Mark Allen admitted he was delighted to “get one over” on Judd Trump after a commanding victory in the Champion of Champions final.
Allen raced into a 7-1 lead in Bolton and, although Trump won the final frame of the afternoon session and the first in the evening, the Northern Irishman took the next three in succession to seal a 10-3 win.
“This is why we play; to play in front of the best crowds, in the best events, against the very best in the world and there’s no doubt Judd this season’s been far and away the best player on the planet,” Allen said on ITV4.
“It’s up to the rest of us to catch up. I’m fed up texting him after every tournament to say well done. It’s nice get one over on him but he’ll be back and I’m sure he’ll give me a few bashings as the years go on.”
Allen had struggled for form at the start of the season and dedicated his win to former coach Joe Shortt, who died in July.
“I’d tell you what I really felt about the start of the season if I could swear on TV, but I could got told off last time,” the 37-year-old added.
“It’s been very poor. I’ve been a bit lost because I lost a really good friend in the summer, someone who’s been by my side since I was 12 years of age.
“Joe Shortt’s not here with us any more – he was a big part of my life, not just on the table but off it and me and my dad have lost one of our closest friends, so that was for Joe.”
Trump, who recently won three consecutive ranking titles within the space of a month, was left to rue missing a number of good opportunities after making it 1-1 with a break of 123.
“A disappointing day at the office but he played really well,” Trump said.
“I struggled through the first few rounds to get to the final. Mark was probably the best player in the whole tournament and normally the best player wins. That’s what happened.”
