It is a demonstration of mastery of the sport. The result of years, sometimes a lifetime, of work, a 147 has few contemporaries.
There were 14 tournaments in the 2010s with multiple 147s. There were 16 between 19, but a further 10 in 1999 alone.įinancial incentivisation has encouraged players to go for them, and it’s been self-fulfilling, as the more players completing a 147, the more achievable it seems. There were just eight 147 breaks in the 1980s. Has the 147 been devalued by over exposure to the public? Maximums have become more common – there has been 22 147s since the start of 2018 – and that could impact its case in this debate. Athletics world records are broken frequently. Ronnie O’Sullivan, who tops the best snooker players list, has the most ever with 15 to his name.Įvery Le Mans has a winner. The criticism, though, is that they perhaps happen too often, but that is a growing issue with 147s, too.Īs of March 2020, there have been just 156 maximum breaks in the history of snooker since Steve Davis registered the first in 1982. And as an individual sport, it probably slots into this better than most. The absence of a clear definition for this ‘feat’ is an issue.Ī nine-darter would be darts’ best rival to the 147. The reliance on teammates is problematic, but that’s the same with a perfect game.Ī player could get all 10 wickets for 12 runs, and they could get all 10 wickets for 350 runs. Perhaps a 10-wicket-innings is cricket’s best entry. Scoring 135 to keep the Ashes alive while Jack Leach cleans his glasses isn’t equal to the last and the next.
That feels like it belongs in a different conversation.Ī gargantuan effort like Ben Stokes’ 135 not out against Australia in the 2019 Ashes seems like it should have some place in this discourse.Īgain, though, Stokes’ knock was a one-off, and while that is what makes it so remarkable, it is hard to define it as a sporting feat. The next game could see someone score a 50-point triple-double or a hat-trick with more flair and importance.Īn unbeaten league season, while historic in its own right, is a team feat rather than individual. A hat-trick can always be bettered, as can a 40-point triple-double.
#GAMES OF SNOOKER 147 SERIES#
Pitching a perfecto wins your team a game, gets scribbled down on Wikipedia and warrants celebration, but it doesn’t collect a World Series trophy.įootball and basketball don’t have direct comparable feats. A perfect game, which is far rarer, in Major League Baseball is that same fixed, defined feat. Each sport has its landmarks, but many don’t have a definitive achievement like a 147. The same cannot be said of a Le Mans or Monaco win. Pitting Le Mans against a 147 is a far from ideal fit.Ī 147 can happen at any time, each maximum is equal to the last and the next. Team efforts like Le Mans aren’t ideal comparisons with snooker. Someone will pass Kevin Mayer’s decathlon world record. World records are broken, even those that seem superhuman. There are ‘feats’ in every sport, achievements that while not necessarily warranting a medal or trophy, that write that contestants name in the history books forever.Ī world record in an ironman will do that, as will a Le Mans victory or a perfect game in MLB. The circumstances are so specific, the play has to be so precise, that it is a sideshow to the match itself.Ī 147 is still worth a solitary frame, it doesn’t guarantee a victory - apart from the 21 times it’s been a match-clinching break.Ĭompleting a 147 is cause for celebration, yet it is oddly irrelevant in a wider context beyond earning that player a piece of history. Snooker walks the line between being a game and a sport.įor its fans, many of which are greatly committed, it is as highly skilled as any sport in the world.Ī maximum break isn’t something to worry about when it comes to snooker betting. Along with darts and a handful of others, the limited physical exertion can see it derided. Snooker’s place in the world of sport is questioned at times. Away from tournament victories and rankings ascension, a 147 is a career landmark. Regardless of a person’s view on snooker at the Olympic Games, the significance of a 147 shouldn’t be downplayed. The margins for error are minute, and at times, a dollop of fortune is needed too. A 147 requires planning and faultless execution.
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