I think everyone in the snooker world will wish Jack Lisowski well in his year as the WPBSA's Paul Hunter scholar.
Jack is a great talent who had to go through the ordeal of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphona last year.
In his first column for worldsnooker.com, he writes about how this has left him feeling weak but he's hoping regular gym sessions with Daniel Wells - the inaugural scholar two years ago with whom he is living while he is in Sheffield - will help build his strength up.
(One idea World Snooker should consider is having Jack take photos so we can see him going about his various duties during his year as scholar, not just read about them).
I interviewed Jack at the Crucible this year. Even though he is only 17 I can honestly say that he is already more articulate than several members of the top 16.
What snooker needs more than ever is for new talent to emerge. The rankings have stagnated in recent years. The new season sees only one new face join the top 16 - Mark Williams - and he's not a new face at all.
In the late 1980s, Stephen Hendry emerged as a potent threat to the game's elite.
In the early-mid 1990s, John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Williams started turning over the established stars, followed by Matthew Stevens and Hunter.
All of these players started to make inroads while they were still teens (Hendry, Higgins, O'Sullivan and Hunter all won ranking titles before they were 20).
More recently, Ding Junhui has followed suit but for whatever reason teenage talent is finding it harder to break through.
Lisowski will spend next season on the PIOS tour and thus has a chance to become a professional in 2010.
Snooker is, of course, a hard game full of moments of great disappointment and frustration.
But after everything he's been through I'd expect Jack to make the most of his chance should it come along.
10 comments:
Having never seen Jack play I can't comment on his potential on the table, but what I will say is that the feature on him in the world championship showed a mature, polite, clever young man who is a credit to his parents. I wish him all the very best.
I wish Jack all the best. Taking some pics is a great idea and I hope they're better than some I saw last season coming from some of the lads at Sheffield!!
Jack is in the PIOS again this season and the first event starts next Monday.
Spectators are always welcome to come and watch.
The draw can't be made until Thursday at the earliest because of the confirmation of WSA wildcards, but we have around 135 entries representing 16+ countries, including Mongolia; so it promises to be another very interesting PIOS series.
The full and exclusive coverage of the PIOS is provided by Global Snooker.
Janie
youre right dave
these young players wants to look flash without substance in theire game.
first you learn how to win then you get flashy when you have earned the right to do so.
they trying to run before they walk and they have been found wanting.
So the wildcards are being confirmed tomorrow Janie?
Another player with "great talent" who hopefully can help resurrect our once great sport.
He'll be lucky to break into the top 100 with all the talent that's around!
Jack should get the Wildcard!
After all he's been through he deserves it!
Jack should be awarded the wildcard purely on his average points from events played on the PIOS as if this was the calculation for all players he would be in the top eight
i agree with the above- Wild cards should be used for players who have underperformed due to external circumstances
yes i think giving the wild card to jack is a good shout.
get these young players in see what they made of.
Yeah give it to Jack as he's just missed out in this event but he was runner-up in another event which would have automatically got him on the tour as well. There are a hell of a lot more worse players than him competing on the main tour next season. Good luck Jack with whatever tour you're on next season.
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