Snooker star won Scottish Open while hungover and admitted ‘disrespecting’ tournament | Other | Sport

Snooker star Mark Allen will be eyeing the title at the Scottish Open after excelling at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Sports Centre this week. And the 39-year-old has prepared for matches very differently this year compared to his routine before encounters in 2018.

Allen clinched the Scottish Open title in 2018 after overcoming Shaun Murphy 9-7 in the final. That tournament came straight after the star had lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the UK Championship in York. And throughout the Scottish Open, Allen decided to let his hair down as it coincided with a planned ‘drinking holiday’ he was enjoying with Stephen Maguire.

Despite consuming alcohol during the tournament, Allen produced a series of fine displays at the baize as he overcame Liang Wenbo, Chen Feilong, Yuan Sijun and Graeme Dott on his way to the quarter-finals.

Allen then thrashed Alfie Burden 5-0 in his last-eight encounter before narrowly overcoming Daniel Wells 6-5 in the semi-finals.

And following his last-four win, the Northern Irishman told TNT Sports: “I don’t deserve to be in the final, the way I’ve treated the tournament this week. It makes no difference now, I have felt terrible all week. So I might as well keep going.

“I could stay in tonight, go to bed early and feel horrendous tomorrow. And I would deserve to feel that way for the disrespect I have shown the tournament all week. I may as well go out and have a good time.

“I had a couple last night and that is the worst I have felt. I only had four or five drinks and felt horrendous when I woke up – maybe I didn’t have enough. Other nights, I have had more than my fair share and felt okay the next day.

“I’ve managed to scrape through a few matches. I was all over the place. I’m embarrassed to say I was hungover and stuff.”

Allen has overcome Ishpreet Chadha, Wang Yuchen, Anda Zhang and Joe O’Connor at the Scottish Open this time around.

And following his victory over O’Connor, the talented star admitted he isn’t happy with his cue as he explained: “Put it this way, I’m getting rid of it as soon as I finish this tournament.

“I feel like I can get a bit more power with the other one. I’m definitely not guessing as much as I am with that. Anything over distance is a bit of a guess and so far I’m guessing right.”