The first-ever televised 147 in Snooker by Steve Davis
It was Steve Davis vs. John Spencer in the final of the Lada Classic at Oldham, Greater Manchester on January 11, 1982, where the first-ever televised 147 was made by Davis.
Steve, who already had won the UK championship in 1980 and the world championship in 1981, made the crowd stand on their feet. It looked pretty much like an ordinary frame but not many would have thought about the first ever maximum.
It was John Spencer who broke the frame and made the white hit the jaws, leaving the cue ball with in the reds. That probably was the worst break off ever by Spencer. Steve after giving it a thought took the first red into the centre, making an easy black
for himself, whom he potted beautifully placing the other red with the help of a canon. There were almost seven open reds on the table, which were not very much difficult to pot. But Davis rather potted the third black making an angle on the red ball to go
into the bunch.
Steve potted the red for the fourth black making a canon with only a few reds and made a few more reds for himself. He almost lost his position after when he potted the fourth black but instead of playing a safety shot, Steve showing his confidence, played
a beautiful double into the centre pocket, again coming up on the black.
It was the moment when the crowd first clapped and started becoming excited. Steve potted the 5th black making the cue ball hit the reds for positioning another red, for the sixth black. Steve Davis took a bit of time
on the 6th black thinking about placing of the next reds. That was the point from where everybody started smelling the possibility of a maximum snooker break.
Steve took all the blacks afterwards until he was left with two difficult reds, one into the centre and the other one was also a bit difficult for the black’s placing. The crowd was almost electric by that time and even the commentators were sounding under
a bit of pressure.
However, it was magnificently played by Davis, as he pulled back the cue ball from almost a straight red into the centre, for the black. Although it was not placed very accurately and was never easy under those circumstances but he did it, leaving himself
a confident long pot for the last red. Potting it with a beautiful stun and making the 15th black ball, made the crowd even more electric.
On every shot Steve played almost after the 13th black, there were claps from the crowd. Finally he came onto the colour balls, which looked very simple to pot but the stage where he was at that time, nothing was easy.
Steve showed up nerves of steel there to pot those colour balls, but the after the brown’s pot while placing the blue, he again went a little out of the position. It all happened because of the pressure in which he was at that point of time. However, Steve
after giving a little smile for the misplacement of the blue potted it into the centre pocket by playing a magnificent cut shot.
Now Davis was left only with the pink and black. After the blues, which was not placed properly, the cue ball landed on an impossible pink, which was almost dead straight. It was the time when everyone in the crowd and the people seeing the match on their
television, were having their fingers crossed, praying for the pink’s pot.
Steve Davis pulled out an impossible shot with the help of a rest, by potting the pink with a deep backspin to come up on the final black. Though he did not land properly on the final black, it was again a difficult cut, but he made it and became the first
person to make the first televised 147.
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