Mark Allen's history-making 147 break at the World Snooker Championship made one fan very happy with a £25,000 prize going to a random member of the crowd at the Crucible.
The Northern Irishman achieved the remarkable feat during his second-round clash against Chris Wakelin at the Crucible on Friday.
Allen's perfect frame marks the first 147 of this year's championship and the 15th maximum break ever witnessed at the iconic Sheffield venue.
The 39-year-old had endured a miserable morning session, losing all four frames to trail Wakelin 10-2 in their match.
Mark Allen became the 11th player to hit a maximum 147 at the Snooker World Championship
PA
After visiting the practice table during the mid-session interval, Allen returned with renewed focus.
What followed was snooker perfection as he rattled in all 15 reds, 16 blacks and the remaining colours to complete the maximum break.
The remarkable achievement came in frame 13, with Allen not having scored a single point in frames 10-13 beforehand.
The real winner of the day, however, was 75-year-old Brian Nicholls from Tamworth, who pocketed £25,000 thanks to Allen's perfect break.
Mr Nicholls, a lifelong snooker fan, was attending the Crucible for the first time after receiving tickets as a birthday gift from his son.
The pensioner has now won more money at the tournament than some of the participants will earn for their efforts in the sport's biggest event.
The windfall came courtesy of tournament sponsor Midnite Sports and Casino, who introduced an initiative for this year's championship.
For each session, one audience member is selected at random to win £25,000 if any player achieves a 147 break.
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Mark Allen's 147 saw snooker fan Brian Nicholls win £25,000 - some birthday gift!
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The scheme mirrors a similar award at last year's World Darts Championship, when Christian Kvist's nine-darter earned a lucky fan £60,000 at Alexandra Palace.
Only players reaching the last-16 will earn more than Mr Nicholls' unexpected prize money.
Allen will receive a £40,000 bonus from World Snooker Tour for his perfect frame.
He will also share the £15,000 highest break prize with Welshman Jackson Page, who made two 147s in qualifying but failed to reach the main draw.
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MARK ALLEN HITS CRUCIBLE MAX #15! 🔥
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 25, 2025
Congratulations to the @Midnite Maximum Winner Brian Nicholls who wins £25,000 🤯👏#MidniteMaximum | #HaloWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/K2U6EQsg9K
"Unbelievable! Incredible from Mark Allen. He's 10-2 behind and not scored a point for a few frames and comes out after the interval and makes a 147! Absolutely phenomenal stuff!" exclaimed the BBC commentator.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry added: "Mark Allen, take a bow. What a performance."
Allen's achievement means he has now made 147s at all Triple Crown events - the Masters, UK Championship and World Championship.
It is the first maximum in the main draw since Mark Selby's in the 2023 final.
