The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20120115232640/http://betting.betfred.com:80/713/sport-betting-news/snooker-betting/allen-joins-trump-in-uk-final/

Allen joins Trump in UK final

10055723 300x219 Allen joins Trump in UK finalNorthern Ireland’s Mark Allen will face Judd Trump in the UK Championship final after an impressive 9-7 win over Ricky Walden on Saturday (Win market – Judd Trump 4/9, Mark Allen 13/8).

Allen started Saturday’s semi-final strongly, taking a 3-1 lead, but Walden fought back and Allen found himself trailing 5-3 after eight frames.

However, Allen rallied after the second break and took two frames without Walden potting a single ball before seeing out the contest.

The 25-year-old will make his first ever appearance in a ranking tournament final, after being defeated in the semi-finals on five previous occasions.

Judd Trump, who knocked out Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson en-route to the final, awaits Allen on Sunday but ‘The Pistol’ insists he has nothing to fear.

“I’ve been working very hard on my game and it’s now paying its due rewards,” Allen told the BBC after his win over Walden.

“I need to compete with Judd in the final. I’ve been waiting for a long time to have that handshake in front of the trophy – that’s what you play for.

“I think I’ve played 50% of my game this week and I’m in the final. I think my safety has got me through but if you look at my stats it’s not very good.

“Judd has been riding the crest of the wave at the moment and it should be a fantastic match.”

The Northern Irishman has been like a man on a mission this week after creating headlines with his criticism of the new UK Championship format.  Allen will take heart from the fact he has a 2-1 record over Trump in their three previous meetings and also had a superior record over the 22-year-old from Bristol in their days as amateurs (1st mini sessions (frames 1-4) winner – Judd Trump 5/4, draw 6/3, Mark Allen 5/2).

No Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a Comment

Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, trading as Betfred, is licensed by the Government of Gibraltar, licence numbers 036 & 038
Copyright © 2009 Petfre (Gibraltar) Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us | Authors