FORMER World Championship runner-up Ali Carter has announced his retirement from professional snooker at the end of the season following his 6-2 defeat against Mark Allen at the Williamhill.com UK Championship.

The 32-year-old from Essex made the announcement on Twitter, where he said: “Going to retire at the end of the season! And I can’t wait!

“I’m dead serious, life is to short to do something you don’t enjoy, 25 years is enough! Pastures new….”

Carter’s career highlights include victories at the Welsh Open and Shanghai Masters, but although he scored a 147 maximum break in the 2008 World Championship, in the final he suffered a heavy 18-8 defeat to Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The announcement of his retirement came soon after his defeat against Allen. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland made a break of 101 in frame three, and found himself 3-1 ahead at the mid-session interval.

Carter narrowed the deficit when play resumed, but breaks of 77 and 67 left Allen one away from victory, and a comfortable win in frame eight set up a clash with 2008 UK Championship runner-up Marco Fu in the quarter-finals.