The Antrim man looked in pole position to reach the Crucible final, but missed a black off the spot to win

A ‘devastated’ Mark Allen suffered Crucible heartbreak as he lost a final frame shootout in the World Championship semi-final.

The Antrim man looked in pole position to reach the world final for the first time after taking a 16-14 lead in the first to 17 clash against Wu Yize.

He potted the final pink in the penultimate frame of the night and set up a straight black ball on the spot to claim victory. However, the tension and pressure of the occasion appeared to get to Allen who narrowly missed and gifted his Chinese opponent the frame.

Yize then took advantage in the deciding 33rd frame of the match to book a final date with England’s Shaun Murphy – Crucible champion in 2005.

For Allen, it’s another world final near miss – his third semi-final defeat at the Crucible – and that black on the spot will haunt him for some time.

“You don’t deserve to be in a world final if you are missing a ball like that, it’s just pure pressure,” said Allen right after the match. “I had two or three good chances to close out the match but didn’t do it.

“Even though I’m devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the world final. I wished him good luck, said he played very well. I think he’s going to be a world champion.

“All credit to Wu, if he doesn’t win it this time, he is going to win world titles in future. It’s a sore one for me.”

Yize, 22, will appear in his first world final tomorrow, looking to emulate country man Zhao Xintong who became the first Chinese player to win snooker’s biggest prize 12 months ago.

Even he had sympathy for Allen, considering the nature of the semi-final victory.

Yize told BBC: “I feel sorry for Mark. I was losing the match but I was able to catch the opportunity.”

The final is played over two days, starting on Sunday May 2nd and ending on Monday.

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With Xbox console sales at a new low, a reader suggests that Microsoft needs a major change of plan, and it doesn’t involve releasing a new console.

It seems this whole generation we’ve been watching the collapse of Xbox in slow motion. It was obvious the Xbox Series X/S was a flop from the first moment and I think most people were surprised by that and just how badly it did. I know I was but then it started to make sense when you realised that people are already locked into the PlayStation ecosystem and they’re not going to give that up for the sequel to the Xbox One, that has no decent launch games.

I was still shocked at how quickly things fell apart though, especially the failure of Game Pass and how buying Activision Blizzard, or really any of the companies they bought, didn’t even move the needle for them. I don’t think it was their fault but to spend all that money only to have Call Of Duty have its worst year ever is a terrible bit of luck.

Not that I’m going to shed a tear for a giant corporation but as much as other people have a go at him, I do feel Phil Spencer had his heart in the right place. Whether he was a good person to be in charge I’m not sure, but I think circumstances were definitely against him. Whether it was bad luck or bad management doesn’t really matter though because I think it’s time to admit that the Xbox experiment has failed.

The new boss keeps talking about bringing Xbox back to what it was and even hinting at exclusivity but either she’s a crazy person or she’s just having people on. There’s no way they can bring back exclusives. Who’d buy them? There aren’t enough people with only an Xbox to cover the cost of making a game and there’s no way they’d make money just on PC. There’s a reason big budget PC exclusives died out in the 90s.

As far as I see, there are only two options for Microsoft right now and none of them involve releasing a console (if the new console is basically a PC then fine, but that means it’s going to be so expensive it’ll never be more than a niche). There’s just no point. They lost the rest of the world over a generation ago and I don’t think even anyone in the US cares all that much about being an Xbox fan now.

So option number one is to just admit that you’re a third party developer like EA or Take-Two and just make games and release them on every format possible. This is the most obvious thing to do I don’t understand why they haven’t done it already. I mean they kind of have, because nobody’s buying the Xbox right now, but going on about Project Helix and the new boss, they act like there’s a way back to the good old days of the Xbox 360.

There’s not though, I dare anyone to describe any scenario where Xbox comes in at anything more than a distant third this or next generation. Maybe they can be relevant again if video game streaming takes off but even then I wouldn’t bet on it. The name Xbox won’t attract anyone, only the quality of the streaming and at the moment, as far as I hear, it’s not very good.

Option two is a lot of bother but I suspect it’s actually more likely they’ll go for this, and that’s to sell off their games business. The big problem is that considering how badly Call Of Duty is doing at the moment, there’s no way that line is going to go up any time soon. It makes a lot of revenue, sure, but that number is going down.

All a company like Microsoft cares about is making more profit than the last year and that is not going to happen with Call Of Duty, Activision in general, or Xbox as a whole.

