There have now been 15 maximum 147 breaks in World Snooker Championship matches at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Mark Allen joined the small band of brothers who have managed to accomplish the special feat when he constructed the perfect break on Friday.
Trailing 10-2 to Chris Wakelin in a second-round match he would ultimately lose 13-6, Allen produced an incredible moment of magic amid a frenzied atmosphere inside the venue.
It’s amazing to think that when the World Snooker Championship first moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977, not a single 147 break had been made in professional competition on the main tour.
For the next couple of decades it continued to be a rare sight, making the early ones that were compiled that bit more memorable.
Let’s take a brief rundown of the 15 brilliant Crucible 147 breaks at the World Snooker Championship.
Cliff Thorburn – 1983
Cliff Thorburn’s wonderful maximum moment came against Terry Griffiths in the second round, for which he won £18,000 in bonuses.
The Canadian, a world champion three years earlier, beat Griffiths 13-12 in a grinding encounter that finished just shy of 4am before eventually losing in that year’s final.
Thorburn’s 147 began with a fluked red and ended with his iconic celebration, as he dropped to his knees and raised his hands in delight.
Jimmy White – 1992
It took another nine years for a 147 to be made at the Crucible and it was achieved by the People’s Champion, Jimmy White.
The Whirlwind compiled the perfect knock against Tony Drago in the opening round, earning £114,000 in bonuses.
Indeed, after reaching the final and pocketing a further £90,000, White took home more prize money than Stephen Hendry who won the event.
Stephen Hendry – 1995
Three years on, White was in the opponent’s chair watching on as Stephen Hendry made the break in Sheffield for the first of three times.
The Scot, who had already beaten White in four finals, won their semi-final clash en route to securing a fifth Crucible crown.
Hendry potted a nightmare cut-back final black and was the first player to collect the famous £147,000 maximum break prize.
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 1997
Like Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan has tallied a hat-trick of World Snooker Championship 147 breaks.
Nothing quite compares to his first, which was conjured in a breathtaking five minutes and eight seconds, signifying not only a special piece of snooker history but an iconic sporting memory as well.
O’Sullivan moved with elegance around the table as he swiftly potted one ball after another in a timed record that will likely never been broken.
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2003
The Rocket won only six frames at the 2003 World Snooker Championship, losing to Hong Kong’s Marco Fu in round one.
One of those frames earned him a staggering £169,000, however, with his maximum break and highest break bonuses that year eclipsing what the player finishing runner-up took home.
At the time, O’Sullivan became the first player to compile more than one 147 break at the World Snooker Championship.
Mark Williams – 2005
Mark Williams was the next player to add his name to snooker folklore by making a maximum at the Crucible Theatre.
The Welshman, already a two-time world champion, potted 15 reds and blacks followed by the colours during his first-round 10-1 thrashing of Robert Milkins.
It marked a first competitive 147 break for Williams, who has surprisingly only contributed three out of the 217 in total that have been made competitively.
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2008
Williams was then the opponent as O’Sullivan completed his third at the 2008 edition en route to claiming his third world crown.
But on this occasion, the player who has made the most 147 breaks in history had to share the big bonus with someone else…
Ali Carter – 2008
That’s because, for the first time in the tournament’s history, two 147 breaks were made in the same World Snooker Championship.
Just a few days after O’Sullivan did it, Ali Carter got in on the act with a superb performance against Peter Ebdon.
O’Sullivan, though, was able to enjoy the last laugh as he prevailed from the final that year at the Captain’s expense.
Stephen Hendry – 2009
By 2009, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry’s best days were well and truly behind him.
But there were still fleeting moments of his old flare, including in 2009 when he produced a 147 in the quarter-finals against Shaun Murphy.
The contribution extended his lead in the match to 5-2, but he ended up losing the game 13-11 – ending arguably his last genuine chance to win a record eighth world crown.
Stephen Hendry – 2012
Hendry had to qualify for the 2012 World Championship, but after doing so he duly constructed his third maximum break against Stuart Bingham in round one.
With the break becoming more and more frequent, Hendry became the first player to take home the reduced £40,000 prize for a 147.
After subsequently beating reigning world champion John Higgins, the Scot was thumped by Stephen Maguire in the quarters and shocked the snooker world by announcing his retirement.
John Higgins – 2020
It took eight years for the next 147 break to be made in a World Championship, and unfortunately it transpired behind closed doors.
At the pandemic-impacted 2020 edition, John Higgins compiled the break but lost his second-round fixture with Kurt Maflin.
Normally a moment to savour in front of a cheering Crucible crowd, this was undoubtedly one of the strangest 147 breaks in Sheffield.
Neil Robertson – 2022
Two years later, Neil Robertson was also on the losing side of a gripping fixture in the last 16 against Jack Lisowski.
But the Melbourne man did manage to write himself into the Crucible annals with a magnificent maximum break.
“It just tops the season off because it’s on everyone’s bucket list to make a 147 at the Crucible, and my mum was in the crowd as well,” Robertson said afterwards.
Kyren Wilson – 2023
A year later, there were two 147 breaks – the first of which was made by Kyren Wilson during his first-round defeat of Ryan Day.
But like O’Sullivan in 2008, Wilson would have to share the bonus because…
Mark Selby – 2023
Mark Selby produced an incredible moment during the 2023 World Snooker Championship, making the tournament’s first maximum break in a final.
The Leicester man may have lost the title to Luca Brecel, but he achieved something that no other player had ever managed before.
Mark Allen – 2025
At the same edition where Jackson Page unbelievably made two 147 breaks in one match during the qualifying competition, Mark Allen was able to conjure his maximum moment.
The Pistol – so far behind in the match and looking for a consolation prize – was out of position on several occasions but each time managed to recover the situation.
Allen became the first player in snooker history to compile a 147 break at each of the three Triple Crown events – adding to his prior maximums at the 2016 UK Championship and the 2024 Masters.
Featured photo credit: WST
