Mark Allen (snooker player)
Encyclopedia
Mark Allen is a Northern Irish
professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship
in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16. Entering the 2010/2011 season
, he was ranked 10.
Allen has reached five ranking semi-finals: the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy, the 2008 Bahrain Championship
, the 2009 World Championship, the 2010 China Open and the 2010 UK Championship
. In June 2009 he won his first professional title, the invitational Jiangsu Classic
in China.
A left-hander, Allen's highest break to date is a 146 which he has achieved twice, once in the 2007 UK Championship qualifiers and at the 2010 World Snooker Championship. His break-building style is a little unorthodox in the modern game, in that he rarely goes into the pack of reds early in a break, preferring to pick off loose reds and establish a lead.
, Allen won the European Championship and the IBSF World Championship, plus Northern Ireland Championship at under-14, under-16, and under-19 levels. His early career was aided by National Lottery
funding.
By chance, an invitational Northern Ireland Trophy was staged shortly after Allen turned professional. As a local player, he was invited and made an immediate impact, defeating Steve Davis
and John Higgins to reach the quarter-finals, before losing to Stephen Hendry
. In his first year on the tour, he reached the last 32 of the 2005 UK Championship and the 2006 Welsh Open, losing 2–5 to the then World Champion Shaun Murphy
after leading 2–0. He also got to the final qualifying round of the 2006 World Championship, losing 7–10 to Andy Hicks
, after leading 7–4.
In March 2007 he qualified for the World Championship for the first time, winning 3 matches culminating in a 10–4 win over Robert Milkins
. In April 2007 he beat former world champion Ken Doherty
10–7 in the first round held at the Crucible Theatre
in Sheffield
, but lost to Matthew Stevens
9–13 in the second round. This was his first run to the last 16 of a tournament and helped him into the top 32 of the rankings (at no. 29).
In the 2007 Grand Prix, in a match with Ken Doherty
, he was involved in an incident that led to his opponent branding him 'a disgrace'. Unhappy that the black would not go back on its spot after potting it, Allen struck the side cushion with his fist. The referee told him that he would be warned if he did that again. Allen was not warned, and ended up winning the match. Doherty said, "He was a disgrace. For such a relative newcomer to the pro game, he's got a serious attitude problem". Mark later commented: "It was entirely my own fault and if there are going to be any repercussions then so be it." Allen did not reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
In the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy he gave his home supporters plenty to shout about, by beating Graeme Dott
5–3, Ryan Day
5–3 to reach his first ever quarter-final. In it he defeated Gerard Greene
5–3 to reach the semi-final, where he lost 3–6 to Fergal O'Brien
. In the following UK Championship he defeated Stephen Hendry in the last 32. He opened his last-16 match against Mark Williams
with two centuries in the first three frames, building a 5–1 lead, but Williams fought back and he lost 5–9. He then reached the quarter-finals in the 2008 China Open before losing to Shaun Murphy. At the 2008 World Championship he led Stephen Hendry 6–3, 7–4 and 9–7 before losing 9–10. However, first-round defeats for all his rivals for a top 16 place ensured that he finished the season at number 16 in the rankings.
in his opening match. He faced Ronnie O'Sullivan
in the second round and confident and unaffected by his opponent's reputation, Allen beat the defending champion, 13–11 for a quarter-final place in the 2009 World Championship. He then defeated Ryan Day by the same scoreline to reach the semi-finals, where he lost 13–17 to John Higgins, despite making a determined fightback from 3–13 down. Soon after his run in the World Championship, Allen won his first professional tournament, the 2009 Jiangsu Classic
beating home favourite Ding Junhui
6–0 in the final.
During the 2010 Masters, Allen beat the World Champion, John Higgins, by 6–3 in the last 16. He lost out 5–6 to eventual champion Mark Selby in the quarter-finals.
On the first day of the 2010 World Championship on 17 April 2010, Allen came close to recording his first ever maximum break in his first round match against Tom Ford
after potting 15 reds with blacks, and the yellow, before breaking down on the green. Five days later, Allen made the first 146 break in World Championship
history, and the second of his career after defeating Mark Davis
13–5 in the second round. He was defeated 12–13 in the quarter-final by Graeme Dott
, having led 12–10.
