Nerveless Mark Allen produced one of the greatest ever UK Championship fightbacks as he became the first Northern Irish potter in 39 years to lift the famous trophy.
The comeback king made it third time lucky as he banished the pain of defeats in the 2011 and 2018 finals to land his second Triple Crown title in a late-night thriller at York’s Barbican.
Former Masters champion Allen, who was at least two frames behind in every match this week, won a magnificent seven frames in a row from 6-1 down to stun Ding Junhui 10-7 as he followed in the footsteps of Alex Higgins by landing the prestigious prize after a marathon 53-minute final frame.
