Snooker: Allen fights back to reach final

YORK: Mark Allen won through to his first major final after coming from behind to beat Ricky Walden 9-7 in the last-four of the UK Championship. The Northern Irishman will now face Judd Trump in the final. Allen, 25, had lost in all five of his previous ranking tournament semi-finals. Walden established a 5-3 lead at the end of the first session but Allen - highly critical of the way matches at the UK have been reduced in length this season - fought back in the evening session, winning it 6-2, and sealed victory with a break of 70.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2011.