At the 2010 UK Championship, Allen reached the semi-finals for the first time, where he was beaten 9–5 by eventual champion John Higgins. In the Masters, Allen again reached the semi-finals, and led Marco Fu
4–1 before Fu reeled off five frames in a row to win 6–4. At the 2011 World Championship, Allen entered as the 11th seed and played Matthew Stevens
in the first round, recovering from 9–6 down and seeing Stevens miss a pot on the final pink to win the match 10–7, before winning 10–9. In the second round, Allen defeated Barry Hawkins
13–12. He reached the semi-finals for a 2nd year in a row but lost to Mark Williams 11–5.
.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship
IBSF World Snooker Championship
The IBSF World Snooker Championship is the premier non-professional snooker tournament in the world. The event series is sanctioned by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation...
in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16. Entering the 2010/2011 season
Snooker season 2010/2011
The 2010/11 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2010 and 2011. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:...
, he was ranked 10.
Allen has reached five ranking semi-finals: the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy, the 2008 Bahrain Championship
2008 Bahrain Championship
The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain...
, the 2009 World Championship, the 2010 China Open and the 2010 UK Championship
2010 UK Championship (snooker)
The 2010 12BET.com UK Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 4–12 December 2010 at the Telford International Centre, Telford, England.Ding Junhui was the defending champion, but he lost 8–9 against Mark Allen in the last 16....
. In June 2009 he won his first professional title, the invitational Jiangsu Classic
2009 Jiangsu Classic
* 76–51, 0–63, 125–0, 128–1, -0, -0 ** 4–110 , 64–55, 25–66 , 83–1, 16–78 , 4–124 , 47–76-Final:-Century breaks:* 147 Mark Selby* 132 Ryan Day* 124, 117, 104 Ding Junhui* 114 Shaun Murphy...
in China.
A left-hander, Allen's highest break to date is a 146 which he has achieved twice, once in the 2007 UK Championship qualifiers and at the 2010 World Snooker Championship. His break-building style is a little unorthodox in the modern game, in that he rarely goes into the pack of reds early in a break, preferring to pick off loose reds and establish a lead.
Early career
Before turning professional for the 2005/2006 seasonSnooker season 2005/2006
The snooker season 2005/06 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2005 and 2006. The following table outlines the results and dates for the ranking and major invitational events that took place.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, Allen won the European Championship and the IBSF World Championship, plus Northern Ireland Championship at under-14, under-16, and under-19 levels. His early career was aided by National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funding.
By chance, an invitational Northern Ireland Trophy was staged shortly after Allen turned professional. As a local player, he was invited and made an immediate impact, defeating Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
and John Higgins to reach the quarter-finals, before losing to Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
. In his first year on the tour, he reached the last 32 of the 2005 UK Championship and the 2006 Welsh Open, losing 2–5 to the then World Champion Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun Murphy is an English professional snooker player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...
after leading 2–0. He also got to the final qualifying round of the 2006 World Championship, losing 7–10 to Andy Hicks
Andy Hicks
Andy Hicks is an English professional snooker player currently from Cornwall. Hicks, nicknamed "The Cream of Devon", has been a World Snooker Championship semi-finalist and was ranked within the worlds top 32 for many seasons but has never broken into the top 16.-Career:Although a professional...
, after leading 7–4.
In March 2007 he qualified for the World Championship for the first time, winning 3 matches culminating in a 10–4 win over Robert Milkins
Robert Milkins
- External links :* * * *...
. In April 2007 he beat former world champion Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
10–7 in the first round held at the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, but lost to Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
9–13 in the second round. This was his first run to the last 16 of a tournament and helped him into the top 32 of the rankings (at no. 29).
