Higgins and O'Connor make rare 146 breaks as Nanjing delivers high scoring

John Higgins and Joe O'Connor have both produced rare 146 breaks during the opening days of the International Championship in Nanjing, adding to a run of high scoring that has already yielded five contributions of 140 or more.

The headline act of the week remains Thepchaiya Un-Nooh's maximum 147 against Mark Williams on Monday, but SnookerHQ reports that a 146 is statistically the rarer feat. CueTracker.net data cited by the publication puts Higgins' effort as only the 42nd 146 break recorded in professional competition, against 247 maximum breaks now logged following Un-Nooh's clearance.

O'Connor struck first, compiling his 146 during the fifth frame of his round-of-64 meeting with Yuan Sijun on Sunday. It was the first break of that size in the Englishman's professional career, though it did not prevent a 6-2 defeat to his Chinese opponent.

Higgins followed in his round-of-32 tie with Xu Si, making his third career 146 in the opening frame of the match. The Scot went on to win 6-2.

SnookerHQ's figures show Mark Allen holds the record for career 146 breaks with five, while Higgins sits alongside Ronnie O'Sullivan on three apiece. Barry Hawkins, Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson and Hossein Vafaei have each made two.

Nanjing has also produced a flashpoint away from the table, with Kyren Wilson apologising after losing his temper during his opening match against Liam Highfield, according to Metro Snooker.

Wilson arrived at the tournament in strong form having won the Northern Ireland Open last month, but found himself trailing 5-3 in the race to six after Highfield compiled a break of 79 to take the eighth frame. As Wilson left the arena between frames he threw his cue across the table towards referee Dai Liang, who appeared startled but took no immediate action.

The former world champion recovered to win the final three frames with breaks of 51, 127 and 75, sealing a 6-5 victory. His manager later told Metro Snooker that Wilson had apologised for the incident.

Speaking to WST afterwards, Wilson praised his opponent's performance. "He played very strongly today. I think every frame had a high break. I find Liam very difficult to play against," he said.

The International Championship continues in Nanjing, with the tournament's run of century breaks and high-scoring drama likely to shape attention as the knockout rounds progress.