Shaun Murphy hit only the sixth 147 in the history of snooker’s Masters tournament as he beat semi-final opponent Mark Allen in style.
Murphy potted 15 reds and 15 blacks before clearing up the colours, and he punched the air as the 2,200 fans inside Alexandra Palace gave a standing ovation.
Allen, one of only four players to have previously achieved the feat at the Masters since its inception in 1975 along with Kirk Stevens, Ding Junhui (twice) and Marco Fu, shook Murphy by the hand and offered his congratulations.
The Northern Irishman had led 2-0 before Murphy hit back with four frames in a row, eventually winning 6-3.
He will now play world champion Kyren Wilson for the title after the reigning world champion beat the current world number one Judd Trump by the same score in Saturday’s second semi-final.
Murphy got off to a slow start as Allen took the opening two frames before he reduced the deficit and then made an 83 break to level the match at 2-2 heading into the mid-session interval.
On the resumption, Murphy did not allow his momentum to be checked by appearance from the ‘Ally Pally wasp’, going on to take the lead after a break of 54.
The balls then broke perfectly for a maximum attempt in the next frame, two days after ‘The Magician’ had fluffed a chance when he snookered himself at 120 in his match against Neil Robertson.
This time he did not let the opportunity slip as he wrote history in the Masters – and gave himself every chance of taking home the £15,000 prize for the tournament’s highest break.
Once the dust had settled from the celebrations, with the crowd on their feet, world number four Allen dug in to make a half-century and reduce the arrears to 4-3.
Any hopes of a comeback, though, were soon dispelled as Murphy made 72 to take the next and then completed victory after a safety battle.
“I can’t believe it. It was an incredible moment, one of the best of my snooker career,” Murphy told BBC Sport. “I have wanted to make a 147 in one of the BBC events since I was a child.
“I had a great opportunity the other day and totally messed it up. I had great support from the crowd, who were absolutely amazing.”
Wilson produced a dominant performance to join Murphy in the final, finishing in style by winning four frames in succession capped by a century.
He led 2-0 early on after breaks of 61 and 89 but Trump hit back to take the next three. Wilson moved through the gears in response, recording runs of 76, 88, 85 and 106 to secure a memorable win.
“I’m delighted to make my second Masters final,” said Wilson. “I really had to dig in. I wasn’t 100 per cent but thanks to the crowd for giving me the adrenaline I needed.”
Looking ahead to his battle with Murphy, he said: “I hope he doesn’t make any more maximums. Shaun’s been playing incredible all week.”
