Mark Allen bags lucky snooker fan £25,000 with 'unbelievable' 147 break at the Crucible
No.8 seed Mark Allen made the 15th maximum 147-break in World Championship history in his match against Chris Wakelin - and his effort banked a lucky spectator a prize
Mark Allen has become just the 11th player to score a maximum 147 break at the Snooker World Championship, with his incredible effort handing a spectator £25,000. Allen made the remarkable break in his match against Chris Wakelin at the Crucible on Friday morning to write his name into the history books.
The Northern Irishman had endured a miserable morning session up until that point, having lost all four frames to trail Wakelin 10-2. But after visiting the practice table in the mid-session interval, he returned and achieved snooker perfection in the first frame after the break.
He rattled in all 15 reds, 16 blacks and one each of every other colour on the table to earn a standing ovation inside the Crucible in Sheffield. Allen also pocketed himself a cool £40,000 from the World Snooker Tour, while also handing out £25,000 to a lucky fan in the stands thanks to the tournament's betting partner Midnite.
"Unbelievable! Incredible from Mark Allen. He's 10-2 behind and not scored a point for a few frames and comes out after the interval and makes a 147! Absolutely phenomenal stuff!" the BBC commentator said.
READ MORE: Mark Selby shows true colours to Ben Woollaston's referee wife after Crucible lossREAD MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan has two-word nickname for Mark Selby as World Snooker star crashes out"Mark Allen, take a bow. What a performance," added seven-time World Championship winner Stephen Hendry on co-commentary.
Watching the replay back minutes later, legendary former player Steve Davis said: "The black trundled in, the hand up into the air - and this gentleman, I do apologise for not knowing his name, has won £25,000 for being in the audience and being picked out."
As you might expect, it was far from straightforward for Allen, who had to produce some excellent positional shots as he manoeuvred his way around the table.
Allen celebrated by raising his arm before shaking hands with the referee and his opponent. He was then given a standing ovation from the audience inside the famous arena before the camera picked out the lucky fan who was being congratulated by the person sat next to him.
The No.8 seed has become only the 11th player to make a 147 at the Crucible and the first since Mark Selby's clearance in the 2023 final. There have been 15 147-breaks in total in the history of the World Championship at the Crucible.
While he faces a task against Wakelin, Allen could still bank himself further cash, even if it's unlikely. Jackson Page secured a remarkable bonus of £147,000 for scoring two maximums during qualifying for the historic tournament.
Crucible Maximums1983 – Cliff Thorburn1992 – Jimmy White1995 – Stephen Hendry1997 – Ronnie O’Sullivan2003 – Ronnie O’Sullivan2005 – Mark Williams2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan2008 – Ali Carter2009 – Stephen Hendry2012 – Stephen Hendry2020 – John Higgins2022 – Neil Robertson2023 – Kyren Wilson2023 – Mark Selby