Today's game: After the first session Allen leads Hendry 6-3, needing four more frames to consign the Scot to the dustbin marked "He's lost it and is never going to get it back". Hendry was full of fighting talk on the Beeb earlier on, claiming that snooker isn't a physical game and so shouldn't be influenced by your age, but we know that's not true don't we? All that bending over and pushing the cue, this is top-level sport, Stephen.
First email of the day: "Can you arrange for some version of the BBC theme tune (before they spoiled it) to play on this page, whilst we follow the Wunderbairn's exit?" Asks C Cairn. How about this as a compromise C? Snooker and comedy in one clip and not a sign of one of John Virgo's hilarious waistcoats, I amaze myself sometimes.
"I thought it couldn't get any better than MBM and OBO, but now we have FBF. The Guardian has made me so happy, in fact as was maybe not said in a Tom Cruise film about a snooker agent, 'Cue Complete Me'," writes Michael Bryan. A compliment and a pun in one email, Michael, was there ever a doubt that your email would be published? No.
Like everything on BBC Two, today's snooker coverage seems to have been restyled as a bad rip-off of Top Gear. The studio has been renamed "The Cue Zone" (no, really) and John Parrot is surrounded by non-plussed fans of the green baize offering their opinions on the game. I'm sold on it. Snooker and banter side-by-side? What an age we live in.
Gary Naylor follows snooker too! "Although I enjoyed snooker at its ratings peak in the 80s, it's just not as good without Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Bill Werbeniuk etc (unless Rocket Ronnie is playing of course). I blame Stephen Hendry. What it needs is a bit of razzamatazz, a bit of the Indian Premier League or, at the very least, some walk-ons like the Darts Premier League. Here's how the 'arras merchants take to the stage. Can readers suggest tunes for the snooker boys?"
Talking of intros: Here come the players, sadly their only soundtrack is a bit of polite applause and the odd ill-judged "whoop!". Calm yourselves.
Tenth frame: Allen leads 6-3 Allen, whose hair is pretty wacky, let me tell you (a dyed red fringe? Not on my watch), gets us underway with your bog-standard break before missing a long pot and letting Hendry in among the balls. Just a red and a black though for Hendry before he misses a pretty easy one along the top rail.
A loose safety from Hendry leaves a red lurking over the pocket and Allen takes advantage with a simple long pot. He's on the black too, with the reds spread ...
Allen looks well set on 33 but knocks a simple black cannoning out of the jaws of the left corner, poor stuff Mark. And here comes Hendry, on a red into the right-middle. "It's been a bit of a slow start to the World Snooker so far, despite a couple of cracking finishes," Peter Hackleton. "What are your hopes for the rest of the tournament? Ronnie looking like the true world star we know he is before coming up against singer, Dubai resident and part-time snooker grinder Ebbo who beats him 17-16 over 45 hours in the semis? Before being eaten by Stephen Lee in the final in his last appearance as a professional?" We can only hope Peter.
Hendry falls out of position on the blue and has to just play a simple safety, neither player has really got going here so far today. "In 2005 Steve Davis was refused permission to take his cue aboard a flight as hand luggage. "What did they think I was going to do?" Asked the Nugget. "Roll the pilot up behind the yellow?" Arfs Sean O'Keefe.
It's all very scrappy here, Allen leads 35-23 with two reds remaining and all the colours (EVERY SINGLE ONE) off their spots. It must be frustrating for Hendry not to be able to play like he once could, come back to me in ten years when I am writing a scrappy and substandard frame-by-frame (even more so than today, anyway) and I'll tell you just how frustrating it is.
A poor safety from Hendry and finally Allen gets his act together and strings a few pots together, the green leaves Hendry needing two snookers. Predictably, Allen then misses the brown, will this frame ever end? Hendry rolls the white up behind the black and gets his first snooker.
Hendry pots the brown and then manages to roll the black over the mouth of the bottom right, leaving only the pink as a potential barrier for snookers. But still Allen can't finish this off, both chasing the blue around the table like a slightly low-key episode of Benny Hill. Finally, Hendry rolls the blue onto the black, without knocking the ball in, leaving Allen unable to avoid hitting the blue without potting the black himself. Hendry's back in the frame.
And Hendry clears the final three to take the frame 63-51. What a cheek, from two snookers down. It's 6-4 to Allen, game on.
