Jimmy White won’t be making a return to the Crucible this year after a 6-2 defeat to Andrew Pagett in the World Championship qualifiers.
The six-time former runner-up, who hasn’t featured at the venue stages of the competition since 2006, exited at the first hurdle on Monday.
White entered the World Championship qualifiers in miserable form having not won a match on the table since last August.
The soon-to-be 60 year-old had chances but couldn’t take them, with Pagett duly taking advantage to reach the second qualifying round.
Elsewhere on the first day of the preliminaries at the English Institute of Sport, there were victories for teenage amateurs Liam James Davies and Robbie McGuigan.
Davies, who at just 15 breaks the record as the youngest ever player to win a World Championship match, consigned Aaron Hill to a 6-4 defeat – ending the Irishman’s debut tenure on the Main Tour.
McGuigan also secured a 6-4 success, prevailing in a low-scoring duel with veteran Alfie Burden by taking the last three frames.
Among the higher profile names to make it through the initial test was two-time ranking event winner Michael White.
The Welshman, who has reached the quarter-finals in Sheffield in the past, thumped Fraser Patrick 6-1.
Countryman Duane Jones had too much for world women’s champion Nutcharut Wongharuthai as well, progressing by a 6-2 margin.
Elsewhere, three-time qualifier Zhang Anda wasted little time in overcoming Anton Kazakov courtesy of a 6-0 bagel, with fellow Chinese competitor Zhang Jiankang edging past John Astley 6-4.
Xu Si was a similar 6-4 winner after holding off the challenge of Michael Collumb – one of many amateurs in the field as invites or top-ups.
Louis Heathcote emerged from the only decider of the day, narrowly pipping Belgium’s Ben Mertens 6-5.
Michael Judge and Lukas Kleckers were the other winners of day one, ending the hopes of Zhao Jianbo and Soheil Vahedi respectively.
The action continues on Tuesday with the likes of Marco Fu, Reanne Evans, and Ng On Yee looking to make an impact.
Live coverage of the World Snooker Championship qualifiers will be available across Europe on the Eurosport App.
Viewer in all other territories – other than China – will have the option to subscribe to Matchroom.Live.
Featured photo credit: WST
White has done nothing all season yet again. I’m a huge fan but one part of me feels he needs to abandon playing the main tour.