Snooker: Allen pins hopes of new-found maturity

Published on Friday 1 May 2009 09:42

MARK ALLEN is confident he has the maturity to cope with everything the Betfred.com World snooker championship can throw at him.

The 23-year-old from Antrim, Northern Ireland, was set to resume his semi-final against Crucible veteran John Higgins today needing to turn around a 6-2 deficit.

But pre-tournament outsider Allen, who admits he was a wild child of the sport in his teens, has grown out of his bad old ways. Now he insists he can keep his cool in the most demanding of atmospheres.

He said: "I'll be the first to admit when I was younger I didn't have the best head on my shoulders.

"But I've now got good people around me that keep my feet firmly on the ground. I used to bang my cue, bang the table. And tell people where to go."

Being barred from travelling to a holiday camp in Prestatyn for a top junior event was a choking blow. "The same people who banned me at that time are the ones who are supporting me now, and they're the ones who keep me on the right track," he revealed.

Allen conceded that he was a similar character to his legendary compatriot Alex Higgins.

"More or less – without the drink," he said. "I was pretty bad when I was younger."

Allen could in theory lose today if he fails to improve – with 17 frames needed for victory however he will be determined to take the match into tomorrow afternoon's scheduled fourth session.