Mark Allen faces handing back a substantial amount of his prize money after bagging £40,000 with a brilliant 147 at the World Snooker Championship on Friday.
The Northern Irishman treated the Crucible to its first perfect frame at the World Championship this year, punching the air in celebration as his opponent Chris Wakelin congratulated him.
It came at a tough time for the former world number one, having lost four frames in a row to go 10-2 down.
But after sinking the final black, it meant that Allen, who has since gone 12-4 down, will at least be leaving Sheffield with something - a cool £40,000 after scoring a 147.
Mark Allen hit a 147 on Friday afternoon
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As part of an initiative from tournament sponsor Midnite Sports and Casino, any player that hits a maximum will land £40,000 in prize money with £25,000 also going to a random member of the crowd.
Allen's 147 saw 75-year-old Brian Nicholls from Tamworth pocketing the bonus, who has a heartwarming story to go with it.
However, the former Masters and UK champion will not be taking the full £40,000 home - with thed taxman expecting his slice.
According to a UK tax calculator, a £40,000 bonus will see approximately 20% given to HRMC for income tax.
That will see his earnings drop to £32,321; nearly £8,000 less than the original payment received from the tournament organisers.
Still a healthy amount but a sizeable chunk looks set to be lost, while this does not take into consideration Allen's other earnings this year, potentially nudging this number up.
The 39-year-old's 147 saw him become the 11th player to do so at the World Snooker Championship, and the 15th maximum in the main draw stage of the tournament's history.
It also saw the Crucible witness its first perfect break since Mark Selby's in the 2023 final.
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Mark Allen is set to lose £8,000 from his £40,000 prize bonus to tax
PA
Allen's 147 was his first at the Crucible, meaning he has now made maximums at all Triple Crown events - the Masters, UK Championship and World Championship.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said on commentary: "Mark Allen, take a bow. What a performance."
Allen is one set away from crashing out of the tournament to Wakelin, with the evening session set to start from 7:00pm.
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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
Elsewhere, Mark Williams is currently tied 4-4 with Hossein Vafaei going into the evening session.
The two have history, infamously clashing at last year's tournament when Vafaei refused to shake Williams' hand, prompting the Welshman to exclaim: "What's your problem?"
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