Whirlwind White sets sights on Crucible challenge

The six-time losing finalist insists his zest for the sport is as strong as ever, a strict training regime seeing him climb the tournament rankings from 64 to 42 and qualifying for this week’s China Open. He faces a tough first-round match with Judd Trump if he beats Syrian Omar Alkojah in the wild-card round.

To reach the televised stages in the Far East he had to battle through qualifying, and will need to win two more qualifying matches before even setting foot in the Crucible this year.

But the 49-year-old, who is 50 on May 2, just five days before this year’s World Championship final, is adamant he can reach the pinnacle of a sport in which he has won the nation’s hearts ever since he started out as a professional over 30 years ago.

Six finals, six defeats, has left him with an unwanted statistic – his last Crucible climax defeat was to Stephen Hendry in 1994 – but he bristles with indignation at questions as to whether he can bridge a near 20-year gap.

“I still think I can win the World Championship,” inists White. “If I didn’t think I could win it, I wouldn’t play. Every day I am playing hard practice, everything is going good, and I am looking forward to the tournament in China, a nice little match practice before the World Championship.

“I am doing a lot of work in China, we are opening some snooker academies out there. To qualify for a tournament there I am absolutely delighted.

“I still get the buzz, absolutely, more than ever. I have done the full circle twice. I thought, I don’t want to play any more, went to Spain, played golf, tried to relax – but I couldn’t handle that.

“I went back on the circuit and my love for the game is as deep as when I was a little kid. I play the Legends tour, it’s great meeting people, we are opening academies in China and I am just enjoying everything at the moment.

“I am currently ranked 42, I was 64 last year, but I have put a lot of work in this year, played in all the PTCs (Player Tour Championship events). My ranking has gone up now, so I only have to win two matches to get to the later televised stages at the Crucible. My career is well and truly back on track.”

With snooker booming in the Far East, there is a wealth of talent emerging, and White is hoping to tap into the local market by opening a string of academies.

“It’s a business venture, but it’s a good way of spotting the best Chinese kids,” he said. “It’s booming, it’s frightening there are so many good Chinese players coming through in all the tournaments.”

If playing the gruelling, expanded Tour circuit and his work in China is not enough to keep White busy, then he is also embarking on a third year with the Snooker Legends tour.

White, along with a host of household names like Steve Davis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Dennis Taylor, Ken Doherty and Cliff Thorburn travel around the UK – starting Friday April 13 at the Sheffield Crucible – putting on snooker evenings.

“With the legends, we have been doing them for three years now and they are getting bigger every time,” said White. “It’s just amazing, all the players want to play on it. The great thing about the Legends is you get John Virgo come on, does a cabaret and gets the crowd excited, they do trick shots, then I go on and play against another top player in a serious match. Then we meet everybody afterwards, so it’s a really good night.”

While there are plenty of laughs on the night, there is some serious snooker too. Last year White put on a maximum 147 from his own break, and only a missed pink in the next frame prevented him from compiling successive maximums.

“Yeah I should have had two, I missed the pink in the next frame,” he recalls. “A guy come out, Virgo said what’s your name, he replied ‘Terry, I am Tornado Terry.’ He had a guy bring out his cue, he looked the business.

“I thought okay then I will smash them up to see how good he is. I smashed the balls up, one went in the middle and I made a 147. He never even had a shot, the crowd loved it.”

White’s return to the Crucible on April 13 is sure to be a nostalgic event. Called ‘Crucible Memories’, the Whirlwind will come up against his nemesis Stephen Hendry in a special rematch of their final battles.

“I have a lot of respect for Stephen Hendry, he is a credit to the game,” accepts White. “Even though we will have a bit of fun, with John Virgo, and when we play the amateurs, but definitely when we actually lock horns and have our match it will be serious stuff. We both want to win. If you’re a snooker fan it’s not to be missed.

“We have had some wonderful matches, he has beaten me four times in four finals – the other ones I lost were to John Parrott where he built up an early seven-frame lead and Steve Davis when I lost 18-16. With Hendry I was 14-8 up thinking who to thank, who not to thank, and all of a sudden it was 14-12. In another final I twitched on the black. But in a way it has kept that hunger going inside me, I love to play.”

Asked if letting a 14-8 lead slip in that 1992 Crucible climax was his biggest regret, White replies: “I am not finished just yet, ask me that question when I finally retire.”

Snooker Legends tour details can be found on www.snookerlegends.co.uk