Aaron Hill compiles his maiden 147 in professional competition, already the ninth maximum break of season

The 23-year-old from Cork - currently 45th in the world rankings - struck perfection in the opening frame of his match against Yao Pengcheng at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.

‘The Breeze’ went on to win the match 4-2 - registering further runs of 64, 67 and 72 in the process - to tee up a tie with Stephen Maguire in the round of 64.

Hill’s 147 puts him in pole position to scoop the £5,000 tournament highest break bonus, but going on current form when it comes to maximum breaks this season on the sport’s top flight, there’s a decent chance he’ll have to make do with sharing the prize.

That’s because an incredible nine 147s have been constructed this season already - and we’re still only in the first half of September.

This remarkable sequence of excellency was ignited by Fan Zhengyi in the middle of July at the Championship League Ranking Event.

A few weeks later, Zhang Anda made one at the Shanghai Masters before three maximum breaks were crafted at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah - one by Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, and astonishingly two from Ronnie O’Sullivan during the same match in his semi-final against Chris Wakelin.

O’Sullivan’s historic effort was the first time that a player has made more than one 147 during the same session of a professional match. Earlier this year, Welsh youngster Jackson Page was the first cueist to hit two maximums within the same match, although they came in different sessions on different days in the World Championship qualifiers.

At last month’s Wuhan Open, champion Xiao Guoodong - who went on to successfully defend the title - struck a 147 in his opening match, and the to next day Un-Nooh followed suit with the sixth maxy of his pro career.

Zhou Yuelong swelled the seasonal 147 tally to eight when he achieved the feat of perfection in Xi’an Grand Prix qualifying at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester last week.

And now, Ireland’s number one Hill has got in on the act, scoring the 226th official maximum break in professional snooker history.

It now looks very likely that the record for the most 147s made in a single season will be broken at some point during this campaign; it may not just be broken, but completely smashed, as the current record is 15 that was set last season.

Hill's stock within the sport continues to rise. A former European under-18 and under-21 champion, Hill has carved out a reputation for giant-killing, defeating several of the sport's top stars on the big stage. Within weeks of turning professional in 2020, Hill eliminated then reigning World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in front of the live television cameras at the European Masters.

But now, Hill is more consistent than ever before, and with no current tour relegation concerns, he is looking upwards, aiming for deep runs and trophyware.

A two-time ranking event quarter-finalist, Hill has enjoyed a fine start to the 2025/26 term, winning at least one match in every tournament he has competed in, so far.

At the Wuhan Open, Hill dispatched world number two Kyren Wilson and current Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan in successive rounds before being pipped 5-4 by Zhang in the last 16.

Visit our 2025 English Open tournament information centre here for the draw, results, and details on the format, schedule, prize money, and how to watch.