MARK Allen is into the semi-finals of the Cazoo Champion of Champions in Bolton after wins over Jimmy White (4-1) and Ali Carter (6-2).
The 16-player invitational event, with total prize money of £440,000 and £150,000 for the winner, has the format of four groups of four players, each playing two semi-finals and a final over the course of a day, with the winner of each final progressing to the weekend semi-finals.
Allen lost the first frame of his match against World Seniors champion Jimmy White but raised his game to reel off four in a row, finishing with a break of 108.
He made it three centuries in four frames as a 135 total clearance and a 104 helped him to a 3-0 lead against Carter – 4-3 winner over Mark Selby in the afternoon – in the group final.
Breaks of 59 and 53 had Carter on the board in frame four but a run of 70 in frame five and an outrageous fluked red in frame six helped Allen move 5-1 ahead and although Carter reduced the deficit with a total clearance of 143, the Antrim man rounded off victory with a break of 98.
Allen’s semi-final opponent on Saturday will come from the group made up of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Snooker Shoot-out winner and BetVictor Northern Ireland Open runner-up Chris Wakelin and Zhang Anda winner of last week’s International Championship.
