UK Championship: Mark Allen and Jordan Brown on 'horrible' match - 'That wasn’t enjoyable for us'

ByNigel Chiu

Published 12/11/2022 at 18:18 GMT

Mark Allen and Jordan Brown both agreed their first round match at the UK Championship in York was "not nice" and "horrible" to play. Allen got the better of his best friend by winning 6-4 as the Northern Irish pair shared a hug at the start and end of the match. Stream the 2022 UK Championship and more top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+.

Mark Allen and Jordan Brown admit their first round match at the UK Championship was “not nice” and “horrible” to play.

Allen came from 2-0 behind to beat Brown 6-4 in York, with the pair sharing a hug at the start and end of the match.

It was the first time the pair, who have been friends for more than 20 years, were playing each other in a professional match

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“I know what Jordan is capable of us,” Allen said in the Eurosport studio. “Even though he won the Welsh Open 18 months ago, he’s still capable of so much more. I see that first hand day in, day out whenever I’m counting for him.

“I knew what a tough match it was going to be to try and put emotions aside. Jordan did that better than me, he rolled in a great red in the first frame and I was thinking, ‘He doesn’t like me too much!’

“We just had to block each other out but it’s easier said than done because we’ve known each other since we were 12 years of age, it’s been a long friendship and a really close one.

Allen and Brown both ‘not comfortable’ after ‘horrible’ match between friends

“I knew the first meeting had to come at some point but it’s just not nice when it comes at such a big tournament in a luck of the draw style event.

“If it had been at a different event and we had won a couple of matches to draw each other then so be it. But I think the fact we were drew out of a hat wasn’t enjoyable for us.”

Allen has had an excellent start to the season, which included a successful defence of his Northern Ireland Open title.

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Brown, who revealed he rang Allen straight away when the draw was made, believes his friend has the skillset to become a future world champion

“It’s amazing what he has done in the last few months,” said Brown. “I’m always behind him, I support whatever he does, in person life as well.

“He’s just an amazing player and capable of winning so many more titles, capable of being world champion. I think it could happen one day, it’s just a matter of when.”

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Stream the 2022 UK Championship and more top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+.

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