Champion of Champions 2022 snooker LIVE – Judd Trump faces Mark Allen for place in semi-final after early wins

Updated 02/11/2022 at 21:14 GMT

It’s time for Group 1 at the Champion of Champions in Bolton. Last year’s winner Judd Trump take Mark Allen, who won the Welsh Open and Northern Ireland Open respectively. These two both won their early matches and will now do battle for a place in the final four. The winner of this clash will go through to face Mark Selby in that semi-final battle.

'He should win a world title' - O'Sullivan praises Northern Ireland Open champion Allen

That'll do us

Judd advances then, and we'll be back with you tomorrow from 12.45pm to find out who our fourth semi-finalist will be. Night night!

Champion of Champions

O'Sullivan waits to discover opening opponent in Champion of Champions title defence

09/11/2023 at 18:30

Judd Trump reaches the last four

Wow, as the astounded often say. Judd played superbly there, dismantling the player of the season so far with a string of concussive one-hit frames and merciless steals when Mark faltered. That was a glimpse of the Judd that spent 2019-21 hoovering up every tournament in sight. We expected a close one tonight, and it was anything but; Judd is the defending champion here in Bolton, and on this form he's going to take some stopping. Mark Selby will get the chance to do that in the semi-finals on Friday.

Trump 6-1 Allen

A superb 79 from Judd caps a brilliant performance; he's absolutely thrashed an in-form Mark Allen tonight.

Trump 5-1 Allen (54-39)

Judd hits the front in the frame, and takes the difficult red last in this break. He takes it with the rest and wriggles it in to land on the pink; this one looks over.

Trump 5-1 Allen (32-39)

On 39 Mark loses position on the black, and can only tuck in behind it. Safety follows, then how about this? Judd makes a superb three-ball plant into the bottom right, and he's held for the pink! Chapeau, sir! These are set to go as well, as Judd quickly clears a congested black spot and Mark's lead is starting to evaporate. A red on the right rail looks his only saviour here.

Trump 5-1 Allen (1-30)

So, can Mark do anything to halt Judd's progress here? He gambles everything on a long red to hold for the black at the start of frame seven, and misses; Judd cuts in a red in response, but lands nowhere in baulk and Mark gets away with it for now. Safety follows - including one from Judd where he hovers over the pack and plays the shot without putting his hands on the table - before Mark hoses a red long into the bottom left to land on the black. He's away, and it's a good look.

Trump 5-1 Allen

We don't get back-to-back centuries, but Judd's 79 is more than enough for the frame. He needs one more to reach the last four.

Trump 4-1 Allen (56-0)

This is light work. Judd's break reaches 56 and with all remaining reds in the open it looks like another frame in the books. In co-comms, Stephen Hendry says it's the best he's seen Judd play in years. Mark can only sit and hope here; he's going to need five in a row against a player in searing form.

Trump 4-1 Allen (26-0)

Frame six then, and Judd's in immediately again with a long red. He looks so composed tonight, this feels effortless. Already it's looking ominous for Mark, as Judd pots the blue, sends the white into the pink full ball and splits the pack perfectly.

Trump 4-1 Allen

After a century from Mark before the interval, Judd responds with one after it. A 104 puts him two frames away from victory.

Trump 3-1 Allen (74-0)

Frame ball red goes and the black makes it certain. A sloppy safety from Mark has cost him this frame, and he'll be three behind again shortly.

Trump 3-1 Allen (54-0)

After some technical issues we're back, and we rejoin it with Judd rattling in a quick fire half-century to take command of the match again after the break. He looks so locked in tonight, and with the remaining reds set fair another frame to Judd looks nailed on here.

Trump 3-1 Allen

There he is! It's a quick hit from Mark, who makes his third century of the day; an excellent 103 reduces his deficit to two frames at the interval.

We'll be back in 15.

Trump 3-0 Allen (0-58)

There's the half-ton in no time, and a lovely shot on black to bottom left sees the white gently nudge one red out of the path of another, and Mark should be on the board shortly.

Trump 3-0 Allen (0-36)

This is a big frame for Mark, and he gets a chance as Judd misses a red long to the bottom right and leaves a chance on. Although he's three behind, Mark looks confident at the table tonight and is rattling this break along at some pace.

Trump 3-0 Allen

Mark pots the blue, but soon misses a thin contact when trying not to pot the pink into the yellow pocket and concedes the frame. Judd is halfway to the semi-finals.

Trump 2-0 Allen (65-46)

Judd nudges the final red into a more compliant position over the left middle, and on the baulk colours an excellent shot from green to brown puts him on frame ball. The brown goes, and he makes sure of it; the insurance blue doesn't go long into the bottom left thereafter and Mark returns to the table needing a snooker.

Trump 2-0 Allen (37-46)

Oh, it's on now! Judd drops in a superb red along the rail and into the bottom right, and he's on the black. As Angles notes, he's just gone favourite with two reds left out there. All colours are in the open, and Mark is in bother here.

Trump 2-0 Allen (1-46)

This is such a good break, because Mark is having to play some deadweight shots that gamble the whole frame. He keeps converting them, right up to an excellent black to bottom right, but just as he's zoning in on the frame he misses a red to left middle by a long way. Judd is in, and has the chance to convert this into a telling steal.

Trump 2-0 Allen (1-15)

After some cagey safety to start frame three, Judd wallops in a red down the left side of the table but then misses a mid-range blue to the yellow pocket. As a result, MArk is in and has his first real chance of the evening. He reaches 15 with a superb red into the bottom right despite having to dig down into the white near the left rail, and he's away.

Trump 2-0 Allen

He likes this tournament, eh? A sparkling break ends on 78 when he goes in-off trying to shift two reds apart, but Judd is in total command and establishes a two-frame lead.

