http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsGY0eE_8w
Anyone watching Stephen Hendry at the Crucible yesterday could have been forgiven they had been transported back 20 years after the dour Scot delivered a brilliant maximum break in Sheffield.
Hendry claimed the maximum break in the seventh frame of his World Championship first round encounter against Stuart Bingham, which he led 8-1 overnight and should finish the job without too much difficulty when play resumes today.
It was Hendry’s 11th ever maximum break and his third at the Crucible, equalling the record of Ronnie O’Sullivan, a man with whom Hendry has enjoyed an uneasy relationship at times in the past.
To make his achievement all the more special, Hendry had only just returned from a 10,000 mile round trip to China on Friday and barely had time to practise heading into the match.
The seven-time World Champion isn’t the player he was – his current World ranking of 23 is testament to that – but if he can keep pulling out breaks like this he could cause an upset, something that will be required if he faces John Higgins in the next round.
Back in the day, Hendry would have received a serious windfall for making the 147, which traditionally was worth £147,000 as well as an additional sum for the highest break, but that award was abolished a couple of years back. In fairness, he hardly needs the money anyway.
Commenting on the maximum, Henry said: “I have a match still to win, but the 147 was probably one of my best, position-wise, and it was absolutely fantastic to make a third maximum at the World Championship.
“I felt really good out there, and the jet lag – well, sleep is for wimps. It’s the new way, fly into Sheffield the day before with no practice!
“That [the 147 break] ties me with Ronnie and there is no better feeling than to make one here.”
One man, of course, who will forever be associated with the maximum break for all the wrong reasons is our own Ken Doherty, who came mightily close to making one at Wembley a few years back…
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