UK Championship 2023: Scott Donaldson Achieves Upset Victory Over Mark Allen Following Personal Tragedy
York, England – World number 52 Scott donaldson secured a significant victory at teh UK Championship, defeating eighth-seeded Mark Allen 6-1 in a late-night match on day three of the tournament.The win comes amidst profound personal grief for Donaldson, who recently lost his father, hector, on October 2nd at the age of 70.
Donaldson openly shared the emotional weight of the match, revealing he was in tears walking to the arena. He purposefully selected “Babylon” by David Gray – a favourite song of his late father’s, and played at the funeral – as his entrance music. “Snooker is a game at the end of the day, its not life or death,” Donaldson stated after the match. “With what I have been through, I can tell you what’s crucial and what’s not important.When the pressure is coming on,I just tell myself ‘it’s a game of snooker’ and get on with it.”
The 31-year-old admitted struggling with his composure initially, particularly recalling his last visit to the venue with his father. ”I was fine until I got to the top of the stairs… It was good emotion though.Tough to go through but once I got the first frame, after that I was all right.” Donaldson built a 3-0 lead against the former world number one before Allen, the 2022 UK Championship winner, managed to win a frame before the interval.
The match featured several lengthy frames, including one lasting a full hour and another approaching 50 minutes, but Donaldson maintained his momentum and ultimately secured the win. Mark Allen acknowledged Donaldson’s resilience,stating,”It took a big character to continue playing and all credit to Scott with everything he has been through. It looked like he was giving everything on every shot.”
