Only ‘one good player’ in Allen’s Crucible exit

Mark Allen, a Northern Irishman, was “very poor” after the World Snooker Championship defeat to Chris Wakelin in the Crucible Theatre.

After 11 reds and 10 blacks, the world number eight’s attempt to reach a second maximum failed, making him just the 11th player to achieve a 147 at the renowned Sheffield venue.

However, Wakelin, 33, came away with a comfortable victory and won 13-6 after completing the third attempt’s single frame required for the evening session.

I initially thought Chris was excellent, but Allen remarked, “I was very poor.

Allen had chances to win the match in the final frame by losing each of the opening sessions 6-2.

The 39-year-old believed that his exit was largely due to his inability to deliver the tight frames.

He continued, “I think there were seven close frames and I didn’t win any of them,” adding that the final frame kind of sums up the entire match.

“That’s not something I typically do,” he said. I’m typically good at those close frames and scrappy ones, which are the situations where a good pot must be pulled out or a good safety must be played.

Allen had previously reached the British Open with a maximum of 147 in his career. This was his second of the season.

The prize on offer should any player compete at the World Championship, Masters, UK Championship, or Saudi Masters and would have been worth £147, 000 if he had won the match.

Allen claimed that the historic attempt was a “good buzz,” but that he would “switch it in a heartbeat” to maintain the tournament.

“I don’t just come here to make 147s,” I say. He said, “I would have preferred to have made a lot of 30s and still participated in the event.”

Anything less than that will always be disappointing because I’ve always wanted to be world champion.

Allen, a former world number one who has won both the Masters and the UK Championship, has never been crowned world champion.

Steve Davis, a six-time world champion, predicted that Allen would “will win more events” but that “you never know” whether or not he would win the Triple Crown.

He will be 40 when the next World Championship takes place, having lost in the semi-finals of the Crucible in 2009 and 2023.

On BBC Four, Davis stated that he is not just a player who wins occasional events, but rather a journeyman within the game.

When things go wrong, you’re disappointed because he’s putting himself up there to win the absolute majors.