World Championship 147: Players to have made Crucible maximums
Published:
The World Championship is the most prestigious tournament in professional snooker.
Here, we take a closer look at all the players who have made a World Championship 147 at the Crucible Theatre.
1983: Cliff Thorburn
Canadian Thorburn claimed the honour of the maiden World Championship 147 – and the first to be televised – during his second-round meeting with Terry Griffiths. The 1980 world champion, who went on to lose the final to Steve Davis, pocketed £13,000.
1992: Jimmy White
Sheffield had to wait a further nine years to witness another. Perennial runner-up White, en route to the fourth of his six unsuccessful finals, produced the only maximum of his career in the first round against Tony Drago.
1995: Stephen Hendry
Hendry established himself as the undisputed King of the Crucible during the 1990s, winning seven titles during the decade. A World Championship 147 break proved elusive until he did so against rival White in the 1995 semi-finals.
1997: Ronnie O’Sullivan
Requiring just five minutes and eight seconds, O’Sullivan’s maiden Crucible maximum remains the quickest. He averaged around eight seconds per shot during a sensational effort against Mick Price, securing £147,000 in prize money.
2003: Ronnie O’Sullivan
Six years later, O’Sullivan became the first man to make two Crucible 147s, albeit in bittersweet fashion. After making history in his first-round meeting with Marco Fu, he was swiftly brought back down to earth as he crashed out 10-6.
2005: Mark Williams
Three-time champion Williams added his name to the Crucible history books during a first-round meeting with Robert Milkins. He remains the only Welshman on the list after taking around nine minutes to clear the table.
2008: Ronnie O’Sullivan
Williams was on the receiving end three years later as eventual winner O’Sullivan came back for more. ‘The Rocket’, working towards the third of his five world titles, sealed a 13-7 win with the maximum, which he later described as the best of his career.
2008: Ali Carter
Just one day after O’Sullivan’s efforts, Carter repeated the feat. Alongside White, two-time runner-up Carter is the only player to have managed a maximum and never won the title. He did so in his quarter-final win over Peter Ebdon before losing the final 18-8 to O’Sullivan.
2009: Stephen Hendry
Hendry moved 5-2 ahead in his quarter-final with Shaun Murphy after his second World Championship 147. The Scot hailed a “tremendous feeling” during the interval but the joy was cut short by an eventual 13-11 loss.
2012: Stephen Hendry
One of snooker’s all-time greats, Hendry’s Crucible career ended in style. His third Sheffield maximum, which emulated O’Sullivan’s achievement, came on the opening day of the tournament against Stuart Bingham. Stephen Maguire ended Hendry’s final World Championship appearance in the last eight.
2020: John Higgins
Four-time champion Higgins ended an eight-year wait for another 147 – the 10th of his career. The 2019 finalist was 7-4 down when he made the maximum and ended the morning session level at 8-8. But Kurt Maflin, making only his second appearance in the World Championship, won 13-11.
2022: Neil Robertson
Robertson joined the illustrious list in the 19th frame of his second-round match against Jack Lisowski, who triumphed 13-12. The Australian netted a share of the £15,000 break prize with Graeme Dott, who scored a 147 in qualifying, as well as £40,000 for achieving it in the tournament’s final stages.
2023: Kyren Wilson
🚨 Kyren Wilson makes a 147 at the World Championship 🚨
That's just the 13th maximum break in Crucible history!
Tremendous work from the Warrior 👏@WeAreWST | @KyrenWilson pic.twitter.com/SCSu9Qj6nx
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 19, 2023
Wilson made a maximum break in his opening-round match against Ryan Day. He had made fine clearances of 133 and 83 to head into the mid-session interval with the match all square at 2-2. The Welshman then continued his momentum on returning to the table as he built towards a perfect clearance, sinking a fine final red and black having seemingly run out of position before sweeping up the colours.
2023: Mark Selby
Selby made history by becoming the first player to complete a maximum break in a World Snooker Championship final, although it was not enough to prevent defeat against Belgium’s Luca Brecel. He made his 147 with the minimum of fuss after plucking the final problematic red away from the side cushion. Referee Brendan Moore, officiating in his third and last Crucible final before retirement, was the first to congratulate Selby, who was also embraced warmly by a smiling Brecel.
