My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s peek behind the scenes at what drives sports activities stars to greatness. Snooker legend Jimmy White reveals all about his drink and drug-fuelled previous, the hardest opponent he confronted and his shut friendship with Ronnie Wood.
The highest level of my profession?
Winning the UK Championship and making the 147 within the World Championship, they have been my two greatest achievements. And clearly I gained 10 majors, the Masters, however the UK was my greatest win.
I’ve received a snooker membership now in Woking
I’m having fun with that a part of it. I had golf equipment years in the past, however I didn’t actually take lots of discover of these. I had one in Bahrain and I had one in Epsom however I was type of half enjoying, half not enjoying.
And snooker is just not like soccer or boxing, even with golf, you lose a little bit of energy with snooker. It’s about having a want. The sport nonetheless fascinates me.
I nonetheless play to a excessive stage, clearly not as constantly as I was, however my sport’s nonetheless there, so whereas it’s nonetheless there I’m going to maintain competing, I’m nonetheless on the primary tour.
If I had my time once more…
In the six finals, two of them I ought to positively have gained, one when I was 14-8 up and I misplaced 18-14. The wheels fell off, and clearly I missed 17 every, I missed a simple black, in order that they’re my two greatest disappointments.
The manner I was residing my life, I was ingesting, playing, taking lots of cocaine in these days. So it was superb to do what I did, actually. Most individuals take pleasure in life with out being a gambler and a drinker and the cocaine type of fuelled all of it.
But that’s all gone now. It’s all up to now. I’ve received no regrets in any respect. Obviously I’d put together higher, however on the similar time, the best way I was going, if I’d gained all of it, who is aware of what would have occurred? Maybe I’d have received worse than what I was. So, no, the sport’s drawn me again, particularly now I’m having fun with it extra. There’s no negativity. It is what it’s. It’s gone now.
Steve Davis was the hardest opponent I performed towards
He was so stable and so tactically good. Me being an attacking participant, even whenever you beat him, you felt such as you had been in a struggle.
The help I received is as a result of I’m an attacking-style participant. The followers went on a rollercoaster with me. That was why I had such an enormous fan base and nonetheless have, to an extent. Whenever I play, I nonetheless fill them up. Zhao Xintong, the world champion, he performs that type now.
And clearly the best participant of all time, Ronnie O’Sullivan, he performs the attacking sport. I’d heard lots about him, after which when I noticed him in Blackpool all these years in the past, it was like a breath of recent air. He was simply superb. Just what snooker wanted. He was very intelligent. He took a bit of myself, Ray Reardon, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and put all of the type of 4 stars collectively along with his pure expertise to turn out to be this superior profitable machine.
My grandson Ralphie performs for Surrey
He is a implausible younger cricketer. His dad was an excellent membership cricketer, in order that has all the time helped. He’s an awesome little batsman.
I go and watch him on a regular basis. He may be very devoted. And clearly I have given him the alternative recommendation to me…
I didn’t go to many video games earlier than, however now I go on a regular basis. It’s a respectful, brutal and troublesome sport. I simply respect them a lot, as a result of whenever you get near it and see what they have to undergo to win, it’s phenomenal stuff.
I didn’t suppose for a minute a Rolling Stone would know who I was
Ronnie Wood is an effective mate of mine. Our children went to the identical college. And then once we met, I came upon he had Joe Davis’ snooker desk in his home in Richmond.
He has tables in all his homes now, performs on a regular basis, and the Rolling Stones have a desk backstage once they tour. They have a sport after the sound verify. So him and Keith Richards actually take pleasure in snooker.
We’ve been shut friends for almost 40 years. He’s received a great cue on him, truly, however he hits the ball too onerous. It helps him calm down. Lots of people play the sport for rest. He’s one among them. We went to the soccer as soon as with Peter Cook, me, Ronnie and Rod Stewart. That was a great day trip, I should confess.
I’ve been a Chelsea fan my complete life
I first went to Stamford Bridge almost 50 years in the past with my brother. Chelsea have been enjoying Millwall at house. It was fairly terrifying afterwards, what with all the difficulty and all.
I love Cole Palmer. He jogs my memory a little bit of Gianfranco Zola. We will likely be all proper subsequent 12 months with this younger workforce.
As for my favorite participant, Frank Lampard, John Terry, even going again to Peter Osgood. There’s too many to record. I nonetheless try to go to as many video games as I can.
Jimmy White will likely be offering every day knowledgeable evaluation of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, dwell on TNT Sports and HBO Max from Saturday 18 April
