Mark Allen was sent home early from the Snooker Championship League and admitted he dreads the prospect of walking out at an empty World Championships next month.
The Belfast 34-year-old beat veteran Nigel Bond 3-1 in his opening match in the Championship League in Milton Keynes but failed to make it out of Group 11 on frame difference.
A break of 62 for Martin O’Donnell in the fourth match helped him seal a 2-2 draw, meaning Allen’s dropped frames against Bond and Michael White proved costly.
Earlier in the day, Allen praised organisers for bringing the sport back so swiftly amid the pandemic but admitted he did not like the idea of having to continue in the sterile atmosphere all the way to the Crucible.
Full Championship League fixtures and results
Allen said: “It wouldn’t be nice walking into the Crucible if it was like this.
“There’s so much on the line and the crowd normally gets involved in the matches and it can get on top of you, and I think that’s part of the game that we will miss.
“I was very surprised that they staged this tournament because I didn’t think they’d be anywhere near ready on June 1, and it just shows what a good job Barry Hearn and the team at World Snooker have done.”
In common with most of his big-name contemporaries, Allen is using the lightly-regarded format as a chance to become used to the unusual environment which he believes he will have endure for some time.
“I think the way this tournament has been set up is a sign of the times, and the next few months is going to be similar,” Allen said.
“I wanted to get used to playing behind closed doors without a crowd and having to get your own equipment. It’s a big change from what we’re used to but they’ve done an unbelievable job keeping us safe.”
Stylish Craigie eases through
Sam Craigie offered a glimpse of what he can do as he topped Group 6 to progress to the second stage.
Considered by some to be capable of much more than he has so far shown, Craigie produced one of the more fluent performances of the tournament so far as he knocked out veterans Matt Selt, Ali Carter and Dominic Dale.
Selt was first to feel the force of Craigie's scoring as he romped to a 3-0 victory, but when Carter fought back from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw, a spanner had been thrown in the works.
It was too late for Carter, who had lost his opener to Dale, but it presented an opportunity for the Welshman, who needed to beat Craigie in the final match to steal top spot.
However, Dale opened up with a terrible break-off and Craigie swooped in with a brilliant 131 in which the full repertoire was on display, putting him just one more frame away from the next round with the draw also on his side.
Dale needed to win the remaining three frames to turn things around, but despite rolling in an excellent red to begin the second, he was soon back in his chair as the younger man aggressively potted a long red and worked his way around a complicated table.
With the black tied up and several reds glued to cushions, Craigie had to show nous to go with his natural talent and that's exactly what he did, plotting his way to a frame- and therefore group-winning break of 71.
Craigie added another century to progress in style and reinforce the impression that he has a lot more to offer. The next challenge will be to back up and show it again on Tuesday - in a group that includes Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Monday's results and standings
Group 11
- Martin O'Donnell (Q) P 3 W 2 L 0 D 1 FD +5 Pts 7
- Mark Allen P 3 W 2 L 0 D 1 FD +4 Pts 7
- Michael White P 3 W 1 L 2 D 0 FD -2 Pts 3
- Nigel Bond P 3 W 0 L 3 D 0 FD -7 Pts 0
Mark Allen 3-1 Nigel Bond
Martin O'Donnell 3-0 Michael White
Martin O'Donnell 3-1 Nigel Bond
Mark Allen 3-1 Michael White
Michael White 3-0 Nigel Bond
Mark Allen 2-2 Martin O'Donnell
Group 6
- Sam Craigie (Q) P 3 W 2 L 0 D 1 FD +6 Pts 7
- Ali Carter P 3 W 1 L 1 D 1 FD 0 Pts 4
- Dominic Dale P 3 W 1 L 1 D 1 FD -1 Pts 4
- Matthew Selt P 3 W 0 L 2 D § FD -5 Pts 1
Matt Selt 0-3 Sam Craigie
Ali Carter 1-3 Dominic Dale
Ali Carter 2-2 Sam Craigie
Matt Selt 2-2 Dominic Dale
Ali Carter 3-1 Matt Selt
Sam Craigie 3-0 Dominic Dale
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