Northern Ireland's Mark Allen UK title defence over at first hurdle

​Ding Junhui clambered off his sickbed to sink defending champion Northern Ireland-born Mark Allen in a final frame decider over a dramatic opening match of this year's UK Championship in York.
By PA Sport
Published 27th Nov 2023, 02:00 BST
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen (left) shakes hands with Ding Junhui on the opening day of the MrQ UK Championship 2023 at York Barbican. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Wire)Northern Ireland's Mark Allen (left) shakes hands with Ding Junhui on the opening day of the MrQ UK Championship 2023 at York Barbican. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen (left) shakes hands with Ding Junhui on the opening day of the MrQ UK Championship 2023 at York Barbican. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

The former three-time winner revealed he was on the verge of pulling out of the tournament on Saturday morning after waking with a soaring temperature and spells of dizziness.

But Ding somehow steadied himself to haul back a 4-2 deficit then summon a nerveless 102 clearance to chisel a 6-5 victory in a first-round repeat of last year's final, in which the Chinese player blew a sizeable lead to lose 10-7.

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"It's definitely one that got away, and not just because of the red in the last frame," said Allen. "I felt like I did all the hard stuff well today, and I honestly felt like I did all right.

"I felt in control of the match completely, and I think if Ding is honest in his assessment he'll wonder how he won it.

"It's a hard one to take.

"Because I've just lost in the UK Championships but I've played a lot worse.

"Maybe this is one that I'll watch back to see what happened.

"Because I felt in control at all times until I lost."

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It was another remarkable chapter in Ding's relationship with the sport's second biggest tournament, which began when he came from nowhere to reel off a string of big wins and become the first overseas winner of the Championship in 2005.

"In the morning I thought about pulling out because I couldn't get out of bed," said Ding. "My alarm was calling me to wake up but I couldn't.

"My temperature was up to 39 and I couldn't walk straight.

"I couldn't walk over (to the venue).

"But I think I wanted to play because I am here for the tournament, so I will just try to play well."

A dramatic match had been slow to catch fire, with both players making mistakes as they shared the first four frames prior to the mid-session interval.

Allen had the first chance in the decider but missed an easy red to the middle and Ding held his illness at bay long enough to summon his first century of the match and seal his place in the last 16.

Related topics:Northern IrelandYork