The 2018 Masters champion Mark Allen admits he’ll be “on guard” when he takes on a lucky few at a charity night in Dundee.
The Tivoli Snooker Club is hosting the world No 14 next month in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.
And the Northern Irishman will be taking on members of the public across 10 frames on his first visit to the City of Discovery.
“I love these types of nights,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Courier.
“It’s nice to be able to play snooker some times without all the attention and added pressure.
“Don’t get me wrong there’s still a professional pride kicks in and you want to put on a good show for people but it’s more about interacting, having fun and letting the people see a more relaxed me.
“I am never surprised by the standard of opponents on nights like this.
“More often that not the people you play are ones who have won competitions for the chance to play a frame or are the next young hopeful so I’m always on guard.
“There are normally one or two that are useless though so that’s where the banter kicks in!
“I love the Scottish people, their love for a great night and a bit of craic.
“They are very like the Northern Ireland people I think, so it’s great to be heading back to Scotland.”
‘Thankless task’
A previous exhibition night at the Tivoli with Judd Trump set for the start of the summer fell through.
But Tivoli owner Chris Carroll was undeterred in the bid to raise money for charity with past events having raised thousands of pounds for MND, Alzheimer Scotland and Cystic Fybrosis.
And Allen is more than happy to do his part for MacMillan Cancer Support.
He added: “I love the fact that this night is to raise money for MacMillan nurses.
“They have a thankless task and especially given everything that has happened in recent years their jobs have become much more difficult and they don’t exactly get paid well for their troubles.
“I myself am very fortunate and really do appreciate what these nurses do for the less fortunate.”
Tickets for the event on August 13 cost £35 and are on sale from the Tivoli Snooker Club, sales@taysidesnooker.co.uk
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