The Curious Case of Mark Allen

Good memories and good form.

Mark Allen is a phenomenal snooker talent, however without this good run in the World Open he was staring at a possible qualifier for a place at the World Championships in five weeks.

It was in Haikou two years ago he went on one of his many twitter rants about the venue & the surrounding area, however in riling himself up, he produced some of his best snooker and won the tournament. Last year there was none of the previous rants but the high quality snooker remained and he defended his title.

This season he has hardly set the world alight, so when his need was at it's greatest he has summoned his form from nowhere and is now in tomorrow's semi finals. Talent isn't a problem, application and motivation I couldn't say however there have always been up and down players in the game, he has the feel of a Matthew Stevens, will have a few exceptional tournaments but will we be left feeling disappointing when the dust settles on his career. I hope more than anyone that this is incorrect, I find him one of the most engaging characters in the game and his on table action is among the best our sport has to offer.

So tomorrow he will face Shaun Murphy, who has re-gained his confidence - the key to Murphy's attacking game. I would fancy Allen to win after today's self-assured display against Higgins. However the big questions isn't about this weekend with Mark Allen, it'll be about the following three tournaments and whether he will go back into his shell or continue his good form?

O'Sullivan wins Best Picture at the Welsh Open

There are a lot of arguments about how the standard at the top of snooker has gotten worse, this may or may not be true. However I would argue that the standard bearer, Ronnie O'Sullivan, is actually playing the best snooker of his career at the moment. His opponents are mere shadows of their normal self when they play him, allowing him to flow graciously around the table. Mesmerizing his millions of fans and envious compatriots.

Sunday provided another moment of genius for the already 3 hour Oscar winning drama that would be his highlight reel. A 7 minute 25 seconds 147 in the final frame of the final, admittedly the score was 8-3 at the time and the risk was worth taking. Along the way he hit some of the most beautifully executed shots, technical feats that Alfonso Cuaron would have been proud of. The left handed red into the green pocket where he screwed back perfectly for the black was impossibly difficult in an exhibition, let alone the last red of a 147. Stephen Hendry on twitter called it "one of the best shots he's ever seen", nothing else needs to be said.

I'm listening to Coldplay's new single Magic while writing this and it feels very apt. I've never been O'Sullivan's greatest fan, however I'm a fan of snooker and there is no denying he brings more moments of magic than most.

I suppose I should get some stats out of the way:

3rd Welsh Open Title (Joint most wins with John Higgins & Stephen Hendry)
12th Maximum break (now top of all time 147 list)
26th Ranking Event (3rd on his own now, only two behind Steve Davis & 10 behind Hendry)

Ding reached another final in this remarkable season he is having, having won 39 of his 43 ranking event matches this season he is making a charge at Neil Robertson's number one ranking. I was glad we saw a smidgen of his limitless talent tonight when he won the opening two frames with superbly crafted centuries. Sadly it was all too late and a slow, nervy start in the afternoon cost him dearly.

The tournament as a whole was excellent in the latter stages. I still stand by my original opinion that the early rounds should be played away from the venue, they are dull and it's not fair for players to be traveling long distances in the middle of a tournament.

Next up is the Haikou World Open, where Mark Allen has reigned supreme for the previous two years. Can the Antrim potter make it a three peat.