ALLEN’S OUT TO AVOID A SLIP-UP

MARK Allen is firmly focused on avoiding a first round exit at the World Championship.

Northern Ireland’s top potter (above) locks horns with qualifier Jamie Clarke today at the Crucible.

And the Antrim ace knows the perils at the early stages of snooker’s premier event, having lost four first round matches in his 13 appearances at the iconic venue.

“I’ve fallen foul to losing first round matches at the Crucible before, so I’ll have to be on guard,” stressed Allen.

“I don’t know a lot about Jamie Clarke, other than he’s had some big wins to qualify.

“On paper I’m a big favourite, but unfortunately we don’t play snooker on paper. I expect a very tough match.

“You used to pick out a qualifier you fancied doing a job on, but it’s not like that anymore.

“When saw the draw I was hoping the crowd would get on top of him, because I remember my debut here and it was very daunting

“But I’m not going to be able to use that to my advantage because there’s no crowd now, so I’ll have to try and outplay him on the table.”

And when asked about the event being behind closed doors, Allen added: “It’s very strange. I’m not sure how it’s going to be when I walk out there tomorrow.

“It’s going to be strange having no atmosphere and the crowd cheering you, but I suppose that’s a sign of the times.

“I think we’re going to have this type of snooker event for a number of months to come. We should just be thankful the event is on. I’m excited.”

Irishman Jordan Brown playing at the Crucible for the first time was level 4-4 with former champion, Mark Selby, late last night.