Gary Wilson compiled a terrific 147 break on Thursday to join an exclusive club of players who have made at least six.
Wilson reconfirmed his status as one of the game’s heaviest scorers with his super effort against Artemijs Zizins in the International Championship qualifiers.
The 40 year-old’s latest maximum means only ten players in history have made six or more competitive 147s.
Between them, this small selection of competitors has compiled 93 of the 228 officially recognised maximums in professional snooker.
That means about two-fifths of all 147 breaks made in competition on the World Snooker Tour have come from just ten names.
Here’s a look at the special club Wilson has joined, and the esteemed company he now keeps at the very top of the list.
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 17
No surprise who is in first. Ronnie O’Sullivan has long set the standard for maximum breaks, his 17 stretching from his record-breaking first at the 1997 World Championship to his recent double at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters this summer.
His tally, which could have been higher if he had been more bothered about it over the years, is four more than anyone else and his record feels unlikely to be eclipsed any time soon.
John Higgins – 13
Second on the all-time list is O’Sullivan’s long-time contemporary and fellow Class of 1992 graduate John Higgins.
The Scot made his first 147 in 2000 and he has continued to add to his tally on a consistent basis for the last 25 or so years, with his most recent coming in last year’s Championship League.
Stephen Hendry – 11
The game’s most dominant player of the 1990s still holds third spot despite the fact it’s more than 13 years since he made his last.
Stephen Hendry’s first 147 came in 1992 against Willie Thorne in the Matchroom League and he would go on to make another ten, including three at the Crucible Theatre, before his initial retirement in 2012.
Shaun Murphy – 10
Shaun Murphy became the fourth player to reach double figures when he made a maximum at the World Open earlier this year.
The 2005 world champion’s first came back in 2001 and he has spread his ten across more than two decades, regularly adding to his tally during televised events including at this year’s Masters.
Stuart Bingham – 9
One behind Murphy is Stuart Bingham, whose career has been punctuated by regular 147 breaks since his breakthrough years in the 2010s.
The 2015 world champion is noted for his heavy scoring, with his first maximum compiled all the way back in 1999 and his most recent at the 2022 Gibraltar Open.
Judd Trump – 8
Judd Trump has compiled eight maximums so far, the first in 2013 and the most recent in 2022.
The 2019 world champion has become one of the game’s most prolific scorers in general with more than 1,000 century breaks to his name, and although he still lags behind O’Sullivan, Higgins, and Hendry in terms of 147s, there remains plenty of time for him to close the gap.
Ding Junhui – 7
China’s greatest player sits on seven. Ding Junhui’s first maximum and his seventh both transpired at the same event – the 2007 and 2024 editions of the prestigious Masters.
Ding remains one of the most successful players never to win a world title, but his 147 count helps to demonstrate the level of scoring he’s able to produce on his day.
Mark Selby – 6
Four-time world champion Mark Selby has made six 147 breaks with his first back in 2009 and his most recent at this year’s Championship League invitational.
Selby is noted as being the only player in snooker history to compile a 147 break in a World Championship final, doing so in defeat to Luca Brecel in 2023.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – 6
Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is known for his attacking style and break-building prowess, and he too sits on six career maximums.
Un-Nooh is famous just as much for his missed final blacks – he has done it three times – but two of his successful 147 breaks have come during the current campaign.
Gary Wilson – 6
Gary Wilson’s latest effort, which he made en route to securing qualification to the International Championship, takes him alongside Selby and Un-Nooh on six.
The three-time ranking event winner’s first came in 2013, and his scoring consistency has been a major feature of his rise up the rankings in recent years.
Who could be next?
There are five players who are just below the top ten who have each compiled five 147 breaks.
Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen, Tom Ford, and Marco Fu can also be deemed prolific maximum makers, but they currently stand just outside the all-time top ten list as things stand.
Players with at least six 147 breaks
| Rank | Player | 147s |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 17 |
| 2. | John Higgins | 13 |
| 3. | Stephen Hendry | 11 |
| 4. | Shaun Murphy | 10 |
| 5. | Stuart Bingham | 9 |
| 6. | Judd Trump | 8 |
| 7. | Ding Junhui | 7 |
| =8. | Mark Selby | 6 |
| =8. | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh | 6 |
| =8. | Gary Wilson | 6 |
Featured photo credit: WST
Hendry made the first televised 147 at the UK Championship. The much missed Willie Thorne had previously constructed one in the 1987 qualifiers.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has made a record five 147s in Triple Crown tournaments.