Sporting Life
Mark Allen's lucky charm helped him ease into the last eight
Mark Allen's lucky charm helped him ease into the last eight

Snooker results: Mark Allen thrashes Stuart Bingham to reach Crucible quarters

By Sporting Life
Snooker
Sat April 22, 2023 · 2y ago

Mark Allen made a quickfire return to the Crucible on Saturday morning to claim the one frame he required and move into the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship for the first time since 2018.

The 37-year-old required just 15 minutes to fashion a break of 68 and turn a 12-4 overnight lead into a 13-4 win against the 2015 champion Stuart Bingham, setting up a last-eight clash with Jak Jones, who beat Neil Robertson 13-7.

Allen, who is intent on rectifying a dismal Crucible record that has seen him reach this stage just four times since a solitary semi-final appearance in 2009, said he had been inspired by a bracelet given to him by his five-year-old daughter, Harley.

“It’s great for me having this to look at, when you make mistakes out there and you look down and you realise where your priorities really lie, it takes some pressure off,” said Allen.

“It just says ‘dad’ on it. It’s pinks and purples and stuff, not really my favourite colours, but it helps keep my mind at rest. It’s good to have that happy thought in your head and get ready for the next one.”

Allen did the damage in the second session of their second-round match on Friday, in which he extended an early 5-3 advantage and was only denied victory with a session to spare when Bingham clinched the last frame of the day.

Despite the emphatic nature of his win, coming on the back of a stellar season in which he has won three titles and reached another final, Allen has endured too much Crucible heartbreak to rest on his laurels.

“I made a few silly mistakes here and there, but in general I thought I scored much better,” added Allen.

“I have confidence in my results but not really in my performances. To win the World Championship, you need to be better than what I’ve shown this year, but as long as I keep winning matches and tournaments I’ll be happy.”

McGill on the march; Robertson gone

Former semi-finalist Anthony McGill was in devastating form as he laid waste to 12th seed Jack Lisowski in the opening session of their second round clash.

McGill, who ousted Judd Trump in the opening round, mercilessly punished a series of errors by his opponent to compile three centuries and three more breaks in excess of 50 to charge into a 7-1 overnight lead.

It gives McGill, who featured in one of the all-time great Crucible clashes in his 2020 last eight loss to Kyren Wilson, the real chance of wrapping up victory with a session to spare when they resume on Sunday afternoon.

Later on in the day, Robertson couldn't get close to Jones, as the Welshman saw out a 13-7 win to book a meeting with Allen in the last eight.

When Robertson took the first frame of their final session the comeback looked on, but Jones tenaciously went on to record a deserved victory.

Jones had qualified for the Crucible at the 10th attempt and now finds himself through to the quarter-finals having claimed two big scalps already.

Early exchanges in evening session

Two more second-round matches got under way on Saturday evening and they played out quite differently.

Si Jiahui continued his fine run of form to lead Robert Milkins 6-2, taking the final two frames of the session having earlier bagged another easy-on-the-eye century in a match played at pace, both men averaging under 22 seconds per shot.

On the other table, Mark Selby and Gary Wilson were engaged in something a little more attritional, sharing the first six frames over a period of almost four hours, Selby taking half a minute for each strike of the cue ball.

True to form, Selby took the final three frames of the night to gain the upper hand before the pair return to the table on Sunday afternoon.

"Have you all enjoyed it?" he asked those in attendance after finally putting an end to the session. He certainly had.

Related snooker links