Mark Allen achieved a historic 147 maximum break during his third-round match against Ben Mertens at the British Open, despite having earlier criticised the table conditions at Cheltenham Racecourse’s Centaur Arena.
Mark Allen made a 147 maximum break during his third-round match against Ben Mertens at the British Open. This remarkable achievement came after Allen had previously described the conditions at the Centaur Arena at Cheltenham Racecourse as “absolutely embarrassing,” stating that the table “needs to be burned.”
Prior to his match against Mertens, Allen won a final-frame shootout in his opening match of the tournament against Gary Wilson. Following this victory, he publicly criticised the playing conditions. Subsequently, Allen offered an apology to interviewer Rob Walker on social media platform X for his outburst.
Allen, who is ranked world number three, continued his impressive performance by defeating Aaron Hill 4-1 in the subsequent round, setting up his match against Belgian player Mertens. During this match, Allen claimed the opening frame before executing the fourth perfect clearance of his career. The 147 break included a noteworthy double into the middle pocket for the 10th red, ultimately leading Allen to a 2-0 lead before he secured a 4-1 win with a 77 break.
If no other player equals Allen’s 147 break in Cheltenham, he stands to receive the £5,000 high break prize.
In the evening session, Allen faced Chris Wakelin, who had earlier defeated David Grace 4-2. During this match, Allen narrowly missed achieving another maximum break, making a 99 in the fourth frame. Meanwhile, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh also had a maximum chance earlier in the day, missing the 13th red in his first frame against Ricky Walden, which he won 4-3 to advance to play Mark Selby in the last-16.
Furthermore, John Higgins, who recently reached 1,000 career centuries, participated in a three-hour all-Scottish clash against Graeme Dott, ultimately winning 4-2. Other notable performances included world number one Judd Trump securing his 21st win from 23 matches this season, defeating Mark Davis 4-2. Oliver Lines edged out Sunny Akani 4-3, while World Champion Kyren Wilson achieved breaks of 80 and 95 in his 4-0 win over Marco Fu, and Luca Brecel claimed a 4-1 victory over Liam Davies.
Allen’s exceptional performance at the British Open, irrespective of his earlier harsh criticism of the table conditions, underscores his prowess in the sport of snooker.
