Mark Allen with renewed strength against Jak Jones at World Snooker Championships in Sheffield

Iis he really that, or is it perhaps a short-term cast double? Some regulars at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield can hardly believe their eyes these days. The man who comes down the stairs when a certain Mark Allen is announced looks a lot like the 37-year-old snooker pro from Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Still, there’s a difference, and it’s not just down to the significantly slimmer physical appearance. It also has to do with the game that the pool cracker has been presenting at the green table for some time. At best, this is reminiscent of the daring hero who they once dubbed “The Pistol” for good reason.

Allen not irritated by criticism

Identity checks are still superfluous. In well-informed circles, word has long since got around that one of the supposedly most talented professionals in the world elite on the Main Tour has undergone a comprehensive transformation. According to his own statements, Allen has lost more than forty kilos since last summer.

Apparently it mattered that much that he kept his sensitive fingers away from sugared cold drinks and late at night, in lonely hotel rooms, he no longer allowed himself any junk food. The everyday life of a well-paid crack is on most days much more sober than fans and followers would like to imagine.

The glass of hot water, which he carefully raises to his mouth between frames (games) with both hands, has become Allen’s new trademark. If he goes back to the 22 resin balls, it can be a long time before the next shot. Instead of an ingenious impulse, the left-hander now follows a precise, strategic plan. And be careful not to leave your opponents with a promising picture on the smoothly stretched cloth. What has brought him behind the scenes comparisons with the Englishman Mark Selby, who has long been feared for his strategic stinginess.