by elliott west
Introduction
Snooker is one of the hardest games to play and even more so successfully. To move from the amateur circuit to the professional tour, takes someone with metal and an all round game that will cut it on the super fine baize of the Star tables. One such player is Mark Allen.
Career and Life
Allen has an impressive C.V., winning the World Amateur Championship in 2004 and entering the main tour in 2005, taking only three seasons to reach the top 16. Mark like Dennis Taylor and Joe Swail, comes from a hotbed of snooker, hailing from Northern Ireland. This lad from Belfast can play and has developed a game with the help of Terry Griffiths and others that is attacking but also knows when to use safety to strangulate his opponent and plant the seed of doubt in his head.
Mark is undoubtedly a firebrand who is not fearful of speaking his and has often used social media in the past to voice his concerns regarding actions and situations within the sport. His recent run in with Ronnie Sullivan over standing behind him when taking the shot, didn’t phase Allen and he was quick to respond in the post match interview to address what he felt was being bullied in a match and how he felt it was unacceptable. The Irishman subsequently went on to win the title, beating Neil Robertson, 10-6 after previously losing to him in 2015.
Mark is on the cusp of greatness and has already one of the Triple Crown events, winning the Masters in 2018 and already has 5 ranking and 5 non ranking titles under his belt. At only 34, this some achievement and Allen has already notched up 480 career centuries, a 147 at the 2016 UK Championship, stands at 8th in the World rankings and has accumulated £3,310,940 in career earnings.
Like so many greats in this sport, Allen is a left handed player but switches hands when he plays with the rest, a technique that he shares with Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump. This is a style that is developed over many years but essentially when it is established, remains unchanged.
Mark has also not been fearful about speaking out his struggles with depression. After a split with his previous partner Reannne Evans, Allen sunk into a low state of mind that prevented him from leaving the house. Snooker can be such a lonely sport and others such as Graeme Dott and Martin Gould have expressed similar encounters with mental illness. Mark has however sought help and thankfully found solace.
Conclusion
This player is definitely the real deal and has the potential to seize the majority of the titles on the tour. His performance at the Champion of Champions this year was impressive and perhaps this is a dark horse that may surprise for the rest of the season. With Judd Trump in ascendency, Allen is definitely a strong contender to push Trump back into his box. He is an exciting player to watch and has fire in his belly, never afraid to take on a shot that most would not contemplate. He comes from the mould that created players such as Alex Higgins, Tony Drago, Steve James and Jimmy White, attacking on the table but a rollercoaster of fun to watch and an adrenaline rush for the duration.