In the 2007 Grand Prix, in a match with Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
, he was involved in an incident that led to his opponent branding him 'a disgrace'. Unhappy that the black would not go back on its spot after potting it, Allen struck the side cushion with his fist. The referee told him that he would be warned if he did that again. Allen was not warned, and ended up winning the match. Doherty said, "He was a disgrace. For such a relative newcomer to the pro game, he's got a serious attitude problem". Mark later commented: "It was entirely my own fault and if there are going to be any repercussions then so be it." Allen did not reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
In the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy he gave his home supporters plenty to shout about, by beating Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
5–3, Ryan Day
Ryan Day
-External links:* * *...
5–3 to reach his first ever quarter-final. In it he defeated Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene is a left-handed Northern Irish professional snooker player, who has represented Northern Ireland in international events , as his parents are from Belfast. He lives in Rainham in Kent...
5–3 to reach the semi-final, where he lost 3–6 to Fergal O'Brien
Fergal O'Brien
Fergal O'Brien is an Irish professional snooker player. He has won one ranking title and reached two other major finals, and spent three seasons as a top 16 player.-Career:...
. In the following UK Championship he defeated Stephen Hendry in the last 32. He opened his last-16 match against Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
with two centuries in the first three frames, building a 5–1 lead, but Williams fought back and he lost 5–9. He then reached the quarter-finals in the 2008 China Open before losing to Shaun Murphy. At the 2008 World Championship he led Stephen Hendry 6–3, 7–4 and 9–7 before losing 9–10. However, first-round defeats for all his rivals for a top 16 place ensured that he finished the season at number 16 in the rankings.
2009-present
After a consistent season Allen was back at the Crucible the following year where he beat Martin GouldMartin Gould
Martin Gould is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He practises at the Whetstone Snooker Club. He works part-time as a debt collector, where he picked up his nickname "Solid Gould"....
in his opening match. He faced Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
in the second round and confident and unaffected by his opponent's reputation, Allen beat the defending champion, 13–11 for a quarter-final place in the 2009 World Championship. He then defeated Ryan Day by the same scoreline to reach the semi-finals, where he lost 13–17 to John Higgins, despite making a determined fightback from 3–13 down. Soon after his run in the World Championship, Allen won his first professional tournament, the 2009 Jiangsu Classic
2009 Jiangsu Classic
* 76–51, 0–63, 125–0, 128–1, -0, -0 ** 4–110 , 64–55, 25–66 , 83–1, 16–78 , 4–124 , 47–76-Final:-Century breaks:* 147 Mark Selby* 132 Ryan Day* 124, 117, 104 Ding Junhui* 114 Shaun Murphy...
beating home favourite Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
6–0 in the final.
During the 2010 Masters, Allen beat the World Champion, John Higgins, by 6–3 in the last 16. He lost out 5–6 to eventual champion Mark Selby in the quarter-finals.
On the first day of the 2010 World Championship on 17 April 2010, Allen came close to recording his first ever maximum break in his first round match against Tom Ford
Tom Ford (snooker player)
-External links:*...
after potting 15 reds with blacks, and the yellow, before breaking down on the green. Five days later, Allen made the first 146 break in World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
history, and the second of his career after defeating Mark Davis
Mark Davis (snooker player)
Mark Davis is an English professional snooker player from St. Leonards in Sussex, England. The highlights of his career so far have been winning the Benson & Hedges Championship in 2002 – earning him an appearance at the Masters – and winning the 2009 Six-red World Championship.- Career :Davis...
13–5 in the second round. He was defeated 12–13 in the quarter-final by Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
, having led 12–10.
At the 2010 UK Championship, Allen reached the semi-finals for the first time, where he was beaten 9–5 by eventual champion John Higgins. In the Masters, Allen again reached the semi-finals, and led Marco Fu
Marco Fu
Marco Fu Ka-chun , commonly known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker player from Hong Kong. He currently resides in Happy Valley. He is best known for winning the 2007 Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, and for being runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship...
4–1 before Fu reeled off five frames in a row to win 6–4. At the 2011 World Championship, Allen entered as the 11th seed and played Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
in the first round, recovering from 9–6 down and seeing Stevens miss a pot on the final pink to win the match 10–7, before winning 10–9. In the second round, Allen defeated Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
13–12. He reached the semi-finals for a 2nd year in a row but lost to Mark Williams 11–5.
