What is Behind Snooker's Unprecedented 147 Surge?

At what point does a maximum become a 180? When it's Ronnie O'Sullivan, crafting more history. That's when.

In a season when snooker's perfect frame, once considered as elusive as the Abominable Snowman, has made frequent appearances on television, it was left to O'Sullivan to show that nobody does it better. Sinking his second 147 in barely two hours at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, O'Sullivan secured a historic £180,333 in prize money.

As his half-century milestone arrives in December, O'Sullivan possesses an audacious streak that sets him apart. Almost three decades after his legendary five-minute 147 at the Crucible, he continues to be must-see entertainment.

But O'Sullivan, who starts his quest for a unprecedented ninth title, is not alone in understanding the path to a maximum. There have been an eye-watering twenty-five already on the professional tour in 2025, smashing the calendar year best of 14.

'Any tour professional is now capable'

"You can imagine Moira Stuart in 1983 coming on the Six O'Clock News and informing the nation Cliff Thorburn's had a 147 at the Crucible. It would now get missed because it's just like, 'oh, there's been another 147'."

That's the assessment of Shaun Murphy, fourth on the historical rankings with 10 maximums. He is not wrong. Thorburn's maximum was a defining moment for 1983's television viewer. It was only the second official maximum, with Steve Davis achieving the first. Davis' prize? One of the sponsor's cars.

There were just 8 147s across the whole 1980s, a snooker decade bursting with theatrical storylines and larger-than-life personalities. For pure technical standard, nothing touches the current one.

"Professionals are pursuing their career records and the tour are putting incentives out there," notes Murphy. "People are more aware of these challenges. They're practising for them."

Legendary figures like Alex Higgins did not achieve a maximum break on tour. Nor did fellow world champions. Yet rising star Aaron Hill made a pair inside four weeks. The 23-year-old is amazed that Higgins never managed one.

Hill says: "There will be a lot of players who are still waiting. It was always a goal to have my name on the board. The buzz is unreal. Everyone on the tour now has the potential. We're almost expecting one in every tournament. It's everyone pushing one another."

What is the secret to a 147?

"In my opinion if there is a knack to it, it's seeing it early," explains Shaun Murphy. "If you come to the table early and pot a couple of reds and some blacks, and you see the black's available to both pockets... we all think 'hang on a minute, there's a 147 on here'.

"I've always been proud of the one I made in the Shoot Out because I tried to make it from the very first pot. To have the personal challenge and then get it in the cauldron of the Shoot Out was pretty special."

Murphy describes the unique atmosphere: "When you're on a maximum, everyone in the room knows it and it intensifies their attention. Everyone's focus fixates on you." Are maximums losing their magic? "I don't think so."

What's next if the 147 code has been cracked?

• Snooker awaits its first ratified 147 by a woman. The Chinese player Bai Yulu compiled a 145 at a recent championship.
• Two 147s in the same match has been achieved. Two in back-to-back frames next?
• The one-five-five (a 147 plus eight points from a free-ball scenario at the start) has never been achieved in competition. Footage exists of a player making one in practice.
• The 167 is "perhaps the next step," says Murphy, referring to a new format involving a golden ball for a massive financial prize.

The chase for the record is on

Murphy suggests the explosion of maximums is easily explained. "My belief is everyone's getting better. Some of the players down the rankings that the average fan have never heard of, on their day they can beat anyone."

The improving "standard and reliability of playing conditions" is also cited as a factor. But ultimately, the players are the ones sinking the balls.

Hill has two maximums. O'Sullivan holds the record of 17. "Watch out Ronnie, he's coming for you." It is meant lightheartedly, but Hill fancies the chase.

"By the conclusion of my career, I believe I'll be well up there with maximum breaks," he declares. At the very least, players now go about their daily business with the thought that the next frame is full of potential.

Pot the red, add the black. Rinse and repeat.