Lucky Crucible fan bags £25,000 prize as Mark Allen hits first 147 of World Snooker Championship despite trailing 10-2

MARK ALLEN had the Crucible crowd on their feet and he celebrated the first 147 of this year’s World Snooker Championship.

The Pistol, 39, salvaged a terrible session of snooker against Chris Wakelin with the maximum break in frame 13 of their second-round clash.

PA

Mark Allen hit the first 147 of the World Snooker Championship this year[/caption]

The Northern Ireland potter managed to keep the cue ball under control and put his hand up in the air in celebration before the final black went down just before Noon.

The 980 fans were on their feet in jubilation and one lucky punter, selected pre-game by sponsors Midnite, earned themselves £25,000.

Allen, the world no.8, will receive a £40,000 bonus from the World Snooker Tour for this perfect frame.

It is the 217th 147 ever in professional snooker, the 15th seen at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the fifth of Allen’s competitive career.

He will also share the £15,000 highest break prize with Welshman Jackson Page — who made two 147s in qualifying but then failed to make it to the main draw.

Should Allen hit one more maximum break in this encounter, then he will get a £147,000 prize – a cash incentive for the feat across the Triple Crown events and the Saudi Arabia Masters.

The way he raised his right hand in the air was reminiscent of how his hero Rory McIlroy would walk away in confidence and acknowledge a putt before the golf ball had gone down.

Wakelin – who dominated the frames on Friday morning and threatened to win with a session to spare – rose from his chair and shook Allen’s hands.

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It was a remarkable feat given that Allen had not scored a single point in frames 10-13 before one of the best moments of his life.

The crowd roared in approval and Stephen Hendry said on commentary “what a session of snooker”.

Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, said: “Unbelievable scenes.

It’s a moment you can only dream of, to make a 147 at the Crucible.

“It is something you dream of all your life as a snooker player, a moment he will never ever forget in his life.

“The person who probably didn’t enjoy it the most was Mark Williams’s good friend, Jackson Page, who had two 147s at the qualifiers.

“Though he won £147,000 for that, he will now have to share the high break prize of £15,000 with Mark, who also wins the £40,000 for making a 147.”