Mark Selby has claimed his second International Championship in a row in Daqing - beating Mark Allen 10 - 7.

The Jester from Leicester, 34, sailed into a 6 - 3 lead in the first session of the final, and then went 8 - 3 after the interval.

But it was an embattled Mark Allen who then pegged it back to losing by just two before Selby managed to clamber over the line.

First major trophy

Selby's win in Daqing is his first major trophy of this campaign and his first since he won the World Championship back in April.

He now has 13 majors - five behind Mark Williams who is on 18.

Selby has won five ranking events in China, including two IC's, two China Opens, and one Shanghai Masters.

The win puts yet another £150,000 into the Jester's bank account and also yet more ranking points into his lead at the top of the rankings, where he is miles in front of the others.

The next event for Selby begins next week in the Champion Of Champions in Coventry, where Allen could have qualified had he won in the final and denied Australian Neil Robertson a spot at the Ricoh Arena.

However, Robertson, winner of the non-ranking Hong Kong Masters, is now into the Champion of Champions elite event where 16 players who have won events since the last Champion of Champions will battle it out for the £100,000 first prize.

The defending Champion is John Higgins, who automatically qualified by winning it last season.

Previously, Selby had entered the non-World Snooker Chinese event the Haining Open, a so-called "top secret" event, and won, even making a maximum, though not an official one. Watch below...

Bright Future for Yan Bingtao

Kyren Wilson also received a cheque for £8,000 for racking his first 147 in Daqing and the 133rd in official snooker history, and Mark Allen received the runner-up cheque of £75,000.

Another player who shone in Daqing was 17-year-old Chinese rookie Yan Bingtao, who managed to overcome greats Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins on his way to his first ranking semi-final, but was outplayed by Mark Allen in the semis.

The International Championship, sponsored by OPPO, will be held in Daqing for at least another three years until 2020.

Busy few weeks

Previous winners include Ding Junhui, last year's runner-up to Selby, John Higgins, Judd Trump and Ricky Walden, with Selby claiming the sixth edition of the event since it was first held in Chengdu in 2012.

Some snooker fans commented on social media about the lack of crowds at the event - but the final seemed to have picked up the crowds who came to watch three-time World Champion Selby claim his second IC title.

Selby's winning streak comes at a key time in the season where the events begin to come thick and fast with the build-up to the first big UK Major in York towards the end of November for the UK Championship.

Before then, there are tournaments such as the second leg of the Home Nations in Northern Ireland, and the Champion of Champions to name two.