The Englishman is only the fifth player to achieve snooker perfection – clearing all 15 reds with 15 blacks, followed by all the colours – since the event was first staged in 1975.

Kirk Stevens recorded the first at the old Wembley Conference Centre in 1984, while Ding Junhui (twice), Marco Fu and Mark Allen have also achieved the feat.

Murphy’s special effort came in the sixth frame against Northern Ireland’s Allen and gave him a 4-2 lead in the best-of-11 encounter.

It prompted joyous scenes as the fans inside the auditorium erupted with Murphy, who missed out on a 147 in his quarter-final win against Neil Robertson, being warmly congratulated by Allen.

World number seven Murphy has now made nine 147 breaks during his career, with Ronnie O’Sullivan (15), John Higgins (13) and Stephen Hendry (11) the only players to have recorded more.

His effort against Allen, the 210th 147 in professional snooker history, also puts him on course to claim the £15,000 prize awarded for the tournament’s highest break.