MARK ALLEN will pot balls in a gruelling 24-hour pool and snooker marathon gig to raise much-needed funds for a grieving partner and her young family.
Earlier this month, Allen and the sports community of County Antrim were rocked to discover that local publican Tyler McConnell had died “after a short fight with cancer” at the age of 37.
Allen, 39, felt compelled to act and within short notice he arranged a charity fundraiser – which starts on Friday at noon and lasts until midday on Saturday – at his Antrim Sports Club.
The Pistol will play frames for 14 hours in total – seven hours between 12pm-7pm before returning to the baize at 5am the next morning.
Fellow pros Jordan Brown and Robbie McGuigan plus pool stars Robert McCullough, Gary Clarke and Ronan McCarthy are also involved.
There will be a raffle and auction to raise donations for Tyler’s missus Kirsty and her three young kids all under the age of six.
Allen said: “It’s been well supported back home because he was so well known. Hopefully we can raise a lot of money.
“It’s so sad because Tyler had a lump on his head that he just never went to get checked.
“I think the survival rate, if he had got checked early, was like 96%. He’d left it like 18 months and by the time they found it, it was just everywhere.
“So, he lasted about eight months.
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“Tyler’s parents owned a pub not far from me and he worked there for years. He played pool for Northern Ireland. He was quite well known within the community.
“I think he played for Northern Ireland a number of times and maybe even captained the team one of the years.
“I’ve done one of these 24-hour charity events before. I had to play about 108 frames. So it’s a long, long old stint.
“Back then, I was probably at my heaviest. And yeah, I wasn’t good for a couple of days after it.
“My neck and shoulders and back were in bits. But I’d like to think I’m in slightly better shape at the minute.
“You look at the bigger picture sometimes and there’s a lot worse going on in the world.
“Losing a snooker game isn’t ideal. But it’s not the end of the world. You get another chance the following week to put it right.”
Allen will have time to rest up before he appears in the last 32 of the UK Championship – an event he won in 2022 – in York on Monday evening.
The world No.7 has been working with coaching guru Chris Henry, who famously guided both Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy to the 2021 Crucible final.
There have been 11 different winners of titles this season, with Allen lifting the English Open in September when he beat China’s Zhou Yuelong in a final-frame decider.
But asked to describe his form this year, honest Allen responded: “It’s hard to know because there’s been a lot of good stuff this season and also some not so good.
“Three semi-finals and a tournament win shows that there’s something there. But there have been a few first-round exits.
“Obviously not qualifying for the International Championship in China was a big thing as well. It’s probably been 12 years since I didn’t qualify for anything.
“So that was disappointing. But yeah, it’s frustrating because I feel like I’m doing all the right things on the practice table.
“I’m working hard with Chris Henry and a lot of the routines that he’s given me. But it’s just not coming to fruition just yet.
“It’s not coming as easily as I would have liked. But it’s not a time to panic. I have to try and stay patient. I do feel like a good run of form is just around the corner.
“I just have to continue working hard. I’ve been here many times throughout my career where you feel like your game’s not quite where you want it to be.
“But ultimately, a lot of players out there would snap their hand off for the season I’ve had so far.”
To donate to the charity fundraiser, please visit themarkallenfoundation.org
