THAI cueist Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is slowly becoming the most unlucky snooker player in the world.
Un-Nooh created more unwanted history as he missed the final black for a maximum 147 break for the third time in his career on Monday.
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Un-Nooh narrowly missed a tricky cut on the black in the second frame of his 6-4 win over China’s Lei Peifan.
It came during qualifying for the International Championship in Sheffield.
Having won the first frame, Un-Nooh stormed into the second, as he swept opponent Lei Peifan away.
And as he approached his final two shots, he potted the pink, but the white overran.
The world No.38 was faced with a cutback into a top pocket or an attempt at the right middle – and it became his third time unlucky.
Uh-Nooh went for the more difficult shot and marginally missed.
The 39-year-old threw his head back in disgust and even went to the pocket to examine just how close he was to 147 glory.
But it wasn’t all bad – he did go onto win the frame and the match.
What is a 147 break?
A 147, also known as a maximum break, is the highest possible score in a single frame of snooker.
It’s achieved when a player pots all 15 reds, then all 15 blacks, and finally all six colours in a single visit to the table.Â
A 147 is considered a remarkable achievement in snooker, comparable to a nine-dart finish in darts.
Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the record for the fastest 147, which he made in five minutes and eight seconds during the 1997 World Championship.
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Un-Nooh already held an unwanted place in snooker history as the ONLY player to have missed the black for a 147 more than once.
It first happened when Un-Nooh missed out on £44,000 when he missed the last ball at the 2015 UK Championships.
A year later he fell at the last hurdle again in his bid for a 147 break in a World Championship qualifier against Anthony McGill.
He has made four maximum breaks since turning professional in 2009.
Uh-Nooh is one of only two players to hit a 155 break, with the other being Jamie Cope in a witnessed practice match in 2009.
The 155 can only be achieved thanks to the free ball rule if an opponent fouls at the start.
This allows a player to nominate a different ball to pot if they are snookered on the object ball following a foul.
The rules of snooker
THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls – and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
- Yellow – two points
- Green – three points
- Brown – four points
- Blue – five points
- Pink – six points
- Black – seven points
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot – going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it’s their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player’s turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball – reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player’s turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.
