Jack Lisowski is looking forward to spending a few days in Cheltenham.

That may sound slightly odd when you consider he lives in the town but these days the 28-year-old is away much more than he is at home.

That’s because he’s one of the rising stars in the world of snooker and as such travels pretty much to all parts of the globe to pursue his chosen sport.

And when he’s not travelling he still spends a lot of time outside Gloucestershire because he practises at Grove Academy, a snooker club in Romford in Essex, the same place that world no 1 Judd Trump is based.

It can be hard work but the endeavour is certainly paying off because in the past few months Lisowski has finished runner-up in two top-ranking tournaments.

His next target is to go one better and actually win a tournament – he finished second in the Scottish Open and China Open last year and in the Riga Masters in 2018 – and he would love nothing more than to break his tournament duck in his hometown in early February.

And he’s certainly got a chance of realising that aim because the Coral World Grand Prix returns to the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse from 3rd -9th February.

“Winning a tournament is a real goal of mine,” said Lisowski, who married his American girlfriend Jamie Livingston in Cheltenham in 2015. “It would make it extra special if I could win at Cheltenham.”

This won’t be Lisowski’s first time competing at the Centaur because he took part in the Coral World Grand Prix last year, the first time the event was hosted by the racecourse.

The tournament is for the top 32 players in the world and at the time of writing Lisowski was ranked 13th with prizemoney in excess of £390,000, so his place at the event is absolutely nailed on.

“It’s a great venue,” he told The Local Answer. “It’s so cool to be playing at Cheltenham Racecourse where there’s so much history.

“It’s crazy for me because I live just two or three minutes away from the racecourse, so I don’t have far to go!

“I just want to do better than I did last year. I lost to Ding Junhui in the first round, he played really well. I want to experience playing at the Centaur for longer but although I went out early last year I know it’s a great place to play snooker.”

Lisowski, who was born in Cheltenham and educated at Chosen Hill School in Churchdown, played his early snooker not far from the racecourse.

“I used to play at Westgate Snooker Club in Gloucester,” he said. “I’ve always liked the sport. When I was young I used to play on the floor of my parents’ home using a ping pong ball or a golf ball.

“I’ve always had pretty good hand/eye coordination and I also used to play football, golf and tennis when I was growing up.”

These days snooker is very much his number one sport – he has a career high world ranking of 11 – and he’d love to emulate the achievements of his great friend Judd Trump in the weeks, months and years to come.

“I’m doing okay,” he said modestly. “The last two years have been a big step up. I’ve been practising very hard and I’d definitely say I’m one of the up and coming players, I’m knocking on the door when it comes to winning a tournament.

“I’ve been in three finals, losing to Neil Robertson twice and then to Mark Selby in the Scottish and I played really good snooker throughout those tournaments.

“I’m playing all the time and I love it.”

Lisowski is one of the new breed of players who likes to go for his shots – he’s much more Jimmy White than Steve Davis – and not for nothing is he known as ‘Jackpot’.

“I like to go for everything,” he admitted. “I don’t like to play safety first, I like to be on the offensive.

“I try to stick to my guns and I like to practise what I’m good at, I’m learning my craft and I’m getting better.

“I play a high-risk game which is harder to do but it’s a style of play that I enjoy.”

It’s a style that is very pleasing on the eye and Lisowski will certainly be one of the main attractions when the World Championship takes place at the Crucible in April and the beginning of May.

Rather like jump racing’s Cheltenham Festival in March, that is the highlight on the sport’s calendar.

“It’s the final tournament of the season and one that all the players obviously want to do well in,” Lisowski said. “It’s the biggest tournament and everyone wants to end on a high.”

That didn’t happen last year for Lisowski, who admitted: “I’d had a great season but I didn’t do well at Sheffield, I went out in the last 32 and that was a real downer, it was gutting.”

The aforementioned Trump went on to win his first world title last year, of course – he also won the World Coral Grand Prix in Cheltenham – and will certainly be the man to beat again this time around.

Lisowski, while disappointed with his own showing, was nonetheless delighted to see his good mate Trump triumph.

“He’s my best friend,” said Lisowski, who lives with Trump when he is down in Essex.

And while that may sound like great fun Lisowski insisted, with a slight chuckle: “It’s not like it may seem, we work hard and then we sleep!”

Lisowski, who was speaking from Grove Academy, is great to interview. He’s happy to answer any questions thrown at him and, just as importantly, knows how to answer them.

So does he like it in Essex?

“Essex is a great place,” he continued, before adding with a laugh, “but it’s not as good as Cheltenham!”

With answers like that he is sure to have the whole of Cheltenham rooting for him at the Centaur over the next few days!