underrated snooker player ever
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