‘Shocking’ World semi-final miss still hurts AllenImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Allen was beaten by Wu Yize in the deciding frame of this year’s World Championship semi-finalByDavid MohanBBC Sport NI journalistPublished5 minutes agoNorthern Ireland’s Mark Allen admits it “hurts too much” at present to watch back the missed shot which ultimately cost him a place in this year’s World Snooker Championship final.Needing one more frame to reach the decider for the first time in his career, the Antrim man missed a spotted black and was punished with China’s Wu Yize taking the semi-final to a deciding frame he went on to win on his way to the title.
The 40-year-old says it’s “been a rough few weeks” since, but throwing himself into charity events through his own foundation has helped him move on “or else I may not have left the house”.
However, while the heartbreak still lingers, Allen also feels there are “positives” to take from his run to the last four at the Crucible Theatre.
“I hadn’t seen my daughter Harley for three weeks and when I picked her up from school, she jumped into my arms and the first thing she reported was ‘how did you miss that black, daddy?’,” Allen told BBC Radio Ulster’s Sportsound.
“I have been asked a million times since and don’t know what the answer is. It was a shocking miss, but I tried my best and it just didn’t work out on that day.
“There were positives to take from the two weeks in Sheffield. I know I played well although I was disappointed with how it ended, but it’s the closest I’ve got [to a final] and that’s something I have to take.”
