Leeds potter Oliver Lines stuns Mark Allen to reach last 16 in Northern Ireland

Oliver Lines.Oliver Lines.
Oliver Lines.
Oliver Lines produced one of the best wins of his career to knock two-time BetVictor Northern Ireland Open winner Mark Allen out in Belfast.

Fresh from reaching the British Open semi-finals, the 29-year-old from Leeds was competing in his fourth match in successive days and was a huge underdog against world No 3 Allen – ranked 80 places higher than his opponent – who was playing in front of his home crowd.

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But the world No 83 came out on top, with a tension-filled 4-3 win, to reach the last 16 in Belfast with a performance packed with stunning long-range shots and solid match-play.

“Beating someone like Mark in his home tournament, it means a lot to me,” said Lines. “I am very chuffed.”

Allen – the Northern Ireland Open champion in both 2021 and 2022 – had the first scoring chance, but ended on 30 when he ran out of position on a red.

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After giving away a foul, when the extension rest brushed against the white ball, Lines bounced back to pinch the opening frame with a fantastic lengthy red before clearing the colours to win on the black. The duo then traded frames, Allen firing in an 87, before Lines responded with a 73.

Allen won the next two scrappy frames, but Lines forced a decider with a 53 break.

Both players had chances in the seventh frame, Lines and Allen both guilty of crucial misses to the centre pocket, but it was the Yorkshireman who held his nerve to triumph. He next faces the winner of Wednesday night’s clash between Australia’s Neil Robertson and Hong Kong’s Wang Yuchen.

Also in action on Wednesday night is Halifax teenager Stan Moody against Jak Jones.

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