TOTAL WHITE-OUT
Jimmy White walks out of match at Northern Ireland Open at critical point leaving opponent and ref bemused
Opponent Martin O'Donnell decided against mentioning the incident during his post-match interview
SNOOKER icon Jimmy White walked out of his Northern Ireland Open match leaving his opponent and the referee baffled.
The Whirlwind, 62, impressed in his first-round win over Hossein Vafaei.
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And he had led Martin O'Donnell twice in the early stages of their second-round tie on Wednesday.
But in the fifth frame, with White and O'Donnell locked together at two frames each, the six-time world championship runner-up had enough.
O'Donnell had moved 44 points clear with 43 remaining on the table after White missed a simple red.
And the snooker legend was in a hurry to leave the auditorium as soon as his opponent moved clear of the points left on the table.
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Rather than waiting for a potential O'Donnell miss and returning to try and force a snooker, White got out of his seat and walked out without any comment.
This left O'Donnell and the referee bemused, while the crowd also seemed unsure what to do.
O'Donnell was awarded the frame and White did return to complete the match, losing 4-2 to crash out of the Northern Ireland Open.
Yet despite the bizarre conclusion to the fifth frame, O'Donnell chose not to focus on it during his post-match interview.
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He said: "Any win against Jimmy is a good win.
"He’s such a legend of the game and an inspiration for a lot of players.
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"To still be doing what he’s doing at his age and still enjoying practising and competing, it’s very inspirational."
White famously lost six world championship finals - five in a row between 1990 and 1994.
He won the Masters in 1984, UK Championship in 1992, and 10 ranking events.
Inside Luca Brecel's mad year since winning £500k
By Rob Maul
IF YOU became a world champion of your sport and pocketed £500,000 prize money, how exactly would you celebrate?
Maybe buy a nice car. Treat the missus. Go on a lavish holiday perhaps.
Well, Luca Brecel has done all of that and more – put simply, he’s had the time of his life over these past 12 months.
The Belgian Bullet was crowned King of Sheffield in May 2023 in remarkable fashion, despite no practice and having never won a match at the venue on previous visits.
Brecel immediately splash £250,000, half of his World Champs earnings, on a stunning red Ferrari 488 – which he admits he NEVER drives.
He has since lived the high life, exploring the globe with his girlfriend Laura, piling on the pounds with some fine dining and hangout out with an Arsenal star.
He even lost his Crucible-winning cue.
Find out more about Brecel’s incredible year…
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