Snooker star completed ultra-rare feat never seen on TV – but nobody filmed it

How English snooker star Jamie Cope could have done with a camera in 2006.

Cope enjoyed a respectable career on the baize as he made it to two finals at ranked tournaments, the 2006 Grand Prix and the 2007 China Open.

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The 39-year-old also reached his highest world ranking in September 2010 when he climbed up to 13th.

However, Cope’s finest moment may have taken place back in 2006 during a practice match.

That’s because the Staffordshire native recorded the ultra-rare feat of a 155 break.

The maximum break in snooker has traditionally been the 147 given it is the most points a player can accumulate without an opponent’s error.

However, a 155 break is actually the highest score that can be obtained without the direct involvement of their opponent.

There is only one way a 155 break can occur and that is thanks to the free ball rule.

The free ball rule stipulates a player is permitted to nominate a different ball to pot in the unfortunate event they are snookered on the object ball after a foul is committed.

Thanks to the free ball rule, a player must then nominate and pot the free ball, which counts as one point.

The player needs to then pot the black as the colour before going on to record a maximum 147 break.

It is a feat that is rarely thought of from the wider public given it has never occurred on a televised tournament.

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However, Cope could have made history in 2006 had his 155 break been filmed given it would have been the first to be captured on video.

Unfortunately for the 39-year-old, there was no video evidence even though there were physical witnesses.

Instead, the honour of the first 155 break being captured on camera belongs to Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who accomplished the feat at a local snooker club in 2021.

Upon potting the final ball, Un-Nooh exploded with joy as he offered plenty of fist bumps and raised his cue in the air.

Un-Nooh, ranked 43rd in the world, was lucky enough the CCTV at the venue recorded his epic feat.

The Thai cueist owes plenty to former snooker pro Mike Dunn given he owned the snooker club that played host to Un-Nooh’s accomplishment.

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Dunn uploaded the clip to social media, cementing Un-Nooh as the first to record a 155 break and have it captured on video.

But for those who witnessed Cope’s historic break, they’ll at least have a memory they won’t forget for some time.