Trump 1-0 Allen (50-0)

Judd is walking this so far, and registers his third half-ton of the night with a pink into the bottom right. There are five reds below the pink in practice table position, and this one looks done. Mark will need to get in soon - and heavily - to stop Judd running away with this until the interval.

Trump 1-0 Allen (18-0)

Mark's break is loose at the start of frame two and Judd, who looks right in the mood here, clangs in a long red and lands on the blue. He's into the pack early off a red into the bottom right, splitting the pack nicely and landing on the blue. This is a big chance.

Trump 1-0 Allen

Too tall, as it turns out; Judd gets back in and showboats his way to a brilliant 54 to empty the table.

Trump 0-0 Allen (71-4)

With the frame virtually secure, Judd goes in off and Mark returns to the table 67 behind with 59 on. It's a tall order, but he's going to have a shy at it.

Trump 0-0 Allen (63-0)

Judd reaches a half-century with a pink to the bottom right. The remaining six reds are spread very nicely indeed, and a pink with a high value colour should put this one away.

Trump 0-0 Allen (36-0)

After a lot of wary safety, respect of each other's abilities clearly high, Judd bullets a red along the bottom cushion and into the bottom left. It's a glorious shot, with the cherry on top being the white zooming back up the table to land on the green. What a shot! Angles McManus is in raptures in co-comms. That's Judd up and away, and a good recovery pink to right middle takes this break to 23.

Trump 0-0 Allen (13-0)

Best of 11 then, let's get about it. Judd picks up four when Mark shorts a two-cushion escape, and soon after pots a brilliant long red to the bottom left. It was bullet straight, and Judd caught it so clean that he overscrewed the white past the baulk colours. From the ensuing snooker Judd picks up eight more, as Mark needs three attempts to find the right line on a four-cushion escape.

Here we go

Our MC Tahir Hajat brings out the players.

Mark - who won this event in 2020 - strolls in first, followed by Judd. There's a banging atmosphere here in Bolton, for a match with an edge.

This pair

If we're crawling over the line post-midnight after an error-strewn farce I apologise for jinxing it, but there's a lot of expectation around this one. Mark Allen is in fine form, retaining his Northern Ireland Open title and reaching the final of the British Open last month, while Judd reached the final of the worlds without ever really finding his best form just six months ago and is the defending Champion of Champions...er, champion. Some fine ingredients then, and we'll be underway shortly.

Good evening!

Welcome back to the Champion of Champions, and what a quarter we've got on the way for you in about 15 minutes. It's Judd Trump against Mark Allen for a place in the last four; hold all your calls.

---

That's us for the afternoon

Join us again at 6.45pm GMT for more fun and games. Till then, peace out.

Mark Allen beats Joe Perry 4-2!

"It really is a great feeling when you're this confident," says Stephen. Snooker seems so easy and you think you're gonna clear the table every time you come to it." Mark meets Judd Trump in tonight's quarter-final, and I cannot wait for that.

Allen 3-2 Perry (60-7)

Mark is making this look so easy.

Allen 3-2 Perry (13-7)

OK, here we go. Joe looks desperately about the table seeking a safety but can't find one so has a hack - and I mean a hack - at another to right corner. He gets naewhre near, and you'd expect that Mark, given his form, proximity of the line and the two easy misses which gave away two frames, will sort things from here.

Allen 3-2 Perry (0-7)

Joe wallops a long red to right corner knowing that if he misses it might be his last shot. But, as Stephen notes, he hits it so badly he doesn't leave anything, then a phone goes off. "Don't panic, it'll take you longer," says the ref, upping the pressure. "Just answer it, tell them you're on your way." Anyhow, Mark leaves another over a right corner, a much easier one, which Joe drains before sticking the white to the baulk cushion and slamming home the brutally fiendish red at which it earns him a shy. Al he can manage, though, is a blue.

Allen 3-2 Perry

Mark has scored nearly twice as many points as Joe and though he misses the green, it's not until he's got a 110 in the bag. He's one away.

Allen 2-2 Perry (55-0)

Mark carefully accumulates, the cue-ball doing his bidding and with apparent joy; what a feeling that must be.

Allen 2-2 Perry (7-0)

We begin frame five with a lengthy safety exchange, reds spread and two very near right corner - the first error is likely to be expensive. But when Mark leaves one, Joe tries to catch it so thinly, he misses it altogether, and that should cost him.

Allen 2-2 Perry

I'm scrabbling about for batteries, but Joe gets the next chance, takes it, and though Mark has been easily the better player, he's stuck in a best of three because of some really poor misses when in.

Today’s schedule

1pm – Group 1 semi-finals

Judd Trump v Luca Brecel (Best of 7)

Mark Allen v Joe Perry (Best of 7)

7pm – Group 1 final

Judd Trump OR Luca Brecel v Mark Allen OR Joe Perry (Best of 11)

Yesterday’s results

Group 3 semi-final: Neil Robertson 3-4 Fan Zhengyi

Group 3 semi-final: Kyren Wilson 3-4 Ryan Day

Group 3 final: Fan Zhengyi 6-5 Ryan Day

RECAP

Fan Zhengyi recorded a brilliant 6-5 victory against an impressive Ryan Day in their Champion of Champions group final on Tuesday night.

Day had beaten Kyren Wilson 4-3 in the late afternoon game while Fan defeated Neil Robertson with an impressive comeback win, also 4-3, in the first match-up.

Speaking on ITV4, Neal Foulds said: “I think we’re seeing someone improving before our very eyes. He’d gone off the boil. He’s back, he’s more dangerous than ever.

“That was a great game of snooker from two unlikely sources. It was brilliant.”

Foulds believes that Fan has the mindset to take on the challenge ahead.

“He’s not frightened to beat anyone. He won’t be overawed,” he said.