By Elliott West
“Thanks everyone for the support! Means the world to me”.
Jimmy White
Introduction
Snooker used to have an age timer on it but in recent years, players have proved that even with a few more grey hairs and eyes slightly dimmer, the wins can still happen. One such player is Jimmy White, a man who at the age of 60 and has been a professional snooker player for 41 years, could be forgiven for joining the snooker slow lane. A man who is still the king of flair shots and probably the best rest player there has ever been. White has achieved so much since he used to hang around Zan’s in Tooting as a teenager with his good friend Tony Meo, winning ten ranking titles and despite all his efforts, never managing to capture the World Championship trophy.
Jimmy is someone who I have met on numerous occasions and found a great company. His work ethic is impeccable. When he isn’t playing on the tour, he plays countless snooker and pool exhibitions across the country, posing for photographs with fans, signing autographs and chatting with the numerous friends that he has made over the years. Like so many of these older players, their work ethic is cut from the same cloth, put in the work and stay up long hours to help promote snooker. If there was an award for this, Jimmy would have won it, hands down.
Rekindling the Magic
Some have criticised players such as Jimmy White for being awarded a two-year tour card for their services to snooker but I certainly wasn’t one of them. White turns up, plays and even if he loses, comes back for more simply because he loves playing snooker, it’s in his DNA. Unlike his early career, he now seems to be putting in the practice hours and they are paying off. At the moment, he is writing a new chapter in his career with his success in the UK Championship qualifiers. Tossing aside the doubters, he has whitewashed Victor Sarkis and Mitchell Mann 6-0 and has now taken out Stephen Maguire 6-4 after being 3-1 behind to reach Judgment Day. He will now play either Li Hang or Dominic Dale.
If he beats his next opponent, this really will be a fairytale story. Reaching the first round of the UK Championship, especially at the age of 60 would be a remarkable feat. A win that would be well timed, thirty years after he won the title in 1992 after defeating John Parrott 16-9 in the final. You could tell how much it means to this three-time World Seniors champion. It showed when he left Ponds Forge, punching the air and giving a kiss to the camera. Win or lose, White is a fighter and at the moment, he certainly is a deserved winner.