Personal life
Mark has a daughter called Lauren, from a previous relationship with female snooker player Reanne EvansReanne Evans
Reanne Evans is a female English professional snooker player. She is the reigning WLBSA World Ladies Snooker Champion, having won the title for the seventh successive year in April 2011...
.
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournaments | 2005/ 06 |
2006/ 07 |
2007/ 08 |
2008/ 09 |
2009/ 10 |
2010/ 11 |
2011/ 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rankings Snooker world rankings The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association... |
UR Snooker world rankings 2005/2006 Snooker world rankings 2005/2006: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2005/2006 season are listed below.-Note:... New players on the tour do not have a ranking. |
61 Snooker world rankings 2006/2007 Snooker world rankings 2006/2007: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2006/2007 season are listed below.-Notes:... |
29 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The professional world rankings for the top 75 snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below... |
16 Snooker world rankings 2008/2009 Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 were used to determine the rankings for the season 2008/2009.- Ranking points :... |
11 Snooker world rankings 2009/2010 Snooker world ranking points 2008/2009: The official world ranking points for the 96 professional snooker players in the 2008/2009 season are listed below. The total points from the seasons 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 were used to determine the ranking for the season 2009/2010.- Ranking points :... |
10 Snooker world rankings 2010/2011 Snooker world rankings 2010/2011: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2010/2011 season are listed below. The rankings worked as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago were removed, when the corresponding... |
12 Snooker world rankings 2011/2012 Snooker world rankings 2011/2012: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2011/2012 season are listed below. The rankings work as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago will be removed, when the corresponding... |
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open | Not Held | QF | |||||
| Shanghai Masters | Not Held | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | 2R | |
| World OpenThe event run under different name as LG Cup (2003/2004) and Grand Prix (2004/2005-2009/2010) | 1R | RR | RR | 1R | QF | LQ | |
| UK Championship UK Championship (snooker) The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:... |
2R | LQ | 2R | 2R | 1R | SF | |
| German Masters | Not Held | 1R | |||||
| Welsh Open Welsh Open (snooker) The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.- History :... |
LQ | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | |
| China Open China Open (snooker) The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997.-History:The first international snooker tournament in China was the China International in September 1997, a non-ranking tournament for the top 16 players and local players. The... |
LQ | LQ | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | |
| World Championship World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England... |
LQ | 2R | 1R | SF | QF | QF | |
| Non-Ranking Tournaments | |||||||
| The Masters Masters (snooker) The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held... |
A | A | A | QF | QF | SF | |
| Wuxi ClassicThe event run under different name as Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009-2009/2010) | Not Held | A | W | SF | |||
| Championship League Snooker Championship League Championship League is a non-ranking snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. All tournaments have been held at the Crondon Park Golf Club since its debut in 2008.- History and format :... |
Not Held | RR | 2R | F | 2R | ||
| Former Ranking Tournaments | |||||||
| Malta Cup Malta Cup The Malta Cup was a professional snooker tournament that has been on the World Snooker calendar since the 1988/89 season. It was previously known as the European Open as the sole ranking tournament in Europe, outside the British Isles.- History :Prior to the 1988/89 season, there were no ranking... The event run under different name as European Open (2001/2002-2003/2004) |
1R | LQ | NR | Not Held | |||
| Northern Ireland Trophy Northern Ireland Trophy - History :First contested in 1981 and named Northern Ireland Classic. It was an invitational event held at Ulster Hall, Belfast, and Jimmy White beat Steve Davis in the final.... |
NR | 1R | SF | QF | Not Held | ||
| Bahrain Championship 2008 Bahrain Championship The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain... |
Not Held | SF | Not Held | ||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
| QF | advanced to but not past the quarterfinals | SF | advanced to but not past the semifinals |
| F | advanced to the final, tournament runner-up | W | won the tournament |
| DQ | disqualified from the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament |
| NH / Not Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
Amateur
- IBSF World Amateur Championship – 2004
- EBSA European Championship – 2004
- EBSA European Under-19 Championship – 2005