Snooker legend Jimmy White on cue for Q and A evening in Scotland

Scottish snooker fans will be delighted to hear that Jimmy White, arguably the most popular player of all time, is coming to Motherwell early next year.
Jimmy White has won 10 ranking tournaments during his illustrious snooker careerJimmy White has won 10 ranking tournaments during his illustrious snooker career
Jimmy White has won 10 ranking tournaments during his illustrious snooker career

The Whirlwind (57), a six-time World Championship runner-up, will join fellow legends Dennis Taylor and John Virgo in ‘An Evening With Snooker Greats’ at Motherwell Concert Hall on Wednesday, February 12 next year.

White said: “It will be quite an intense night.

“There have been some ups and downs in my life and we share all of them.

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“We’ve got a lot of good stories about Alex Higgins (legendary two-time World Champion who died in 2010).

“Higgins made the game. Stephen Hendry, the most successful player, went to Higgins’ funeral.

“The simple reason was that Higgins would practice with him when he was a kid.

“Pros today don’t practice with any newcomers. They don’t want to give them an edge.

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“Higgins was good like that and people didn’t see that side of him.”

One of White’s most well known achievements came in 1992, when he made a maximum 147 break in the World Championships.

“I felt real pressure making that 147,” White said. “I beat Stephen Hendry on prize money that year. Even though I lost to Hendry in the final I got more prize money than him, which makes a change.”

When asked if there is one shot in his professional career – in which he has won nearly £5 million since 1980 – White wishes he could play again, he answers without hesitation.

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“It would be the black I missed against Hendry at 17-17 (in the 1994 World Championship final, White missed the black while on a 29 break and Hendry then stepped in to clear the table and win 18-17).

“I just twitched. I threw the cue early, didn’t do a pre-shot routine, just hit the ball.

“I’ve had the most incredible career but I never played the game for money.

“That’s why I’m still playing.

“My dad was a carpenter. I came from a working class family.

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“For a boy from Tooting in south London to have The Rolling Stones playing at my 50th birthday party was unbelievable.”

White, a Chelsea supporter, is definitely a fan of manager Frank Lampard, who – despite being unable to sign new players this summer due to a transfer ban – has the Blues flying high in the English Premier League.

“I always knew Frank Lampard would have the crowd on his side,” added White, who is also well known for finishing third in TV hit ‘I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here’ in 2009.

“He started off strongly and now we are flying and the fans are absolutely 100 per cent behind him.”

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The evening in Motherwell next February will also feature trick shots, impressions of other players and a snooker match between Taylor and White, refereed by Virgo.

More info at https://culturenl.co.uk/an-evening-with-snooker-greats/