Big money bonus for century breaks on the World Snooker Tour

A new concept to the top tier, the World Snooker Tour (WST) recently announced details on the tons bounty on their website.

Centuries made in any WST event throughout the term will count towards a player's tally. So far, two tournaments have been completed this term - the Championship League Ranking Event and the Shanghai Masters.

Judd Trump currently leads the way with the most centuries in the 24/25 season with 10 - all of those being made at the recent Shanghai Masters in China where he broke the tournament record for most tons in a single campaign.

Only two players in the history of professional snooker have compiled 100 century breaks in a single season. Australia's Neil Robertson was the first to reach the feat in 2013/14 when he made 103; his 100th memorably coming at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Trump was the second player to arrive at that landmark in 2019/20 when he notched up 102 three-figure contributions.

This new £100,000 bonus prize is only available to the first player - if any - who gets to 100. However, the WST clarified: "If two (or more players) reach the 100 milestone having played the same number of frames in the same round of the same tournament, then the bonus will be shared."

With the 2024/25 snooker season set to be the busiest campaign ever with new events being staged, there is a very decent chance that a cueist will claim the kitty. Although with the re-introduction of the tiered format being used in several competitions, the top ranked players - those most likely to threaten the prize - will be playing fewer matches as they enter events later.

It will also be interesting to see whether this tempts some of snooker's biggest names not to skip events. There is also the BetVictor Home Nations Bonus which carries a £150,000 fund.

This centuries initiative is definitely an intriguing one and a narrative is likely to develop throughout the coming months.