Snooker star Jackson Page has already guaranteed himself a very handy cash prize just under a week before the World Championship gets officially underway. Defending champion Kyren Wilson, as per tradition, will start proceedings at the Crucible Theatre on Saturday but a host of qualifying ties have already taken place.
The rest of the sport are vying for a place alongside the top 16 seeds in Sheffield, with four qualifying rounds taking place before a ball is even struck at the Crucible. Welshman Page was one of those in action at the English Institute of Sport and blitzed into an 8-1 lead over Allan Taylor.
Page made the first 147 break of his professional career in the eighth frame as part of a commanding performance. He made three half-century breaks in addition to a 109 and that maximum to bring up a 6-1 lead, then adding a 94 break, with the best-of-19 match concluding on Monday.
The 23-year-old not only put himself closer to a third Crucible appearance, but he is also now in line for the £10,000 bonus for a maximum during qualifying. There is also a £15,000 award for the highest break in the entire competition, including qualifying and the tournament proper, which Page is guaranteed at least a share of.
Should the Ebbw Vale-born potter see out the tie and then overcome either Joe O’Connor or Iulian Boiko in the final round of qualifying, he will receive an additional £20,000.
If Page makes another maximum break during the competition, in either qualifying or the tournament proper, he will receive an extra bonus of £147,000 – up for grabs to any player who makes two 147s in a season’s Triple Crown event.
Thai player Noppon Saengkham hit the only maximum of last year’s event during the qualifying rounds. Page’s 147 is the 13th of the 2024/25 season, equalling the all-time record for a single campaign.
Page, who turned professional in 2019, is eyeing his third trip to the World Championship. Last year he was thrashed 10-1 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round.
His best performance came on debut in 2022, having beat Barry Hawkins in the first round before falling to fellow Welshman and mentor Mark Williams in the last 16.
And regardless of the rest of his tournament, Page can already count on a significant cash reward as a result of his maximum against Taylor.
2025 World Snooker Championship prize money breakdown
Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finalists: £100,000
Quarter-finalists: £50,000
Last 16: £30,000
Last 32: £20,000
Last 48: £15,000
Last 80: £10,000
Last 112: £5,000
Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000
Total: £2,395,000