My preference would be to have Activision Blizzard go independent again abut I don’t know of any way that can happen, given the money involved. They can’t afford a management buyout given what Microsoft paid for them, so unless there’s some legal thing I’m not aware of they’ll have to sell them to Amazon or Apple or someone.

It’s not ideal but at least one company wouldn’t own half the Western game publishers anymore and Activision would have their undivided attention. It’s not perfect but the mess Xbox has put the whole games industry in is just terrible and I’d much rather Activision and Bethesda survived it than Xbox.

Microsoft has been in the games industry for 25 years this year and barely five years of that was anything but a complete disaster. At some point you’ve just got to accept things haven’t worked out and call it quits.

By reader Xane

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‘It will make a huge difference to thousands of people’

Manchester Airport has announced a major new route to Africa bosses said would ‘make a huge difference to thousands of people’.

Algeria will be added to the list of more than 60 countries the airport offers direct flights to.

Air Algérie has announced a new twice-weekly service to the capital Algiers starting this summer, with the inaugural flight pencilled in for Sunday, June 14.

The airport said it would be the first ever direct flight from Manchester to the country in North Africa, and Manchester will become the only UK airport outside of London with a direct link to Algiers. Flights will operate on Tuesdays and Sundays.

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Air Algérie will be the fourth African airline operating from Manchester, joining Royal Air Maroc, Egyptair and Ethiopian Airlines. The service will be operated on its fleet of Boeing 737s.

Algiers is a popular tourist destination in its own right, but also serves as a key connecting hub for onward travel to detinations around Africa including Johannesburg in South Africa, Abuja in Nigeria, Dakar in Senegal and Douala in Senegal.

Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “We are proud to connect the North to the world and our new partnership with Air Algérie really epitomises what we mean by that. This new route doesn’t just connect people with a new destination for holidays – it connects African communities in the North to friends and families all over the continent.

“It will make a huge difference to thousands of people and we are very excited to welcome the first passengers in the summer – and, of course, all of those who follow. Those flying to Algiers from Manchester this summer will also benefit from the use of our outstanding new facilities in Terminal 2, fresh from a £1.3bn investment.”

Madjid Terghini General Manager UK&EIRE at Air Algérie, said: “We are delighted to launch this new direct service between Manchester and Algiers, a significant milestone in the continued expansion of our international network. This route holds particular importance for the Algerian community in the United Kingdom and further reinforces our commitment to delivering seamless connectivity between Algeria and key global markets.

“Through our hub in Algiers, customers will benefit from enhanced access to a wide range of destinations across Africa and Asia, supporting both leisure and business travel with greater convenience and efficiency.”

Return fares start from just £263.43 for Manchester–Algiers–Manchester. Return fares start from just £881.73 for Manchester to Johannesburg via Algiers.

British nationals are required to secure a Visa before travelling to Algeria.

There are many options to suit a wide range of tastes, and on a personal level, I don’t think you can go wrong with something like a Peroni or Asahi.

What I tend to enjoy are rather crisp-tasting and refreshing beers, but some may prefer the ones with more bitter-tasting notes.

However, the conversation about what is considered to be the worst for sale got people talking on the r/AskUK Reddit thread.

The UK has a huge number of beers you can find in pubs, restaurants, supermarkets and more (Image: PA)

A user posted: “What is the worst beer you can think of in the UK, whether at the pub or at the shop?

“I don’t mean necessarily one that is objectively bad – I mean that beer that when someone brings it to your house party, you wish your friends never came; the beer that makes you wonder if water or Stella is a better option; the beer that elicits some plain sad feelings in you.”

With more than 1,000 comments left in response, there were plenty of different answers given, but a few popped up more than most.

I decided to try a few of the drinks that got mentioned the most to see if they truly deserved their reputation.

I tried the ‘worst beers’ for sale in the UK

Based on the responses, Carling had the most mentions at more than 200, while Fosters was also up there at more than 130.

I ended up trying Carling, Fosters and Budweiser from the beers mentioned on the Reddit thread (Image: Newsquest)

After that, plenty of drinks had a similar number around the 30 mark, but I ended up going for Budweiser out of those.

With the cans assembled from various corner shops near me, it was time to try them out and see if they deserved their reputation.

All three drinks were bought as cans and were in the fridge for a few hours before being consumed.

Budweiser

The first one on the list I tried was Budweiser, which I had had on numerous occasions in my student days.

