Mark Allen finds himself preparing for a UK Championship semi-final encounter with Stuart Bingham, having overcome Stephen Maguire.

The 2004 champion Maguire could do little to stop Allen in their quarter-final, as the Northern Irishman secured a comfortable 6-1 victory against the Scot on Friday.

Maguire failed to find any rhythm in the contest which allowed a frustrated Allen to comfortably get to the finishing line.

Masters champion Allen was unimpressed with conditions at the York Barbican and felt that he was not at his best during the quarter-final.

“I didn’t feel like I played well,” said Allen. “In the first three frames I didn’t miss many, but from 3-0 up in the a first to six, you need to play pretty poorly to lose.

“It was very bouncy out there. Very heavy and I was struggling to screw back, move the white and open the balls.”

Allen will be looking to get back to his best for the semi-final when he takes on Bingham.

The Englishman managed to overcome Kyren Wilson 6-1, with Bingham being slightly more upbeat about his performance at the end of his quarter-final.

“I played pretty well. Kyren had an off day, he made his mistakes and I capitalised on them. I had never beaten him before and the way he has played this season, it as a bit of a shock,” Bingham said.

Allen is 1.76 to win the semi-final, while Bingham is 2.09 to come out on top and reach the final.