YORK, England, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion and world number two Mark Selby scored the 100th maximum in professional snooker's history as he beat Ricky Walden 9-5 in the semifinals of the UK Championship at the York Barbican on Saturday.
The maximum is worth 55,000 pounds from the rolling prize for ranking events plus an extra 4,000 pounds for the high break. If world top-ranked Neil Robertson, whom Selby will meet in the final, cannot equal the score, Selby will pocket the prize by himself.
Selby, who led 4-2 over Walden, got the pack of reds open early in the break and picked them off with blacks before taking the colors. He played a superb shot on the brown to go around the angles and finish on the blue. The pink was tricky, played with his cue extension, and he left the cue ball on the top cushion. But Selby rolled a brilliant black into a center pocket to complete the 147.
Selby will take an extra 150,000 pounds for the winner's prize if he beat Robertson. He will also regain the top position in the world rankings.
Asked about the 147, Selby said: "It came from nowhere because we were both struggling at the time. It was the perfect break up until the green, then it was hard work for the last few balls. I missed the final black on a 147 in China last season and that did cross my mind, though I wasn't thinking about the 59,000 pounds. I managed to hold myself together. I just hope Neil doesn't make one tomorrow and take half the money."