Un-Nooh! Missed pot costs Thai snooker player HK$500,000
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh only needed the black for a 147, but rushed it and missed – and then tournament organisers told him the jackpot he missed out on
What's worse than fluffing a maximum break in snooker on the very last ball? Discovering that mistake just cost you HK$500,000.
That was the cruel fate that befell Thailand's aptly named Thepchaiya Un-Nooh at the UK Championships late Tuesday when a rushed final pot saw the black ricochet off the cushion.
Thepchaiya could barely believe his misfortune, returning to his seat crestfallen, his head in his hands.
But the poor player's disappointment was compounded after the match against Australia's Neil Robertson when he was informed a successful maximum break would have netted him £44,000 (HK$513, 774) from the tournament organisers.
“£44,000? I wish you'd told me before the black,” Thepchaiya replied. “There was too much pressure.”
Only a handful of professional players can boast of a maximum 147 break.