MARK ALLEN booked his place in the second round of the williamhill.com UK Championships in York and immediately launched an attack on World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.
World number 12 Allen was rarely troubled as he brushed past Adrian Gunnell 6-3 but rather than celebrate his win, he chose to hit out at Hearn, who moved in at the head of the game 18 months ago.
Northern Ireland’s Allen is unhappy that the first and second-round matches of this event, considered to be the second biggest on the calendar, have been reduced from 17 frames to 11.
“When Barry came in, one of the first things he said was that the World Championships, UK and Masters wouldn’t be touched. Only 18 months later, the UK format has changed.
“Barry’s just there to make money for himself, it doesn’t really matter about the players. The whole tradition of the game is going to pot.”
