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White's whirlwind flight for Pavilions showdown

JIMMY WHITE is not about to let the small matter of being 250-odd miles outside Plymouth prevent him from competing in the Snooker Legends showdown at the Pavilions.

And for the man who overcame some fiendish bush tucker trials in the Australian jungle during his stint on I'm a celebrity... the solution might be just as hair-raising.

White, 42, is playing two matches in the second round of the Players Tour Championship in Sheffield on the morning of Saturday, July 10 — the same day as the star-studded event in Plymouth.

But as soon as he finishes at the World Snooker Academy, the six-time World Championship finalist, and all-time fans' favourite, will be jumping into a private aircraft for the one-hour flight south.

White admits he wouldn't miss coming to Plymouth for the world and is relishing the chance to lock cues with some old rivals from the past, even if it means travelling light.

"I was never going to miss Plymouth," said White. "It's such a special place for us professionals. I've got to be there because the city has always been so good to us.

"There are always good crowds down there and I think there might just be one there for this.

"So I'm going to finish in Sheffield and then jump on a private plane from there to Plymouth at 3.30.

"I'm not sure about it to be honest, it's only a tiny little two-seater, but the flight only takes an hour so I should be all right. We had a look at a helicopter but it couldn't do it fast enough."

White is looking forward to pitting his skills against some of the game's golden greats at the Pavilions, especially with John Virgo set to compere the evening, but once the lights go down it will be business as usual.

He said: "We all like to have a bit of fun and these nights allow us to do that. But some of these guys are still really professional.

"Dennis Taylor won the last one and he still is a real good competitor. He always wants to win.

"And we all want to pot balls. We might have a laugh and a joke, but at the end of the day it's still a competition and we take it seriously."

The legends will be warming up for their stay in Plymouth with a similar night of action in Ireland, where Ken Doherty will be a guest for the occasion, replacing Alex Higgins. When the bandwagon pulls up in our city it will deliver Taylor, John Parrott, Cliff Thorburn, White and Devon resident and six-time world champion, Ray Reardon.

Former UK Snooker winner Virgo will provide his usual mix of deadpan humour and trick shot demonstrations, as well as encouraging a spot of audience participation before the legends take to the baize for the main event.

And White, who won two professional tour events last year before earning himself a wildcard invitation to the British Masters in January, is feeling in decent touch.

"My snooker's pretty good really at the moment," he said. "I just love the game. I don't love the travelling, and there are a lot of tournaments in China these days, but once I get there it's just like it always was."

Tickets for Snooker Legends on Saturday, July 10, cost £20 each and VIP packages are also available for £60, which includes a champagne reception with all the players prior to the matches, a premium seat at the event and a souvenir brochure.

To book tickets contact the Box Office on 0845 146 1460, or visit www.plymouthpavilions.com
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