JIMMY WHITE faces an opponent 49 YEARS his junior on Saturday night in snooker’s biggest Generation Game.
But the Whirlwind reckons his biggest issue on the table these days is silencing the strange voice in his head.
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Jimmy White will be back in action on Saturday nightCredit: Getty
He is preparing to face 14-year-old Michal SzubarczykCredit: Getty
Provided he has shrugged off the flu, the oldest man on the World Snooker Tour will play the youngest professional in the first round of qualifying for the UK Championship, one of the sport’s Triple Crowns.
White, a 63-year-old grandfather of nine, has been drawn to face 14-year-old Polish prodigy Michal Szubarczyk in Wigan.
Three years before becoming an OAP potter, you wonder why White continues to put himself through the torture of this most mentally challenging of sports.
But the passion that began in South London snooker halls in the 1960s and 70s has not been diminished – it is more about ensuring he stays fully concentrated on the task at hand.
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White told SunSport: “I’ve still got the hunger. For 25 years, I was dragging myself from A to B because I was such a big drinker.
“I wasn’t really focused at all. Now I’m sober and I’m playing all the time. I know that if I put in plenty of practice, I can still perform.
“My game is still as good as it’s ever been. It’s actually probably better than it was before.
“I’ve had all the sports psychologists. At the end of the day, it’s down to you.
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“In sport, I’ll be playing in a match, I’m in the balls all perfect, and a voice will say to me: ‘Did you water the plants before you left home?’ I’m like, ‘who’s that?’
“So, I’ve got you trying to beat me, I’ve got the audience watching on TV, it’s one of the most difficult games in the world, and I’m having this concentration issue.
“So, for me, that’s the challenge. But, game-wise, no problem at all.
“I’m still making maximums. I still make four or five centuries in a day’s practice.
Michal Szubarczyk is the youngest professional in the first round of qualifying for the UK ChampionshipCredit: The Times
White reckons he is still at the top of his gameCredit: Getty
“So, I’m not concerned about that. I was 10 years ago, and I thought I couldn’t play anymore.
“If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t play anymore. I still have that desire to play. People go to me, why do you torture yourself? It’s the travelling I don’t like.”
More than two years ago, following a chance encounter with a stranger on a plane, White saw a doctor to see if he had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Sure enough he had, and being diagnosed with a condition where people struggle to concentrate and tend to be more hyperactive was a life-changing moment.
White has had to overcome demons in his headCredit: Getty
He is the oldest competitor still on the World Snooker TourCredit: PA:Press Association
For someone who drank heavily and shovelled copious amounts of Class A drugs up his nose, suddenly he had clarity, and for the first time, he says, “my life’s in order”.
Should he lose to a 14-year-old this weekend, White – a six-time Crucible finalist and 10-time ranking winner – would feel no shame.
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White said: “Listen, there are 14-year-olds in China making 147s regularly. When I first made a century, when I was 13, it was in the national newspaper. It was unbelievable.
“Sport moves on. It’s like everything else. Look at the stats in darts. Look how fast footballers are now.”
