MARK ALLEN had the Crucible crowd on their feet as he celebrated the first 147 of this year’s World Snooker Championship.
The Pistol, 39, salvaged a terrible session of snooker against Chris Wakelin with the maximum break in frame 13 of their second-round clash.
PAMark Allen hit the first 147 of the World Snooker Championship this year[/caption]
The Northern Ireland potter managed to keep the cue ball under control and put his hand up in the air in celebration before the final black went down just before midday.
The 980 fans were on their feet in jubilation and one lucky punter, selected pre-game by sponsors Midnite, earned themselves £25,000.
Allen, the world No8, will receive a £40,000 bonus from the World Snooker Tour for this perfect frame.
It is the 217th 147 ever in professional snooker, the 15th seen at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the fifth of Allen’s competitive career.
He will also share the £15,000 highest break prize with Welshman Jackson Page — who made two 147s in qualifying but then failed to make it to the main draw.
Should Allen hit one more maximum break in this encounter, then he will get a £147,000 prize – a cash incentive for the feat across the Triple Crown events and the Saudi Arabia Masters.
The way he raised his right hand in the air was reminiscent of how his hero Rory McIlroy walks away celebrating a successful putt before the golf ball has even gone down.
Wakelin – who dominated the frames on Friday morning and threatened to win with a session to spare – rose from his chair and shook Allen’s hands.
It was a remarkable feat given that Allen had not scored a single point in frames 10-13 before one of the best moments of his life.
The crowd roared in approval and Stephen Hendry said on commentary “what a session of snooker”.
Wakelin finished the session leading 12-4 and needing just one frame for victory.
Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, said: “Unbelievable scenes.
“It’s a moment you can only dream of, to make a 147 at the Crucible.
“It is something you dream of all your life as a snooker player, a moment he will never ever forget in his life.
“The person who probably didn’t enjoy it the most was Mark Williams’s good friend, Jackson Page, who had two 147s at the qualifiers.
“Though he won £147,000 for that, he will now have to share the high break prize of £15,000 with Mark, who also wins the £40,000 for making a 147.”
GettyWakelin joined in the celebrations after Allen’s maximum[/caption]
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
1969 – John Spencer
1970 – Ray Reardon
1971 – John Spencer
1972 – Alex Higgins
1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
1977 – John Spencer (2)
1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
1979 – Terry Griffiths
1980 – Cliff Thorburn
1981 – Steve Davis
1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
1983 – Steve Davis (2)
1984 – Steve Davis (3)
1985 – Dennis Taylor
1986 – Joe Johnson
1987 – Steve Davis (4)
1988 – Steve Davis (5)
1989 – Steve Davis (6)
1990 – Stephen Hendry
1991 – John Parrott
1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
1997 – Ken Doherty
1998 – John Higgins
1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
2000 – Mark Williams
2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2002 – Peter Ebdon
2003 – Mark Williams (2)
2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
2005 – Shaun Murphy
2006 – Graeme Dott
2007 – John Higgins (2)
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
2009 – John Higgins (3)
2010 – Neil Robertson
2011 – John Higgins (4)
2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
2014 – Mark Selby
2015 – Stuart Bingham
2016 – Mark Selby (2)
2017 – Mark Selby (3)
2018 – Mark Williams (3)
2019 – Judd Trump
2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
2021 – Mark Selby (4)
2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
2023 – Luca Brecel
2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
2 – Alex Higgins
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
