Year mark allen

Paul Hunter Trophy: The thee-time champion Mark Selby scored just his second MrQ Masters (professional non-ranking snooker tournament) match win in five years, thrashing Robert Milkins 6-1 to make the quarterfinals at Alexandra Palace.

The 40-year-old from Leicester lifted the famous Paul Hunter Trophy in 2008, 2010 and 2013. He was also runner-up in 2014, but the years which followed have seen Selby struggle in snooker’s biggest invitational tournament. He’s not been beyond the quarters in his last nine attempts.

If four-time World Champion Selby is to make the semi-finals this year, he will have to get past last season’s Player of the Year Mark Allen. Selby and Allen could hardly be closer matched in the head-to-heads, which stand at 8-8 with eight of those encounters coming down to deciding frames.