Coming to the Crucible is always special, but it became even more so for one fan as he pocketed £25,000 thanks to Allen’s maximum.
One of the event’s sponsors, Midnite Sports and Casino, has been running an initiative where for each session of this year’s World Championship, one person in the crowd is selected at random and if a 147 happens, on either table, they win £25,000.
The lucky prize winner was named as Brian Nicholls from Tamworth, a lifelong snooker fan who had never been to the Crucible before and was bought a ticket by his son as a present for his 75th birthday.
He told the media he fancied taking his family on a cruise to America next year with the winnings.
“Twenty-five grand is a lot of money, it’s lovely,” he said. “I wasn’t calm, my heart was pounding. After the yellow, that was the ball where I thought ‘it’s on’. My son had pointed out a possible 147 with a few reds left.
“I though he [Allen] had blown it when he got to the yellow as they are only human and can make a mistake. When that black went in, wow, lovely!
“I couldn’t believe it. The Crucible is a wonderful place, I’ve been walking around it having a look around. I hope Mark wins his match tonight and wins the tournament – I wanted to kiss him!”
