…Researched and contributed by Lola Smith.
Snooker player Mark Allen has been using a hand warmer as his secret weapon during the World Snooker Championship, which has surprised eagle-eyed commentators.
During his match against Fan Zhengyi, Allen was seen holding a hand warmer while seated during one of Fan’s visits.
While hand warmers are commonly used in outdoor pursuits such as golf, they are not normally associated with snooker.
The tactic even surprised snooker legend and 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor, who was calling the first-round match.
He said that “that’s the first time I think I’ve seen hand warmers at the Crucible.”
Allen has been working with a sports psychologist and that may have helped him with his three ranking title wins.
The Allen-Fan match was interrupted by a protest by Just Stop Oil protestors.
One protestor climbed onto a table and covered it in orange powder, while a woman tried to glue herself to the playing area before being dragged away.
The match resumed after a delay of 40 minutes, with Allen winning 10-5.
He will now face Stuart Bingham in the second round.
After the match, Allen said: “I heard a bang, I thought it was on the other table, I turned round and there was someone on the table.
I feel like even talking about it is just giving them air time that they don’t deserve.
They’re just idiots, to be honest.
What are they trying to gain from what they’ve done? I’m sure there’s better ways of going about getting their point across.”