Every Maximum 147 at the Crucible: History and Records
The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield has hosted the World Snooker Championship since 1977, and a maximum break there is the most celebrated shot sequence in the sport. Fifteen 147s have been made at the Crucible, by eleven different players. Here is every one of them, in order, and the records they set.
The complete list
| # | Year | Player | Opponent | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | Cliff Thorburn | Terry Griffiths | Second round |
| 2 | 1992 | Jimmy White | Tony Drago | First round |
| 3 | 1995 | Stephen Hendry | Jimmy White | Semi-final |
| 4 | 1997 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | Mick Price | First round |
| 5 | 2003 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | Marco Fu | First round |
| 6 | 2005 | Mark Williams | Robert Milkins | First round |
| 7 | 2008 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | Mark Williams | Second round |
| 8 | 2008 | Ali Carter | Peter Ebdon | Quarter-final |
| 9 | 2009 | Stephen Hendry | Shaun Murphy | Quarter-final |
| 10 | 2012 | Stephen Hendry | Stuart Bingham | First round |
| 11 | 2020 | John Higgins | Kurt Maflin | Second round |
| 12 | 2022 | Neil Robertson | Jack Lisowski | Second round |
| 13 | 2023 | Kyren Wilson | Ryan Day | First round |
| 14 | 2023 | Mark Selby | Luca Brecel | Final |
| 15 | 2025 | Mark Allen | Chris Wakelin | Second round |
The landmark maximums
1983: Cliff Thorburn, the first
Thorburn’s 147 against Terry Griffiths was the first maximum ever made at the World Championship, and the television pictures of the Canadian sinking to his knees after the final black are some of the most replayed in the sport. The next Crucible maximum did not come for nine years.
1992: Jimmy White ends the wait
The People’s Champion made the second Crucible 147 in the opening round against Tony Drago. It was part of a long Crucible career that brought White six world finals but never the title.
1997: Ronnie O’Sullivan’s five minutes and eight seconds
O’Sullivan’s first Crucible maximum took five minutes and eight seconds, a pace that astonished everyone watching and remains one of the most famous passages of play in snooker history.
2008: two in one championship
O’Sullivan made his third Crucible 147, and Ali Carter followed with one of his own at the same championship. It was the first time two maximums had been made at a single Crucible event.
2020: behind closed doors
John Higgins made his maximum at a championship played without a full crowd because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and he still lost the match to Kurt Maflin.
2023: the first in a final
Mark Selby’s 147 against Luca Brecel was the first maximum ever made in a World Championship final. Kyren Wilson had already made one earlier in the same championship, making 2023 the second event with two Crucible maximums.
Records and patterns
- Most Crucible 147s: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, with three each.
- Different players: eleven have made a maximum at the Crucible.
- Losing makers: several players made a maximum in a match they went on to lose, including Higgins in 2020 and Robertson in 2022. A 147 does not guarantee anything beyond the frame.
- Championships with two: 2008 and 2023.
Why 147s are so rare at the Crucible
Maximums are now common across the professional tour, but the Crucible remains a special case. The pressure of the biggest event, long matches and conservative tactics all reduce the number of genuine chances. A maximum requires potting fifteen blacks, which means the pack must open favourably and the cue ball must stay in a narrow area around the black for the whole break.
The kit behind a maximum
The equipment top players use is less exotic than many fans assume: a hand-spliced ash cue, a medium tip of around 9 to 10 mm and plenty of chalk. What changes at professional level is consistency, because a tip that has not been prepared properly is the most common cause of a miscue at the worst moment. Bestsnookercue explains why chalk matters so much and what to look for in tip size.
Maximums beyond the Crucible
The Crucible is only one venue in a long professional season, and maximum breaks are now far more common across the tour than they were in the early years of the World Championship at Sheffield. Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the record for the most maximums in professional competition. The rise in maximums reflects improvements in equipment, table conditions and practice methods, as well as the overall standard of the tour.
The 148
A break higher than 147 is possible when a free ball is awarded before any reds have been potted, because the free ball effectively acts as a sixteenth red. The first break over 147 in professional competition was Jamie Burnett’s 148 in qualifying for the 2004 UK Championship.
What makes a Crucible maximum special
A maximum anywhere is a remarkable achievement, but a Crucible maximum happens in front of the biggest television audience of the season, in the sport’s most famous room, and under the pressure of the World Championship. That combination is why each one is remembered, and why players who have made maximums on the tour many times still describe a Crucible 147 as a career highlight.
Watching for the next one
When a player reaches around eight or nine reds with blacks, commentators start to mention the maximum and the crowd begins to hold its breath. The most common reasons a maximum attempt fails are an awkward red near a cushion, a pack that does not split kindly and a positional shot on the black that lands slightly wrong. Watching how players handle those moments is one of the pleasures of watching the Championship.
Understanding the maximum
If you are new to the sport, a 147 is fifteen reds each followed by the black, then all six colours in order: 15 + 105 + 27. Our guide to how snooker scoring works explains why 147 is the maximum, and how a free ball can make a higher break possible.
Frequently asked questions
How many 147s have been made at the Crucible?
Fifteen maximum breaks have been made at the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible, by eleven different players. The first was Cliff Thorburn’s in 1983 against Terry Griffiths, and the most recent was Mark Allen’s in 2025 against Chris Wakelin. Two championships, 2008 and 2023, produced two maximums each.
Who has made the most 147s at the Crucible?
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry share the record with three Crucible maximums each. O’Sullivan’s came in 1997, 2003 and 2008, including his famous five-minute-eight-second maximum in 1997. Hendry’s came in 1995, 2009 and 2012.
Has there ever been a 147 in a World Championship final?
Yes, once. Mark Selby made the first maximum break in a World Snooker Championship final against Luca Brecel in 2023. Brecel went on to win the title, so Selby’s maximum came in a final he ultimately lost.