Mark Allen bags lucky snooker fan £25,000 with 'unbelievable' 147 break at the Crucible

Mark Allen has become just the 11th player to score a maximum 147 break at the Snooker World Championship, with his incredible effort handing a spectator £25,000. Allen made the remarkable break in his match against Chris Wakelin at the Crucible on Friday morning to write his name into the history books.

The Northern Irishman had endured a miserable morning session up until that point, having lost all four frames to trail Wakelin 10-2. But after visiting the practice table in the mid-session interval, he returned and achieved snooker perfection in the first frame after the break.

He rattled in all 15 reds, 16 blacks and one each of every other colour on the table to earn a standing ovation inside the Crucible in Sheffield. Allen also pocketed himself a cool £40,000 from the World Snooker Tour, while also handing out £25,000 to a lucky fan in the stands thanks to the tournament's betting partner Midnite.

"Unbelievable! Incredible from Mark Allen. He's 10-2 behind and not scored a point for a few frames and comes out after the interval and makes a 147! Absolutely phenomenal stuff!" the commentator said.

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"Mark Allen, take a bow. What a performance," added seven-time World Championship winner Stephen Hendry on co-commentary.

Watching the replay back minutes later, legendary former player Steve Davis said: "The black trundled in, the hand up into the air - and this gentleman, I do apologise for not knowing his name, has won £25,000 for being in the audience and being picked out."

As you might expect, it was far from straightforward for Allen, who had to produce some excellent positional shots as he manoeuvred his way around the table.

Allen celebrated by raising his arm before shaking hands with the referee and his opponent. He was then given a standing ovation from the audience inside the famous arena before the camera picked out the lucky fan who was being congratulated by the person sat next to him.

The No.8 seed has become only the 11th player to make a 147 at the Crucible and the first since Mark Selby's clearance in the 2023 final. There have been 15 147-breaks in total in the history of the World Championship at the Crucible.

While he faces a task against Wakelin, Allen could still bank himself further cash, even if it's unlikely. Jackson Page secured a remarkable bonus of £147,000 for scoring two maximums during qualifying for the historic tournament.

Crucible Maximums
1983 – Cliff Thorburn
1992 – Jimmy White
1995 – Stephen Hendry
1997 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2003 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2005 – Mark Williams
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2008 – Ali Carter
2009 – Stephen Hendry
2012 – Stephen Hendry
2020 – John Higgins
2022 – Neil Robertson
2023 – Kyren Wilson
2023 – Mark Selby