Jimmy White will be keeping a keen eye on results in the China Championship next week, with the legend in line for a Champion of Champions place.
It was confirmed last month that the World Seniors Championship would be added to the criteria set for qualification into this year’s prestigious invitational in Coventry.
The decision caused somewhat of a stir given the fact that White had only won the event for a second time a number of days earlier at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Many argued that the tournament wouldn’t have been included if runner-up Darren Morgan had ended up engraving his name on the silverware instead.
A little bit more transparency could perhaps have been called for but the reality is that the Champion of Champions is an event run by Matchroom Sport so isn’t shackled by some of the restrictions placed on other competitions on the calendar.
In any case, White’s inclusion at the Ricoh Arena would be something that a lot of fans would enjoy seeing and it would certainly boost ticket sales and TV viewership.
Thirteen out of the 16 spots in the Champion of Champions have already been determined, with Ronnie O’Sullivan set for a return as the reigning winner.
The “Rocket” will be joined by the likes of world champion Judd Trump, World Cup winner John Higgins, Scottish Open champion Mark Allen, and China Open king Neil Robertson, so for a chance to bet on your favourite player check the current sign up offers on Sportytrader.
Reanne Evans was the latest name to be added to the list after O’Sullivan etched his name on the Shanghai Masters trophy for a third time on the trot last Sunday.
Evans will become the first player from the World Women’s Snooker Tour to qualify for the Champions of Champions, which was originally staged in 2013.
O’Sullivan and world number one Trump have accounted for ten titles between them since last year’s edition of the event, which is why not all of the 16 positions have been filled yet.
With three counting tournaments left, 57 year-old White will join the illustrious group of names assembling if there’s another repeat champion in next week’s ranking event in Guangzhou, or in either of the following English and World Opens in October.
White failed to qualify for the third ranking event of the campaign so his fate is out of his hands for next week at least.
With Mark Selby, Mark Williams, and Ding Junhui among the esteemed names who have yet to seal their Champion of Champions place, the “Whirlwind” will be hoping for a timely favour from elsewhere.
Go on Jimmy!!
C’mon Jim!