World Grand Prix snooker LIVE - Mark Allen survives Dave Gilbert scare on Day 1
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Updated 16/01/2023 at 21:19 GMT
The 2023 World Grand Prix is here with the best 32 players from this season taking to the baize in Cheltenham. There are four matches on Day 1, which begins at 19:00 GMT, with Mark Allen, Neil Robertson and Jack Lisowski all in action. It's a busy period on the snooker calendar, with the Masters having just finished and the Shoot Out and German Masters coming up on Eurosport and discovery+.
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That's us done for tonight
Join me again tomorrow at 12.45 GMT for day two!
On table two
Zhou Yuelong 4-2 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Mark Allen beats Dave Gilbert 4-2!
Mark started really poorly, but so did Dave, meaning the first four frames were split, after which class told as the number 1 seed got going. Mark plays Joe O'Connor or Lyu Haotian next.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (59-45)
After much deliberation, they agree a position, Dave leaves the last red to the green pocket, and Mark spanks it into the back of the leather. Great pressure-pot, and this should be curtains.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (44-45)
Mark blocks Dave's route to red with pink and a wild shot smashes balls all over. Mark doesn't want to put him back, he wants to take on a pot, but he can't be there isn't one, so he does. Dave can't agree with the ref about where the ball was - he's trying to make it harder for himself - and Mark says "Whatever Dave thinks".
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (44-45)
Mark lays a snooker across the table and Dave misses, knocking the red towards a potting angle in right-middle ... but it runs just past. Then angles calls the double-kiss before Dave plays the shot, and shonuff that's what happens ... but he flukes cover with the pink.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (40-45)
Dave develops the final red and he's got cut-back along the left rail. He gets close but the ball doesn't drop and he returns to his seat head down. But wow! Mark misses the final red to left corner, meaning the chase for it is on.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (40-31)
He can't, and a loss of focus allows Mark to play a decent safety. But, well, in prime this game style, Dave, flukes a red - though with yellow, black and a red all on the top cushion, there's a lot to do ... ah, he's just potted the yellow.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (40-16)
But a poor safety hands Dave a chance and he slots a decent starter. The way the balls are, if he gets into decent position, he might well force a decider.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (40-0)
He can't take it though, an extra cannon off the pack when he dug into it keeping him up the table and denying him a colour. So he plays safe where once he might've tried to force another pot with a potentially useful lead.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (39-0)
Dave will be fearing the worst as Mark accumulates, on which point, though Mark's played some great stuff this term, he's also got much better at finding a way when off it a bit. He's looking alright now, though, and has a decent chance of finishing things at this visit.
Allen 3-2 Gilbert (9-0)
Going for right corner, Dave cuts one the wrong way and puts Mark right in, various reds loose and the black in play.
On table two
Zhou Yuelong 2-2 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Allen 3-2 Gilbert
Excellent from Mark, who's dug deep into himself to find what comes most naturally to him. This game. Anyhow, a 132 puts him one up with two to play.
Allen 2-2 Gilbert (77-0)
This is by far the best snooker we've seen from either player tonight, and Dave being Dave, along with Mark being Mark, Dave will be wondering if he's missed his chance. Mark will be wondering if he's going to make another ton.
Allen 2-2 Gilbert (48-0)
Much better from Mark, who's potting nicely here. He'll need to break the pack again soon, and if that goes well he'll win the frame at this visit.
Allen 2-2 Gilbert (11-0)
Yeah, Dave won't have enjoyed seeing Mark clip a fine, long starter to left corner, and he's quickly down the business end, clearing a route to and for the black.
On table two
Zhou Yuelong 2-2 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Allen 2-2 Gilbert
It won't be often anyone gets to play Mark Allen in such rotten form, so Dave will probably feel he's missed an opportunity, being level after four. He's probably right to too, but he's still in with a decent chance of winning what's now a best of three.
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (68-24)
Mark gets in again, and this will be 2-2.
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (59-24)
Mark gets rid of two reds, nudging a nice black along the top rail to left corner; if he can send the final red to right-middle, it should mean the frame ... but he can't, though his run of 24 is his highest of the match!
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (46-24)
Mark gets in again, and a terrific positional shot gets him behind two reds, one of which he sends to left-middle. Two of the remaining three reds aren't ideal, but nor are they dreadful.
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (36-24)
Mark runs out of position but finds a fine recovery to middle ... then runs out of position again, playing to the bottom cushion with a small lead.
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (26-24)
Mark gets a little run, then has to snooker behind brow, kind of shovelling the shot but making it work, just about. Dave misses all the reds, twice, but it's worth it for his third go, which leaves the white on the side rail and nothing on ... and yields him a go at a long diagonal red to left corner. He misses, dropping head and shrinking onto haunches, and surely Mark will finally make a sizeable break given where the balls are
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (1-24)
Dave drains a difficult black but finds himself without a next red so plays safe. And it's Mark in next, breaking pack off blue ... and getting nowt. This is not his day, but he plays a decent safety to baulk, using yellow and blue as cover.
Allen 1-2 Gilbert (0-10)
It's not just that Mark's playing poorly, though he is, he's playing without intensity, which is unusual. And when Dave knucks in a long starter and comes down the table for the yellow, he looks ready to score some points ... only to block his route to the next red with the blue. He played the correct shot, though, exculpates Angles, then Mark liberates the black and another couple of reds. I don't think it'll be long before someone's in the balls and have a look! Dave rattles in a starter to right corner, a friendly kiss allows him to sink blue, and he's away!
