Stephen Hendry scores maximum 147 break against Murphy

STEPHEN Hendry made a magical 147 maximum break to stretch his lead over Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals of the Betfred.com World Championship.

The Scot's clearance of 15 reds and blacks, followed by the colours, came in the seventh frame of the match.

Providing no one matches it, in which case he shares the prize money, Hendry will receive £157,000 for the feat.

The sponsors will also pay £147,000 to the Sport Relief charity.
Hendry moved 5-2 ahead after his maximum, having made an outstanding start to the match this morning.

After potting a tricky pink and running the white up through baulk and back to the black, which was on its spot, Hendry left himself with another difficult shot to complete his feat.

The black wobbled in the jaws of the pocket before dropping in, handing Hendry his ninth career maximum.

Seven-time champion Hendry now has nine career 147s to his name, the same number as Ronnie O'Sullivan.

This was his second at the Crucible, having made his first against Jimmy White in 1995.

O'Sullivan has made three of the nine 147s at the Sheffield theatre.

Hendry is bidding for an eighth world title, and his first since 1999.

He was well on top against Murphy in the early stages of their tussle.

Murphy, 26, blundered in the fourth frame when he missed a black after putting together a run of 61, and Hendry cleared up in two scoring visits to pull clear.

Hendry had lost the opening frame from 47-0 up, but a break of 117 in the next brought him level at 1-1.

Hendry showed his appetite for the challenge in the best-of-25 match by taking the next two tight frames.

Although they shared the two which followed the resumption, Hendry will have felt he should have won the second of them, however Murphy cleared up with a break of 61 to pinch it.

There was no stopping Hendry on his maximum mission though, and the crowd rose to acclaim his terrific clearance.

Meanwhile O'Sullivan's conqueror Mark Allen was 5-3 up in his match against Welshman Ryan Day at the end of their opening session.

Cliff Thorburn made the first World Championship maximum in 1983, in his match against Terry Griffiths.

White compiled the second, in 1992, Hendry grabbed the third three years later, while Mark Williams and Ali Carter have also clinched maximums.

Last year was the first time two players had made 147 breaks in the same World Championship, when Carter and O'Sullivan shared the glory.

O'Sullivan had scored his two previous Crucible maximums in 1995 and 2003. The 1995 effort was the fastest on record, at five minutes and 20 seconds.

Murphy responded well to going 5-2 behind today, clinching the final frame of the session with a break of 73.

They resume this evening.

Reflecting on his 147, Hendry said: "It's a tremendous feeling and I'm absolutely delighted."