Jimmy White gets Masters Wild Card

celticfc

Jimmy White has been given this years Masters wildcard after his exploits in the Aussie jungle. Although many feel that the wildcard should have gone to someone who has shown something special in the run-up to the tournament (such as Liang Wenbo), I think that Wembley will rock with a packed crowd when Jimmy comes out to play Mark King on the opening day.

Rory McLeod will be the other addition to the masters after winning the Masters qualifying tournament a few weeks back.


From worldsnooker.com:

Whirlwind White Awarded Masters Wild Card

Snooker legend Jimmy White has been given a wild card entry into the sport’s premier invitation tournament, the Masters.

Fresh from his stay in the Australian jungle in ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’, White will swap bush-tucker gear for waistcoat and bow tie to grace the stage at Wembley Arena.

The Whirlwind takes on Mark King on the opening evening of the event on Sunday January 10. The field is made up of the world’s top 16 players plus White and qualifier Rory McLeod.

White’s stylish, attacking style of play and his man-of-the-people charisma have made him one of the most popular figures in the history of British sport. The public voted for him to stay in the jungle until the final show of ‘Celebrity’ last month, underlining his heroic status.

The Londoner is also one of snooker’s all-time greats, having won ten ranking titles on top of his 1984 Masters triumph, when he beat Terry Griffiths in the final.

“I’m delighted to get the wild card, it will be great to be back at Wembley,” said the left-hander who has appeared in six World Championship finals. “I’d like to thank the new Board for their decision. I’ve only just got my sleep pattern back after getting home from the jungle. Snooker’s still my number one priority and I’ll be ready for the Masters.”

Barry Hearn, who was confirmed as WPBSA chairman on Wednesday, added: “Jimmy is one of Britain’s great sporting superstars. He has attracted vast crowds all across the world, but nowhere more than Wembley, where the fans regard him as one of their own. He’ll pack the place out and the atmosphere will be sizzling. There was no doubt in my mind that he is the man to take up the wild card challenge. Throughout his career he’s played shots that most snooker players can only dream of and it makes great viewing for live audiences and on TV.”

FlawedGenius

He got a wildcard because he was in Im a Celebrity Get Me Outta Here?:rolleyes:Ok hel draw the crowds and hes a character in the game, but does he really deserve it?I dont think so, Id say there was alot of lads dissapointed, hes way down the rankings and has done nothing in years:eek:

zack01

First controversial move by the new board, and i'm all for it, great to have Jimmy at the Masters, a local lad, albeit he's from south London, but the place will be buzzing. I know he spent three weeks or so in the jungle but i watched him in a world series event in Prague (i think it was Prague) before he entered the jungle and he played very well beating John Higgins to win it so hopefully he can win a few matches at the Masters.

It's just a big pity that Alan Hughes who used to do such at great job at the events is'nt working anymore as i used to love it when he introduced Jimmy as 'The Whirlwind of London Town' it always got the place rocking.Mind you Barry Hearn and Alan Hughes are good mates so who knows maybe a return for the best MC the game ever had know that Hearn is in charge?? Anyone but Rob Walker please!!:)

Myrddin

GerCPM wrote: »

He got a wildcard because he was in Im a Celebrity Get Me Outta Here?:rolleyes:Ok hel draw the crowds and hes a character in the game, but does he really deserve it?I dont think so, Id say there was alot of lads dissapointed, hes way down the rankings and has done nothing in years:eek:

Does he really deserve it? If it wasnt for his recent win in Prague then maybe no. Its more a move by the new board to bring viewers to the event, and like it or not - this is a must.

Personally Im delighted to see him back in a big event. I wouldnt expect him to last very long, so this is prob our last chance to see the whirlwind in a big tournament. The man is a legend, and has his own part in putting modern snooker on the map.

amacachi

I dunno, and I'm genuinely asking here, how is the professional game financially these days? Haven't seen a full house other than semi- and finals of the WC in ages, is this the kind of thing they need to do to keep things afloat?

Myrddin

amacachi wrote: »

I dunno, and I'm genuinely asking here, how is the professional game financially these days? Haven't seen a full house other than semi- and finals of the WC in ages, is this the kind of thing they need to do to keep things afloat?

I thought the attendance at the recent UK champ was dismel! Granted I wasnt there, but my god the amount of empty seats at even the highest levels of the tournament was shocking. Unless the rocket is playing these days, unfortunately you wont see a full house.

Im not sure about the second session, but even the first session of the FINAL, had an adundance of empty seats. The camera panned across higgins in his chair once, and it was like an empty PE hall

How is Snooker financially? Currently Id say very bad. But with this new board/chairman, here's hoping for a serious turnaround. With the highest respect as players, people dont want to see Graham Dott and Ali Carter flute around a table for an hour and a half. People want entertainment, thrills, skills, and all the class the game had in the 80's/90's. Back then we had Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Ronnie (when he loved playing), Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry etc etc. All characters in their own. In 1985, 18.5 million people tuned into the davis/taylor final. Yes we still have some of those players, but more so their best days are behind them, and seeing them six times a year is suicidal for the sport. We need new characters (Robertson, The Chinese Lads, Selby etc etc are all great for the game)

Frankly Im not sure how the new board can bring snooker back to those levels of viewers, but more tournaments is definitely the start. Hearn said he wants more events, and for all of them not to look the same Im not sure how he can achieve this, except varying carpet colour But he had massive success with darts. Its back bigger than ever, but snooker isnt the type of game where a drunken audience would go down well.

So fingers crossed for a new chapter in Snooker!

zack01

Totally agree with you. I think we can expect new variations of tournaments in the coming seasons. I would also expect a lot of glamour to be brought into the game by Hearn.There are some great personalities on the circuit at the moment possibly more than there was in the '80s and '90s, it's just that the public don't know them because all the top players seem to get all the publicity.Tournaments like The Snooker World Cup should be brought back, that was always great fun to watch, that along with the reintroduction of the World Doubles would make for great television,i can remember when Alex Higgins partnered Eddie Charlton many years back, although they did'nt win the tournament they were great fun! Could you imagine Ebdon partnering O' Sullivan? I heard Steve Davis mentioning the idea of a tournament with best of 3 frames matches, that and maybe making one or two more of the tournaments an open draw after each round like the Grand Prix would make great tv.The BBC have always claimed that snooker is one of their highest viewed televised sports. Thats all very well but i think Sky should get on board, their coverage of the Premire League is second to none and it's no surprise to see that Barry Hearn is the man behind that, that event also has the shot clock which makes for an excithng frame or two.Regarding the empty seats, that is awful to see and you have to put that down to the promoters, if the tickets are not selling then cut the prices, and if they still don't shift them give them away, better to see a full arena than empty seats.I am a great admirer of Barry Hearn and if he can do half the job with snooker as he has done with darts then i am sure the future of the game is not as bleak as some would suggest

mickdw

B Hearn will surely shake things up. Getting white into the masters is an obvious move and a no brainer I would have thought. I also think the players should be contracted to get involved in additional activities at the tournaments. They could easily make it a condition of entry that the players would have to make themselves available for 2 days after being knocked out of the tournament. That way, there would be a continuous flow of players to do free exhibitions etc around the tournament venue or indeed at other locations around host city.

csbtoday

Jimmy will never win a major again. It is a shame because he is a great character.
They are jazzing up snooker now so maybe he will feature in the new snooker events to come next year. I love him and Ronnie the most.

Rio 2016

The Masters just would not be the same without Jimmy.