Mark Allen didn’t mince his words in a stinging attack on Stephen Hendry (Image: Getty)
Mark Allen claimed that Stephen Hendry is “full of rubbish” in a stinging attack on the BBC pundit. Allen secured his place in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship with a commanding 13-9 victory over Kyren Wilson. Despite progressing, Allen’s tactics at a crucial point during the match were lambasted by Hendry during his TV commentary.
With the Northern Irishman leading 5-1 in Thursday’s opening session, Hendry voiced his disapproval at the former World No.1’s decision to pass up an opportunity to pot a pink, saying: “He’s 5-1 ahead. If this is the way top level snooker is played now, I don’t understand it, I’m afraid. You have to play the pink, it’s the right shot.”
Hendry added: “I’m trying to think of another player that would refuse that pink in this Championship and I’m struggling. I don’t think personally you can win the World Championship playing this way, that’s my opinion.”
However, when Allen was asked about Hendry’s withering remarks following his victory, he fired back, stating: “Look, Stephen’s entitled to his opinion, but more often than not, he’s full of rubbish, to be honest.”
Hendry claimed his last Triple Crown event at the age of 30, and Allen pressed further: “Not everyone can come here and make it look as easy as he did, but you’re also looking at someone that never won a Triple Crown event after they turned 30.
“So the game changes and maybe that stubbornness is what cost him his later part of his career. There’s no question how good he was.
“He was my idol growing up. He’s one of the best that’s ever played the game, but we can’t all be to that standard.
“It’s very easy for him to sit in the commentary box and criticise. He’s no idea what I’m thinking when I’m out there and and I’ll never, ever apologise for trying my hardest on any given shot.”
Judd Trump has suggested that the attacking brand of snooker which has handed Luca Brecel, Wilson and Zhao Xintong the last three Crucible crowns could well represent the shape of things to come.
Hendry is known as one of snooker’s most outspoken pundits (Image: Getty)
However, Allen remarked: “Not really. I think it takes all sorts to win this tournament. We’ve been blessed in the last few years.
“We’ve had Xintong, Luca and Kieran who played some of the most aggressive snooker you’ll see to win the championships, but you can only play like that if you’re playing well and full of confidence.
“But that doesn’t mean that they’ve played better or deserve any more than the likes of [Mark] Selby, who’s maybe not been as good to watch, but is equally as effective.
“Selby’s a four-time winner. The three just mentioned have won it once, so I know whose career I’d rather have.”
Allen also provided an amusing explanation for helping himself to sweets from spectators during Friday’s second session.
He said: “It honestly started out because they were annoying me making that much noise with their sweet wrappers and I just kept looking at them. They must have thought I wanted one because I looked at them that much.
“They offered me one, so I was like, well I’ll have to be polite now and take one and then he sort of joked with me then, he says, if you win another frame, you can have another one.
“Then I made a 140 [break], so I was like, maybe that sweet worked, so I had another one and then I won the final frame of the session and then I stole another sweet on the way out of the arena. So I was just disappointed he wasn’t there today to share his sweets.”
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