Revisiting Snooker’s great moments: Ken Doherty misses 147 at 2000 Masters against Matthew Stevens
The 26th Benson & Hedges World Snooker Championship final 2000 is considered as one of the most prestigious events of snooker.
Matthew Stevens won that title for the first time in his career with a frame score of 10-8 but the news which floated all over was also the heart breaking 147 attempt from Ken Doherty.
Ken who has compiled more than 250 centuries in his career is a solid break-builder, whenever found around the balls, very renowned as a clever tactician and also known as “Crafty Ken,” tried making an attempt for his first 147, at Wembley Conference
Centre. A huge crowd and his opponent all got turned down when after doing all the hard work Ken Doherty lost his nerves on the very last black ball.
When Ken had potted all the red balls with all the blacks, he looked very tense playing the colours. Although he apparently was not showing it off but he was seen composing himself playing every single colour from yellow to black, and there was a round
of applause on almost every shot he played especially on the colours.
After potting the yellow with the rest he could not come up on the green as he wanted but he recovered pretty well. The green was also not difficult at all but the pressure which he had on his nerves, made it look difficult.
Doherty potted and placed every ball so perfectly even when anyone could have judged him in pressure. His opponent Matthew Stevens was looking even tenser as he was doing breathing exercises sitting in his chair many times. Doherty potted the two more
difficult balls brown and blue as they were never easy and under those circumstances were surly not. Ken executed all the shots very well, made a perfect position for the pink and finally coming up on the black ball.
It was one of the simplest blacks one could think of and a shot which Ken may not miss 999 times out of 1000, but he missed it. Like it has been said by Ronnie O’Sullivan that when you make a 147 break there comes a time when you feel the pockets are
becoming closer and closer. Ken Doherty succumbed to the pressure there, hitting the black in the jaws. There was silence everywhere afterwards for a while until the crowd gave him a big round of applause and was on its feet. His opponent Mathew was very disappointed
and so was Doherty of course.
Although he won his prize money for the maximum break of the tournament, 19,000 pounds and another 85,000 pounds for being the runner up.
Ken said later on that he should have taken more time on the last shot. He also said that he would have loved going home in a new car, as the prize for the 147 break was a new Honda sports car worth 80,000 pounds. On the top of it he said that he had
come all the way for the title which anyhow he has lost and is very disappointed.
His opponent Matthew Stevens said that this 147 miss was a heartbreaking moment for the 1997 world champion Steve Davis and also for almost a crowd of 25,000 people including himself.
Tags: