Mark Allen hits 147 at World Snooker Championship and secures bumper cash bonus | Other | Sport

Mark Allen hit the first 147 of this year’s World Snooker Championship on Friday afternoon to land himself an almighty £40,000 in prize money. A fan, Brian Nicholls, will also benefit from the sensational frame, taking home £25k as well after sponsors Midnite pledged for an individual in attendance to receive a prize every time there is a maximum in Sheffield.

Allen was enduring a torrid time at the Crucible prior to writing his name in the competition’s history books, with Chris Wakelin running riot in their second-round clash.

The world No. 8 headed into Friday’s action trailing 6-2, and Wakelin – fresh off of his shock win over Neil Robertson – picked up where he left off in the morning session. The 33-year-old won all four of the opening frames, which included a shot which was named ‘one of best Crucible shots ever’.

After Wakelin raced into a 10-2 lead, Allen headed for the practice table in the mid-session interval to attempt to recompose himself – and he returned in sensational form.

After Wakelin missed a long red, Allen potted one at mid-distance and quickly began racking up the points. He potted four reds and four blacks before making lightwork of an awkward shot to allowed many to dare to dream of witnessing the 15th maximum in Crucible history.

Allen then ran out of position and turned to high black, with the cue ball then running into a bunch of reds. Remarkably, he blasted an excellent shot into the pack, sending a red into the left centre and opening up the remaining reds.

He then hit a plant before landing on the black, with a red ball dropping into the right centre to put Allen in an excellent position to clear the table. He then obliged in style, playing the black from high before potting the final red and black.

The cue trickled into a tight spot for him to hit the yellow, but Allen found the angle around the blue before clearing up the remaining colours. After potting the final black, the Crucible erupted, with Allen raising his fist and Wakelin rising to his feet and giving his opponent a standing ovation.

Allen will be hoping to build on that incredible frame during the remainder of the session, and he will need to continue storming through the frames if he is to avoid an early exit.