Mark Allen slams 'absolutely awful' conditions on World Snooker Tour

The Antrim man stated that "the table needs to be burned" after his 4-3 win at Centaur, a venue at Cheltenham racecourse

Mark Allen hit out at the World Snooker Tour following his victory over Gary Wilson at the British Open on Monday.

The Antrim man stated that "the table needs to be burned" after his 4-3 win at Centaur, a venue at Cheltenham racecourse.

A number of players, including four-time world champion Mark Selby slammed the conditions at the “boiling hot” English Open which was played in a leisure centre in Brentwood last week.

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And Allen, who made a top break of 48, fired: “There are new table fitters this year and they’re just not up to it. The tables aren’t good enough. You’re second guessing everything.

“It can’t always be weather conditions and temperature, it can’t keep being that. At some point you’ve got to look at the table fitters not doing their job properly.

“It’s so frustrating because I feel like I’m playing well and if you watch me you’d say I’m playing terribly.

“The conditions are really getting to me at the minute. I need conditions to be fast and reactive like they should be and I can’t remember the last time they were. Shots are drifting off a quarter ball and it just makes you look so silly. It’s embarrassing.

“There are times you play a different shot, which isn’t the right one, because the table won’t allow it and that’s not proper snooker.”

A WST spokesman said: “Our table fitting team has been consistent for some time and works to the highest standards. The weather in the area has seen unprecedented rainfall over the last couple of days which can negatively influence the conditions.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Hill scored the scalp of Chinese superstar Ding Junhui as he fought back from 2-0 down to a memorable 4-3 win.

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