Two of snooker’s old foes went head-to-head in the first round of World Championship qualifiers last night as Stephen Hendry beat Jimmy White 6-3. The nostalgic showdown was played at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield but neither star was impressed by the outing.
White, 58, will likely fall off the tour falling his most recent loss and he is contemplating what the future has in store for him.
“To come into the match and play like that is really frustrating and demoralising,” said White.
“I can’t really think about what I’m going to do at the moment. I’m just going to wait and see how the results go in the next few days.”
However, White was not entirely downbeat as he picked some positives from his performance.
“There were some pluses,” he added. “I made a nice clearance to go 5-1 ahead and I won a frame needing a snooker, which was a collector’s item.
“In practice, I’m hitting the ball well but I didn’t bring that at all. You could count on two hands the number of decent shots I hit tonight but, the more matches I play, it’ll come and I’m delighted to get the win.
“The first couple of frames were so bad, I just got very jabby – and you get a bit embarrassed as well, when you play that bad.
“I feel exhausted. I felt really drained. You can over-practise and I think I may have done that. Stephen Hendry is playing a lot better than that as well. I’m just gutted.”
Meanwhile, Hendry takes on China’s Xu Si in the second qualifying round, knowing he is three wins away from a Crucible return.
“I think I told every single person about this match that it will not be pretty, but it will be very interesting to watch,” Hendry said.
“Obviously I’m not happy with how both of us played, because I was just hoping we would both play well and it would be a great match.
“Neither of us played well, so it was a scrappy old affair. I was trying to relax and enjoy it for the occasion. It was all very stuttered and staggered out there.
“I don’t think I’ve frightened anyone with that performance there. I’ve just got to go and enjoy it [the next round].
“Every match is a bonus. My goal is just to play good snooker.”