Mark Allen compiled the 15th Crucible 147 but hovers on the brink of elimination from this year’s World Snooker Championship after an extraordinary second session of his second round match against qualifier Chris Wakelin.
Allen fired his maximum in the 13th frame having failed to pot a single ball in any of the previous three, as Wakelin turned a 6-2 overnight lead into an almost irretrievable 10-2 advantage by the mid-session interval.
And despite his perfect break, which leaves the Antrim star at least £40,000 richer, Allen’s long wait for a maiden world title is set to continue as Wakelin duly pressed on to establish a 12-4 lead at the end of the morning’s play.
ALLEN MAKES A @MIDNITE MAX! 💥🙌
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 25, 2025
One of the great Crucible 147s — pure class from Mark Allen as he fires in the fifth maximum of his career against Chris Wakelin!#MidniteMaximum | #HaloWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/S3u3hGwyG1
It means the 33-year-old Wakelin, who had never won a match in three previous appearances at the Crucible, needs a single frame upon Friday evening’s resumption to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
Allen’s hopes of a bright start had evaporated when he missed a simple yellow off its spot in the opening frame of the day to gift his opponent the chance to extend his lead to 7-2.
What followed was a master-class from Wakelin, whose attacking intent paid rich dividends as he delivered a break of 119 and two subsequent half-centuries, scattered with shots that earned praise from the BBC’s co-commentators, Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis.
Hendry described one of Wakelin’s shots, in which he potted a yellow to the middle despite the cue ball being tight on the bottom cushion, as “one of the best shots I’ve ever seen”.
Davis hailed an “astonishing performance” by Wakelin, adding: “There have been some fantastic shots played over the years at the Crucible, but that’s up there in the top 10 for me.”
Sensing nothing to lose after the interval, Allen made his intentions plain early in the next frame, targeting a long black and riding his luck on the yellow to wrap up his first 147 at the famous venue.
Allen punched the air after sinking the black and was warmly congratulated by Wakelin. His score will earn a share of the highest break prize with Jackson Page, who hit two maximums in qualifying, and an additional £40,000 for making a 147 at the Crucible.
John Higgins and Xiao Guodong remain locked together at 8-8 at the end of the second session of their second round match that concludes on Saturday.
Four-time champion Higgins looked set to start pulling away from his opponent after getting two snookers he required to force a re-spotted black when he led 7-6.
But after appearing to have done enough to clinch the frame with a fine cut, Higgins went in-off to hand the frame to Xiao and the last two of a fascinating and hard-fought session were shared.
Mark Williams and Hossein Vafaei are locked at 4-4 after a gruelling opening session of their own second round match that continues on Friday evening, while Zhao Xintong will take 5-3 lead into Saturday’s session of his clash with Chinese compatriot Zhao Xintong.
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