Mark Allen has been one of the big hitters in the snooker world for a while now, with his trophy cabinet not looking as full as his talent would suggest.However, the new snooker season is back in full swing, with the FA Cup style British Open from Milton Keynes throwing up random draws rather than the usual ranked draw.It follows on from the inaugural mixed doubles competition from the same venue which was a major success, seeing the four best men and women team up to deliver some fantastic snooker.

Mark Allen vs Li Hang

Mark Allen booked his place in the third round with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Chinese cueist, Li Hang, making two centuries and four half centuries on his way.

After losing the opening frame, Allen really started to go through the gears like anyone from the top 16 can, showing the difference in class.

He won a tight second frame before going on to make breaks of 133 and 100, with an 83 securing his place in the next round, with the Northern Irishman certainly putting a marker down as one of the men to beat this week.

Mark Allen best snooker shot ever?

Mark Allen

When it comes to ranking the best snooker shots of all time, there’s so many things to consider, is it the difficulty of the shot, the pressures of the match situation, or simply whether a pot is better than a safety or escape?

Regardless, Allen has surely put his hat firmly in the ring for the shot of the tournament in the opening frame of his second round clash with Li Hang.

He was trapped behind the green, with all easy routes to the yellow ball covered, that meant he had to come around the table off of five cushions on his way to making contact with the yellow ball.

Video: Mark Allen’s incredible escape against Li Hang at the British Open

When getting yourself out of a snooker, hitting the ball is normally an easy aspect, although it wasn’t here, but the hardest part of the shot is keeping the object ball safe, in this instance the yellow.

Allen’s shot was hit with the perfect weight to leave the yellow ball as safe as he could have hoped for given the situation he was tied up in. Everyone present knew just how good the shot was, with Allen himself bowing to the crowd before Li Hang gave the customary tap on the table.

He’s back in action this afternoon as he takes on Gary Wilson in the third round.