147Break Hub

In snooker, a 147 is the maximum break possible in the game. While there is the slight anomaly provided by the possibility of a free ball at the start of a frame, it’s generally accepted that 147 is the maximum available – 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colours.

In short, this is perfection and the pinnacle for most players. There is usually an additional prize for a player who hits a 147 in a tournament and, therefore, the maximum is even more desirable.

Once quite rare, the following facts show that 147s are becoming a little more common and that’s a mark as to how well the game has developed. Here’s what we know:

147s by Years

History

First known 147 Break

The first known 147 break is credited to Murt O’Donoghue who notched a maximum in Australia in 1934. O’Donoghue was a renowned cueman who wrote books on the subject of Billiards.

The first maximum break achieved by an amateur player was that of the Canadian Leo Levitt in 1948. It was certified by the the Billiards Association and Control Council. Here is an image of the certificate.

Meanwhile, the first 147break by a female player, Nutcharut Wongharuthai was achieved in 2019. It happened during a training in Thailand, but enough words, here is the full video instead. Enjoy this great achievement and the funny celebration after the last shot 🙂

First Official 147

While O’Donoghue was credited with the first 147 break, it wasn’t considered to be official. That particular accolade goes to the great Joe Davis who completed his maximum in an exhibition match against Willie Smith in London in 1955.

It took until 1957 for the break to be recognised and Davis was given a certificate for his achievement.

First 147 on TV

As snooker grew in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s, speculation started to grow as to who would be the first to ever record a televised maximum. Eventually, the honour went to multiple World Champion Steve Davis in 1982.

Davis recorded his 147 against John Spencer in the Lada Classic.

Players

Top Player

As of June 2020, the player with the most official 147 breaks is Ronnie O’Sullivan. The Rocket has recorded no fewer than 15 maximums in his career and he has plenty of time to add to that tally.

The closest player to that record is Stephen Hendry with 11 but he has officially retired from snooker. Of those who are still active on the circuit, John Higgins is the closest to O’Sullivan’s mark with nine 147s.

Oldest Player

The oldest player to have hit a recognised snooker maximum is Mark Davis. In the 2018 edition of the Championship League, Davis hit a maximum against Neil Robertson at the age of 44 years and 151 days.

Youngest Player

There is a little debate about the youngest player to have ever hit a maximum in competition. 2019 Snooker World Champion Judd Trump is said to have made a 147 in an under-16s tournament at the age of 14 years and 206 days in 2004.

Prior to that, it had been generally recognized that Sean Maddocks was the record holder. Maddocks recorded his maximum 147 break at 15 years and 90 days at a Pro Am tournament in 2017 and he is in the Guinness Book of Records as a result.

What we do know for certain is that the record for the youngest player to hit a 147 in a professional snooker tournament is Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon. His 147 came in the 2010 edition of the Rhein-Main Masters while he was 16 years and 312 days old.

Fastest 147 Break

Perhaps not surprisingly, the record for the fastest maximum break is held by the man known as The Rocket. Ronnie O’Sullivan made a 147 in just five minutes and 20 seconds in the second round of the World Championships in 1997.

Subsequently, this time was changed and shortened to five minutes and eight seconds. The second time is acknowledged as being correct as the clock started from the moment O’Sullivan struck the first shot of the break. Whatever your opinion on the change may be, this is still a staggering mark and it may never be beaten.

147s by Players

Beaten with 147s

Tournaments:

Multiple 147 breaks in the same tournament

The first time that more than one 147 maximum break was recorded at the official televised stages of a single tournament (excluding qualifying) came in 2008. In the World Championships of that year, both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter recorded 147s. In fact, the breaks came on consecutive days on that 2008 event.

The feat has since been replicated and, at the time of writing, multiple tournament maximums have occurred on 20 different occasions. The record for most number of 147s in a single tournament is three. This happened at the 2012 UK Championships and again at the 2017 German Masters.

147s by Tournaments