Mark puts Mark on the Spot
Mark Selby won a thrilling encounter against Mark Allen to book his semi final place in the 2010 Pokerstars.com Masters
In 2009 Selby beat Allen 6-5 and after a thoroughly entertaining and fluctuating match history repeated itself as the Leicester man edged through 6-5.
A scrappy opening frame in which both players were so poor that Selby walked across to Allen suggesting they just toss a coin for the frame, gave no indication of the thrills and spills to follow. Selby did win the frame eventually without the aid of a double-headed coin!
The next two frames went to 'the Jester' as well, with a run of 67 in the second and breaks of 46 and an excellent 93 clearance in the third.
Allen eventually got going in the fourth, rattling a brilliant 114 break and will have felt a bit happier at the interval.
On the resumption it was Allen all the way as the Northern Ireland star rattled in 82 to win the fifth. And he added the sixth to level the match after Selby missed a red on 52 and Allen cleared with 26.
Selby stopped the rot in the seventh. Allen was faced with a tricky red which required him to use the spider with the rest perched perilously on top, he rattled the red and Selby made 50 from the opening.
Parity was soon restored again as Allen pounced on a poor safety by Selby to make 52 and square the match again at 4-4.
A match which had been played in an excellent spirit right through saw more humour in the ninth frame. Allen laid a particularly nasty snooker tight behind a baulk colour and Selby missed his escape three times by a fraction.
Allen walked over and put his arm round Selby in sympathy. Selby hit the red at the fourth attempt and did a little war dance of delight. The Wembley audience loved it! But Allen had the last laugh in the frame as a misjudged safety by Selby let him in for a run of 40 to take the lead for the first time in the match.
Allen twice got chances in the tenth but lost position. Likewise Selby spurned two openings. Selby missed the last red with the frame at his mercy, but, in turn, Allen also missed it and Selby did enough to send the match into a decider.
Selby got the first chance but only made 20 from it before missing a red but running safe. A long safety battle ensued, with the black teetering on the jaws of the pocket, most of the reds got pushed to one side of the table. A re-rack looked on the cards until Selby fluked a red although he didn't create a scoring chance but had opened a useful 39-1 lead.
Allen potted a quite brilliant red, having to hit the ball so hard with so much screw that his cue nearly flew out of his hand. But he missed a thin cut back black down the rail. Selby garnered enough points to leave him 61 ahead with only 3 reds left. Allen played on for snookers but eventually left the last red on.
Both players were afforded a richly deserved standing ovation by the audience. It was a superb match, made all the more enjoyable for the banter and spirit in which the match was played.
Selby now goes forward to face Stephen Maguire in the semi final. The first semi final on Saturday features Ronnie O'Sullivan playing the back-to-form Mark Williams.
