Northern Ireland Open snooker a dream come true for Mark Allen

Antrim hotshot Mark Allen insists he’ll relish the tag of crowd favourite at the eagerly awaited Northern Ireland Open.

All eyes will be on The Pistol in a star studded 128-man field that includes five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy.

Allen, who faces England’s Mark Joyce in the opening round on Tuesday, accepts he’ll play under a media spotlight at the Titanic Exhibition Centre.

But the 30-year-old is determined to embrace the expectation and make an impact in Northern Ireland’s first world ranking tournament in eight years. “I’ve always enjoyed playing in front of a home crowd,” said Allen.

“It does bring added pressure, but it’s always something I’ve thrived on.

“It depends on the personality. I know John Higgins hates playing in Scotland because he feels there’s too much pressure, while some of the Welsh boys love playing in Cardiff.

“I like it because fans here know what I’m capable of. I have nothing to prove to them, so I can go out and relax.

“You can’t put too much pressure on yourself, because you might fall flat on your face, but I’d like to think I can go really deep and give the home crowd something to shout about.”

Allen has won nine titles and established himself as a top-10 player since playing in the last ranking tournament here in 2008, while his professional debut was at the Northern Ireland Trophy at the Waterfront Hall in 2005.

Just a week after joining the pro ranks, he took two high profile scalps in Steve Davis and John Higgins before losing to childhood hero Stephen Hendry in the quarter-finals.

“My first match was against Steve Davis live on TV and it was incredible,” Allen said. “I thought ‘wow, this is a bit surreal!’

“Stephen Hendry was my hero growing up and I was just in awe playing him.

“I felt like I didn’t deserve to be on the same table. I spent the whole match watching him rather than concentrating on my own game,” he added.

Allen believes the Northern Ireland Open, which has a top prize of £70,000 and is part of a new four part Home Nations series, represents a “massive boost” for snooker here.

“It could be the start of big things,” he said. “Snooker and the amateur scene has died a death in the last 10 years, so maybe this tournament can give it the injection it needs here.

“It’s also great for Northern Ireland to get another sporting event on this scale. We’ve had the Irish Open in golf with Rory flying the flag and you also have Carl Frampton doing what he’s doing in boxing. This is great for snooker.”