Every player to score a Crucible 147 as Neil Robertson joins exclusive list of snooker greats
- Michael Graham
- 26 April 2022
Crucible 147s don't happen often, so the list of those to score a maximum at the World Snooker Championship is certainly an exclusive one.
Neil Robertson gave us the moment of the 2022 World Snooker Championship on Monday as he blasted a rarely seen Crucible 147.
It was a bittersweet moment for Robertson, whose tournament ended the same day against the rock-solid Jack Lisowski.
It was the 12th time a maximum break has been scored inside of snooker's most iconic arena, with the Australian joining an exclusive list of players to achieve it.
Cliff Thorburn - 1983
When it comes to special achievements, there are two spots on the list that most sportsmen covet: The first to do it, and the one to do it the most.
Cliff Thorben was the first man to hit a televised Crucible 147. It came in 1983 in the fourth frame of his second round match against Terry Griffiths.
Fellow Canadian Bill Werbeniuk memorably watched on from behind the divider in what was a truly iconic snooker moment that has stood the test of time.
Jimmy White - 1992
To underline just how special Thorben's achievement was, viewers had to wait nine years before they saw another.
This time it was the impossibly popular Jimmy White, who did it in the 13th frame of his first round match against Tony Drago.
Naturally, White lost the final that year to Stephen Hendry.
Stephen Hendry - 1995, 2009, 2012
Hendry always tended to save his very best snooker for matches against White, so it will surprise no one to learn he hit his first of three Crucible 147s against the Londoner in 1995.
This one came under some real pressure too, during the 12th frame of the semi-final.
Hendry had to wait an astonishing 14 years for another. Shaun Murphy was his opponent then in the 2009 quarter-final - a match he went on to lose.
He completed his own personal hat-trick of World Championship 147s against Stuart Bingham in the first round of the 2012 tournament.
Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1997, 2003, 2008
There can be little doubt about which Crucible 147 was the most memorable, with this one even beating Thorben's effort.
O'Sullivan cleared the table with perfect accuracy in just five minutes and eight seconds in a first round match against Mick Price.
"I was petrified and I was in bits! But once I got on the blue I was thinking 'this is it, this is actually on now' and the chalk goes under the table. I thought I had no time to collect that because if I get the chalk I would probably miss," O'Sullivan said of that break this year.
One of the greatest achievements in sport 🐐 pic.twitter.com/huWeLcgZhy
— Out Of Context Snooker (@OOCSnooker) April 21, 2022
"The method in the madness was to go as fast as I could and override the thoughts in the brain - and hence why it was such a fast break.
"I was buzzing; it was mental! It was an amazing feeling."
O'Sullivan was at it again six years later, this time producing it against Marco Fu in the opening round.
He scored his third and most recent Crucible 147 in the final frame of a second round match against Mark Williams in 2008.
Mark Williams - 2005
The 'class of '92' in snooker has become the stuff of legend, and all three of them have a Crucible 147 to their name.
Williams' came in 2005 in the final frame of his first round match against Robert Milkins.
The Welshman would lose in the next round to the unfancied Ian McCulloch.
Ali Carter - 2008
Ali Carter is a player you never begrudge anything given all he has been through with his health, so it's quite satisfying to see him on this exclusive list.
His 2008 effort came between his diagnosis for Crohn's disease and his cancer battles.
Carter has never managed to win a World Championship yet despite reaching two finals, but his 147 against Peter Ebdon ensured his place in Crucible history.
John Higgins - 2020
The third and final member of the 'class of '92'added his name to the Crucible 147 club in 2020, and the only real surprise was that it took him as long as it did.
Like Williams before him, he blasted his maximum in what was essentially a disappointing tournament for him.
It came in his second round defeat to Kurt Kaflin.
