THE FOLLY OF LEAVING doors open to drafts was exposed at the British Open snooker championships, when Mark Allen lost his cool with the state of the tables after his 4-3 win over Gary Wilson.

Speaking to ITV after his match at the Centaur Arena at Cheltenham Racecourse, the Co Antrim man got a few things off his chest.

“The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing,” Allen told ITV.

“It’s some of the worst weather outside and they’ve left the massive transport doors open. It’s so cold, it’s so humid, out there.”

He got on a roll then, proclaiming, “The table needs to be burned.

“The cushions are unplayable, uncontrollable. It was heavy. The speed was decent.

“There are new guys doing the tables this year and they’re clearly not up to it.”

World Snooker then issued a response, saying in a statement, “Our table-fitting team has been consistent for some time and works to the highest standards.

“The weather in the area has seen unprecedented rainfall over the last couple of days which can negatively influence the conditions.

“We have raised the issue of an open door with the venue.”

Allen has since clarified his remarks on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, writing about his interaction with interviewer Rob Walker, ‘After having some time to calm down I’d like to apologise to @robwalkertv for that interview. My anger wasn’t directed at him and he definitely deserved a better interview. My frustrations were 100% at the conditions which frankly haven’t been anywhere good enough this season.’