• UK Championship

Selby records 100th 147 in snooker history

Mark Selby is in command of his tie against Ricky Walden © PA Photos

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Mark Selby recorded the 100th 147 maximum break in the history of tournament snooker en route to earning a place in the UK Championship final with a 9-5 win over Ricky Walden.

The defending champion was in command of his tie at 4-2, and took a 5-2 lead in superb style, knocking in the maximum to bag £55,000 for making a 147 and £4,000 for the highest break prize.

Quiet please, genius at work

The Rocket hit the fastest ever maximum © PA Photos

• Rewind to 1997: Few can debate the finest 147 witnessed - the honour falls to Ronnie O'Sullivan at the World Championship at the Crucible in April 1997, where 'The Rocket' lifted the roof off one of sport's most famous venues, writes Ismail Vedat.
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Throughout the event Selby has found himself trailing in all of his matches, but after Walden failed to capitalise on his early chance, the Jester from Leicester rattled in a 69 to take a 1-0 lead.

Both players squandered opportunities in the second frame as nerves began to creep in, but it was Selby who doubled his advantage.

Walden, last season's World Championship semi-finalist, collected his first frame after coming from 51-0 down to make a clearance of 56 to make it 2-1. Selby soon made it 3-1 at the mid-session interval.

Walden has beaten Mark Williams, Ding Junhui and Mark Allen to reach the last four, and once again he close the gap to one by taking the fifth frame. However, the moment of magic from Selby arrived in the seventh frame as the 147 enabled Selby to open-up a three-frame cushion at 5-2.

He played a tough pink having needed to stretch for it using his cue extension - and was all smiles with the crowd in the build-up to it - and after losing position on the final black kept his cool to roll it into the left middle pocket. He then put further daylight between himself and his opponent to end the first session 6-2 in front.

Selby moved within a single frame of the final early in the evening session, but was forced to wait for his victory after Walden staged a mini-comeback.

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