MARK ALLEN CROWNED CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS FOR SECOND TIME AFTER BEATING JUDD TRUMP
MARK ALLEN lifted the Cazoo Champion of Champions trophy as he swept aside Judd Trump 10-3 in Sunday’s final.
The Pistol upset the odds to take the prestigious title for the second time in his career after winning in 2020, and with it the £150,000 first prize.
World Number 4 Allen put himself in control by storming into a 7-2 lead in the afternoon session, which left him needing only three frames in the evening to clinch the best of 19 final. Trump pulled back the first frame of the session, before Allen eased to victory.
This was World Number 2 Trump’s third consecutive Champion of Champions final – he won it in 2021 – and fifth final already this year, but the Ace in the Pack was out of sorts against his Northern Irish opponent, who made it 14-11 in head-to-head clashes.
Trump’s only consolation at Bolton’s Toughsheet Community Stadium was a runners-up cheque for £60,000, as he was pipped to the title for the second year running. Last year he was beaten 10-6 by Ronnie O’Sullivan despite hitting a 147 break.
Allen joined O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson as a multiple winner of Matchroom’s Champion of Champions. He dedicated his win to a close friend, Joe Shortt, who sadly passed away this year.
“That was for Joe,” said Allen. He added: “Judd has been outstanding this season and I am fed up texting him after every tournament to say ‘well done’ so it is nice to get one back on him.
“I’ve been working so hard to get my game back, so to come here and find some form, I really enjoyed it.”
The battle of the left-handers saw Allen settle first in the afternoon session, taking the opening frame with breaks of 30 and 59 as Trump failed to pot a ball. Trump responded with some sensational snooker as he levelled the match with a clearance break of 123.
Allen stole a tight third frame, and then came from behind to take the fourth by one point and lead at the interval.
Trump was the one making more errors of the two and Allen won the next to open up a 4-1 lead. The Antrim man was clinical and a fine break of 137 increased his lead further. It was his fifth century in this year’s Champion of Champions to put him halfway to the victory mark.
Allen turned the screw against out-of-sorts Trump in a scrappy seventh frame, moving into a 6-1 lead, and went further ahead with a 65 break in the next. The final frame of the afternoon session gave Trump a glimmer of hope as he claimed it to trail 7-2 at the break.
Trump gave the capacity crowd an immediate lift when he potted a long red with his opening shot of the first frame of the evening, and later compiled a 77 break to pull one back. Allen is known for his steely temperament, however, and he took the next two frames to move to 9-3 and within one of victory.
That victory was sealed soon after as Allen put together a break of 75 to complete a dominant display.
Trump, 34, has been the dominant player on the circuit so far this season by winning four titles, including successive ranking tournament triumphs at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open. However, it was Allen’s night.
Mary Talbot-Deegan has ended a 29-year wait for her maiden world ranking title after she dramatically defeated Jamie Hunter 4-3 to win the Eden Women’s Masters at Frames Sports Bar, London.
The breakthrough victory represents the biggest success of Talbot-Deegan’s career to date as she joins an elite band of Reanne Evans, Ng On Yee and Mink Nutcharut to have won the prestigious event since it was introduced to the calendar in 2013.
The 43-year-old returned to the World Women’s Snooker Tour in September 2021 following a break of 19 years from competition and becomes the fourth different ranking event winner of the 2023/24 season so far.
Talbot-Deegan also becomes the first ever player to have won WWS titles at Main, Under-21, Seniors and Challenge Cup level throughout her career and completes a career-best 2023 which also saw her lift the World Women’s Seniors title for the first time in Thailand earlier this year.
Having topped her round robin group stage with victories against Laura Killington, Gillian Hayes and debutant Shabnam Younus-Jewell, Talbot-Deegan overcame Sophie Nix, Tessa Davidson and Sarah Dunn to reach her first-ever ranking event final, eclipsing her run to the last four of the US Open in 2022.
Awaiting her in the title match would be two-time ranking event winner and world number five Jamie Hunter, who progressed with victories against Laura Killington, Jasmine Bolsover and most notably current professional Rebecca Kenna 4-2 in the semi-finals. The win against Kenna ensures that the pair will swap places in the world rankings with Hunter set to climb to a career-high fourth.
In a match that would feature high-quality safety play throughout, it was Talbot-Deegan who claimed the early advantage at 2-1 and a significant lead in the third frame, only for Hunter to hit back with a clearance of 39 to restore parity at 2-2.
Hunter added the fifth and looked set to complete a green to black clearance in frame six to secure her third ranking crown, but a missed pink was to prove a crucial turning point as Talbot-Deegan duly potted the final two balls to force a deciding-frame.
Both players would have chances, but it was Talbot-Deegan who maintained her composure to pot the final pink and seal a milestone victory almost 30 years from her debut at the 1994 World Championship.
The success would complete a perfect weekend for the English player as she also compiled the highest break of the weekend with her run of 84 during her semi-final win against Sarah Dunn, while her performance in the main competition will also see her climb to a new career-high world ranking of number six following the event.
“It feels amazing, I am buzzing,” said Talbot-Deegan following the final. “I always believed that I could win a title, I didn’t think this soon, but I’m on top of the world at the minute. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and am really enjoying it.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me including Frames Sports Bar and its owner Tony Thompson, my family, friends and Mandy [Fisher] and Matt [Huart] from WWS who have been really supportive. And all the girls on Tour who have been so supportive, that’s what I love.
“It means everything, to do it here and to hold myself together. I’ve never done it before, won a major tournament so I proved that I can do it, I didn’t bottle it and I’m really proud of myself.”
SIDE-TOURNAMENTS
The Under-21 competition was won by Scotland’s Sophie Nix as the 15-year-old edged out England’s Zoe Killington in a deciding frame to earn her first ever junior title.
The top ranked duo each progressed to the final following narrow semi-final wins against Ellise Scott and Laura Killington respectively, before Nix won the title to improve upon her final runs at last season’s Scottish Open and British Open events.
In the Seniors tournament there was a repeat winner as Tessa Davidson downed Sarah Dunn 2-0 to complete the successful defence of the Masters title that she won for the first time 12 months ago. Victories against Gillian Hayes, Annamaria Wilkins and Dunn were enough to earn her seventh Seniors title from the past two years and consolidate her position at the head of the ranking list.
The Six-Red Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the knockout stages welcomed a first-time champion as Mariia Shevchenko defeated Sarah Milne to claim a popular win. Competing in her first tournament since the 2022 World Championship, Shevchenko toppled Gillian Hayes, Annamaria Wilkins, Emma Powers-Richardson and finally Milne to secure the title.
Finally, there was further success for Mary Talbot-Deegan at the very start of the event, after she edged out Tessa Davidson in the heldover final of the UK Seniors Championship from September to complete a title double in Coulsdon.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank event sponsors Eden Resources, our host venue Frames Sports Bar and Parris Cues – who donated a number of cue care gift bags for players – for their wonderful support of the event once again in 2023.
The WWS Tour continues in January with the staging of the Belgian Women’s Open at The Trickshot, Bruges. The event runs from 19-21 January 2024 and entry remains open via WPBSA SnookerScores.
Mink Nutcharut narrowly failed to become the first woman this century to win two consecutive matches in a ranking event as she lost 6-5 against Michael White in the second qualifying round of the MrQ UK Championship.
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Thailand’s Nutcharut led 5-2 but missed chances to win the match and was eventually beaten in a tense deciding frame by two-time ranking event winner White.
Nutcharut beat Adam Duffy 6-3 in the first round on Saturday and victory today would have made her the first woman to win back-to-back ranking event matches since Kelly Fisher in 1999. She compiled breaks of 50 and 60 in taking a 5-2 lead and held a 36-0 advantage in the eighth, but Welshman White battled back to take that frame and that proved a turning point as he recovered to 5-5.
