A RISING West Fife cue star is set to face a two-time World Snooker Championship finalist in a televised ranking event later this month.

Jack Borwick, a fourth-year pupil at Queen Anne High School, has been invited to Leicester to play in the BetVictor Shoot Out event, where he will go head-to-head with Ali Carter.

A unique event, featuring six promising junior players, including Jack, on the snooker calendar, matches in the competition last a maximum of 10 minutes, with a shot clock – 15 seconds for the first five minutes, and 10 seconds for the last five – pushing players to the limits of their abilities.

During 2022, Jack was crowned as Scottish Snooker’s Under-16 Championship winner; captained Scotland’s under-16s at a Home International tournament and helped Glasgow’s Q Club, where he also plays, to become Scottish County snooker champions; and even experienced playing against current world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The 15-year-old played one frame against the record-equalling seven-time winner, who twice defeated Carter in the final, and current world number one, at an exhibition event in Dundee, finding himself 38-11 ahead before losing 65-38.

His proud mum, Suzanne, and his dad, Mark, will travel south to watch him in action, and she said: “It’s just absolutely phenomenal, getting to go and take part in his first World Snooker-ranking event that’s on the television, so high-profile.

“For somebody so young, who’s only been doing it now for three years, is really good.

“If you ever met Jack, he’s so laid back it’s ridiculous. He just takes it all in his stride.

“It was a bit like when he played Ronnie in the summer. You’ve got 10 people sitting on a stage, all of them older, way older, than what Jack was, nervous, and he’s just like, ‘I’m just here to have a frame of snooker’. He was just the same.

“I guess there’s a bit where he’s thinking he won’t be expected to do well against Ali, because he is a professional and he is so high up in the world rankings (number 23), so I guess he’s got nothing to lose.

“He’ll go, give it his all, enjoy it all and enjoy the experience. It’s just another step on the ladder to what he wants to do.”

Suzanne continued: “Jack’s just doing so well at the moment.

“He’s now number three (in the Scottish Snooker rankings) in what they call the main tour, which is all ages.

“You’ve got Ross Muir on there, who’s pretty close to becoming professional, and for Jack to be sitting third in this new season, after three events, is just amazing.

“He’s just very excited to be part of all this, and for his grandparents to sit at home and watch it on the television.”

The BetVictor Shoot Out runs from January 25-28.