Mark Allen won Group Two of Championship League Snooker at Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex to make it through to the winners' group in March.

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The man from County Antrim lost just one match in the league stage without being at his best - then beat Ali Carter 3-1 in the semi-final.

And he showed plenty of bottle to beat last year's outright winner Joe Perry 3-2 in the final after the man from Cambridge had gone 2-0 in front with two centuries.

Perry had earlier beaten Ding Junhui 3-1 in the other play-off after the Chinese star had again topped the group after the league stage.

After his victory, Allen said he'd been fortunate to still be in with a shout after the way he played early on in the group when he struggled with the conditions, but felt although he did have some luck he played better at the business end and finished more frames in one visit.

He added he looked forward to the chance to make it through to the prestigious Premier League in September with the exposure and big money on offer.