By Elliott West
“I know how good he is”.
Judd Trump
Introduction
Jack Lisowski is a player who I have admired for some time. Cut from the same snooker cloth as Judd Trump, Jack has taken a while to emerge from the wing of his best friend and develop as a credible contender. Definitely rough around the edges in the early part of his professional career, he was soon touted as a young man who could attain snooker titles but this would be an easy task for someone who prefers to put flair above grounded play. Recently reaching six ranking finals, the 31-year-old, Cheltenham-born player hasn’t been able to cross the winning line in any of them, making too many errors at the vital stages of a match and drowning in his own negative head space. Ironically he has lost three finals to Judd Trump, two to Neil Robertson and one to Mark Selby. Bitter pills to swallow but the necessary training ground for any player who wishes to achieve greatness.
Cometh the Hour
It is strange how one tournament can transform a snooker player and often the prestige of the Masters creates that winning streak. In this year’s event, we have already seen find form from Barry Hawkins, Stuart Bingham, Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams with Jack Lisowski quietly motoring along in the background. Lisowski has developed into the player that we all know he is capable of being. This is definitely a transformation from a player who has previously failed to win a match in his previous three appearances at the Masters and had to withdraw in 2021 due to testing positive for Covid.
Jack has already brushed aside John Higgins in this event, producing an impressive 6-3 victory and now has added Hossein Vafaei to his list of scalps as he managed to steer through a tricky match with his Iranian opponent who wouldn’t give up without a fight, eventually winning the match 6-4. However, the hurdles only get higher as he now faces a reinvigorated Mark Williams in the semi-finals a Welshman who scuppered Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances of an eighth Masters’ crown, beating him in an exciting and tense match 6-5.
The Ebdon Factor
Peter may have retired as a professional in 2020, primarily due to neck problems but he still seems to be leaving his impression on the players he has worked with as a coach. Long may have gone the days of his trademark ponytail. Peter follows in the footsteps of Terry Griffiths and Ray Reardon for giving their own take on the game and providing their students with a number of strategies to help improve their game and mindset. Ebdon was more so known as a thinker during his time as a professional and did ruffle the feathers of a few players including Ronnie O’Sullivan with his candid intervals between each shot and accusations of the slowness of play. However, it didn’t seem to do him any harm because during his time as a professional between 1991 and 2020, he amassed 9 ranking titles including a World Championship crown in 2002, beating Stephen Hendry 18-17 and the 2006 UK Championship where he beat his rival Hendry 10-6.
“He’s been there and done it. I haven’t and nor have a lot of players. He’s got some invaluable advice for me and I respect Peter”.
Ali Carter
During the latter part of his playing career, Ebdon worked with Ali Carter, helping reinvigorate Carter’s form and sharpen up the mental side of his game. As a friend or a coach, Peter massively improved Ali’s game and his greatest achievement was helping him reach the 2012 World Championship final. Peter has been there and wore the t-shirt. He knows what it is like to have to deal with the pressure of the tournament match environment and is still keen to help others if he can.
So it is no surprise that this former professional player has been working closely with Jack Lisowski. Peter who was best remembered for his “Come on” chant during his moments of turning a match around, has managed to reign in this attacking player and produce a player with the all-round skills’ set that only now turns on the magic tap when the crucial frame of the match is won. The results are there to prove in Lisowski’s run at the Masters this year and produced a transformation that many have been seeking for a while. Jack is the full shilling now, having irradiated his mistakes and poor shot choices and could well become a credible contender for this Masters’ crown as a result. A run that was nearly scuppered during his quarter-final match with Hossein Vafaei due to a persistent migraine that brought him close to tears.
