MARK Allen bowed out of the Cazoo World Snooker Championship on Monday evening, losing 13-12 to John Higgins in a dramatic encounter at the Crucible.
The Antrim man looked set for victory after he capitalised on a missed long red from Higgins early in the deciding frame and fashioned a break of 62.
When he missed a red with the rest there still looked little danger to his lead, but Higgins doubled a red to set up a winning clearance of 71.
Allen had taken a 9-7 lead into the final session of the second-round clash and that became 10-7 when he took the opening frame. However, Higgins then won three in a row, helped by breaks of 55 and 64, to level at the mid-session interval.
The Scot was first in in frame 21 but slashed wildly at a brown off his opening red and although Allen needed two chances to win the frame, his 66 break off the second one put him back in front.
Higgins levelled again at 11-11 with runs of 33 and 51 and a loose break-off in the next looked as though it could be costly for Allen. But Higgins could make only 33 from the chance and Allen fought his way back into the frame before sealing it on the colours.
Allen had chances to seal victory in frame 24 but a difficult missed green allowed Higgins to nick it and force that dramatic decider.
There was no shortage of drama in the other second-round match to be played to a conclusion on Monday evening as Jack Lisowski also came from behind to level at 11-11 with Stuart Bingham.
However, after looking like going ahead at 12-11, Lisowski let slip a big lead and Bingham took the frame on the black and won the next too for a 13-11 win.
Tuesday’s order of play
Quarter-finals
10am & 7pm David Gilbert (Eng) v Stephen Maguire (Sco); Judd Trump (Eng) v Jak Jones
2.30pm Kyren Wilson (Eng) v John Higgins (Sco); Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
