Q World Article - Re First 147 Break - Mar 77
Patsy Fagan autographs a copy of Q World magazine
for young snooker fan Barry Cooper
Patsy Fagan made his first maximum break on his 25th birthday at Clapton Bus Garage Social Club while playing a practise game with the promising young East-ender, Dave Gilbert, a fifteen year old who breaks 70's and over.
Patsy is of course over the moon at this achievement and could not have wished for a better birthday present.
He was, he admits, in difficulties a couple of times especially on the second to last red when he had to pot it into the middle pocket with a lot of screw and side to bring it off the baulk cushion all the way up the table.
No difficulty in that, but patsy swears that a cigarette paper couldn't have gone between the cue ball and the green on it's way up the table and nobody breathed until it had successfully squeezed past.
The Clapton staff have treated Patsy as an honoured guest since he moved into the area and he's spent eight hours a day slaving over a hot table in their billiard room every day so he's especially pleased to make his first maximum there.
In fact, although the boys there have been waiting for such an event and have seen him produce many centuries, only half a dozen witnessed the break.
Patsy went downstairs to tell the others and (rather optimistically) they all trooped upstairs and insisted he play another frame. He did so, taking the first twelve reds with blacks, only to miss on the thirteenth red.
It was an incredible end to the day and if he'd succeeded in the second frame a record of two consecutive maximums would surely have stood for a long time.
...Ray Spoils It
But there was no joy for Fagan the following week when he met Ray Reardon at the Fishers, Acton. His fans were hoping to see him hammer the world champion but instead a packed hall saw their favourite thrashed 5 - 1 with Reardon rattling off breaks of 124, 78 and 70.