Snooker legend Jimmy White rolls back the years with stunning victory… 43 years after making debut in tournament
JIMMY WHITE rolled back the years with an emphatic victory at the UK Snooker Championship... 43 years after his debut in the tournament.
Veteran White, 62, first featured at the event all the way back in 1981.
And he reached the semi-finals on a stunning debut, beating John Virgo, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon on his way to the final four.
There, the teenager was undone 9-0 by eventual champion Steve Davis.
White went on to reach the final in 1987 and 1991 but had to settle for the runner-up prize in both years.
But he finally got his hands on the trophy in 1992, exacting revenge on John Parrott from 12 months earlier.
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Now, White is still plugging away on the pro snooker tour.
And on Sunday he headed to Leicester to begin his 2024 UK Championship campaign.
White faced Paul Deaville in his opening round of qualifying at the Mattioli Arena.
And the former world No2 saw off his opponent 42 years his junior with a 6-2 win.
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It is the second time in just a few weeks White has been 2004-born Deaville, having done so on his run to the Northern Ireland Open last 32.
The victory included a pair of half-centuries, including a break of 78 in the final frame to clinch the victory.
White, currently ranked No90 in the world, will still need to win another three matches in qualifying to book his spot in the first round of the event, which starts on Saturday at York's Barbican.
The Whirlwind - who turned pro in 1980 - faces Ross Muir in his second qualifying match on Monday.
Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Ding Junhui in last year's final to secure his eighth crown and will be hopeful of adding to his record tally on December 1.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 - with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 - John Spencer
- 1970 - Ray Reardon
- 1971 - John Spencer
- 1972 - Alex Higgins
- 1973 - Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 - Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 - Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 - Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 - John Spencer (2)
- 1978 - Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 - Terry Griffiths
- 1980 - Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 - Steve Davis
- 1982 - Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 - Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 - Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 - Dennis Taylor
- 1986 - Joe Johnson
- 1987 - Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 - Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 - Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 - Stephen Hendry
- 1991 - John Parrott
- 1992 - Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 - Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 - Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 - Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 - Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 - Ken Doherty
- 1998 - John Higgins
- 1999 - Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 - Mark Williams
- 2001 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 2002 - Peter Ebdon
- 2003 - Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (2)
- 2005 - Shaun Murphy
- 2006 - Graeme Dott
- 2007 - John Higgins (2)
- 2008 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)
- 2009 - John Higgins (3)
- 2010 - Neil Robertson
- 2011 - John Higgins (4)
- 2012 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (4)
- 2013 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)
- 2014 - Mark Selby
- 2015 - Stuart Bingham
- 2016 - Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 - Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 - Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 - Judd Trump
- 2020 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (6)
- 2021 - Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (7)
- 2023 - Luca Brecel
- 2024 - Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 - Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 6 - Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 - John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 - John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 - Alex Higgins