MARK Allen says he will be trying to ‘’keep things simple’' on his 18th attempt at landing snooker’s biggest prize in Sheffield over the next two weeks and a bit.
A lot of focus off the table in the build-up to the start of tomorrow’s Cazoo World Championship has been on the event’s future at the Crucible Theatre.
Allen has his own opinions on that but has been more concerned with getting himself mentally prepared for the game’s greatest test, which will start for him on Tuesday when he faces Robbie Williams over the best of 19 frames.
‘’I have tried a lot of different approaches over the last 17 years,’’ admits the world number three, who is seeded four for the tournament.
‘’But I have learned it’s probably best just to keep things simple and try and treat it as just another tournament. As hard as that is to do that is the aim.
‘’The matches are longer, which I think everybody likes, but when you strip it all back the game is still the same.
‘’There’s a lot of mental anguish to go through if you want to last the full 17 days. Luckily, I’m pretty strong in that regard but my problem at the Worlds has always been getting the most out of my bad sessions.
‘’They are going to come so limiting the damage is key. I have lost sessions heavily in the past and you just can’t afford to do that.’’
Allen’s best performances at the Crucible have been two semi-final appearances, the second of which came last year, 14 years after the first, but he goes into this year’s event as a leading contender after the best back-to-back seasons of his career, and with what looks a decent draw.
Last year’s stellar efforts saw him finish top of the one-year ranking list and land World Snooker Tour’s Player of the Year award and despite some disappointing defeats in the early stages of some events this year, he has still managed to win three titles amidst the dominance of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump, who are seeded to meet in the semi-final in Sheffield.
‘’I will keep trying,’’ says the former Masters and UK champion.
‘’I believe I can win it and have the game to win it. But a lot of people are thinking the same way and you only get one shot a year at it.’’
Allen has never played Williams in ranking event competition but knows the dangers he presents.
‘’I’m a big admirer of Robbie. He showed how good he is in the qualifiers when he beat Chris Wakelin from 9-8 down,’’ added the Antrim man.
ROUND ONE (all games best of 19 frames)
SATURDAY
10am Zhang Anda (Chi) v Jak Jones (Wal);
Luca Brecel (Bel) v David Gilbert (Eng)
2.30pm Judd Trump (Eng) v Hossein Vafaei (Irn); Ali Carter (Eng) v Stephen Maguire (Sco)
7pm Brecel v Gilbert (to finish); Tom Ford (Eng) v Rickey Walden (Eng)
SUNDAY
10am Anda v Jones (to finish); Mark Selby (Eng) v Joe O’Connor (Eng)
2.30pm Trump v Vafaei (to finish); Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Lyu Haotian (Chi)
7pm Carter v Maguire (to finish); Ford v Walden (to finish)
MONDAY
10am Murphy v Haotian (to finish); Gary Wilson (Eng) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
2.30pm Selby v O’Connor (to finish); Mark Williams (Wal) v Si Jiahui (Chi)
7pm Wilson v Bingham (to finish); Robert Milkins (Eng) v Pang Junxu (Chi)
TUESDAY
10am Kyren Wilson (Eng) v Dominic Dale (Wal); Ding Junhui (Chi) v Jack Lisowski (Eng)
2.30pm Mark Allen (NI) v Robbie Williams (Eng); Williams v Jiahui (to finish)
7pm Milkins v Junxu (to finish); Barry Hawkins (Eng) v Ryan Day (Wal)
WEDNESDAY
10am Wilson v Dale (to finish); Junhui v Lisowski (to finish)
2.30pm Allen v Williams (to finish); Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Jackson Page (Wal)
7pm Hawkins v Day (to finish); John Higgins (Sco) v Jamie Jones (Wal)
THURSDAY
1pm O’Sullivan v Page (to finish)
7pm Higgins v Jones (to finish)
