World Championship 2021: 'He transformed snooker' – Mark Allen tribute to retiring Barry Hearn

ByEurosport

Published 21/04/2021 at 14:26 GMT

Former Masters champion Mark Allen has praised outgoing World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn for transforming the fortunes of the sport during his 11-year spell in charge. Hearn, 72, is retiring at the conclusion of this year's World Championship after successfully helping grow the sport over the last decade.

Barry Hearn will be recalled as the figure who "transformed" snooker and led it out of the darkness, according to former Masters winner Mark Allen.

Hearn, 72, is retiring as World Snooker Tour chairman at the conclusion of the World Championship after a successful 11-year spell in charge with ranking events increasing from only six in 2009/10 to 17 in 2019/20 and overall prize money of £16.431m.

• All-time top 10: Who does Barry Hearn rate as the greatest players in snooker history?
• World Championship LIVE – Williams, Selby take to the baize, Trump back in action

World Championship

Williams blows away ‘fourth son’ Page to reach last eight with session to spare

22/04/2022 at 12:20

Hearn's colleague Steve Dawson succeeds him at the helm of WST with his son Eddie Hearn replacing him as chairman of Matchroom Sport.

“Barry will be sadly missed because he has transformed snooker,” said world number 13 Allen after completing a 10-2 drubbing of Lyu Haotian in the World Championship first round.

Allen praises Hearn for snooker revolution

“Before he took over it was dark times, with six or seven tournaments a year, now we’ll have 25 once we get back to normal.

He has added a lot of big events to the calendar. He is a workaholic and I’m sure he won’t stop working behind the scenes.

“Pretty much everything he’s touched has turned to gold. Where we were in 2010, we didn’t even feel like snooker players, and now we’re complaining we’re overworked – it’s been an amazing turnaround.

'Comprehensive victory' - Allen cruises into second round at Crucible

“What they’ve done in this Covid year has been phenomenal, miles above any other sport and that’s testament to Barry and his team.”

- - -

You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.

World Championship

‘Knock me off my perch’ – O’Sullivan’s message to those who want him to quit

18/04/2022 at 19:06

World Championship

‘I’ve not been able to take them off!’ - O’Sullivan on his new glasses

00:00:34

|

18/04/2022 at 18:54

World Championship

‘Knock me off my perch’ – O’Sullivan dismisses retirement talk

00:00:51

|

18/04/2022 at 18:52