The Budweiser was quite watery and flat (Image: Newsquest)

I think I had it back then because it had a relatively low ABV (alcohol by volume) and was probably quite cheap.

I always used to have it in bottles, but as there was the option to buy a single can of it in my local corner shop, I decided to get that.

When poured into a glass, it looked alright at first, but went quite flat relatively quickly.

Upon tasting it, I remembered why I eventually grew out of it, as it was just so watery.

What little flavour there is gets drowned out, and it’s not pleasant once it loses its coolness.

Fosters

Fosters wasn’t something I believe I had drunk before, and it noticeably kept a head of foam for a long time after being poured into a glass.

The Fosters was surprisingly okay (Image: Newsquest)

Considering it had the second-most mentions of any drink on the Reddit post, I was surprised to find it perfectly okay.

It might be because I didn’t find it to be too bitter, but I drank it with no issue, and it avoided going flat for a long while.

I can see the argument that it might be too carbonated for some, but I think its reputation may not be fully deserved.

Carling

As Carling had the most votes on the Reddit thread, I wanted to save it until last.

The Carling wasn’t an especially pleasant drink (Image: Newsquest)

The initial taste of it is actually fine, but it’s the aftertaste where the damage comes in.

I couldn’t put my finger on what the flavour actually reminded me of, but the unique bitterness of it was not pleasant at all.

Like Budweiser, it also became harder to drink once it stopped being cold, so it was another mark against it.

The verdict

Overall, I think Carling sadly might deserve its reputation as being a subpar beer offering on the UK market.

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While it is obviously hard to definitively say what is the ‘worst’ one, it is not something I will be hurrying back to drink again.

Budweiser didn’t improve in my mind from the last time I drank it, and Fosters actually ended up being okay.

Granted, it’s not something I’m likely to pick from an option on tap at the pub, but you can arguably do far worse.

What is your favourite and least favourite beer on sale in the UK? Let us know in the comments.

The UK terrorist threat level was officially raised earlier this week on Thursday April 30 to severe meaning that an attack is “highly likely”.

On Saturday morning Greater Manchester Police announced that they will be continuing to deploy extra patrols to maintain a high visibility presence.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “The safety of everyone within our communities remains our highest priority, and Greater Manchester Police will continue to work, day and night, to keep you safe.

“Following the terror attack in Golders Green, London, earlier this week, extra patrols were deployed around the city-region, with a particular focus on providing a high-visibility presence within our Jewish communities, and this will continue.

“We will work closely with our partners, and the approach will be continually reviewed in light of the change in threat level.

“Our neighbourhood policing teams will remain visible and accessible in your area, and we will continue to engage with all our communities across Greater Manchester.”

Officers have urge members of the public to always call 999 in the event of an emergency.

The town’s roads are even tailored for horses

The UK is a country full of animal lovers. Whether it be dogs or cats, or something smaller like a hamster or fish, there are a wide range of animals admired by people across the country.

In the town of Newmarket, only 30 minutes by car from Cambridge, horses are the most important animals. The town is regarded as the home of British horse racing.

While the number of residents, which is around 18,000, is far higher than the population of around 3,000 horses, the town is well-equipped for horses. Across the town, the roads have even been tailored for horses.

There are around 40 miles of turf gallops, 17 miles of artificial gallops, and 30 miles of traffic-free walking tracks for horses and riders. The town is also home to two public equine swimming pools, two highly-rated veterinary practices, and a research centre dedicated to the animals.

The town’s love for horses first blossomed in the town in the 17th century, when King James I found that the land was ideal for galloping his horses. From there, the tradition was carried down by his grandson Charles II and he made the town “truly fashionable”, according to the Newmarket Racing Club website.

Newmarket was also loved by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who had a passion for horses. She made countless visits to the town, as well as the National Stud.

Beyond its equine offerings, Newmarket has much more for humans to enjoy, too. The 800-year-old market, which is one of the oldest in Suffolk, is not to be missed.

The market is considered the perfect place to pick up your essentials, with traders selling a range of goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as scrumptious cake. Newmarket is also a good place for spa breaks and to explore beautiful green spaces.

His team-mate Oscar Piastri added: “It’s obviously going to be a voyage into the unknown for everybody. When it rains here, it normally is pretty torrential, so it could be an interesting day.

“It’s just going to be what happens with the power-unit, how you get power, where you get power is in a computer’s hands.

