Joe Perry admits he has been encouraged by his sudden improvement at the UK Championship, following a poor season to date. The world number 22 has struggled to find any sort of rhythm, with his best finish coming as he reached the quarter-finals of the Riga Masters in June. However, he has suddenly found his rhythm, beating Billy Joe Castle, Jack Lisowski and Kurt Maflin at the York Barbican and will now take on Mark Allen in the last 16 on Wednesday evening.
Perry’s last ranking event victory came at the 2014 Players Championship and although he reached the finals of The World Open and The Masters last term, his form has been fairly inconsistent for some time. He has a decent record in York though, reaching the semi-finals twice and appears to have channeled that form this week. Although he admits he will have his work cut out against 2011 finalist Allen, the 43-year-old is confident he can continue his form.
“I just haven’t seen a match through from start to finish yet,” he told the BBC. “Luckily people have missed a couple of balls against me – maybe that’s because I have put them under pressure. “I haven’t really been punished for my mistakes. But I am happy with the way I am playing. I am not 100%, I am not flying, but it’s a vast improvement on what I have been doing.” He added: “Mark is a top player. If I stay good in my head, if he plays well and beats me then that’s that. “He has a great temperament. He is pretty good at everything and has been consistent this season. You always have to play well to beat Mark.” Perry is 13/10 to win on Wednesday, with Allen the 4/7 favourite.
UK Championship odds available at Dafabet.