Unofficial maximums

[Nugget]

I was more than surprised when i learned Joe's max was made from a crash bang wallop. Makes a mockery of it being official, let alone the 1st official 147

Where did you find this out? I'd be very interested to hear more about it...

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iv read it and in sure clive everton has said about the crash break off to start joes "max" in commentary

[Nugget]

Just if anyone's interested, here's a passage from "The Breaks Came My Way" by Joe Davis, about the 147:


http://www.eaba.co.uk/books/davis/chapter20.html

Apart from the 600th century this only left me with one burning ambition; to score the elusive 147. And I finally made it on Saturday, January 22nd, 1955 - only a week before the Leicester Square Hall was closed. It was a fitting climax for the venue which had seen so many records made and was one of the greatest moments of my life. Particularly appropriate was the fact that at the time I was playing an exhibition game against my old mentor Willie Smith.

If I was to make the 147 at Leicester Square this was really my last opportunity and I knew I would have to take some chances. So I did just that. When I had an easy pot for some lesser colour I ignored it and went every time for the black. Fortune was favouring the brave on this occasion and the atmosphere was electric. As I passed the century one excited spectator shouted, a la Wilfrid Pickles: 'Come on, Joe - have a go!' I had to smile: 'What do you think I'm doing?' I shouted back.

Thirteen reds went down followed by thirteen blacks but it was on the next red that the break looked as though it would founder.

I know that people tend to concentrate on the value of the colours and imagine that potting the red is a matter of course - but a ball is a ball, and they each have to be potted. This time I had left my cue ball quite on the wrong side of the red for the easy short shot I had intended, so that I had to send it all of 10 feet along the side cushion into the baulk pocket. It is a shot that I have tried many times since and failed on almost every occasion. But this time, as soon as I played the stroke I shouted: 'It's in!' And it was, too.

To avoid stopping to think I scrambled the rest of the balls down as fast as I could and only had the jitters over one further shot. As the final black was still on its way into the pocket Willie Smith threw his arms round me and I was engulfed by a cheering mob, some trying to chair me round the room and others attempting to shake me by the hand. It was a jamboree such as the hall had never seen and would never see again.