After he was left feeling like a "bridesmaid" during a national tournament last year, Warrnambool's Justin Allen has made amends with a clean sweep at the 2024 Blackball Australia Pool Association nationals in Canberra.
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The Warrnambool pool player, representing the Surf Coast team in the masters 50-plus category, produced the best tournament performance of his career, clinching gold in the singles, doubles and team events.
He was also named MVP for topping the statistics with 50 wins, 10 losses and 83 per cent shooting across the tournament which ran from April 13 to April 20.
"I'd played in a few of these before but managed to just clean sweep everything which you're almost a bit embarrassed to say," Allen told The Standard.
"(I) had a monster time up there and came back with three Australian titles - singles, doubles and teams. It's pretty huge."
The result was a nice reward for Allen after a pair of seconds in the masters 50-plus category at the Australian Eight Ball Federation nationals in October, 2023.
"I felt like the bridesmaid in that tournament," he said.
"I was top of the stats all week bar the last day. Our team, the Victorian side, got beaten in the finals to Tasmania which was devastating because we were top all week. I came second in the doubles so just had a week of seconds.
"I did pretty well in this one. It's my turn this time."
Allen, a sales consultant at Northeast Stockdale & Leggo Real Estate, has a busy year ahead, beginning with Victorian team trials in Melbourne at the weekend.
From June 18-27, he will represent the Australian Eight Ball Federation in the world championships in Blackpool, England for the first time.
"That's the pinnacle of the sport," he said of the international competition.
"I think I'm the first person from Warrnambool to ever play in an ABF representative side for Australia.
"That is for undisputed bragging rights, world champion, if you win that you can say 'I am the absolute best player in the world'."
Allen will also captain the Australian side in November at the International Blackball Federation world championships in Malta and may yet get invited to another global tournament in England.
He also intends to play in one or two more Australian championships during the year.
"I've said to my boss 'it's going to seem like I'm taking the piss this year but I'm not'," he said with a laugh.
"I do still want to work here. I just have a lot of commitments this year with pool and when you're playing at that level, you know I might not be at that level in a year or two and you've got to take opportunities."
Allen also noted the strong depth of Warrnambool pool players, with Jamie Keane, Broe Shiells, Akkie Yooiam, Jethro Serle, James Reid, Taylor William and Chris Flynn all contesting the Canberra tournament.
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