Allen 1-2 Gilbert
A 68 secures frame three; Mark's highest run so far is 18!
Allen 1-1 Gilbert (4-91)
Dave looks a bit busier around the table, reckons Angles, who thought he looked a bit down at the start. And this has been a decent run, though on 68 he miscues and fouls.
Allen 1-1 Gilbert (4-55)
Dave sinks a lovely red to right-middle, breaks what's left of the pack off the black, and he really should close out from here.
Allen 1-1 Gilbert (4-36)
Dave just about sinks a long red to right corner - good pot - and quickly gets onto the black. This is a decent chance to secure the frame, and the more loose reds he pots, the more tied-up ones he'll develop.
Allen 1-1 Gilbert (4-23)
Dave gets a poor cue-ball and bridging awkwardly, overcuts a pot to left corner that wasn't really on ... then Mark plays a dreadful pot, sinking the ball but getting on nowt with the black right there to be got on. End of break, and this is miserable fayre.
Allen 1-1 Gilbert (3-16)
More like it: Mark creams a starter to left corner but can only add the yellow, then a poor safety means the white cannons multiple balls so stays up the table, and Dave gets away.
On table two
Zhou Yuelong 1-1 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Allen 1-1 Gilbert
Neither man is remotely at it; this is the worst I've seen Mark play in absolutely ages.
Allen 1-0 Gilbert (16-70)
Mark misses with the rest to left corner, leaves it on the table, and Dave drains to right ...only to miss a pretty simple black to secure the frame. But Mark misses too and this is sketchy stuff, it really is.
Allen 1-0 Gilbert (1-69)
Dave gets back in then with the finish line in sight, he overcuts a red to left corner and Mark has a decent chance to punish...
Allen 1-0 Gilbert (0-40)
Dave gets in and a nice red along black cush should settle him a bit. He's a lovely player when grooved and if he hits his tonight, we'll be in for a decent match. But as I type that, he misses a red to right-middle leaving a similar shot for Mark ... who misses it too.
On table two
Zhou Yuelong 0-1 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Allen 1-0 Gilbert
Again, Mark can't finish it, running out of position, but then Dave leaves him the final ball and he finally puts one of the worst frames you'll ever see out of its misery.
Allen 0-0 Gilbert (40-18)
The final two reds are on the side cushion and Mark doesn't attempt to disturb them, instead banking his lead and playing safe ... then as the pair are released, Dave misses to the yellow pocket and Mark does not to the green.
Allen 0-0 Gilbert (40-18)
Dave gets in - briefly - dropping his head after missing a red, then Mark does likewise with a cut to left corner. So Dave goes hard at his next ball - he's not big on compromise - misses again, leaving it for Mark again. He sees it away, but there's work to do to win the frame at this visit.
Allen 0-0 Gilbert (33-1)
A terrible shot from Dave, missing a cut to left-middle by a mile, gives Mark a third go at registering something substantial. But he can't, missing to the green pocket with the rest, and this is really very poor stuff.
Allen 0-0 Gilbert (27-1)
He cannot, a red and a missed pink quickly ushering Mark back to the table. Again, though, he can't do much, so we're soon back playing safety and this is already pretty scrappy, various reds in tricky positions along with the black.
Allen 0-0 Gilbert (9-1)
I daresay Mark is pleased to be back on the baize after taking a 6-0 caning in the first round of the Masters. He was extremely generous in defeat, saying Bazza Hawkins played perhaps the best safety he's ever faced, but he's an elite sportsman so has his pride. Dave, meanwhile, was blitzed by Mark J Williams losing the first four frames, so though he came back well after the interval, he was too far behind to seriously threaten. Anyhow, Dave misses to left corner, Mark cleans up, and the way the reds are and black is, he's got the chance for a few points ... until he misses an absolute sitter of a black into right corner! I didn't see that coming and he certainly didn't see it coming. Can Dave capitalise?
Off we go!
Here come our players...
I wonder
If we'll see a high standard this week as 15 of the field competed at the Masters - John Higgins didn't qualify for this - so should be fairly well grooved.
The World Grand Prix
This competition features the top 32 players on the one-year list as at the end of the English Open, with no1, Mark Allen, playing no32, Dave Gilbert, and so on. Last term it was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan, who beat Neil Robertson 10-8 in the final.
Evening all!
How are we all? It's been 20 long hours without glorious snook - I hope everyone coped ... and now we're back with more!
World Grand Prix Day 1 Schedule
The event begins in the evening at 19:00 GMT with four matches on two tables.
- 19:00: Mark Allen v David Gilbert
- 19:00: Zhou Yuelong v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- 20:00: Jack Lisowski v Robert Milkins
- 20:00: Neil Robertson v Xiao Guodong
World Grand Prix Format
Round 1 runs until the end of Wednesday afternoon, before Round 2 starts on Wednesday evening.
The quarter-finals take place on Thursday night and Friday afternoon, with the first semi-final on Friday night and the second semi-final on Saturday night.
The final is on Sunday across two sessions.
- Round 1: Best-of-seven
- Round 2: Best-of-seven
- Quarter-Finals: Best-of-nine
- Semi-Finals: Best-of-11
- Final: Best-of-19
What is the Snooker World Grand Prix?
There’s no let up in the snooker calendar as the World Grand Prix has arrived. The event sees the top 32 players from the one-year ranking list in action and is the first of three tournaments that are part of the Players Series.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending champion after he defeated Neil Robertson 10-8 in an exciting final. This year’s event is back in Cheltenham for the first time in three years.
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