“Just making sure that that does roughly what we expect. Obviously, the margin for error when it’s wet is significantly smaller.”

The forecast is for wet weather on and off through the day, with occasional thunderstorms. Commercial rights holder F1 and governing body the FIA are meeting on Saturday evening to decide whether to change the race timetable to give them more chance to hold the race, which is scheduled to start at 16:00 local time (21:00 BST) on Sunday.

The inclination will be to leave things as they are because of the disruption caused to television schedules by moving the start of the race.

But because the cars will not be able to run if there is heavy rain, and US laws will prevent the race taking place if there is a thunderstorm, it might be moved forward.

There is the additional complication that authorities will not allow the crowd in the grandstands to stay out in the open if there is an electrical storm near the venue.

Verstappen and both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who start third and sixth, both drove in the wet in pre-season testing, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar crashed when he did so.

The rest of the drivers from the leading teams have no experience of the new cars in the rain.

The UK Government has ordered airlines to draw up contingency plans for prolonged disruption due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, as jet fuel supplies hit record lows

Passengers could face significant changes to their flight schedules this summer under new Government proposals designed to safeguard jet fuel supplies.

Ministers have instructed airlines to draw up contingency plans for prolonged disruption arising from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the Telegraph.

Under the measures, the Government will reportedly temporarily relax regulations surrounding airport take-off and landing slots, in a bid to reduce last-minute cancellations and “ghost flights”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the changes would afford airlines greater flexibility to adjust schedules well in advance, rather than making decisions at the gate.

She said: “This legislation will give airlines the tools to adjust flights in good time if they need to, which helps protect passengers and businesses.”

“We will do everything we can to insulate our country from the impact of the situation in the Middle East.”

Concerns have mounted after data from analysts at Kpler revealed global shipments of jet fuel and kerosene dropped below 2.3 million tonnes last week — the lowest level ever recorded.

Supplies have been squeezed following Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route that accounts for roughly 41% of Europe’s jet fuel. Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden warned that holidaymakers could face disruption. He said: “Families who have booked their summer holiday could find their flight cancelled and themselves herded onto a different plane, at a time of the airline’s choosing.

“The honest message is that Britain is exposed to fuel supply risks that a properly energy-secure country would not face.”

However, industry figures have moved to reassure travellers.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, confirmed that airlines are currently operating as normal and have yet to encounter any fuel supply issues.

He said: “We are planning to take our customers on their well-earned holidays this summer and will always look after them in line with our obligations.

“We welcome the Government’s contingency planning including slot alleviation, which enables airlines to adjust schedules responsibly, avoid unnecessary flying, and continue operating efficiently while protecting connectivity for passengers.”

Cambridgeshire is a county its locals proudly champion – and it is also a hotspot for celebrity visits

The city of Cambridge is filled with charm and beauty, which attracts many visitors – including celebrities. Icons Matt Damon and George Clooney working out in a Cambridge gym and a number of A-listers including David Beckham on a punt are just a few of the wealthy and well-known who love our city.

Big names have given residents a surprise many times with their iconic visits. CambridgeshireLive has compiled a selection of spectacular stars who have been spotted over the years.

Matt Damon and George Clooney gave staff a shock at Kelsey Kerridge gym after they turned up to play basketball. At the time, in 2013, they were reportedly filming scenes at the Imperial War Museum Duxford for a World War Two movie, The Monuments Men.

Football legend David Beckham was spotted on the River Cam on a punt in 2015 during a day trip to Cambridge. During their visit, he took his son Brooklyn to meet the renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden and Tamzin Outhwaite wrapped up warm and also took to the river for Tamzin’s birthday. The pair were spotted to be enjoying a birthday cake as they cruised along the river.

Other stars who have gone punting and enjoyed a lazy cruise in Cambridge include popstar Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones, Jimmy Carr, Sherlock’s Martin Freeman, and Alien actress Sigourney Weaver.

Former 007 actor, Pierce Brosnan, was once spotted riding a motorbike when he visited the city. In 2004, the couple of Big Brother, Stuart Wilson and Michelle Bass, were also spotted punting.

A few years later, in 2007, James Whale and Lloyd Grossman took a punt with a curry to promote Britain’s Biggest Curry Party in aid of cancer research.

Stephen Fry took to the river on his return to Cambridge to see the university, and his former college, Queens’. According to the Traditional Punting Company, Stephen seemed to be struggling to not fall in the river during his ride.

