Maximum joy but Allen beaten by Wakelin at Crucible

In a thrilling World Championship second-round contest, England’s Chris Wakelin defeated Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen with an “incredible” 147 break.

After losing the first four frames of the morning on Friday, Allen led 10-2. In the first frame following the restart, he immediately went straight to the practice table and delivered Snooker’s moment of perfection.

He became the eleventh player to achieve a 147 at the Crucible. The tournament’s 15th maximum was achieved there, marking the first time in the history of the event since Mark Selby’s clearance in the 2023 final.

However, world number 20 Wakelin, who defeated former world champion Neil Robertson in round one, held his composure and won 13-6 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Allen’s second 147 of the season, his fifth of his career, was the maximum break, having made one against Ben Mertens in his third-round contest at the British Open.

The achievement ranks as the 217th highest total in snooker history, earning 39-year-old Allen £45, 000. If a different player receives a 147 in the tournament, the cash prize will be split.

In the 18th frame against Wakelin, Allen had a chance to add a second maximum, but he was denied after potting 11 reds and 10 blacks.

Allen would have collected an additional £147, 000 if he had made two 147s, which are available to any player who wins the World Championship, Masters, UK Championship, or Saudi Masters.

The maximum was described as “absolutely phenomenal” by seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry in a BBC TV interview. Unbelievable . Incredible from Mark Allen.

Coming to the Crucible is always special, but one fan’s $25,000 profit came as a result, earning even more with Allen’s maximum.

One of the event’s sponsors, Midnite Sports and Casino, has started a program whereby one person in the crowd is chosen at random for each session of the World Championship and receives a prize of £25,000 on either table.

Brian Nicholls, a lifelong snooker enthusiast who had never been to the Crucible before and who was given a ticket by his son as a present for his 75th birthday, was the lucky winner.

He claimed to be interested in taking his family on a cruise to America the following year with the money.

He said, “Twenty-five dollars is a lot of money, and it’s lovely.” My heart was pounding, and I wasn’t at peace. That was the ball I thought “it’s on” after the yellow. With only a few reds left, my son had predicted a potential 147.

“I believed Allen had blown it when he reached the yellow because they are only human and can make mistakes.” Wow, how lovely that black was when it entered!

Three-time champion Mark Williams of Wales, who lost to Iran’s Hossein Vafaei in his final-16 match, finished level at 4-4 on Friday morning.

Williams’ 67 in frame four, which made it 2-2, provided the only break above 50.

Williams said he hopes an eye operation in June will help him advance in snooker after winning in the first round against China’s Wu Yize.

Williams, who turned 50 in March, claimed that within six months of his birthday, his “eyes had” completely disappeared and his vision had deteriorated significantly.

Vafaei, 30, was also experiencing shoulder pain and was frequently seen stretching between frames.

At 19:00 BST, the third session of three takes place in the evening.

Through his two matches with China’s Xiao Guodong, the four-time champion’s final session will start on Saturday at 10:00 BST, with John Higgins drawing level at 8-8 at 8:08.

When the cue ball also entered, Higgins thought he had taken an 8-6 lead when it went back to a re-spotted black, which he potted, but immediately lost the frame.

Lei Peifan and Zhao Xintong, both from China, defeated 2024 champion Kyren Wilson and runner-up Jak Jones, respectively, in the first round.

Zhao won the final three frames with breaks of 53, 97, and 61, giving them a 5-3 lead in the first session of their final-16 game.

Zhao is currently only an amateur, but he will make his full tour debut the following year.

Following a 20-month suspension, he returned to the sport in September. In a match-fixing scandal, he was one of ten Chinese players to receive punishment.