Why Willie Thorne narrowly missed out on five-figure jackpot despite historic UK Championship 147 break
One of snooker’s most popular and recognisable figures of all-time, Willie Thorne made history in 1987 when he compiled the first maximum 147 break in UK Championship history.
Nicknamed ‘Mr. Maximum’ due to the volume of 147 breaks he made in practice, Thorne also managed to achieve snooker perfection in professional competition, and in the sport’s second-most prestigious ranking event.
Having defeated fellow Englishman Bill Oliver 9-3 in round one at the Preston Guild Hall, Thorne faced Northern Ireland's Tommy Murphy in the last 32.
After losing the opening frame, Leicester cueman Thorne sank 15 reds with 15 blacks and then all the colours for an historic 147 break - the fourth officially recognised maximum in professional snooker history, and the first in the UK Championship.
Steve Davis crafted the sport’s maiden max at the 1982 Lada Classic, with Cliff Thorburn's 147 at the Crucible Theatre coming at the 1983 World Championship. The following year, Kirk Stevens was next to join the exclusive club after his effort during the Masters at the Wembley Conference Centre. Over three-and-a-half years later, Thorne gained membership too.
At the time of writing, 233 maximum 147 breaks have been recorded in top flight snooker. This season alone there have been a record-breaking 16, with the latest two coming in the qualifying rounds for the 2025 UK Championship.
A rarity for snooker in the 1980s, 147s back then were very big news. A huge jackpot bonus of £50,000 was on offer at the 1987 UK Championship for any player who could make a maximum, although this was only valid during the televised stages.
As Thorne's match with Murphy came in the last 32 and just days before the BBC cameras started to roll, he was only eligible for a fraction of what he could have banked in the next round, with a £5,000 purse allocated to the non-televised rounds for a 147 - ten times less.
At the ongoing UK Championship in 2025, the £15,000 highest break bonus is eligible for breaks made across all phases of the Triple Crown event - both the qualifying rounds in Wigan and the televised rounds in York.
As it stands, both Liam Pullen and Chang Bingyu - neither of whom made into the main draw at York - will equally share the £15k for the 147s they made at the qualifiers.
In recent years the World Snooker Tour has also put up an additional prize for anyone who can make two 147 breaks across that season's biggest events; last term and this one it applied to the Saudi Arabia Masters, UK Championship, Masters, and World Championship.
At the World Championship qualifiers earlier this year, Welsh youngster Jackson Page created history by fashioning a pair of 147s during the same match and unlocking the £147,000 special bonus.
Ronnie O'Sullivan also cashed the same amount this season for his double-maximum effort during his semi-final tie with Chris Wakelin at the Saudi Arabia Masters.
Thorne went on to reach the semi-finals of the UK Championship in 1987 where he was defeated 9-2 by defending champion and eventual title winner that year, Steve Davis.
Fifty thousand pounds was a very sizeable amount for professional snooker back then. In comparison, Davis scooped £70,000 for winning the UK title that year, and £95,000 for claiming the world title later in the season.
Thorne's biggest career payday was the £50,000 he received for winning the 1986 Matchroom Trophy.
Later on at the same UK Championship in 1987, Joe Johnson was just two balls away from taking the aforementioned £50k maximum bonus, but missed the final pink in frame three of his semi-final with Jimmy White.