Alex Higgins 104 Break 2 minutes 55 seconds Vintage Footage 1972

[@richardsmegma5081]

Bunked off school to see him in my local club in the early 80s. Alex was as good as gold. Played a few frames, cracked a few jokes, insulted Steve Davis, then someone drove him off in a Mini. All in an afternoon's work!

[@peterhodes6708]

I saw Alex a few times in the 70,s , fantastic to watch, usually drank 1 pint per frame!! Thanks for posting!😀

[@MrPaulc222]

That was phenomenal. Good to see the referee get into the spirit of things with his extra-fast respotting.

[@jackcalder2937]

Brought snooker from back street billiard halls to the mainstream. They all owe Alex

[@Mike20216]

Yes and he rarely gets a mention today when they talk about the all time greats

[@sononekoh]

@@Mike20216 sometimes see Jimmy White giving him some love whenever the greats are mentioned.

[@NightShooter87]

@@Mike20216 That's probably because he wasn't one. He was a great innovator and had genius moments, but he wasn't consistent and lost to better strategic players, but good to watch.

[@hurricane155]

I played Alex, he was always my idol so it was a dream come true, and as luck would have it, met him 3 or 4 times after, the last time we met and spoke I could obviously see he wasn't great, but we'd a great afternoon regardless ,most of it me moaning at him to be the people's champion again,and contrary to what the tabloids printed,he Was really trying to eat,he hadn't given up,his fans meant everything to him, my last conversation with him was about a month before he passed, on the phone ,his last words to me were, be lucky babe. Rest in peace Hurricane, you'll never know how much we miss you ❤

[@charlespring5296]

That first shot to pot the red and jump the white over the pack is miles ahead of its time

[@Mike-1000]

Very clever shot, in fact I'm playing tonight - might give it a try !!!

[@olafhermans]

ridiculously good

[@tanikazeno3087]

Yeah also Alex's iconic super screw back from reds zone back to bulk colors area after a long pot, didn't see others did that in his era. Quite usual for pros nowadays.

[@Mike-1000]

Didn't try the shot last night as was using my friends Aramith 1G balls. Would have been a bit rude to be jumping them about :)

[@oxstorm644]

it wasn't played, he was trying to go into the reds

[@stuartchapman7934]

Alex 'Hurricane Higgins' . . . Absolute Snooker Genius and Legend, this Amazing Century Break in front of a mesmerised crowd tells all about the totally unique talent Alex possessed, Pure Poetry in Motion. 🙂🎯👊💯💯

[@JJSnookerChannel]

Alex was a great of the game. Such natural talent and flair and loved the crowds watching. Entertainment was in his blood. RIP Alex 🍀

[@petergroverd6626]

He was a trail blazer of the game. RIP Mr Higgins.

[@mickfarrell7630]

The footage of this break was actually edited to match the 2mins 55 seconds claimed by a spectator in the 1972 documentary. The break is already on 6 when the footage starts and the part at 25 seconds where the camera scans the crowd edits part of the break. The missing footage can be found on the pathe video channel. The break time is around the 3 mins 24 seconds mark.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Thanks for this. Still an amazing clearance 👍🏼

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Couldn't find the missing footage - do you mean British Pathé? I couldn't find any other ...

[@markfellows2268]

The modern generation of players have a lot to thank Alex for, he really was an entertainer and brought a new brand of exciting snooker to the masses, that the likes of Jimmy, Ronnie and now Judd took on.

[@danielgonzalezmartin3440]

You are confused: 3:21 Listen the referee when said: 2 minutes and 55 seconds

[@mickfarrell7630]

@@danielgonzalezmartin3440 The referee did not say it. The frame was refereed by a scottish gentleman. The guys who said 2mins 55 had Lancastrian accents. The break was incorrectly timed at the exhibition and the footage was edited to match the time called out at the end of it. I think the producers of the documentary would have been better off showing the break in it's entirety - the narrator pointing out the spectator/mc slight timing mistake - then cutting to Alex to ask him what his fastest ever century was or something like that.

[@Mike20216]

Magnificent, the man who made snooker popular

[@lorcandonovan3254]

Like Georgie Best. An enigma of sport. Everybody waited up till the early hours of the morning to see him play on TV.

[@vule-ll8zu]

That’s why they call him the hurricane

[@whatsrememberedlives1526]

WE

[@analogkidabc]

I started reading the comments and he'd finished before me. Amazing.

[@djknox2]

I had the privilege of watching Alex play every summer in Toronto back in the mid to late 70s. He had some great battles with folks like John Spencer or Cliff Thorburn. To get his autograph however, my dad knew where to find him: at the bar concession inside the CNE pavilion.

[@MichaelParkinson-wz1nh]

I wonder if, the person that invented snooker, had Alex Higgins in his vision when he came up with the game, the first genius i ever saw, and was probably the reason I took the game up, in fact definitely the reason. RIP hurricane. 💙.

[@nvpoolshooter]

Lots of us Yanks enjoy snooker and play some ourselves. We can really appreciate the great cueing the great snooker players bring to the table. Higgins was a lot of fun to watch with his freewheeling style.

[@juchetony1910]

amazing stuff. He slowed down quite a lot as he got older.

[@JJmoony]

As far as I’m concerned this man was the greatest to ever pick up a cue! Thanks for sharing this gem of a vid.

[@ngc-fo5te]

No. Just no.

[@CornishTigerTV]

After ronnie

[@darrenleelayton6052]

That guy's groan at the beginning is wonderful! 😂

[@Dat-yi4iz]

2 min 55 sec for the century and he’s drinking u just had to love him

[@pavarotti744]

at that time he had an unmatched brilliance all his own. Perhaps more natural ability than any player ever has, past, present or, future....that's my opinion based not only on what he did and the way he did it but, contrary to any other of the great players you care to mention, Higgins had no technique to really speak of, just an instinctive feel given him by nature.

[@Dat-yi4iz]

Snooker is a tv sport because of this guy he made a potentially boring game into pure entertainment man in the street can relate to him heart on his sleeve just amazing then white O’Sullivan etc kept it going this old footage always good to see

[@ericmilligan3]

I watched him pot all Reds all Blacks, Yellow, Green and missed the Brown, 125, so close to a 147. Worthing 1981 against Davis.

[@philbryntirion]

I have a BBC Pot Black book compiled by Reg Perrin that states Alex Higgins made a break of 122 against Patsy Fagan during the Irish Professional Championship at the Ulster Hall Belfast in 2 minutes 45 seconds.

[@barath4545]

I wouldn't even question that fact, given that we right here have video evidence within 10 seconds of that claim.

[@eltonjohntributedeantorkin197]

Big pockets compared to now

[@thomas-fq1wi]

​​@@eltonjohntributedeantorkin197its a club table slow as a week in jail you try it

[@tanikazeno3087]

1972.. He was 22 and just won his first World Champion. A record (youngest world champ) holds until Hendry breaks it in 1990 (age 21).

[@MyGallaghers]

my hero the one and only

[@ecosse1982]

When snooker halls charge by the hour and you are a skint wee boy, you don't hang about.

[@Matthew-vx5pm]

Absolutely sensational stuff 🙏🏻

[@ZillianZilch]

Alex made a lot of money for a lot of boring players that followed him. He made snooker a TV sport.

[@strongteee]

A wonderful entertainer and a good snooker player.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Fantastic refereeing

[@sj460162]

Awesome. Never seen this

[@good_one_raggy]

You still haven't. Who's the fucking cameraman?

[@sj460162]

?? Sorry bud I didnt understand your comment..​@@good_one_raggy

[@good_one_raggy]

@@sj460162 the camera work is so poor you can't see most of the shots

[@sj460162]

@@good_one_raggy lol im with you bud...shocking work

[@gwyn111]

Never knew this footage existed! I remember seeing on a snooker documentary it mentioned Alex regularly get centuries in "under three minutes" and thought it was a mistake until now. I thought they meant to say under 4 minutes, given the record for a century was Tony Drago's 3 mins 33 seconds, however looks like they got it from this footage, with the example to back it up. Obviously he never did it this fast in a tournament though, as Tony has the record for that.

[@ericmaldonado6374]

Alex ... the real deal 👏🎱👏👏👏 , a true people's Champion 🏆🏆🏆🏆

[@heerkojohanneskooistra6708]

This is great stuff ! it was harder in those days to make a 100 plus break , balls were a lttle bigger and heavier, cue,s were not as good.

[@sebastianolivier768]

Amazing

[@ibbotsoni]

Incredible

[@hamzahussain9490]

Legend

[@TheProf62]

Fantastic century, and ridiculously quick, but certainly not under three minutes, as the first red we see is actually the third or possibly fifth ball of the break, as it takes the break to seven points. Still, absolutely insane talent.

