Shaun Murphy became the first player to make a 147 in the BetVictor Shoot Out, scoring the sensational maximum in his opening match against Bulcsu Revesz.
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European Under-18 champion Revesz, age 16, travelled from Hungary to Swansea for this event and played just one shot, the break off, then had to sit and watch as his opponent potted 15 reds with blacks and added the colours for a landmark maximum. There were several tough shots towards the end including a difficult pot on the third-last red to a baulk corner, but the Magician made every ball disappear.
The break is extraordinary given this event’s unique format with a shot clock of 15 seconds for the first five minutes and ten seconds for the last five. The Shoot Out has been running since 2011 and previously there had been just 27 centuries in 12 years, the highest a 142 from Mark Allen.
It’s the eighth 147 of Murphy’s career, bringing him level with Judd Trump. Only four players have made more – Ronnie O’Sullivan (15), John Higgins (12), Stephen Hendry (11) and Stuart Bingham (nine). It’s the 194th official maximum in snooker history and fifth of the season, and it will earn Murphy the £5,000 tournament high break prize unless it is equalled.
“Sometimes you spot a chance to make a 147 early and I was trying from the very first shot,” said world number seven Murphy, who goes into the random draw for the last 64 which will take place on Thursday evening. “That’s one of the best maximum I have ever made, I’m buzzing. Once I had split the pack I knew it was a good chance. On 96 I played for the difficult red, and after that every ball I hit went in the middle of the pocket.
“At exhibitions I am always trying to interact with the crowd, so I embrace this event. This is showbusiness and we have to entertain the people who have paid money to watch us. I am going to enjoy this and celebrate tonight because 147s are very rare in any format.”
Stan Moody got off to a winning start by beating Rory McLeod, and the tour rookie admitted that he has felt the weight of expectation more since turning pro.
Highly-rated Moody, age 17, first played in this event when he was 15 and beat Lu Ning to reach the second round. “When I played in this two years ago I was less nervous, probably because when you’re young you don’t feel as much pressure,” said Moody today after a comfortable win over McLeod.
“There is expectation on me now to win, whereas before I was just this kid who had a wild card. It’s different now I’m a pro. But it was great out there and the crowd was on my side which helps. This is one of the best arenas I have played in.”
Moody, who reached the last 16 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in October, has been practising with last season’s winner Chris Wakelin to prepare himself for this event. “He didn’t give me any tips because he wants to win it again!” joked Moody. “Chris did so well to win this last season, particularly making a century in the final.”
Julien Leclercq, who was runner-up to Wakelin last season, beat Andrew Higginson with a break of 67 while 2021 Shoot Out champion Ryan Day got the better of Anton Kazakov.
International Championship winner Zhang Anda came from 41-6 down to beat Muhammad Asif with an excellent break of 51, while Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui recovered a 37-0 deficit to beat Liam Highfield with a run of 54. European under-16 champion Jack Borwick, a 16-year-old amateur from Scotland, knocked out Adam Duffy.
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