As the British Open in snooker gets underway this week, Northern Irish star Mark Allen has pulled no punches in slating the quality of the tables at the event.
The first rounds took place on Monday at The Centaur, a venue on the grounds of Cheltenham Racecourse.
38-year-old Allen took on Englishman Gary Wilson in Monday's qualifying round at table two in The Centaur, ultimately winning out 4-3.
However, the aftermath of the game was dominated by Allen's pointed comments, in which he called for the table to be "burned," claiming its dreadful condition had caused him and his opponent to laugh in disbelief.
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Snooker: Mark Allen rips into condition of tables at British Open
Antrim's Mark Allen battled through at the British Open on Monday - but it was not just Englishman Gary Wilson who he was forced to battle.
In his post-match interview with ITV Sport, Allen was vocal in criticising the condition of the tables at the Cheltenham venue, calling them "embarrassing," and claiming that repeated complaints about their upkeep had fallen on deaf ears.
‘There's new guys doing the tables this year and they're clearly not up to it. It's not good enough.'
Mark Allen tells @itvsnooker playing conditions at the British Open in Cheltenham are 'embarrassing' and the table he played on 'needs to be burnt'.#Snooker pic.twitter.com/OSAWgovBG9— Talking Snooker (@TalkingSnooker) September 23, 2024
Allen would even suggest that the table should be "burned," saying:
Gary [Wilson] was laughing his head off at the very first break-off shot that he played. It just reacted like it shouldn't ever react, it was just embarrassing. It came so wide, nearly missed the reds, hit the blue, hit the brown - the cushion is just unplayable, uncontrollable, it was heavy...the table needs to be burned.
There's new guys doing the tables this year and they're clearly not up to it. It's not good enough.
I genuinely complain every single tournament, I fill out table report sheets, match report sheets, and nothing ever changes.
When approached by the BBC for comment, the World Snooker Tour responded to Allen's harsh criticism, saying:
Our table-fitting team has been consistent for some time and works to the highest standards.
The weather in the area has seen unprecedented rainfall over the last couple of days which can negatively influence the conditions.
We have raised the issue of an open door with the venue.
Mark Allen reached the final of this tournament two years ago, losing out to Wales' Ryan Day. However, that tournament was held at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, with the first Cheltenham British Open taking place in 2023.
Taking to Twitter on Monday evening, Allen would double down on his criticism of the Centaur - but apologised to ITV's Rob Walker, who he said, "deserved a better interview."
After having some time to calm down I’d like to apologise to @robwalkertv for that interview. My anger wasn’t directed at him and he definitely deserved a better interview. My frustrations were100% at the conditions which frankly haven’t been anywhere near good enough this season
— Mark Allen (@pistol147) September 23, 2024
World number three Mark Allen now progresses to the first round, where he will face Ireland's Aaron Hill on Tuesday afternoon. Hill defeated world #9 Junhui Ding in an upset result on Monday, with the Corkonian ranked 63rd in the world.
Allen, Hill, and the rest of the field were given a boost in their hopes of going all the way on Monday, with snooker giant Ronnie O'Sullivan pulling out of the tournament just hours before his opener against Lewis Ullah.
