Snooker has produced numerous moments of brilliance, however it’s typically the misses that endure the longest.
In a dramatic and finally heartbreaking defeat, Mark Allen produced one such second on Saturday that might be replayed for years to come back.
Getting ready to making his maiden World Snooker Championship closing, the Pistol misfired on a routine match-ball black that finally handed opponent Wu Yize a spot within the 2026 showdown for glory in opposition to Shaun Murphy as an alternative.
It was the form of miss that felt nearly inconceivable in actual time. The sort that immediately transcends the match itself and turns into a part of the game’s wider folklore.
However the place does it rank amongst snooker’s most notorious misses?
Does it deserve a spot alongside the moments which have come to outline generations – the blacks, pinks, and blues which have formed the game’s historical past?
Under are 5 of probably the most memorable misses ever witnessed on a snooker desk. There’s no definitive rating right here – simply 5 moments that proceed to resonate for very completely different causes.
And the query is, will Allen’s botched black be part of this pantheon of notable misses which have lasted the check of time?
Jimmy White: 1994 World Championship closing
Few moments in snooker historical past carry the identical emotional weight as this.
Showing in his sixth Crucible closing, and having misplaced the earlier 5, Jimmy White stood getting ready to lastly turning into world champion in 1994.
At 17-17, he was in among the many balls with the title there for the taking. However with the profitable line in sight, the stress advised.
A twitch on a black off the spot noticed it rattle off the jaws, sparking heartbreak amongst his legion of supporters contained in the Crucible Theatre and past.
Stephen Hendry duly stepped up in true champion’s vogue to clear and deny him as soon as extra, with White by no means once more showing in one other World Championship closing.
Stephen Hendry: 1998 Masters closing
Even those that rank among the many best aren’t immune.
At 9-9 within the deciding body of the 1998 Masters closing, Hendry discovered himself able few would have anticipated him to squander.
The Scot, the dominant pressure of the last decade having already received 17 out of his 18 profession Triple Crown titles, was taken all the way in which to a respotted black in a deciding body by a younger Mark Williams.
Within the charged environment of the Wembley Convention Centre, Hendry had a straight black to the center pocket however pushed it large.
Williams duly stepped in to grab his alternative and safe his maiden Triple Crown title.
Steve Davis: 1985 World Championship closing
Undoubtedly probably the most well-known match in snooker historical past featured probably the most memorable misses of all-time as properly.
Main 8-0 early on within the 1985 World Snooker Championship closing, Steve Davis seemed set for a routine victory earlier than Dennis Taylor mounted a unprecedented comeback to pressure a deciding body at 17-17.
What adopted on the ultimate black has been replayed numerous occasions.
With the strain nearly insufferable, a ghost-like Davis – normally so medical – overcut a comparatively easy black to the nook.
Taylor, peering via his distinctive glasses, took full benefit to finish certainly one of sport’s most dramatic turnarounds.
Willie Thorne: 1985 UK Championship closing
Not each well-known miss is reserved for a black ball.
Willie Thorne was on target for the largest win of his profession, main Steve Davis 13-8 and poised to maneuver inside touching distance of glory on the 1985 UK Championship closing.
Throughout what seemed like a routine clearance, he received all the way down to play a simple blue to the center pocket however inexplicably missed it.
The momentum swung immediately. A ruthless Davis took the body, constructed perception, and stormed again to win 16-14.
Thorne by no means captured a Triple Crown title, and this second stays probably the most painful and iconic within the sport’s historical past.
Ken Doherty: 2000 Masters closing
Lastly, not all well-known misses resolve titles. Some deny historical past.
Within the 2000 Masters closing, Doherty produced an outstanding break to succeed in 140, leaving a black off the spot for a most 147.
Such feats have been nonetheless very uncommon on the time. This could have been solely the thirty sixth in skilled competitors, and simply the second ever on the Masters.
With an £80,000 sports activities automobile on provide, the stakes have been excessive. However the black stayed out, a lot to the dismay of all these watching.
The miss was made much more memorable by the shocked response of Matthew Stevens trying on from his chair.
Doherty went on to lose the ultimate 10-8, however the missed most stays the defining picture of that match.
Featured picture credit score: WST
