One of the biggest achievements in sport, what price can you put on a maximum break in snooker? Well let’s check in with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
‘The Rocket’ has the record for most 147s in the history of professional snooker with 15, but that tally could be one higher.
O’Sullivan began racking up 147s in 1997 at the World Championship, with his most recent in 2018 at the English Open.
The mammoth task consists of potting 15 reds followed by 15 blacks before all colours are then dispatched.
However, twice has O’Sullivan intentionally stopped himself along the way.
In 2010 the West Midlands-born star threatened to give up on a maximum break but was persuaded not to by referee Jan Verhaas, yet in 2016 he went the whole hog.
The then-40-year-old was facing Barry Pinches in the first round of the Welsh Open and he had the crowd on the edge of their seats having potted 14 reds and 13 blacks.
Yet he decided to rob them of the most epic sight in the sport, opting for an easy pink next up rather than the black.
And to show how in-form he was and how simple that feat would have been, he then cleaned the table for a 146 and a 4-1 victory.
Leaving the arena with a grin, O’Sullivan then made a comment which didn’t exactly go down well.
“I could have got on the black and possibly made a 147,” he told the BBC.
“I knew it was 10 grand [prize money] and I just thought that’s a bit too cheap, really. To make a maxi, it’s such a massive achievement and if they’re going to pay us 10 grand, I think it’s worth a bit more than that.
“Once the prize goes up a bit, I’ll go for the 147. A 146 is just as good!”
The prize could have actually been less, at £5000, but it was a rollover as no 147 was recorded the previous year.
On top of that, O’Sullivan would have taken £2000 for the tournament’s maximum break, but his decision to snub five figures was a PR disaster.
Fans were angry, and so was World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.
“This is not a crime, but a shame,” he said. “Players have a duty to the fans to deliver the best standard and entertainment they can.
“Anything less than playing to their best ability is unacceptable and disrespectful to the paying public.
“Great entertainers entertain, it’s what they were born to do. Money doesn’t really come into it.”
Later explaining himself further, O’Sullivan said: “I knew it was £10,000. I could have done it, but I didn’t think the prize was worthy of a 147. So I’ve tried to let it build up until it’s worthy and then go for it.
“It’s like going into a Mercedes garage and when they say that you can have the car for £3,000, you reply, ‘No way, that’s too cheap. I’m not buying it for that’.
“Certain things have value, and a 147 is a special moment. I want it to feel special all round.
“But the punters still got value for money today. Now they’ve got something more to look forward to. There’s still room for improvement.
“You like to entertain your fans. It’s like a film. You want them to come back and watch the next one.
“There is no point in giving them the best ending they’ve ever had. Leave room for a better ending next time.”
That break would’ve been O’Sullivan’s 14th maximum, and they haven’t exactly been flooding in since.
He added his 14th and 15th in 2018, but hasn’t recorded another in the past six years.
But has he puts it, everyone’s looking forward to the next one, just as long as the price is right.