[@edisonsubandi7231]

Just like Ronnie…. 👌👌only incredible cue action Alex 👍👍

[@paulbennett4009]

Except twice as quick and on slow tables as well

[@benflannaghan4204]

Some great players there watching in awe, think I saw Ray Edmunds looking astonished

[@JK-tr2mt]

Close up is better than todays tournaments. Was he quicker to his 100 than O'Sullivan when he made his 147 in 5 minutes? I must watch that to see! Just checked Ronnie's 100 came in 3 minutes 55 seconds! Wow. Higgins was quicker!

[@davegonnaway6007]

Awesome.

[@porkyparry1]

I was at a pro celebrity charity golf event at walton hall in warrinton, following Bill Roach from corrie, pretty boring stuff really. Then on the third tee we heard a commotion further up the fairway, so we went to see what was going on. Higgins was in the bunker taking swipe after swipe at his ball plugged in the sand and swearing like a trouper.

[@neilcarpenter2669]

Amazing snooker player maybe the most talented to ever play the game, terrible human being when he had too much to drink which he often did .

[@deanwalker9605]

Astonishing footage

[@p4rf252]

If you guys think this is crazy enough just remember that in the latest interview before he passed away, he said that he once made a 118 break in 2 mins 4 seconds

[@SC-g2b]

Amazing 🎱

[@sdickinson5234]

Nobody can beat that time. The referees are too slow now.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Very true. Same with Ronnie's fastest 147 (5 min 8 Seconds?) - no ref would be able to keep up with that today.

[@Rdg____]

The hurricane baby !

[@peteromalley1548]

The show man

[@laganas2008]

Great video. I'd love to see footage of the world final in this year when he won, but I dont think there is any.

[@Robc--jd6yh]

Which one? 1972 or 1982? There is plenty of 1982

[@laganas2008]

@@Robc--jd6yh I meant 1972. It would be great to see footage of the final session and final frame but I don't think it was ever recorded.

[@KP-oe8sk]

I played Alex in 1977 at a RC Legion in Toronto!!! He drank more than he made!!! The table was a Borroughs and Watts Steel rail and it was dead level!! very hard to make anything over a 50 run!!! He was a very nice Fellow.

[@ianwilliamson2980]

nice wouldent be a word i would use for alex.he was all but that .

[@KP-oe8sk]

@@ianwilliamson2980 HAHAHAH!!I was being kind!!!! He had his ass handed to him here in Toronto as there where tons of Guys who could beat him like a British Mule!!!

[@rayfinkle2805]

@@ianwilliamson2980knew him personally did you?

[@Gurualvin]

@@rayfinkle2805 good question.

[@Mike-1000]

@@rayfinkle2805 It's well documented and spoke about that Alex could be a right pain. An absolute Snooker legend though - of that there is no doubt.

[@RFED2O]

Because Alex was definitely 💯 ahead of his time for sure

[@yankorusev]

Genius😮

[@seanmccombie6379]

Always thought Drago had world record for fastest century in just over 3mins

[@MatthewBluefox]

The sentry in under three minutes, just like Ronnie. :)

[@topneorej]

I heared a rumour that he once finshid a bottle of wodka in under 3 minutes...

[@SheffieldSteve791]

Im 55 now been playing full size since 1986 in 2006 aged 37 got my first century 118 break.. but no one ever hss made it look this easy even on a club table this is brilliance

[@bartonbank2531]

Raw talent

[@bartrainer3916]

He is in the Zone.

[@richardedwards9389]

Big pockets but still amazing to watch.

[@hihelloh]

@2:39 This is one of the technique I also use in my game.

[@MS45636]

wow thats some footage that

[@francisfox9171]

He re-invented snooker for the modern age..we wouldn't have had Jimmy or Ronnie without him. But even John Virgo, one of very few in the game still talking to him by the late 90s, admits in his book that Higgins was often an utter pain in the a###, assaulting, insulting, ripping-off or letting down just about everyone prominent in the game during his career. If he could've kept his awful personality in check, he could've been the greatest player of all time. But he couldn't..so he wasn't. However....the 69 break against Jimmy in 1982 will NEVER be surpassed...utter wizardry.

[@jamesbarlow9755]

👌

[@joemorgan636]

He was absolutely the bollocks

[@johnswarbrick2365]

He wasted time chalking his cue.

[@jefo4213]

it would be nice if you could watch it. WHERE IS THE BREAK

[@georgebolam-gb2lg]

I remember as a young man instead of going our on the town we would stay in if Alex was playing ....snooker owes him a lot for what he got paid back in the day...for the money that was made for the crowds he brought into the arena. ..people made a lot of money out of him.....

