By Elliott West
“Hasn’t always been pretty so far this week but still there fighting”.
Mark Allen
Introduction
I have been a snooker fan for 35 years and have watched thousands of matches in this time but I have to admit that the World Grand Prix quarter-final match between Mark Allen and Jack Lisowski was definitely one of the most excruciatingly difficult I have ever had to watch. Pop shots had already been fired across Lisowki’s bow when Allen said in an ITV interview that his opponent may be good but he wouldn’t cut the mustard until he won a title. Mark has form, he never minces his words and has in past used his Twitter to blow off steam about his frustrations with the machinery of snooker. A stance that has led to his knuckles being wrapped.
Coming into this match, Mark had the form and the wins against Jack but for whatever reasons, he still feels that his game is not there. A private chat with Ronnie O’Sullivan led to Allen shedding an amazing four stones in weight, a diet mission that he embarked upon for the good of his health sake of his family and to improve his snooker. A fitness regime that has led him to appear as a shadow of his former self.
Determination and Grind
Currently working with a sports psychologist, Allen felt that in order to win this match he would have to tap into Lisowskis’ weaknesses but fans were probably not prepared for the type of match that would ensue. Free-flowing snooker did occur in the first two frames with the scoreline equally matched at 1-1 but then it all went downhill. As a viewer, you actually thought you were being transported back to a snooker match in the 1970s or 1980s with the majority of the reds sitting like a group of huddled penguins against the cushion. This wasn’t pretty viewing and a misunderstanding understanding of the free ball rule by Jack was definitely the straw that broke the camel’s back for Lisowski. He became disillusioned and Allen was well on his way to breaking his opponent down. Even though the referee Prolentina Velichkova received unfair criticism for her lack of experience and failure to be the boss in her own office. She may not be yet in the league of John Williams but she wouldn’t be refereeing this professional if she wasn’t good at what she does. Pardon the pun but give the lady a break!
“Also, for what it’s worth players make so many mistakes in their career… referees are allowed one too. Prolentina is a great ref, and brilliant at her job, so please don’t start calling her out on it thanks. Keep them coming my way”.
Mark Allen
Criticism was also thrown at Mark for questioning the referee’s decision on this count. Ironic as he himself has been attacked for previously not challenging a referee in a match. We are all human and mistakes happen I would challenge anyone to try and do a better job in this heated environment.
Drill down deeper into this match and you will actually see that despite the stalemate that occurred in the middle of the match, Mark still made five breaks of over 50 compared to Jack’s two. The highlight of the match was definitely the last two frames with Lisowski digging a sublime break out of nowhere, one that was definitely a challenger for the ITV Hotshots prize and one that drew the match at 4-4.
However, again Lisowski showed that his lack of concentration and confidence causes him to unravel at a crucial moment in the match. He allowed Allen to find his winning gear and win the deciding frame. The Northern Irishman ground the match out, an experience that was probably not pleasant for either player because both love fast and attack match play. He withstood the killer pink in the penultimate frame by Jack and just won by chipping away with a reduced scoring break and a large dose of safety break.
Afterthoughts
Jack’s day will come but he may have to spend a considerable amount of time under the wing of his friend and coach Peter Ebdon if he is to achieve it. As for Mark, well he has won but had to put his visit to a local curry restaurant on hold due to the late finish. He will have to regroup and recharge for his semi-final encounter with Noppon Saengkham who produced some magical snooker to beat Mark Williams 5-3 especially the last pink and black which were sublime.
Allen isn’t running on a full tank of petrol and may have to resort to the same tactics that he employed against Lisowski to beat Noppon. Saengkham will definitely smell blood and frankly fancies winning any match he plays at the moment. He just plays the balls and doesn’t get sucked into the moment and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Thai causes a fourth upset in this year’s World Grand Prix and reaches the final. He is playing better than Allen and finished his match earlier.
