Ronnie O’Sullivan fires dig at snooker chiefs after Zhang Anda hits ‘perfect’ 147 at UK Championship

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN fired a excavation astatine snooker chiefs aft Zhang Anda deed a “perfect” 147 astatine the UK Championship.

China’s Potting Panda secured the 3rd maximum break of his vocation – and the sixth of this snooker play – successful framework 4 of his UK Championship Last 32 with compatriot Lei Peifan.

Zhang – who has changed his nickname from Mighty Mouse to the Snooker Panda – showed nerveless composure arsenic helium cleared each the balls.

The Sheffield-based potter, 32, punched the aerial arsenic helium walked disconnected for the mid-session interval portion the Barbican assemblage gave him a lasting ovation.

The satellite No.11 – who earned 4 other points for a Lei foul – volition spell down successful the grounds books for compiling the 208th 147 interruption successful nonrecreational snooker.

And whatever helium does successful the tournament this week, Zhang is successful enactment for a £15,000 bonus – though that would beryllium shared if idiosyncratic other achieves the feat earlier Sunday evening.

Should helium observe a 147 astatine either the Masters oregon the World Snooker Championship this season, helium volition beryllium eligible for a £147,000 bonus.

This was relayed to seven-time satellite champion O'Sullivan and successful a excavation to World Snooker Tour bosses, helium joked: “Okay, cool.

“So one’s not enough? You person got to marque 2 these days to get it?

“Make them enactment a spot harder! No escaped lunch! No escaped lunch, mate!”

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O’Sullivan, sitting successful the Eurosport commentary studio, added: “He’ll beryllium buzzing. It’s a large feeling to marque a 147.

“You look astatine 147s, that is the cleanable 147. He’s ne'er retired of position.

“Some radical are potting blacks from here, reds from here. I’m like, that doesn’t truly count.

“That was the cleanable break. Such a bully positional player.

“He’s truthful composed. When you person got specified bully positional play, past wrong you consciousness calm.

“You’re assured you volition beryllium connected the ball. Everything becomes a spot much calmer.”

O’Sullivan, 48, holds the grounds for 147s – his 15th was deed successful October 2018 – but famously astatine the 2016 Welsh Open, helium refused to spell for 1 arsenic the prize wealth connected connection was “too cheap”.

He turned down the £12,000 currency prize and ended up hitting a 146 instead.

Five of the six 147s this play person been deed by Asian players – Mark Allen flies the emblem for the location nations with his effort astatine the British Open successful September.