Recently I have been pondering one of sport's, nay, life's great questions.

Which is better? A 147 or a nine-darter?

I decide to spend my Thursday afternoon off by watching some of the Welsh Open snooker action, with the annual tournament at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff at its Last 32 stage.

The second match of the afternoon, between England's Mark Selby and Thailand's Noppon Saengkham, had begun and world number one Selby had raced into a 1-0 lead.

But events took an unexpected turn in the second frame, as Saengkham proceeded to make a maximum 147 break - the first of his career.

Now this is not all too rare these days, given that there are so many tournaments and plenty of opportunities to see the feat achieved throughout the season.

What was unusual was that it was the second of the tournament.

It also left Australian player Neil Robertson, who made the other 147 break a day earlier, feeling rather miffed at having to split the maximum break prize of £17,000...

The break, which is achieved by potting each of the 15 reds on table followed by the black ball after each one, before clearing up the colours in order (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black), is frequently compared to the similarly-heralded nine-darter in darts.

The nine-darter is what it says on the tin: the reduction of the 501 score to 0 in the minimum nine darts possible. For example, hitting the treble 20 (60) seven times gives you 420, with a treble 19 (57) and double 12 (24) taking you down to zero.

On the face of it, the 147 seems more difficult, as the nine-dart finish only needs nine moves, while the 147 requires 36 shots. That makes it four times harder right there.

But you have to take into account that the scoring sections on a dartboard are very small so there is a need for extreme precision. Then take into account the screaming, drunk spectators and compare it to a tranquil snooker arena where you can actually hear yourself think and the task feels that much harder still.

But then there is the question of the shots themselves. Seven of the nine shots in a nine-darter are exactly the same: double 20. If you can get than down to a tee you're 7/9 of the way there already, two more darts and you're home and hosed.

That is where snooker is much more complex, no shot is ever the same. And there's so many variations: one minute you could be faced with a long pot, and the next is a simple over-the-pocket tap-in. You could have to squeeze one in from a tight angle, or you might have to play some spin to get in a good position for your next shot. Maybe you even have to pot one off another ball. The possibilities are endless.

Sports fans may never agree on which is the more coveted, but we know two things:

One, both are considered sporting perfection in their own right.

And two, I'll never get anywhere near either...