Jimmy White at the 2014 German Masters
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Born |
Tooting, England |
2 May 1962
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Sport country | England |
Nickname | The Whirlwind |
Professional | 1980– |
Highest ranking | 2 (1987/88–1988/89) |
Current ranking | 102 (as of 18 December 2016) |
Career winnings | £4,712,903 |
Highest break | 147 (1992 World Championship) |
Century breaks | 314 |
Tournament wins | |
Ranking | 10 |
Non-ranking | 20 |
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James Warren "Jimmy" White, MBE (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his fluid, attacking style of play and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a six times World Championship finalist, the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 Six-red World Champion, 2010 World Seniors Champion and 1984 World Doubles champion with Alex Higgins.
White's non-world championship achievements include the UK Championship, the Masters and the Nations Cup. A two-time winner of both the World Cup and the British Open, White was also the first left-handed player, and second player overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.
White was born in Streathbourne Road, Tooting, London, England, and studied at Hillcroft Comprehensive (later renamed Ernest Bevin College). He never achieved academic success, as he was often truant from school from the age of eight or nine, spending more and more time at "Zans", Ted Zanoncelli's snooker hall. The club was affectionately known as "Zans" and after Ted's death in 1978 it was handed down to his daughter. It was around this time that White met Tony Meo with whom he would compete in money matches in many venues. His natural aptitude for snooker led to a successful amateur career. After winning the English Amateur Championship in 1979, a year later he became the youngest ever winner of the World Amateur Snooker Championship, aged 18, a record since surpassed by Ian Preece and Hossein Vafaei.