By:
Graeme Hanna
Mark Allen has offered a £100,000 alternative suggestion after the World Snooker Tour (WST) confirmed the renewal of the ‘Century of Centuries’ bonus for the upcoming 2025/26 season.
The Antrim man has called for the finance to be distributed among lower-ranking players below the top level, to support up-and-coming stars, as well as ordinary pros.
The WST incentive will see the £100,000 windfall awarded to the first player to record 100 centuries during the snooker season. It is a great prize for a laudable feat, but realistically, is it within reach for all but the very best in the game? Probably not.
That is a view shared by Allen and backed up by precedent.
Last season, the ‘Ace in the Pack’ Judd Trump was the runaway winner in the first season the prize was offered. To put it into perspective, the world number one-ranked player is one of only two men to achieve the feat, repeating his first-time success of 2019/20, followed by the ‘Thunder from Down Under, Australia’s Neil Robertson, in 2013/14.
After the WST confirmed last week that the ‘Century of Centuries’ accolade was in play for the new season, snooker journalist Phil Haigh commented on social media to suggest the motivation for the prize could be to encourage players to enter and play in as many tournamanents as possible, in the extended contemporary format with various events throughout the year.
While there is merit to that line of thought, top snooker pros, including Allen and 2025 World Championship finalist Mark Williams, questioned how equitable the award is.
The Welshman opined that “only two or three players can possibly win it”, while the 39-year-old Antrim native responded to state the money should be sent down the snooker pyramid.
https://twitter.com/pistol147/status/1927710489208906102
WST and snooker sponsors ponder reaction to ‘Century of Centuries’
“Why not take the 100k and run a side event during one of the players’ series tournaments for those not qualified? I think there’s loads on offer for the top players as it is,” said Mark Allen.
It reflects well on ‘The Pistol’ that he is thinking of others in the game who aren’t operating at the elite level, and his sentiment is clearly echoed by other leading figures in the game.
At this stage, it is very unlikely that the snooker tour would suddenly remove the ‘Century of Centuries’ incentive, but it should provide food for thought for the Tour body as well as sponsors.
WST CEO Simon Brownell said: “This is a brilliant initiative, which provided a great narrative throughout the course of last season. It was a huge achievement for Judd and he deserved both the standing ovation he received at the Crucible when he made his 100th century and the £100,000 bonus. We will start the new season with a fresh slate and all players have an opportunity to shoot for the stars and see if they can make it to a century of centuries.”
Image credit: Mark Allen/X
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