LIAM Highfield only has eyes on one place after his ManBetX Welsh Open defeat - the dancefloor.

The Swindon-born potter succumbed to a disappointing 4-2 defeat against Kyren Wilson at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, fighting back to restore parity at 2-2 but having his hopes dashed by the world number eight.

Wilson raced into a 2-0 lead before breaks of 73 and 130 pegged the three-time ranking event winner back, but efforts of 50 and 90 from Wilson were enough to send the world No.60 back to the Potteries with defeat.

But Highfield is a jovial character away from the table who doesn’t take his cueing too seriously.

And the Swindon-born man revealed he’s ready to let off some steam ahead of the Snooker Shoot Out in Watford next week.

“I’ll probably have a few nights out back in Stoke now - I could end up anywhere!” he joked.

“I don’t go near the practice table anyway and only ever do an hour or two a day, so that’s not really getting in the way at all.

“I could go to the Shoot Out after playing ten hours’ a day and go out in the first round, or I could turn up having done zero hours and win it, so it’s not really a big one from my perspective.

“I’ll do some exercise everyday, perhaps not so much over the weekend, but I’ll get back at it.

“I could be burning some calories on the dancefloor at this rate!”

The 29-year-old is running the Liverpool Marathon in May, raising money for charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK - a disease he suffers from.

And while he was disappointed to lose to the dangerous Wilson - who came into the match off the back of a memorable 147 against Jackson Page - the blow was numbed by the fact he’s probably become used to the 28-year-old’s success.

“I grew up with Kyren, so for me tonight was just any other game,” he added.

“We played together all the time when we grew up, but as well as he’s done in the game, he’s nothing special to me.

“Through the junior rankings we played in all the same tournaments - he’s obviously done well but I wouldn’t say we’re good mates off the table, and it was more just a case of playing in all the tournaments together, so I knew his game.”

Watch the Welsh Open live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds throughout the day’s play.