A 45-minute decider came down to the last few balls and Nutcharut trailed 50-39 when she potted a long blue, but then missed a tricky pink to a centre pocket. White got the better of a safety exchange and converted the pink to set up a third round meeting with Si Jiahui. He needs two more wins to reach the final stages in York.
Julien Leclercq needed a half-time pep talk from his girlfriend as he hit back from 4-0 down to beat Peng Yisong 6-5. Breaks of 62 and 54 helped the Belgian 20-year-old to take six of the last seven frames.
The Shoot Out runner-up said: “At 4-0 I called my girlfriend Chloe and told her was going to lose and I wanted to go home. She told me this is my job and I have to stay motivated. She said I would win the match for her. After that my mindset was better. I was too negative to start with, but after the interval I started to get angry and that helped me play my game.
“My target this season is to get into the top 64. Hopefully I can have another great moment, like I had at the Shoot Out. If I can qualify for the final stages of this event that would be fantastic.”
Xu Si made the first 147 of his career during a 6-1 win over Ma Hailong, which puts him halfway to a huge £147,000 bonus available for any player making two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown events.
Marco Fu got the better of an excellent match with Ben Mertens by a 6-4 scoreline. Hong Kong’s Fu, who showed signs of a return to form in reaching the last 32 of the recent International Championship, knocked in breaks of 90, 51, 104, 116, 78 and 72. He now meets Ricky Walden.
Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko fired runs of 80, 62 and 72 as he beat Liam Pullen 6-1. Chinese amateur Gao Yang beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6-3, while former German Masters champion Martin Gould whitewashed Stuart Carrington 6-0.
David Grace got the better of a 57-minute deciding frame to edge out amateur Ryan Davies 6-5. Dylan Emery top scored with 122 in a 6-2 win over Robbie McGuigan, while China’s Jiang Jun came from 4-1 down to beat Jackson Page 6-4 with a top break of 109. Dominic Dale recovered a 5-4 deficit to beat Stan Moody 6-5.
I’m now certain to get another comment by Csilla about how disappointing the women on tour are 😉. I was disappointed as well, of course, I am. The thing though is that she has to learn how to mentally cope with the situation she faced yesterday, being well ahead as the underdog and facing a determined comeback from her opponent. She’s not been in that situation in the women’s tour. She’s a top player there, she knows she can win, she’s confident. She now has the game to compete on the main tour, maybe not against the very top, but against most of the middle ranked pros. She now needs to develop the mentality that goes with it.
Ben and Marco served the fans an excellent match. Really it’s a shame they had to clash as such an early stage of the tournament. I’m disappointed that Ben lost but I’m happy to see Marco playing well again. I couldn’t have both … alas! Glen Sullivan-Bisset was the referee on that match and this is what he posted on twitter in answer to an appreciative comment I made: “It was my great pleasure to referee this match“
Bulcsu Revezs, the 18 years old from Hungary, also played a good match, although the vastly experienced Hammad Miah had too much for him in the end but he made this fantastic break in frame
7 thoughts on “A Sunday, two winners and 2023 UK Qualifiers results”
Not to forget:
Bai Yulu won the WORLD Snooker Championships Women – Doha / Qatar 2023. She dropped a single frame during the knock-out phase, and defeated Ng On Yee 4-0 in the final.
Ng On Yee didn’t score a single 30+ break during the final even though she was the most prolific scorer throughout the tournament, registering even a 101 (the only century of the tournament). Also notable, Amee Kamani scoring a 97, while Bai’s efforts ended at 80 at the latest.
All information (including some nice features, like a listing of all 30+ breaks) on esnooker.pl – thanks Lewis.
From what I saw, the tables were pretty horrible, and Bai Yulu was far from her best. She had to battle a bit, but potted some good balls. Still, the standard in Doha was better than that in Coulsdon.
1. Is Sarah Dunn the wife of Mike Dunn.
2. What happened to Mike Dunn. Relegation or retirement?
3. Anybody knows where to find prize money listings for women’s events?
Anyone is allowed to answer any question…
Mike Dunn was relegated in 2020 but retired anyway. He’d been suffering from serious back problems and probably should have quit earlier, but he couldn’t bear to leave, like so many other older players. He took over as head coach at the Darlington Q House Academy, and later became general manager, allowing Chusak Phetmalaikul to concentrate on his other business ventues (and nodoubt watching his son on the professional tour).
