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By now, you will know that I made my first competitive 147 break during the Jiangsu Classic in China a couple of weeks ago. It was a thrilling moment and I’m delighted to have finally done it. And to do so in front of so many appreciative fans – some 1,800 people – made it even more special.
I knew early doors, when I reached 32, that a max was on. Mind you, Stephen Hendry says he called it after the first black! Both me and Joe Perry, my opponent, only had a slight glimmer of hope of reaching the semi-finals, so that made it easier to go for it. More often than not, my priority is to get a frame won. But this time, because I knew the 147 was there for the taking, I went for it.
I was more or less in perfect position for every shot, although there were two really tricky ones. The first one was when there were two reds left and I had to go all around the colours to get on the black, and the second was a similar shot when I was on the yellow – I had left the white too high so I had to go around the table again to get on the green.
The final black was easier than I thought. I was nervous, of course, but not as much as I thought I would be. It was just off straight, but I knew I wasn’t going to miss – it would have needed a herd of elephants to have stopped me!
It’s a great honour to have joined that illustrious list. I think mine was the 69th maximum break ever made, and obviously one of the best!! Joking apart, it’s just a shame it wasn’t televised, although YouTube has got the final colours being potted.
I’ve hit 49 in practice, the first one when I was 15 and the last one came about six or seven months ago against my fellow Leicester pro Ben Woollaston. I’ve got some way to go to beat another Leicester man though, as “Mr Maximum” Willie Thorne hit somewhere in the region of 200. But he only made one competitive 147, so maybe I can beat him on that score. And I would love to do it in the World Championships at the Crucible, that would be the dream.
I’ve been on the receiving end of a few, David Gray during the UK Championship in 2004, Robert Milkins in a World Championship qualifier in 2006, and then Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the UK a year later. Only he did it in the final frame – but let’s not dwell on that!
But what of the best 147s? Here’s the top five maximum breaks I have ever seen:
1 Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mick Price, World Championships, 1997: This is the fastest ever, Ronnie was so quick but he made it look so simple. Ridiculously brilliant.
2 Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams, World Championships, 2008: Ronnie was never out of position, and only had one tough shot, on a black, which he easily put away.
3 James Wattana v Tony Drago, British Open, 1992: This was a long time ago, but I remember Wattana having to pot four or five reds on the side rails to the yellow and green pockets.
4 Jimmy White v Tony Drago (again – sorry!), World Championships, 1992: The Whirlwind, along with Hendry, was one of my main idols and I loved to watch him. Like everyone else, I always wanted Jimmy win the Worlds, so it was great to see him achieve a 147 at the Crucible.
5 Stephen Hendry v Ronnie O’Sullivan, Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge, 1997: Stephen was leading 8-2, then lost six frames in a row to take it to a decider. To then go out and hit a maximum – including a tricky final black which needed cutting in – shows the man’s class.
* It’s my birthday on Friday (I will be 26, but shhh!) and I will be celebrating it in Germany. We’re over there for another exhibition, having just come back from Munich and Berlin last weekend where we were joined by Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis and Shaun Murphy.
This time we’re in Halle, so if I see you there you can wish me a Happy Birthday! Fancy the organisers booking it at the same time - they really should have known!
Vikki has got us tickets to see Grease in London before I fly out, so I can’t wait to see that. I’ve always enjoyed the film but this should be an exciting show. I’d better dig out my leather jacket :)
* For more pictures from last weekend’s exhibition in Germany, see the Gallery