Eleventh frame: Allen leads 6-4 And Hendry gets us underway again.
Allen misjudges his first safety and Hendry in among the balls straight away. "Will Stephen Hendry undergo the popularity surge that comes with becoming old and rubbish (see Nick Faldo and Steve Davis)? I can't see it. I had a poster of him on my wall in about 1992. I recall he was wearing a yellow pringle jumper and had to share the same part of wall as Dr Alban," writes John Rothery. Where in the name of spotty teenagers did you get a poster of Stephen Hendry, John? Or indeed Dr Alban?
Hendry is clearing them pretty mechanically here but he still has a pack of six or so reds that need splitting. "Is this the place to admit I quite fancy Hazel Irvine?" Asks Sean O'Keefe. No Sean, I don't think it is. Too late now though.
Hendry nips a couple of reds off the edge of the pack and knocks in a pick to put himself 68 ahead with 67 left. He then misses a red and lets Allen back to the table, can he get his revenge?
Allen clears all but one red, still needing more than is available on the table, before laying the poorest of snookers. In fact, it's not actually a snooker at all. A couple of exchanged proper snookers later and once again we are caught in a scrappy end to a frame.
Allen leaves Hendry with a long pot into the bottom left, which he fails to take. I am informed by an email that three friends are having a contest to see who can get the more emails published, I feel so used. And no, Paul, I will not publish your name. Meanwhile, Allen rolls up behind the yellow and gets his snooker. Oh, it's well balanced now, believe me.
Allen pots final red and then strikes the black with such force that it bounces off the table. You buffoon! Frame over and Hendry is back in the match, winning the frame 80-35, just one frame in it now.
Twelfth frame: Allen leads 6-5 Allen sinks a long red to get the frame going and follows it with a few more reds and blacks for good measure.
Allen splits the pack and is on the march here, he could well finish the frame up in one go here, he's up to 49 and I can't see him stopping soon. "Following on from Sean O'Keefe's guilty crushes revelation," writes Thomas Hopkins. "Would this be the right time to reveal that I find myself suddenly taken with Stacey out of Gavin &....?" Once again, no.
Disaster! On 57 and clearing up Allen touches a red with his sleeve. Michaela Tabb is not going to stand for that, "Foul, Stephen Hendry four." Can Hendry steal another frame? No! He gets a kick and misses an easy red. It's back to Allen but he misses too, this is like me and my friend Andy at Riley's. Rubbish standard, but quite exciting.
Hendry is the one who finally pulls himself together and starts potting balls again. He's got some tough reds left on the table though.
Excellent stuff from Hendry who works his way around the angles to clear the reds and then clears the colours off their spots to finish the frame off and win it 79-64, bringing it back to 6-6. That is three frames that Allen has thrown away now. He's not nearly as cool as his haircut. Or perhaps he is.
Thirteenth frame: 6-6 The last frame before the interval, Allen could do with taking this. Just for his own sanity more than anything. Apparently Michaela Tabb is the best referee on the circuit. Leaving myself open to abuse here, but how difficult can refereeing a snooker match be?
A wonderful cut into the right-centre pocket gets Allen going. Then he splits the pack and excellent long pot into the top left, he still has the swagger. "Actually, Josh, I think risking public ridicule for declaring my love for the gorgeous Hazel on here might pay dividends," writes Sean O'Keefe, again. "The odds may be stacked against it, but there's the slimmest lacunae that Hazel might catch a glimpse of this riveting [riveting is the word Sean, you're right] frame-by-frame analysis, read my declaration and make her excuses to leave the, er, Cue Zone. Which is essentially a tent full of confused shoppers off Fargate and the terminally unemployed. Hazel: from the Cue Zone you'll need to cross Tudor Square, through the Winter Gardens, go across the Peace Gardens and you want the bus stop next to the old Laura Ashley store. You'll need the 22 to Nether Edge. The fare's a shocking £1.60, so get a receipt. Josh, if it all works out buy yourself a hat. This could be the first Frame-By-Frame wedding."
A confident break this from Allen, and just as I write that he nips one into the jaws of the bottom right from along the rail. That is the last thing he needed, I'm starting to feel a little sorry for him.
A couple of simple misses from each of them (nothing changes) and it is Hendry that is trying to clinch the frame as I write. He's bound to miss though, so don't go anywhere.
