- By Steve Sutcliffe
- BBC Sport
Meeting point: Alexandra Palace, London Dates: January 7-14 |
Cover: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and online. live text coverage of the final on Sunday 14 January. |
Mark Allen made a superb break of 147, then 4-1 down to beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the Masters quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.
The Northern Irishman’s effort follows Ding Junhui, who hit his second maximum of the tournament on Tuesday.
Kirk Stevens (1984) and Marco Fu (2015) are the only other players to hit 147 at the Masters.
Ali Carter had earlier beaten defending champion Judd Trump 6-5 and will face Allen in Saturday afternoon’s semi-final.
βTo do it here [make a 147] in the Masters, one of the Triple Crown events, it’s very special,” Allen, who won the Masters in 2018, told BBC Sport.
“It wasn’t the best cue ball in the world, but it made it more exciting for the crowd and a little bit more nerve-wracking for me, but I’m glad I did it for the fans.”
Allen’s moment of snooker perfection in the third frame was no match for a protracted and largely scattered affair which came to an end on Saturday morning.
His effort was deservedly applauded and applauded by the packed house and there were fist bumps with fans as Selby also congratulated him on his 196th ever maximum in professional snooker.
His 147 also means he is on course to share the Β£15,000 prize and, along with Ding and Xu Si, could still claim a Β£147,000 bonus at the Crucible in April – awarded if a player hits two 147s in three Triples Crown. events this term.
Allen walks by as Shelby slips away
Three-time champion Shelby had seen the button total after five frames against Allen, whom he defeated in the last four of the 2023 World Championship.
But a break of 56 and a 103 allowed world number three Allen to take the initiative as he won four consecutive frames.
After appearing bereft of confidence, highlighted by a miss on a straight red in the bottom left corner in the ninth frame, Shelby scored a timely 55 to help the match decide.
And while both had chances on the balls, Allen got himself superbly positioned on the main green and was able to complete his victory.
“I don’t know where the maximum came from because it was a very poor performance,” Allen added.
βLike Mark [Selby] he said yesterday, we should have just started at midnight and played a frame because it would always go five-all. I was applying myself really well, but I couldn’t find a rhythm. Any win against Mark is a good win.”
Trump lags as Carter struggles
Carter made three half-centuries and a break of 103 to lead 4-2 before a superb run of 129 started a battle with Trump in which he reeled off three frames in a row to lead 5-4.
However, Carter took a nervy 10th frame with a superb distance of 43 to draw level and sealed his victory with a fine run of 64 in the decider.
“You have to try to hold on to those special moments. To pull off something like that in those conditions and in front of a crowd like that is a feather in my cap,” Carter told BBC Sport.
“With all the money I was looking to go 5-3 ahead and I lost my temper for two frames.
βI had worked very hard but [I was] I was happy to make an incredible clearance to force a decider and then how I kept myself together I don’t know.’
World number two Trump was hoping to join an elite foursome of Cliff Thorburn, Stephen Hendry, Paul Hunter and Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the tournament in back-to-back years.
But unlike 12 months ago, when Trump also failed to produce his best snooker in his first two matches, this time he paid the price against an opponent who, until that performance, had not appeared at the Masters since his path to the 2020 final.
There were signs that Trump was not at his clinical best early on despite a break of 80 to take the second frame and while both players made uncharacteristic errors, Carter’s score was slightly better throughout.
Trump’s only century of the competition, plus an outrageous fluke in the eighth frame – when he missed a pot on the green but managed to snooker Carter by hitting it into the top left corner with the coffee – seemed to jolt his opponent and gave him the initiative as he went forward for the first time in the match.
But Trump was left to reflect ruefully on two spurned chances in the 10th frame when he was out of position and then clipped a red into the left-hand corner that would have left Carter demanding snooker to save the match.
βHe should never have had this chance [in the 10th frame]it was terrible of me,β Trump said.
“I had two perfect chances to win the game and I’m obviously disappointed, but he deserved to win.”
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