Murphy makes Shoot Out history with magical maximum break
Shaun Murphy hit the first 147 break in Shoot Out history during his first-round victory over Bulcsu Revesz on Thursday.
The Magician delighted the Swansea Arena crowd as he produced his eighth maximum – moving him joint-fifth with Judd Trump on the all-time list – to book his place in the second round.
Murphy arrived in Swansea boasting a fairly modest record in the unique single-frame event, his best performance being a run to the 2017 semi-finals.
And he faced a potential banana skin in reigning European under-18 champion Revesz, who beat him in an exhibition in his native Hungary several years ago.
But after hitting the blue from his break-off, the Hungarian could only watch in admiration as his opponent swiftly began stringing successive reds and blacks together.
With the frame in the bag, Murphy quipped “Anyone else getting nervous?” in an attempt to relieve the tension after sinking the 11th red.
He then produced a series of impressive shots – including a wonderful positional shot on the pink while screwing back from the blue with the rest – before sending the crowd into ecstasy by knocking in the black.
Unbelievable. 🪄
Take a bow @Magician147 👏 #ClockIsTicking pic.twitter.com/6jPVV5X4CK
— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) December 7, 2023
The fifth maximum break of the 2023-24 season was also the 194th in competitive play.
“We do shows all the time and you get a chance,” Murphy told Eurosport. “This is like a big exhibition, so you do that all the time, but not out here. That was great fun.
“I got to the semi-finals once. I love the event. I said I wanted to try and make a century, it’s a great thrill. I can’t believe what’s just happened.
“It’s just incredible, it was a real buzz. You get really excited out there playing this event, win or lose. I’ve done both out there, I’ve played really nicely and really badly.
“I’m absolutely delighted. For the fans that are here, they’ve seen something special. It was a pleasure to play for them.”