Two maximums they must be like Buses

Maximum Glory creates snooker history

Crucible History Created
ByDavid John Stevenson

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Cliff Thorburn’s epic 147 at the Crucible theatre. Since then there have been eight maximums made at the world snooker championships but one man is Sheffield’s maximum king although Ali Carter rained on Ronnie’s parade.

Steve Davis may have dominated the event in the 1980s and Stephen Hendry in the 1990s but it is the 2001-2004 World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan who has dominated the stage with the magic of the maximums although this year someone else got in on the action.

In 1997 as a raw talent against Mick Price he compiled the first of his maximum hat trick at the theatre of dreams. To this day it is the fastest recorded televised 147 compiled in 5 minutes 30 seconds.

Then in 2003 in his first round match against Marco Fu he made the second of his triplets, the surprise was that he walked away with £157,000 for the highest break and a maximum but he was knocked out by Fu in the last 32.

Now in 2008 he did it again this time in the last 16 against former World Champion Mark Williams in the frame to give him the match.Also by adding this new jewel to his maximum crown it brought the ninth game of perfection to his professional career surpassing seven time world champion Stephen Hendry who is now second in the list with a respective 8.

However O’Sullivan’s joy was to be short lived as Ali Carter also made his first professional 147 to equal Ronnie’s attempt and halve the high break prize on offer. It was also the first time that two perfect frames have been played at a world ranking snooker event.

As well as the honour of making history both players pocketed £78,500, but it was O’Sullivan who created more history by being the first man to make three maximums in a season. The first being against the other maximum man Ali Carter in the Welsh Open, the deciding frame against Mark Selby in the Semi-Finals of the UK Championship and finally topped off with his maximum glory against Williams at the world championship.

In his post match interview O’Sullivan played the praise down saying: “It’s a great feeling and I’m very happy but to get one at Sheffield is fantastic.”

Carter in his post match conference after beating Peter Ebdon to reach the last four said: “I didn’t believe that if I got the chance to make a 147 at the Crucible I could do it, but it’s nice to prove yourself wrong. It is a great feeling making one here at Sheffield.”

One other historical moment O’Sullivan has put in the record books is that he is the first man in ranking tournaments to knock in the magic number twice in a season to clinch the match winning frame. The first time was against Mark Selby to win 9-8 to reach the UK Final which he won but also at the Crucible to defeat Mark Williams 13-7.

Also this year Cliff Thorburn has come across from his native Canada to Sheffield to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his maiden 147 at the crucible. It seems rather fitting twenty five years on that the magic maximum has come around rather like a Sheffield bus as you wait for one and then two come at the same time.

Maximums at the Crucible
Cliff Thorburn (1983)
Jimmy White ( 1992)
Stephen Hendry ( 1995)
Ronnie O’Sullivan (1997)
Ronnie O’ Sullivan (2003)
Mark Williams (2005)
Ronnie O’Sullivan & Ali Carter (2008)