NEIL Robertson had the crowd on their feet after he a hit a flawless 147 during an entertaining first session of the UK Championship final.

Neil Robertson. Picture by Monique Limbos

The Australian dominated the opening proceedings of the finale against China’s Liang Wenbo earning a 5-3 lead ahead of tonight’s (Sunday) conclusion but the highlight was in the sixth frame when he made the stunning maximum to go 4-2 up.

Wenbo made an early foul which left Robertson with a long pot on a loose red to the green pocket which he potted beautifully. He then potted the remaining balls with ease with only the final pink being somewhat challenging with thousands of pounds at stake.

The maximum – the 115th in the history of the sport – means Robertson will win £44,000 should Wenbo not make another 147 later in the match.

Robertson has had the better of an entertaining match so far and goes into tonight’s final session just five frames away from winning his second UK Championship title and a top prize of £150,000.

The Australian took an early 2-0 lead before Wenbo got on the board in style with a break of 110. But Robertson responded brilliantly with a break of 106 to make it 3-1.

Wenbo then made a crucial clearance in frame five to pull it back to 3-2 before Robertson made the headlines with the stunning 147 – the third of his career.

The Australian then took further control as a break of 69 helped him to a 5-2 lead. But Wenbo kept his hopes alive of producing a surprise victory when he reduced his deficit to just two frames with a break of 86.

Play resumes at 7pm.