Irked Allen says former champ Hendry is 'full of rubbish' in Crucible spat 

FEELING FEISTY: Mark Allen during his match against Kyren Wilson (not pictured) on day eight of the Halo World Snooker Championship 2026 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Pic: Richard Sellers/PA Wire

Mark Allen slammed seven-time champion Stephen Hendry for “talking rubbish” after sailing into the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

Hendry had strongly criticised the Antrim man’s shot selection during the opening session of his second round match against Kyren Wilson on Thursday, as Allen let slip a 5-0 lead.

But Allen recovered to wrap up a 13-9 win on Saturday morning and turned his attention to Hendry, insisting: “Stephen’s entitled to his opinion, but more often than not, he’s full of rubbish, to be honest.” Allen added: “Not everyone can come here and make it look as easy as he did, but you’re also looking at someone that never won a ‘triple crown’ event after they turned 30, so the game changes and maybe that stubbornness is what cost him his later part of his career.” Allen won four of the first six frames in Saturday’s morning session to upset the 2024 champion, and will now face Barry Hawkins or Wales’ three-time champion Mark Williams in the last eight.

Wilson, who beat Jak Jones to win the 2024 title, had won six successive frames to lead 6-5 and a see-saw battle ensued before Allen won the final two frames in Friday’s session, aided by a 140-break, to edge 9-7 ahead.

Wilson clawed it back on Saturday morning with a score of 78 in the opening frame but Allen produced scores of 78 and 61 to go 11-8 up and, despite losing the next frame, held his nerve to progress.

Neil Robertson, champion in 2010, squandered a 4-1 lead in the opening session of his second-round match against Chris Wakelin.

Australia’s Robertson won four frames on the spin after losing the opener, but world number 13 Wakelin hit back, producing a score of 77 to stop the rot and taking the final two frames of the morning session to level it up.