Jack Lisowski missed a difficult shot on the black for a maximum break (Image: WST)
Jack Lisowski was denied his first official maximum break in 13 years as he missed what would have been the ‘finest pot ever’ in the Championship League on Thursday.
The 33-year-old went agonisingly close to a 147 in the first frame of his win over Jak Jones but got his bearings wrong on the penultimate shot, leaving him with a difficult angle on the black.
Lisowski had almost finished cleaning up the colours and put himself within one shot of a maximum by sinking the pink. However, he crashed the cue ball against the middle jaw which left him with a thin snick the length of the table on the black.
NOT ANOTHER ONE! ??????Jack Lisowski follows Joe O’Connor lead from yesterday and misses the final black for a maximum break in Leicester ??????
— BetVictor Championship League Snooker (@CLSnooker)
The lead WST commentator struggled to hide his disappointment, saying: “Not another 140! Oh no, again! This time, scuppered by a lack of position. If he knocks this in, good luck.
“Oh, what do you do here? Any pocket, anywhere, it doesn’t matter. It’s got to go in. Come on, Jack! There are six pockets.”
Lisowski’s only option was to try and cut the black into the bottom right corner pocket, with the Cheltenham native going close but missing by a matter of inches.
“That would have been the finest pot ever to complete a maximum break in snooker,” said the commentator. “It’s proving elusive here. Players are getting so close but can’t quite apply the finishing touch.”
Don’t miss… [GOSSIP]
It would have been Lisowski’s first official maximum since achieving the feat at the UK Championship in 2012. He made his last competitive 147 at the Macau Masters two years ago, but the event is not sanctioned by the WST.
Lisowski’s missed attempt at the Championship League came a day after Joe O’Connor did almost exactly the same thing in his match against Tom Ford.
After reaching the colours and sinking the blue, O’Connor was left facing a difficult task with the pink slightly off-centre. He managed to successfully find the top left corner pocket, screwing the cue ball off two cushions to get into position for the black.
His final effort bounced out of the jaws of the bottom right corner pocket, leaving him to settle for a 140. O’Connor was visibly disappointed after making a mess of his shot on the black, grimacing and bowing his head in frustration.
It remains to be seen if anybody will get over the line with a 147 before the end of the Championship League, which is set to continue until February 5.