SNOOKER: Mark Allen gets Mark Joyce in first round of Northern Ireland Open

Mark Allen has been drawn against Mark Joyce in the first round of the new Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.

By The Newsroom

Published 2nd Nov 2016, 18:10 BST

Updated 16th Nov 2016, 15:56 BST

Antrim’s Allen has lost in four of his five previous meetings with his English opponent - so it is a very tough opening clash.

The tournament runs from 14-20 November at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast.

It sees 128 players competing for the top prize of £70,000.

Allen’s match against Joyce will be in the evening session on Tuesday November 15 .

Belfast’s Joe Swail will meet Dominic Dale while Northern Ireland’s top two amateurs, Patrick Wallace and Jordan Brown, will meet Michael Georgiou and Ben Woollaston respectively.

Ronnie O’Sullivan will face David John with the victory meeting Jimmy White or Gareth Allen in the second round.

Judd Trump plays former world champion Peter Ebdon, while English Open winner Liang Wenbo will be up against Nigel Bond.