Snooker Players Championship in Telford: Mark Allen ponders Midlands scene as John Higgins prepares for Shropshire punditry duty

This season's top 16 players do battle at Telford International Centre in the third edition of the 'Players Series' event to take place in Shropshire.

Star names include Class of '92 stars John Higgins and Mark Williams, as well as world number one Judd Trump, world champion Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen. Ronnie O'Sullivan opted not to enter and defending champion Kyren Wilson failed to qualify.

Action got under way at the round one stage on Tuesday as Higgins and Allen saw off Neil Robertson and Wu Yize respectively. The evening brought victories for Chris Wakelin and Selby.

That quartet will contest quarter-final action as the one-table set-up takes place from Thursday afternoon.

For Northern Ireland's Allen, winner in Telford in 2024 at the first edition in Shropshire, snooker in the wider Midlands region takes him back to his roots having come through the local Black Country scene as a teenager - and 'the Pistol' hopes snooker can take root in the area.

"I played in the West Midlands League years ago and it was such a popular league," Allen said. "There were so many teams, it was a very, very popular area for snooker.

"So it surprises me there's not more up this way. I understand that we have to spread things around, but hopefully we can create a home for snooker up here and know this could be a permanent fixture on the calendar because it is good to come up this way."

Allen, 39, was based in Gornal in his late teens and was previously in a relationship with Dudley's 12-times world champion Reanne Evans. The couple have a daughter.

He played in the reputable West Midlands League for Baggeridge and Sedgley and fired a 141 break in his first frame in the league.

"I played a lot and met a lot of good people and we did alright in the league!" added Allen, who plays Selby in the last eight on Friday night. "It was good. I think it was Martin Clarke (Sedgley's former professional) that got me involved and obviously with Reanne at the time.

"I've a lot of good memories and a lot of good people that I still speak to now."

The competition, which reaches its climax in Sunday's final, is a debut event for Channel 5 as the terrestrial broadcaster secured the rights from ITV.

Changes include a full TV punditry debut for four-time world champion Higgins, 50, though his studio involvement is dependent on a run as a player. Players use the hotel facilities in Southwater nextdoor to the venue and Higgins admitted punditry work will give him something to do aside from practising.

Higgins, winner of the final UK Championship to take place in Telford in 2010, said: "I'll still try (punditry even with a playing run), because it's trying to find things to do when you've got your day off!

"I mentally cannot come over and practice for three or four hours. I'd be practising maybe for an hour and then getting back to my hotel room, my wife's not down with me, so you'd be sitting looking at four walls.

"It's one thing I'm looking forward to doing, trying something different, just trying to get out of the comfort zone."

Higgins, who faces Wakelin on Thursday afternoon, said: "They're long days. We spoke about it and gave it a couple of dates. This tournament, then the Tour Championship (in Manchester between March and April). They might not like me, I might not like doing it, so it's something we're all just getting a feeling for.

"Obviously Channel 5 are coming in, with different things, which is good."

Tickets for certain sessions at Telford's International Centre can still be purchased here