Ronnie O'Sullivan Hits 147 vs. Matt Selt at UK Championship Despite Broken Ankle

Not even a broken ankle can stop Ronnie O'Sullivan from continuing to rewrite snooker's record books, as The Rocket gave himself an early birthday present in the form of his 13th career maximum 147 break on Thursday.

Going up against Matt Selt in the Round of 16 of the UK Championship, O'Sullivan cleared the table in the final frame of a 6-0 whitewash to reach the quarter-finals, via the Daily Mirror's Neil Rowlands.

The Rocket, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Friday, was playing in a cast due to a fracture in his ankle, an injury he suffered while running last week. If no one equals the maximum break over the course of the weekend, he'll collect £44,000 for his efforts.

Speaking to reporters after the match, the Brit was understandably excited, although he could have made himself look like a fool when he celebrated a little early:

"

I celebrated before the final black and then regretted it – I could have looked daft if I’d missed it. It was a great ending to the match, the adrenaline was really going.

I knew the rollover had got up to around 40 grand and that makes it worth going for. I very nearly got one the frame before on 89, but that was odds against with tough reds left.

That’s birthday money, money to pay the tax and Christmas money for me. I am also close to Stephen Hendry’s century record of 775, but I would like to make 1,000.

"

Stephen Hendry may still hold the all-time record for most centuries, breaks of 100 or more, but The Rocket has already passed the seven-time world champion for most career 147's.

According to World Snooker's Mark Rawlinson, the retired Hendry finished his career with 11, a total O'Sullivan passed in March, at the Welsh Open. He added his 13th on Thursday, and with plenty of years still to go in an already glittering career, we can only speculate how many more he'll add by the time he calls it quits.

O'Sullivan will play Anthony McGill in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.