Punting on the Cam is a long-lived tradition that the city of Cambridge is widely known for. The first punt on the river was built at Chesterton Boatyard in the 20th century, and one of those involved in the work was Maurice Scudamore, an apprentice there. In 1903, he founded the now famous punt hire firm Scudamore’s.

In a semi-final that looked set to be remembered for the farcical scenes that led to the longest frame in Crucible history, Mark Allen produced a defining moment so heartbreaking that the 100-minute marathon became a mere footnote.

Allen had one foot and four-and-a-half toes in the World Snooker Championship final when he potted a spectacular long pink while leading Wu Yize 16-15 and landed perfectly on the final black. Black on its spot, cue ball perfectly positioned – it’s a simple pot that Allen makes 100 times out of 100. Except on this one, most important occasion.

Pressure does funny things to even the greatest sportspeople. Perhaps the prospect of reaching his first world final after almost 20 years of trying suddenly dawned on him. Perhaps his cue arm twitched. Or perhaps the magnitude of the moment proved too much. Whatever the reason, the black rattled in the jaws and stayed out. The capacity Crucible crowd gasped, Allen dropped his head in disbelief and a completely baffled, almost scared look crossed his face.

Wu tapped the black in to force a decider and a moment that may haunt Allen for the rest of his life was shared with the world in gut-wrenching HD. How do you recover from that?

“You don’t deserve to be in the world final if you’re missing balls like that,” admitted Allen afterwards. “That was just pure pressure to be honest. Normally I‘m pretty good under the pressure but just didn’t handle it well today.

“I was probably more nervous at different stages of the match than I was on that black. I just threw a quick one in, I genuinely did. I just didn’t deliver the cue properly and I got what I deserved when you miss a black like that to win the match.

“I had two, three chances to close out the match and didn’t do it. But credit to Wu.”

To his credit, the Northern Irishman composed himself enough to make a handy break of 47 in the decider but was unlucky when a split of the pack failed to leave him on a red and, after a couple of attempts, Wu made an incredible clearance of 71 to snatch victory 17-16, becoming just the third Chinese player to reach a world final, where he will face Shaun Murphy, who is into the final for a fifth time

“The final frame was another opportunity to win,” explained Allen. “I was fine going into it – win the next frame, that’s what I always say. I was a little unlucky when I potted the pink, split the reds but didn’t land on anything. But I had more than enough chances to win.

“At the end of the match, I just wished Wu good luck and said he played very well. I think he’s going to be a world champion.”

Allen was clearly shattered at missing such a golden opportunity to reach a world final but his graciousness extended to claiming that the better man had won.

“Even though I’m devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the final,” conceded Allen. “The way he plays is great for the game, scores heavily, pots some ridiculous balls and doesn’t seem to mind the pressure.

“He stepped up and made a good clearance at 16-14 and then did what he needed to in the last. If he doesn’t win this one, I think he’s going to win many world titles.”

The way Allen and Wu brushed off the debacle of Friday’s 100-minute frame, where 55 minutes went by without a pot as the black and eight remaining reds all clustered round the corner to create a situation described as an embarrassment by six-time world champion Steve Davis, was impressive.

Two incredibly high-quality sessions of snooker followed as the pair traded big breaks in a much more fluent game and were never separated by more than a frame as the race to 17 reached 14-14.

From there however, Northern Ireland’s finest managed to find another gear and move within a frame of victory at 16-14 before Wu pulled one back, then the drama of the missed black and the decider followed.

Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese world champion in history 12 months ago and now Wu is just one match away from matching him

His attacking style of snooker should match up with Murphy’s similar approach and the best-of-35 contest may well deliver fireworks. Allen is certainly expecting the younger man to put up one hell of a fight.

“Wu will fancy the job. Absolutely no doubt,” added Allen. “I think it will be an open final and I think that will suit Wu Yize to be honest.

“The way you can probably get out against Wu is to do a bit tactically. I was probably hanging in the match because of that, but I’m not really sure Shaun has that.

“Shaun’s absolutely capable of blitzing Wu Yize, don’t get me wrong, but if Wu plays like he did against me over those four sessions, he’s going to be hard to stop.”

How Allen bounces back from this devastation next season will be fascinating to see but in the meantime, two days of drama as Wu and Murphy go head to head promises to be an epic encounter.