The Maximum Men
History was made yesterday at the F66.com German Masters qualifiers in Barnsley as both Ali Carter and Ross Muir made maximum breaks during the afternoon session.
Four-time ranking event winner Carter was in first for his maximum, which he made to go 4-0 up on Wang Yuchen. It’s a second career 147 for the Captain, who famously made his first at the 2008 World Championship against Peter Ebdon.
Scotland’s Muir then repeated the feat by making his maiden maximum break just minutes later. The world number 69 from Edinburgh did so during the third frame of his encounter with Brazil’s Itaro Santos.
Incredibly, there could have been three maximum breaks, Judd Trump breaking down on the final red during the same session against Paul Davison.
It marks only the second time in the history of professional snooker that maximum breaks have been made during the same day, but the first in such close proximity with just a few minutes separating them. Previously, both Matthew Stevens and Ding Junhui achieved the feat back at the 2011 PTC12 event, during an incredible spell which saw four 147 breaks compiled in four days and seven in less than a month.
It is the first time since the 2013 German Masters qualifiers that multiple 147 breaks have been made during the same event, when both Gary Wilson and Dechawat Poomjaeng completed their first maximum breaks in competition.
Provided that their breaks are not equalled today, Carter and Muir will have to settle for a share of the current qualifying 147 pot, which stands at £1,000. The rolling prize was emptied in September by Shaun Murphy, who picked up £11,000 for his maximum at European Masters qualifying in Preston.
Carter’s break was officiated by Dave Palmer, who becomes the 10th referee to preside over four or more maximum breaks, while Germany’s Ingo Schmidt had his first with Ross Muir.
The breaks are the 125th and 126th maximums in snooker history and the tally for the 2016/17 season now stands at eight.