[@ianwilliamson2980]

he wasent even running round table amazing fellow.

[@jakobtoftfrandsen3416]

How many people have walked on that table with boots on?

[@garypritchett8136]

Referee couldn’t get them out the pockets quick enough!!

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

True. Would have taken a minute longer though with today's refereeing...

[@MrTrapper28]

What a hustler.

[@jumbo8996]

He has such a quick brain. This makes O’Sullivan look like Cliff Thorburn…

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Lol

[@sukwini684]

glass on the table and walk away. Goat things. Too easy.

[@WillyEckaslike]

when pockets were half the size

[@soniaellis163]

Wernt the balls klonkie back then , trouble was Alex did not make enough big breaks in the tournaments , he's positional play was not the best, which is why he did not win as much as he should .

[@blehoo1]

in an era when the balls were heavier and the baize slower

[@nigelclark3272]

Was it filmed by Stevie Wonder?

[@david-sn1yl]

Those pockets look like buckets.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

They do look big. I'd have to look at it again but he seems to be hitting everything in the middle of the pocket

[@LinktoLinkGamer]

The balls were bigger back then however, they were carom balls, so bigger than an American pool ball as well. So of course the pockets were bigger realtively.

[@anguslamont167]

These pockets look pretty generous

[@JalandharShere]

Balls look big though

[@neiledwards9140]

The most natural player of all time 👍

[@FlameFlickers]

Well, with the exception of Peter Ebdon obviously.

[@stoolpigeon4285]

@@FlameFlickers Ebdon was a great player. Just looks at his stats. Just coz he was slow at times doesn't make him sh1t

[@barath4545]

@@stoolpigeon4285 The problem people have with Ebdon is not raw skills - It is that he played slow ON PURPOSE to irritate Ronnie, Hendry and others that naturally played faster and thus got pissed off about the overall speed of play and even that little anger made them play 1-3% worse than normal and gave Ebdon an advantage. At the expense of all audience who got less stellar play and more "lets get it over with" play.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

​​@@barath4545 true, he was never forgiven for that. Selby neither. Gets a bit tiresome though, the bashing of the one, or two (+Selby) and the glorifying of the other (Ronnie).

[@neiledwards9140]

@@FlameFlickers 😂😂😂

[@mddistribution30]

This almost rivals O'Sullivan's 147 in just over 5 minutes

[@Alberts_Stuff]

Flow state: UNLOCKED

[@hatesitrick]

More gangsta than Ronnie could ever be

[@simonlevett4776]

?

[@ronaldbear1]

The red was pulling the balls before they dropped

[@Charlie-sr6dv]

😮😮😮😮😮

[@jason22spurs]

Fantastic but big old pockets

[@paulhiggins1577]

the break took 7 minutes

[@ScratchyBaws]

Amazing, shame we never got to see it properly due to a shite cameraman.

[@jamesadcock5235]

The real deal

[@tomwalsh6655]

Anyone know where this is?

[@orosioinc]

Didnt Higgins score a 155 break once?

[@xDISHONOUR]

No however there wasn't a 155 break achieved in professional competition only in practice by Jamie Cope and some other players

[@billyCREIGHTON44]

Ffs has the footsteps been dubbed in …

[@magpie7154]

Worst filming of any snooker break ever. Saw more of the audience and close ups of his tip than anything else.

[@mcollins9676]

So Tony Drago's 3:33 century isn't the fastest!

[@strongteee]

I think Drago's was in a tournament, this was just an exhibition.

[@mcollins9676]

​@tommystrong Ah right. I thought this might have been the 1972 world championship 🤔

[@markdonnelly1810]

Hardly see anything for the smoke 😂

[@ikvangalen6101]

How about that ref though?! Speedy for the needy!

[@ikvangalen6101]

Thanks, nice to know, and same ref as Ronnie’s record wow! Sought after speed!

[@npc3po301]

@@stephenobrien1358 I thought that too, sounds like Ganley, the brief glimpse doesn't look like him tho, I've always maintained that Len was an unsung hero in Ronnies quickest maxi, it's also no surprise than Jan was ref on possibly the majority of Ronnies big moments, it's like Torville and bloody Dean those two lol

[@Mike-1000]

Nowadays the problem is that the refs try to stand behind the player whenever they can. I don't know if they've been told to do that but it adds extra seconds. Doubt Ronnie's record will ever be beaten now.

[@ikvangalen6101]

Ronnie’s fastest 147 was actually faster than 5:20. Saw a video once here on yt that recalculated it.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

​@@ikvangalen6101 5:08 I believe