Jimmy White has secured an invite to the Champion of Champions next month in Bolton.
White, the reigning world seniors champion, had been quite far down the list when the qualifying criteria was initially set.
However, Judd Trump’s triumph at the Wuhan Open on Sunday means there are enough repeat winners from the last 12 months to safeguard the Whirlwind’s place in the 16-player field.
Jimmy White, who turned 61 in May, last played in the Champion of Champions in 2020 when he lost to Neil Robertson in the first round.
His only other previous appearance was in 2019 when he led Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-0 only to be denied what would have been a famous victory in a decider.
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The Champion of Champions is promoted by Matchroom Sport, who decide on the qualifying criteria each season.
White’s inclusion brings the total number of guaranteed spots in this year’s edition of the prestigious invitational to 14.
There are two more slots available, with Snooker Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin and six reds world champion Ding Junhui provisionally set to receive the final invites.
The upcoming Northern Ireland Open and International Championship ranking events will provide players not already qualified with a last opportunity to do so, though.
Among the high-profile players who are in danger of missing out is Neil Robertson, who won the Champion of Champions in 2015 and 2019.
The Australian has endured a disappointing spell on the main tour, failing to get his hands on a trophy since September of 2022.
Former runners-up Kyren Wilson and Stuart Bingham are other notable names who will be hoping to claim silverware in the next few weeks.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, meanwhile, is the reigning winner following his record fourth success in the competition a year ago.
The Rocket will be among the favourites for glory again this year alongside the likes of Judd Trump, Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, and Shaun Murphy.
The 2023 Champion of Champions takes place from November 13th to 19th at Toughsheet Community Stadium.
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Provisional Champion of Champions Lineup
Player | Winner | |
---|---|---|
1 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 2022 Champion of Champions 2023 Shanghai Masters |
2 | Luca Brecel | 2023 World Snooker Championship |
3 | Judd Trump | 2023 Masters 2023 Wuhan Open 2023 English Open |
4 | Mark Allen | 2022 UK Championship 2023 World Grand Prix |
5 | Ali Carter | 2023 German Masters |
6 | Shaun Murphy | 2023 Tour Championship 2023 Players Championship 2023 Championship League (R) |
7 | John Higgins | 2023 Championship League (I) |
8 | Mark Selby | 2023 WST Classic 2022 English Open 2023 World Snooker Championship RU |
9 | Barry Hawkins | 2023 European Masters |
10 | Gary Wilson | 2022 Scottish Open |
11 | Robert Milkins | 2023 Welsh Open |
12 | Mark Williams | 2023 British Open |
13 | Baipat Siripaporn | 2023 World Women’s Snooker Championship |
14 | Jimmy White | 2023 World Seniors Championship |
— | — | — |
15* | Chris Wakelin | 2023 Snooker Shoot Out |
16* | Ding Junhui | 2023 Six Red World Championship |
Featured photo credit: World Seniors Snooker
Photographer: Andy Chubb
Nobody will get in on their ranking this year. That’s a rarity.
Hector Nunns posted on his X feed tonight an apology for an article that featured untrue remarks and defamatory comments over the ‘Macau Five’. This surprised me ad don’t think Nunns has any previous for this type of copy. He doesn’t explain why he decided to compose an article with so many false remarks.
Hector is now leaving snooker journalism.
Why do you assume the remarks were false just because he had to retract them? English defamation law is extremely strict by world standards and if the players he relied on as sources weren’t willing to back up their statements publicly he had no proof of his claims. I see no reason not to trust the veracity of his original article.
I’m saying that Hector said he’d made defamatory remarks. I do think there’s something fishy about the whole affair.