Allen himself has come in for a bit of stick over his pace of play and while I’m sure every top player would like to play exciting and flowing snooker ... expert tips and Timeform data, plus ...

The field is completed by Si Jiahui, Xiao Guodong, Hossein Vafaei and Matthew Selt, but keeping their form across two days against three members of snooker’s elite looks a tall order for the outsiders ...

If the snooker can generate the kind of drama, excitement and high-quality Ally Pally saw at the World Darts Championship recently then the viewers of The Masters are in for a real treat.