Hendry is 20-odd behind but two of the remaining three reds are on the cushions so he opts for a safety. "First and foremost, how did you wangle this gig?" Asks Andy Lepki. I've been asking that myself Andy, pot luck? Ahem. Anyway... Andy continues: "Some of us have to go and do real work like "leverage" words like "leverage" into Powerpoint presentations, not sit around next to the cosy bosom of BBC2 with a cup of tea and some chocolate digestives. Regarding Gary Naylor's earlier email Peter Ebdon should walk out to Night Falls on Hoboken by Yo La Tengo, as it features about 15 minutes of contemplative 2 chord action, overlain by increasingly grating guitar feedback. I couldn't really see him coming out to anything by 2Unlimited now the pizazzy pony tail has been chopped." Two of my favourite bands in one email, what are the chances?
Finally Allen manages to get his act together and sinks two very important reds and, wait for it, he has only gone and claimed a frame. That leaves it nicely set up, 7-6 to Allen, who won that 74-32, and that is the mid-session interval. Back in five.
News from the other table: There been cheering and laughter coming over the divider at the Crucible, but what have we been missing while we watch Hendry and Allen duking it out? It's Mark Selby against Mark King (probably not this one sadly) and it's 2-1 to Selby. I'll keep you posted, anyway back to the main game.
Fourteenth frame: 7-6 to Allen So, here we go again, first to ten remember. Allen tries to roll a red into the right-middle. And fails. But he doesn't leaves anything on so that's fine.
A Hendry miss allows Allen in and we're away. Red, blue, red, black etc. "The bus to Nether Edge, eh?" Writes Peter Hackleton. "I miss South Yorkshire public transport. I remember my granddad taking me home from Barnsley town centre in the school holidays one time, when he was living in a village called Birdwell. The next door village is called Jump, and that is where my granddad's local bookies was. We boarded the bus and my granddad said: "Is this bus gonna Jump?" "I hope not," came the response, quick as a flash. Mind you, I suppose it would after 30 years practice. The moral of the story? Ageing Yorkshire bus drivers - funnier than Gavin and Stacey any day of the week..." Having not seen Gavin and Stacey I can't confirm that, however, I've heard better reviews.
Allen is flying through the balls here, he's made it to 50 with little trouble, falling slightly out of position just the once. Apparently during the interval he was telling people how good he felt about his game, it certainly looks like that. A few more reds, blues and pinks and that is that. Frame over in one visit and all that is left to decide is whether he can make a century ... Nope, he misses the penultimate red. So that is 8-6, Allen taking it 86-0, just two needed now.
Fifteenth frame: 8-6 to Allen Hendry has to use the extended rest to cut one into the yellow pocket, but coming down into the pack off the blue he doesn't spread the reds as he would hope and takes the safety option.
A brief exchange of safety before Allen misses a long one into the bottom right by a distance. Out comes the rest again and Hendry drops a red into the same pocket and the balls are spread. Can he make something of this?
"The emails must have dried up for you to publish another one from Peter Hackleton. Time to even it up a little bit I think by publishing my surname this time," writes Paul Cuff, but no need to be so mean about your friend next time Paul. Hendry is clearing up here, in the days of yore it would be frame over, will he be able to do it? Both players have found a bit more fluidity after the interval by the looks of things, so I think we might be looking at 8-7 here.
Yes, we are. It's the second straight frame to nil after the interval and, like Allen, Hendry fails to turn his break into a century but wins the frame 71-0. He won't care though I doubt. 8-7.
Sixteenth frame: Allen leads 8-7 Allen leaves a loose red into the bottom right off his break and Hendry takes advantage, adding a blue to it. But, oh dear, he then misses a very simple red.
Hendry misses a red into the bottom-left, a pretty simple one at that, and Allen comes to the table to have ago himself. He pots and we are away, chance of a big score here.
Allen rolling the reds and blacks in with ease, he's 50ish ahead and there are enough free reds for him to finish this off. Hendry looks rather worried.
But he falls out of position and has to take a long red into the top left and ... he misses! Hendry is back at the table and has a chance for a clearance of his own. It'll be tough though.
But Hendry misses a simple one himself and Allen gets the balls he needs to win the frame, Hendry conceding with three snookers needed. Allen wins it 52-17 and is a frame away from victory.
