Mark Allen has compiled a 147 break during his quarter-final fixture with Mark Selby in the Masters on Friday in London.
The Northern Irishman compiled the perfect break during the third frame of his last-eight showdown at the Alexandra Palace.
It matches Ding Junhui’s maximum effort from earlier in the week, with the duo set to share the high break prize of £15,000.
In making his third career maximum break, however, Allen has set himself up to pocket a new lucrative bonus that has been offered this season.
Any player who compiles two 147 breaks in the Triple Crown events – comprising the UK Championship, Masters, and World Championship – will earn a tasty £147,000 jackpot.
Both Allen and Ding are now on course to land that sum if they can produce another moment of magic on snooker’s biggest of stages.
It’s the first time in history that two 147 breaks have been constructed in the same Masters tournament.
Indeed, it’s only the fifth time in Masters history that the special break has been made.
Kirk Stevens was the first to achieve the feat in 1984, and fans had to wait another 23 years until the next one was made in 2007.
Ding Junhui was the player cheered on that occasion, and it was the same player who was applauded earlier this week – representing the first cueist to do so twice at the prestigious invitational.
In between, Marco Fu produced the pinnacle break at the 2015 Masters during his first-round encounter against Stuart Bingham.
Allen went on to beat Selby in a dramatic 6-5 thriller to reach the last four of the prestigious invitational.
Earlier on Friday, meanwhile, Ali Carter knocked out defending champion Judd Trump in a 6-5 thriller.
The Captain fought back from 5-4 down to deny the world number two, enacting a modicum of revenge for his defeat to the same opponent at the Wuhan Open final earlier this term.
2024 Masters
– draw, live scores, results –
Last 16 (bo11)
Judd Trump 6-5 Kyren Wilson
Mark Williams 4-6 Ali Carter
Mark Selby 6-1 Robert Milkins
Mark Allen 6-5 John Higgins
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 Ding Junhui
Neil Robertson 3-6 Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy 6-2 Zhang Anda
Luca Brecel 2-6 Jack Lisowski
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Judd Trump 5-6 Ali Carter
Mark Selby 5-6 Mark Allen
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy 6-3 Jack Lisowski
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Ali Carter 6-3 Mark Allen
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 Shaun Murphy
Final (bo19)
Ali Carter 7-10 Ronnie O’Sullivan
Featured photo credit: WST
Carter/Trump the standout match of the tournament so far. Great bottle from Carter on the last two frames.
Xu Si is another who needs one more 147 at the World Championship to secure the weighty bonus. I’m pretty sure it applies to the qualifying stages.
Yes, Xu Si can win the prize with a 147 in the WC. Xu recently won a CBSA tournament in Zhangjiagang, which included 12 of the current professionals. But if it were to happen by an obscure player in a qualifier event, WST might be disappointed rather than elated
Of course, Allen could secure it this weekend 😄