Yes, lots of congratulations to Mark Allen and winners of various women’s events. Also to Xu Si, who made a flawless 147.
In the UK Championship, there were some great performances, and some terrible ones. The three players who lost in a decider should have won, but succumbed to pressure. Xing Zihao completely lost his cool, frustrated by errors. Rookies He Guoqiang and Jiang Jun were excellent (although Jackson Page will want to forget the second half of that match). Ben Mertens suffered a loss in an important tournament – it looks like the World Championship will be the key to his survival. It was nice to see a session with 8 tables without a single player in their 40’s!
Well, siance expected 😁 my interest in the women is limited to a few, though I stand by my statement that streaming it would attract nobody to the game. But yes, disappointed that Mink lost: she should have won being 5-2 up, but somehow that in-off at the end of the 7th frame did her in, though she showed some really good play before. Maybe it is mental toughness she needs, but she’ll be off the tour next year unless she posts good results on the women’s tour to be #1 and/or win the women’s world – which, i.e. playing at the women’s tour, is a waste of her time and talents az best and harmful at worst.
Also a pity Bulcsú Révész lost, his 140 was really nice. Bur he is still young and will hopefully improve and gain more experience.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
Not to forget:
Bai Yulu won the WORLD Snooker Championships Women – Doha / Qatar 2023. She dropped a single frame during the knock-out phase, and defeated Ng On Yee 4-0 in the final.
Ng On Yee didn’t score a single 30+ break during the final even though she was the most prolific scorer throughout the tournament, registering even a 101 (the only century of the tournament). Also notable, Amee Kamani scoring a 97, while Bai’s efforts ended at 80 at the latest.
All information (including some nice features, like a listing of all 30+ breaks) on esnooker.pl – thanks Lewis.
From what I saw, the tables were pretty horrible, and Bai Yulu was far from her best. She had to battle a bit, but potted some good balls. Still, the standard in Doha was better than that in Coulsdon.
1. Is Sarah Dunn the wife of Mike Dunn.
2. What happened to Mike Dunn. Relegation or retirement?
3. Anybody knows where to find prize money listings for women’s events?
Anyone is allowed to answer any question…
Mike Dunn was relegated in 2020 but retired anyway. He’d been suffering from serious back problems and probably should have quit earlier, but he couldn’t bear to leave, like so many other older players. He took over as head coach at the Darlington Q House Academy, and later became general manager, allowing Chusak Phetmalaikul to concentrate on his other business ventues (and nodoubt watching his son on the professional tour).
Yes, lots of congratulations to Mark Allen and winners of various women’s events. Also to Xu Si, who made a flawless 147.
In the UK Championship, there were some great performances, and some terrible ones. The three players who lost in a decider should have won, but succumbed to pressure. Xing Zihao completely lost his cool, frustrated by errors. Rookies He Guoqiang and Jiang Jun were excellent (although Jackson Page will want to forget the second half of that match). Ben Mertens suffered a loss in an important tournament – it looks like the World Championship will be the key to his survival. It was nice to see a session with 8 tables without a single player in their 40’s!
Well, siance expected 😁 my interest in the women is limited to a few, though I stand by my statement that streaming it would attract nobody to the game. But yes, disappointed that Mink lost: she should have won being 5-2 up, but somehow that in-off at the end of the 7th frame did her in, though she showed some really good play before. Maybe it is mental toughness she needs, but she’ll be off the tour next year unless she posts good results on the women’s tour to be #1 and/or win the women’s world – which, i.e. playing at the women’s tour, is a waste of her time and talents az best and harmful at worst.
Also a pity Bulcsú Révész lost, his 140 was really nice. Bur he is still young and will hopefully improve and gain more experience.
Finally yeah, happy that Allen won.