John Higgins produces majestic maximum break at the World Snooker Championship
John Higgins ended an eight-year wait for a 147 break at the World Snooker Championship as he produced a magical maximum against Kurt Maflin on Thursday.
No player had achieved the perfect frame on the sport’s greatest stage since Stephen Hendry in 2012, but Higgins emulated his fellow Scot with a memorable maximum in the second session of his Last 16 tie.
Trailing 7-4, Higgins turned on the style in frame 12, firing in 15 reds with blacks, including a tricky red to a tight middle pocket, before slotting in the colours to complete his first Crucible maximum.
It is the 11th in the history of the Betfred World Championship, with Higgins becoming only the seventh different player to do so, and is the sixth of the season.
He is now in line to pocket the £40,000 maximum break bonus and the £15,000 high break prize, providing no other player matches the feat for the remainder of the tournament.
The break eclipses the previous target of 145 set by Allan Taylor in the qualifying rounds.
Higgins went on to level the match at the close of play in the second session, leaving it perfectly poised at eight apiece heading into Thursday night’s climax.
Maflin had made breaks of 64, 97 and 81 in a session littered with quality, but saw frame 16 slip through his grasp as Higgins overturned a 52 break with a clinical 63 clearance for parity.
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Another slice of Crucible history for John Higgins ??
Here’s how he completed the 11th maximum break in the World Championship ? #ilovesnooker pic.twitter.com/UXVqYk3c4Y
— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) August 6, 2020
World Snooker Championship 147 breaks
Cliff Thorburn – 1983
Jimmy White – 1992
Stephen Hendry – 1995
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 1997
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2003
Mark Williams – 2005
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2008
Ali Carter – 2008
Stephen Hendry – 2009
Stephen Hendry – 2012
John Higgins – 2020