Selby & Allen hauled off in world championships as Hendry labels it ‘dark cloud’

MARK SELBY and Mark Allen were hauled off early for arduous slow play – with Stephen Hendry describing the baize torture as a “dark cloud” hanging over Sheffield.

The second session of this World Snooker Championship semi-final was halted before 6pm on Friday even though there were THREE allocated frames still to go.

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It is because the pair took so long to complete just FIVE of the eight frames scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Yet fans leaving the Crucible were unhappy that officials did not allow at least one more frame to go ahead – even though the other semi-final was scheduled to carry on at 7pm.

Nonetheless, despite the jokes and laughs between the two players as they battled for hours over the baize, seven-time world champion Hendry was not amused.

Hendry, 54, said: “It wasn’t pretty. It’s not snooker that I want to watch.

“I understand snooker has to be played different ways and the balls can dictate.

“But it’s almost like they are trying to be too precise and too exact in their matchplay.

“Just play the balls sometimes. A dark cloud came over the match table in the Crucible.”

In contrast to the first semi-final, this was a real war of attrition, a proper grind between two players refusing to give an inch.

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Allen, 37 led 5-3 overnight but he only won one frame as Selby roared back into life to take a 7-6 advantage.

The Northern Ireland potter was 6-3 up and had a 36-point lead in frame 10 but was out unable to put away the relentless Selby.

The protracted 13th frame took 48 minutes and the pair jokily punched the air to amuse the crowd following one prolonged safety battle.

There was also an embarrassing moment for officials because the scoreboard in the arena had the wrong scores before being updated.

No.3 seed Allen – appearing in the semis for the first time in 2009 – even put a towel over his face at one point in exasperation given how long the proceedings were taking.

Yet Selby, the four-time world champion, is ready to take this long as possible – with potentially 20 FRAMES possible on Saturday.

The Leicester Jester, 39, said: “In snooker, some frames will take longer than others. I’m willing to stay out there until God knows what time.

“For me, until that last ball is potted, even if you need one snooker in the frame, you always have a chance to win it.

“I still believe I can win it until they are racking up the balls for the next frame. Or you are shaking hands. Until that times comes, I still believe I can win.

“I never get bored. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy the long formats because it gives you more chance to get involved in the match.”