Northern Ireland Open Best Bets: 5/4 Contender Leads Snooker Tips On Friday

Here are the best snooker betting tips this Friday, with Sam Cox previewing his best bets at the 2026 Northern Ireland Open for William Hill News.

Northern Ireland Open Predictions Today

• Kyren Wilson -2.5 (5/4)
• Over 9.5 frames (10/11)
• Jak Jones -2.5 (11/10)

Anthony McGill vs Kyren Wilson Tips

Things have fallen into place for Anthony McGill after beating defending champion Jack Lisowski. The other top seeds in McGill’s section fell prematurely, giving a relatively easy path to this quarter-final duel with Kyren Wilson.

The 2025/26 campaign was a bit underwhelming for the former world champion and this is only the second ranking quarter-final he’s reached this year. He has won the last six matches against McGill, however.

It’s not a complete mismatch, but we still think Wilson is a deserving favourite and should win this comfortably.

David Gilbert vs Mark Williams Tips

This is David Gilbert’s first real test of the tournament after Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stuart Bingham were eliminated in the early rounds. Mark Williams played at a high level to beat Martin O’Donnell 4-0 after a 4-2 win against Zhang Anda.

Gilbert’s form is solid, including a 4-0 win over Williams at this season’s British Open. Williams looked to have got in a groove with a run to the final at the English Open after some mediocre results.

Williams has consistently got the better of Gilbert over the years, but that 4-0 at the British Open is fresh in the memory. This promises to be a hard-fought match.

Jak Jones vs Scott Donaldson Tips

After getting some good fortune with Wu Yize’s withdrawal, Scott Donaldson has taken full advantage to reach his first ranking quarter-final since 2020/21. His matchup on Friday is with Jak Jones, who has seen off Tom Ford, John Higgins, and Daniel Wells.

Jones didn’t put in his best performances over the last couple of campaigns, but the Welshman is a breakout performer this term with the first two ranking titles of his career wrapped up.

There’s very little evidence to suggest Donaldson can compete with the world’s best. Despite his ranking, that’s a category Jones belongs in.

*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*