Snooker has produced countless moments of brilliance, but it is often the misses that endure the longest.
In a dramatic and heartbreaking defeat, Mark Allen produced one such moment on Saturday that will be replayed for years to come.
On the brink of making his maiden World Snooker Championship final, the Pistol misfired on a routine match-ball black that ultimately handed opponent Wu Yize a place in the 2026 showdown for glory against Shaun Murphy instead.
It was the kind of miss that felt almost impossible in real time. The kind that instantly transcends the match itself and becomes part of the sport’s wider folklore.
But where does it rank among snooker’s most infamous misses?
Does it deserve a place alongside the moments that have come to define generations – the blacks, pinks, and blues that have shaped the sport’s history?
Below are five of the most memorable misses ever witnessed on a snooker table. There’s no definitive ranking here – just five moments that continue to resonate for very different reasons.
And the question is, will Allen’s botched black join this pantheon of notable misses that have lasted the test of time?
Jimmy White: 1994 World Championship final
Few moments in snooker history carry the same emotional weight as this.
Appearing in his sixth Crucible final, and having lost the previous five, Jimmy White stood on the brink of finally becoming world champion in 1994.
At 17-17, he was in among the balls with the title there for the taking. But with the winning line in sight, the pressure told.
A twitch on a black off the spot saw it rattle off the jaws, sparking heartbreak among his legion of supporters inside the Crucible Theatre and beyond.
Stephen Hendry duly stepped up in true champion’s fashion to clear and deny him once more, with White never again appearing in another World Championship final.
Stephen Hendry: 1998 Masters final
Even those who rank among the greatest are not immune.
At 9-9 in the deciding frame of the 1998 Masters final, Hendry found himself in a position few would have expected him to squander.
The Scot, the dominant force of the decade having already won 17 out of his 18 career Triple Crown titles, was taken all the way to a respotted black in a deciding frame by a young Mark Williams.
In the charged atmosphere of the Wembley Conference Centre, Hendry had a straight black to the middle pocket but pushed it wide.
Williams duly stepped in to seize his opportunity and secure his maiden Triple Crown title.
Steve Davis: 1985 World Championship final
Undoubtedly the most famous match in snooker history featured one of the most memorable misses of all-time as well.
Leading 8-0 early on in the 1985 World Snooker Championship final, Steve Davis looked set for a routine victory before Dennis Taylor mounted an extraordinary comeback to force a deciding frame at 17-17.
What followed on the final black has been replayed countless times.
With the tension almost unbearable, a ghost-like Davis – usually so clinical – overcut a relatively simple black to the corner.
Taylor, peering through his distinctive glasses, took full advantage to complete one of sport’s most dramatic turnarounds.
Willie Thorne: 1985 UK Championship final
Not every famous miss is reserved for a black ball.
Willie Thorne was on course for the biggest win of his career, leading Steve Davis 13-8 and poised to move within touching distance of glory at the 1985 UK Championship final.
During what looked like a routine clearance, he got down to play a straightforward blue to the middle pocket but inexplicably missed it.
The momentum swung instantly. A ruthless Davis took the frame, built belief, and stormed back to win 16-14.
Thorne never captured a Triple Crown title, and this moment remains one of the most painful and iconic in the sport’s history.
Ken Doherty: 2000 Masters final
Finally, not all famous misses decide titles. Some deny history.
In the 2000 Masters final, Doherty produced a superb break to reach 140, leaving a black off the spot for a maximum 147.
Such feats were still very rare at the time. This would have been only the 36th in professional competition, and just the second ever at the Masters.
With an £80,000 sports car on offer, the stakes were high. But the black stayed out, much to the dismay of all those watching.
The miss was made even more memorable by the stunned reaction of Matthew Stevens looking on from his chair.
Doherty went on to lose the final 10-8, but the missed maximum remains the defining image of that tournament.
Featured image credit: WST
We shouldn’t forget that last night’s match wasn’t a final, and actually there have been many incredibly dramatic semi-finals in the World Championship, including several in recent years.
The closest direct parallel I can think of was Tony Knowles in 1983, who missed a straight pink to beat Cliff Thorburn 16-13 in the semi-final.
Hendry’s miss is iconic but was a trickier shot than it looked as potting across the nap. Similarly, Davis’s miss was actually a relatively tricky shot into a blind pocket.
The other three were not remotely difficult without pressure. However Thorne’s miss, at 13-8 up, was under a little less duress than the others.
Allen’s definitely ranks alongside them as it was match ball and a simple black ordinarily.