Snooker: 147s through the decades
Today sees the final of the World Championship, snooker's leading tournament contested by the very best of the best (and the odd qualifier). The longest single competitive match in the whole of snooker, it is the ultimate test of a player's ability, taking place over two days and 35 frames. Newcomer Judd Trump, the second youngest player to reach the final, will face off against World Number 2 John Higgins for the honour of a place in history alongside the all-time greats of the sport.
The 2011 championship has been an exciting tournament, but one thing is quite notable in its absence. The 147 break represents the greatest score one can legitimately achieve in a single frame, officially achieved 77 times in almost thirty years and only ten times in World Championship snooker (one of which, Robert Milkins' in 2006, was made in the qualifying stages). We have yet to see one at Sheffield in 2011, but there is still time for Trump or Higgins to follow in the footsteps of those detailed in the remainder of this post.