Barry Hawkins bowed out of the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield at the quarter final stage yesterday.

It was in the end an error in the 24th frame that saw him lose the match 13-11, when it looked like he might force the match into a deciding frame. He fluked the red, and when rolling up to the pink left the cue ball short. Mark Allen then played the snooker that Barry wanted, and although he got out of it, Allen cleared up the colours to move into the semi-final.

A match of outstanding quality, with five centuries and 16 more breaks over 50. Tied 8-8 overnight, Hawkins had a clear chance in the first frame today but missed a red to top corner at 36-1.

Allen later got the better of a safety exchange with three reds left and went on to take the lead. In frame 18, Hawkins led 53-41 when his attempted pot on the last red along the top cushion stayed in the jaws, and his opponent was snookered behind the black but bounced the cue balls off a side cushion to pot the red, creating the chance to go 10-8 ahead.

Hawkins responded with breaks of 70 and 83 – the latter aided by a huge fluked red when he was on 28 – to recover to 10-10. And the Englishman had first chance in frame 21 but missed a red to top corner on 7 and Allen’s 59 helped him regain the lead. Runs of 24 and 43 got Hawkins back to 11-11 before Allen started frame 23 with a series of excellent pots to initiate a break of 104, his seventh century of the tournament. 

Leading 42-0 in frame 24, Hawkins overcut a tricky black to a top corner, and Allen made 59 before laying a tough snooker on the last red. World number 11 Hawkins clipped the red into a baulk corner but couldn’t take advantage of that slice of fortune as his error on the pink proved crucial. 

Speaking after the match a disappointed Hawkins said: “There were just a few frames during the match when I had the balls at my mercy and didn’t take advantage, Mark was more clinical when he had chances and that was the difference.

“The mistake on the pink in the last frame was unforgiveable, it’s a horrible way to go out. I was worried about over-hitting it, putting a quick one in and pushing the cue ball past the pink.”