Ronnie O'Sullivan finished his 888.com World Snooker Championship match against Mark Williams in glorious style by making a record ninth 147 maximum break.
The Crucible crowd erupted as O'Sullivan potted the final ball of his magical maximum, the seventh made at the Crucible and O'Sullivan's third - he is the only player to make more than one at Sheffield.
The Rocket has over-taken Stephen Hendry as snooker's maximum man, having surpassed the Scot's record of eight. Chigwell's 32-year-old O'Sullivan has now made three this season, following 147s in the Northern Ireland Trophy and one in the deciding frame of his Maplin UK Championship semi-final against Mark Selby.
This one came in the last frame of a 13-7 defeat of Williams and put him through to the quarter-finals to face Liang Wenbo or Joe Swail. The match looked in the balance going into the concluding session at 9-7, but world No 5 O'Sullivan produced an incredible display of break-building to win the four frames he needed within 44 minutes.
Runs of 71, 60 and 100 put him 12-7 ahead, then he split the reds early in the next frame, clearly setting about a maximum from the early stages. He was never out of position, playing a superb shot on the 13th black to dislodge one awkward red from the pink, then dished up easily.
Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson stopped their match on the adjacent table in the closing stages of the break, then joined Williams in congratulating O'Sullivan, who will collect a £157,000 jackpot providing the 147 is not equalled.
It's the 62nd 147 in snooker history and sixth of the season - three for O'Sullivan plus one each for Jamie Burnett, Tom Ford and Stephen Maguire.
O'Sullivan was in majestic form throughout the match against Welshman Williams, also a two-times world champion, making four centuries and seven more breaks over 50.
The result means that Williams is out of the top 16 after 12 years among the elite, though he looks to be safely in the top 32 for next season.
Crucible 147s
1983 Cliff Thorburn
1992 Jimmy White
1995 Stephen Hendry
1997 Ronnie O'Sullivan
2003 Ronnie O'Sullivan
2005 Mark Williams
2008 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Tags: snooker Ronnie O'Sullivan 147 World Championship Sheffield 28.04.08 vs Mark Williams maximum break the rocket action
