Davis: Allen has proved me wrong

SNOOKER legend Steve Davis admits he has been proved wrong by defending Masters champion Mark Allen.

World No6 Allen, 32, starts the defence of his Triple Crown title at Alexandra Palace today against Belgium’s Luca Brecel.

And the Northern Irishman is fired up after enjoying his best-ever season in 2018 – also tasting glory at the International Championship and Scottish Open. But Allen has never forgotten that six-time world champion Davis suggested two years ago he was ‘Championship’ class rather than ‘Premier League’.

Davis, 61, now a respected pundit, has been big enough to hail Allen’s ‘promotion’. Davis said: “To be fair, the comment was almost a rhetorical question – is he a Championship player? The thinking was that he was playing well but not winning the big ones. But he has really proved me and some others wrong.”

World No3 Ronnie O’Sullivan is bidding for a record eighth Masters title after pocketing more than £500,000 this term with three titles, a final and a semi-final so far.

O’Sullivan, an ambassador for Eurosport who faces Stuart Bingham tomorrow, said: “I think it’s a miracle I am in contention to be No1 again because I’ve hardly played events and I’m still up there.”