Rookie Allen in wonderland after dumping Doherty

CRUCIBLE rookie Mark Allen admitted he is still coming to terms with yesterday’s shock 888.com World Championship victory over former champion Ken Doherty.

The former world amateur champion booked a second-round meeting with two-time finalist Matthew Stevens after claiming a 10-7 victory over the 1997 winner.

Antrim-based Allen, who secured victory with impressive breaks of 68, 54 and 50 after Doherty made the tournament’s biggest break to date with 135, believes the win is the best of his fledgling career.

“I beat Steve Davis and John Higgins in an invitation event last year but that was over a short number of frames, so to beat Ken Doherty in the best-of-19 at the Crucible is definitely my best win,” said Allen.

“Going into the match yesterday everyone was expecting Ken to win, but being 6-3 up everyone is expecting me to lead from the front and win the match.”

Having watched champion Graeme Dott and fellow seeds Barry Hawkins and Steve Davis make early exits, Doherty admitted the defeat was tough to accept.

He said: “I’m gutted. I didn’t play well, it’s hard to swallow.

“I thought I did everything right with my preparations but he played superbly well. He was very hard to contain and I did not play as well as I can.”

World number nine Stephen Maguire wasted little time booking his place in the second round but insists he will have to improve to have any chance of victory come May 7.

The 2004 UK champion stormed to a resounding 10-3 victory which forced opponent Joe Perry to admit he had been “steamrollered”.

But the 26-year-old believes his form is not good enough to win the title.

“I don’t believe I am playing well enough to win it just now. Hopefully I can play a lot better in the next match and improve through the tournament,” he said.

Deflated Perry admitted the damage had been done in Tuesday’s opening session where the Maguire took a 7-2 lead.

“Once he got on top he steamrollered me,” Perry admitted. “He played well. I don’t like to make excuses but he had a nice run of the balls and at that level it makes a difference.”

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was forced to call on his vast Crucible experience after a torrid start against outsider David Gilbert.

Hendry fell 5-1 behind to the part-time potato planter from Tamworth before breaks of 68 and 76 helped win the next free frames to leave the match finely balanced at 5-4 ahead of today’s concluding session.