Jimmy White MBE
Name: Jimmy White
DOB: May 2nd, 1962
Nationality: English
Turned Pro: 1980
Highest Ranking: #2 (1987-9)
Current Ranking: #56
Highest Break: 147 (1992 World Championship)
Career Highlights: 1992 UK Champion, Twice Grand Prix Champion, Twice Mercantile Credit Classic Champion, Twice British Open Champion, Six times World Finalist
In short
One of, if not the most popular player ever to have picked up a cue, there can be little doubt that Jimmy is also the best player never to have won the world title as his otherwise sizeable trophy collection shows.
Known as the Whirlwind for his quick and easy on the eye style, Jimmy is also an outstanding player when using the rest which has proved to be a great asset down the years. Now 46 years old, his game isn’t what it was, though he is currently playing as well as he has done for three or four years, coming all the way from the first qualifying round of events to make a few TV appearances once again.
Can he get back into the top 16 for a fourth time? It is unlikely, but you can never say never…
Early career
An outstanding junior player, Jimmy first caught the eye of snooker experts as a 15 year old when he became the national champion in 1977. He followed this up with victory in the English Amateur Championship a couple of years later before going further with victory in the IBSF event out in Launceston.
Going Pro
Already recognised as a superb natural talent, it was time for White to turn professional and after an impressive debut season, he ended up ranked up in 21st position. His most notable achievement was becoming the youngest player ever to have qualified for the final stages of the World Championship at the Crucible, putting up a great fight in his first match before going down 10-8 to eventual champion Steve Davis.
Defeat did not hurt his progress however as in the following season he won the Scottish Masters (becoming the youngest ever winner of a ranking event in the process), Northern Ireland Classic and also reached semis in both the UK and World Championship to move into the elite top 16 after just 18 months on the circuit. Indeed that World semi-final was one of the most memorable snooker matches of all-time, Jimmy leading 15-14 and being well up in the next frame before falling to one of the great comebacks against friend Alex Higgins.
Indifferent spell and revival
His next 18 months were to be less successful however, ‘only’ making two finals before losing in round one of the World Championship in 1983. He then lost the first three matches of 1983/4 and questions were being asked as to whether we had already seen the best of Jimmy White.
These were answered emphatically however with a run to the semi-finals of the UK Championship (eventually losing out to Davis), before a brilliant Masters victory at Wembley against Terry Griffiths in the final. He then followed this up with a run at the Crucible, defeating Rex Williams, Eddie Charlton, Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens to make his first final.
Unfortunately for Jimmy however he came up against the machine that was Steve Davis and despite recovering from 12-4 down to make it 16-17, he just came up short, losing out 18-6. As we all know though, it would not be the last time that White was to suffer such disappointment…
1984/5 saw a few more invitational events go his way, but it was the following year which would see him finally win his first ranking event title at the Mercantile Credit Classic. Helping him to maintain his position of number seven in the rankings, this seemed to give White a bit more confidence and more big titles came his way including the Grand Prix and the British Open crowns. Along with another World semi-final, these helped to move him up to a career-high ranking of number two in the world, right behind his great rival Steve Davis.
A new rival
The next couple of years saw only one further title come his way, but his form remained consistent and he kept a place in the top four as the 1980’s came to a close. As his great rival Steve Davis began to slow down ever so slightly, Jimmy must have thought that his opportunity to finally become the dominant force in the game had arrived.
Unfortunately for him however, just as Davis began his decline, another young superstar by the name of Stephen Hendry was beginning his emergence, indeed pushing Jimmy to a deciding frame in their 1988 World Championship meeting in the second round.
At the World Championship final in 1990 however, Hendry took his revenge, defeating White 18-12 to become the youngest ever world champion. White had looked great up until the final, defeating David Taylor, John Virgo, Terry Griffiths and finally his old rival Davis to get that far, but Hendry was just too strong for him.
1990/1 saw success come his way in the Mercantile Classic, World Matchplay and World Masters events, but again there was to be disappointment in the final as this time his hopes were dashed by a determined John Parrott who ran out an 18-11 winner.
