'Family illness' forces Mark Allen to pull out of Open

A QUESTION mark hangs over snooker ace Mark Allen’s bid to win the Northern Ireland Open for the third time.

The world number three has revealed that he has paused his busy schedule due to family illness.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he confirmed that he was pulling out of the Wuhan Open in China.

Allen, who won his home tournament back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, said he hopes to be ‘back playing come Belfast’ - but added that family must come first.

“I’d like to pass on my apologies to World Snooker, the Chinese promoter, my sponsors and the Chinese fans but I have had to withdraw from the upcoming Wuhan Open due to a family illness,” he said.

“I hope to be back come Belfast but at this time I have to prioritise my family.”

The Northern Ireland Open, once again staged at the Waterfront Hall, gets under way on Sunday, October 20 with Mark due to face Liu Hongyu in the evening session on day two.