Make mine a double 147

Two maximum breaks were made today at the PTC12 in Sheffield.

Picture by Monique Limbos

It's the first time there's been a double helping of 147 breaks in a single day's competitive play at a professional tournament in the history of the game.

This great achievement does show how the standard of break building continues to improve but we shouldn't kid ourselves as it's also clearly the result of more matches being played.

The first man to find perfection was Matthew Stevens in his 4-0 win against Michael Wasley.

Stevens is rather surprisingly only the second Welshman to achieve a competitive 147, following in the footsteps of Mark Williams who made his first at the World Championship in 2005.

Picture by Monique Limbos

This fine feat was later repeated by Ding Junhui who added a third to his impressive collection in a 4-0 victory against Brandon Winstone.

He also struck maximums at the Masters in 2007 and the UK Championship in 2008.

It's no surprise to see Ding's impressive record.

He's one of the most efficient break builders the game has seen, and could easily go on to match maximum masters Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, who have made 11 and 10 147 breaks respectively.