Hendry hat-trick
Though the British and European Open titles came his way in the following season, his successes were overshadowed by the start of a three year run of finals between White and his great rival Stephen Hendry. This time around in 1992, although White made a historic 147 break in an earlier round against Maltese star Tony Drago, further disappointment was to come in the final as Hendry got the better of him 18-14.
1992/3 was a similar story as following big victories in the Grand Prix and UK Championship, his season was marred by another loss to Hendry at Sheffield, this time by a comprehensive 18-5 scoreline, the last time a final was won with a session to spare.
A defining moment
Of all the finals though, it was to be 1994 that would go down as the most agonising, famously pushing Hendry all the way to a deciding frame and working himself an opportunity before that infamous missed black saw his hopes dashed once again. Having lost his sixth final and fourth in all to Hendry, he famously declared that “he is starting to annoy me” and few could blame him!
Decline
By this point Jimmy was into his mid-thirties and starting to struggle, suffering a semi-final defeat to Hendry in 1995 and falling out of the top 16 just two years later. He did gain a measure of revenge over Stephen in 1998 as he defeated his old rival 10-4 in the first round at Sheffield, but his run that year ended in the quarter-finals against Essex Exocet Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Still, he had at least moved up three places in the rankings to 18th and following a reasonable season, he edged his way back into the top 16 again. This only lasted for one season though as he slipped back a couple of places again at the end of the 2000/1 campaign.
Revival
Again though, you can never write off White and he regained his elite status once again the following year, making his first ranking event final in nine years at the British Open before losing to Peter Ebdon. Another good run to the semis of the Grand Prix ensured that he moved up to 11th though and he would eventually stay in the top tier for another five years, a run capped by a hugely popular 9-7 victory in the 2004 Players Championship against Paul Hunter.
Sharp decline
From this high though his career took a huge turn for the worse as just two years later he found himself dropping from 8th to 35th in the rankings, before plummeting down to 60th for 2007/8. Jimmy continued to struggle for form that season and only narrowly managed to retain his place on the tour for 2008/9 by finishing top of the one-year list for players not in the all-important top 64 that year.
2008/9
Despite this, his recent form has actually been much improved. Nothing too spectacular but some great results for a player with his ranking, reaching the TV stages in both the Northern Ireland Trophy and the Shanghai Masters.
Though it took him until the Welsh Open to again reach the last 32 where he was hammered by eventual winner Ali Carter, he continued to regularly win matches and moved himself up comfortably inside the top 64. Also ranked inside the top 48 on the one-year list, if he can keep up his form then he stands an excellent chance of continuing his rise back up the rankings over the next year or two, though how far he can ultimately go is difficult to predict.
Website: http://www.jimmywhirlwindwhite.com/
Tournament Victories:
Ranking Event wins (10)
| Event | Year |
| UK Championship | 1992 |
| Grand Prix | 1986, 1992 |
| British Open | 1987, 1992 |
| Canadian Masters | 1988 |
| Mercantile Credit Classic | 1986, 1991 |
| European Open | 1992 |
| Players Championship | 2004 |
Non-Ranking Event wins (21)
| Event | Year |
| Jameson International | 1981 |
| Wembley Masters | 1984 |
| Scottish Masters | 1981 |
| Hong Kong Masters | 1988 |
| Pot Black | 1986 |
| Irish Masters | 1985-6 |
| Premier League | 1993 |
| World Matchplay | 1989-90 |
| Northern Ireland Classic | 1981 |
| Carlsberg Challenge | 1984-5 |
| Thailand Masters | 1984/5 |
| Malaysian Masters | 1986/7 |
| World Masters | 1991 |
| European Challenge | 1991 |
Other wins (4)
| Event | Year |
| National Under-16 Championship | 1977 |
| World Doubles (with Alex Higgins) | 1984 |
| Mosconi Cup (pool) | 1995 |
| Nations Cup | 2000 |
