Did he do it? Is the cloth on a snooker table green?"Just to win a frame of snooker with a shot like that the pressure would be enormous," Spencer said "But to have to face thathe must have been in turmoil. The clearance was launched by a long red but it could have broken down several times for want of getting in position, particularly when Hendry potted a red in mid-table and pushed the pink alongside the blue.The best was reserved for the last, however. Perhaps he hoped some of the magic might rub off on to himself.The feat, for which Hendry wins £147,000 from the sponsors (unless lightning strikes twice and the prize is shared), was the greater for the unhelpful position of the balls. As he completed his clearance he thumped the air and White, his opponent, went over to shake his hand.

You can run out of superlatives when you refer to this extraordinary 26 year old. Only two players had achieved a 147 maximum at the Embassy World Snooker Championships before - Cliff Thorburn and Jimmy White - and neither had been at such a high-pressure stage as the semi-final. John Spencer, the former world champion and chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, described it as "the greatest frame of snooker I've ever seen in my life". Even for a man who is better acquainted with perfection than most, it was a remarkable achievement. He had one ambition, however, and that was to make a maximum break on television, preferably at the game's spiritual home, The Crucible Yesterday that dream was realised. He completed the race in 121 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes and 46 seconds.. What Stephen Hendry wants he tends to get.

Four world titles for a start and enough prize-money to make a National Lottery winner envious. SAILING Christophe Auguin, of France, has won his second consecutive BOC Challenge round-the-world solo yacht race. Only three players remain from the Springbok team which beat Western Samoa a week ago.TOUR MATCH (Johannesburg) Northern Transvaal 52 Western Samoa 16.WEDNESDAY'S LATE RESULT Club match: Cheltenham 15 Moseley 10.. Derek Eves will captain Bristol for the final time as he is to stand down after five years, while Gareth Archer will make his league debut after joining the side from Newcastle Gosforth. The South African selectors have named an almost completely experimental President's XV team to face Western Province in Cape Town tomorrow. RUGBY UNION Kyran Bracken returns for Bristol at Leicester tomorrow, after recovering from a groin strain.

GOLF PERRIER PAIRS TOURNAMENT (Paris) First-round (four-ball) totals (GB or Irl unless stated): 59 J Bickerton and D Lee; 61 F Cupillard and F Tarnaud (Fr); 62 A Cejka and H Thul (Ger), P Fulke and M Gronberg (Swe), R Boxall and D Cooper, J Robson and S Watson; 63 E O'Connell and P Walton, P Broadhurst and R McFarlane, R Claydon and P Eales, S Ballesteros and J-M Olazabal (Sp), D Robertson and C Ronald, S Cage and I Pyman, O Edmond and B Telleria (Fr), D Clarke and P McGinley, R Burns and C Mason, M Mackenzie and D Ray; 64 C Montgomerie and I Woosnam, R Chapman and P Way, P Baker and D J Russell, M Besanceney (Fr) and V Fernandez (Arg); 65 M-A Jimenez and J Rivero (Sp), C Larrain (Ven) and D Westermark (Swe), J Bland and J Hawkes (SA), P Moloney and T Price (Aus), B Lane and M Roe.. Avon Insurance Combination First Division: Charlton 2 Wimbledon 1; Oxford Utd 0 Crystal Palace 1; Southampton 1 Millwall 3; Swindon 0 Arsenal 0 Second Division: Plymouth 0 Cardiff 1; Yeovil 1 Hereford 3 League Cup: Cheltenham 2 Birmingham 0.. Interlink Express Midland Alliance: Bolehall Swifts 5 Oldbury 0. Hereward United Counties League Premier Division: Bourne 0 Holbeach 1. Great Mills League Premier Division: Tiverton 6 Paulton Rovers 0. Pontins League First Division: Aston Villa 0 Coventry 1; Bolton 0 Blackburn 0 Second Division: York 2 Manchester City 0. Northern Counties East League Premier Division: Hallam 4 Pontefract 1; Stocksbridge 1 Belper 4.

Jewson Eastern League Premier Division: Stowmarket 0 Lowestoft 2; Woodbridge 1 Great Yarmouth 0. Federation Northern League First Division: Guisborough 3 Ferryhill 1; Northallerton 2 Peterlee 0. Unijet Sussex County League First Division: Crowborough 1 Langney Sports 6; Pagham 0 Peacehaven 2; Wick 2 Ringmer 0. UniBond League First Division: Caernarfon 1 Eastwood Town 2; Workington 0 Blyth 5. Diadora League Third Division: Collier Row 3 Southall 0; Cove 1 Flackwell Heath 1. Carling North West Counties League First Division: Holker Old Boys 2 Darwen 0.