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Updated 16/11/2023 at 13:55 GMT
Mark Selby claimed a historic maximum 147 break in the final of the World Snooker Championship earlier this year. In a bid to encourage more players to achieve the feat, the World Snooker Tour has announced that they will be introducing a new bonus of £147,000 for any player who hits two maximum breaks during the upcoming Triple Crown Series, starting with the UK Championship.
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The World Snooker Tour (WST) is set to offer a £147,000 bonus to any player who makes two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown Series.
Players will be able to win the cash prize if they make either a 147 (or a 155 including a free ball) on two occasions during the qualifying stages or the finals of the 2023 UK Championship, the 2024 Masters or the 2024 World Championship.
The 2024 Masters will follow in January, before Luca Brecel sets out to defend his World Championship title in April 2024.
The WST also stated that the bonuses will be paid in addition to high-break prizes on offer at each event.
“There is nothing quite as exhilarating in snooker as a maximum break, those moments bring us to the edge of our seats,” WST Chairman Steve Dawson said.
“And we’re making that achievement all the more special this season during our Triple Crown events.
“We’d love to see at least one player make a 147 at the MrQ UK Championship which would give them two more tournaments to chase the bonus.”
The last maximum at the UK Championship came in 2021 where Gary Wilson claimed a 6-2 victory against Ian Burns.
Earlier this year, Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby both made 147s at the World Snooker Championship.
Selby’s historic maximum came against Brecel and was the first ever to be recorded in the final of the tournament, earning him a £40,000 bonus.
It came 40 years after Cliff Thorburn made the first ever maximum break at the 1983 tournament during his 13-12 victory over Terry Griffiths.
Dawson added: “Last season we saw maximums from Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby at the Crucible – imagine the thrill if there was an extra £147,000 on the line!
“The skill level in snooker now is higher than ever and we expect this new prize will give the players extra motivation to go for maximum breaks.”
The chairman also clarified that players who make more than two maximums could be entitled to claim an even bigger bonus.
He said: “Up to three players could win this bonus, for example if three different players each made two 147s then they would each win £147,000. Or if one player made six maximums then he would bank £441,000!”
In the history of professional tournament snooker, 192 maximum breaks have been made.
Steve Davis was the first to achieve the feat in 1982 at the Landa Classic, while Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the record for the most maximums at 15.
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