Seventeenth frame: Allen leads 9-7 Allen pots a long red and he's away.
Allen adds 11 and falls out of position, a simple safety it is. Hendry replies with an excellent safety of his own, he's not been bad since the interval, it's just that Allen has been very, very good. But that is a loose shot from him and Hendry has a chance ...
Not taken! It is very tense out there, the audience have gone very quiet and both players look like they are none too comfortable under the Crucible lights. Here goes Allen, among the balls, can he put everyone out of their misery?
But he's out of position and he has to just roll the white up and into the safety of baulk. There are a lot of reds in awkward positions out there. This could be a long frame, put your feet up.
Allen spreads the pack and leaves a red loitering on the lip of the top-right pocket. Hendry is away again, but the balls are all over the shop.
Just got a shot of the table legs, which each seem to be made like some sort of horrible, silver Roman ornament, the sort of thing you imagine that Simon Cowell would have in his dressing room. What's wrong with a traditional wood finish? That's what I ask you. Oh, right, the snooker. Hendry has worked himself into a small lead with three tough reds left and then taken the coward's way out with a safety.
A wonderful long pot from Hendry and he's back at the table with the reds free now. This should be it, and it is. He clears away what he needs and Hendry takes the frame 66-27
Eighteenth frame: Allen leads 9-8 A "rest break" for Hendry before Allen gets us underway.
Hendry gets a sniff of a long pot. He misses it but it falls safe, he'd settle for that. Or at least I would, but I'm not quite the player he is I suppose. A safety duel follows, who will crack first?
A wonderfully hard and straight long pot from Allen. He follows it by rolling the white up in between the yellow and the baulk cushion and Hendry's escape leaves Allen with an easy red.
"Deciding frames are great, so why aren't we treated to more of them? How about snooker moving to five sets of best of five frames (seven sets etc as the tournament progresses)?" Asks Gary Naylor, as Mark Allen takes us closer a decider by fouling and allowing Hendry back to the table with a free ball.
So far, so good for Hendry who is slowly but surely building a break, while Allen slowly but surely turns redder and redder in the face. "I really hope Hendry makes it through, not only because he has always been my favourite player - even during Jimmy White's heyday, when he looked like Edward Scissorhands - but because it won't feel right if Hendry doesn't meet John Higgins at some stage. And I only want to see that for the pre-match video montage," writes James Gallagher, not speaking for the nation.
But Hendry misses a pretty simple shot into the corner and Allen is back to the table. Oh wait, there is a stoppage while they correct the score, which apparently is two points out. Score corrected, huge round of applause (why?) and Allen can get going at trying to win the frame and the match.
The is Allen's big chance now he works his way easily to the penultimate red, which he has play down the rail. He does it with ease but then blasts an easy pink onto the jaw of the middle pocket with only that and a red needed. Disaster for Allen! Here comes Hendry.
Hendry needs to clear the lot and it really isn't that difficult for him. He takes the frame 74-66, we have ourselves a decider.
Deciding frame: 9-9 So here we go, who are you backing? I think Allen has it in him to take this.
Allen spreads the reds and sneaks the white up next to the yellow. Hendry has only one option, a very tough long pot. And he misses it by a country mile. Allen comes to the table with an easy red, but he manages to roll the white in off it. They are both showing their nerves.
An excellent long pot from Hendry and it is his turn to test the steadiness in his hands. The reds are well spread, the black is available, it's there for the taking. "The team here at the Antrim Guardian - Mark's hometown - are waiting with baited breath ... we can't go home until he wins or loses," writes Jeremy. I know how you feel mate.
Hendry has tied up the black and he's using blues and pinks. The tension is even getting to the cameraman you seemed to almost drop the camera before pulling himself together. About 30 more needed.
He would have to make a huge error to mess this up. Allen looks distraught, he literally has his bottom lip out like a sad child. Two reds needed. There's the first. And colour. There's the second. And clapping. The pink secures it, now to rub it in with a century.
Nope, no century. Hendry takes the frame 76-0 and the match 10-9.
That's it, Hendry wins. Post match comments from him: "I missed a lot of balls but one thing I've always had is big balls." Alright Stephen, keep it clean. Thanks for all your emails and I'll leave the final comment to Pauline Collingwood (is that your real name?), who emails in to say: "Hell of a match to choose for the maiden frame by frame."
