World Seniors Snooker Championship: Jimmy White lights up the Crucible
- James Richardson
- 8 May 2022
Jimmy 'The Whirlwind' White was in top form on Saturday as he secured a place in the World Seniors Snooker Championship semi-finals for the seventh time.
Defending champion David Lilley is among the four men to secure a place in the 2022 World Seniors Snooker Championship Finals Day, but Jimmy White produced the standout performance.
Joining Lilley are two former champions in White and Peter Lines while Lee Walker will be chasing a maiden title on Sunday.
Lilley remains in the running to make history as the first maiden winner of the championships to defend their crown.
Tournament favourite Michael Holt proved no match for Lilley, going down 4-0 on Saturday.
Lilley registered top runs of 50 and 58 taking the first frame on the pink before restricting Holt to a meagre 13 points.
Jimmy White electrifies the Crucible
White continued his love affair with the Crucible as he claimed a 4-1 victory over Rory McLeod, living up to his monniker The Whirlwind.
White produced breaks of 53, 138, 71, 74 and 48 to secure his place on finals day and a seventh World Seniors Snooker Championship semi-final.
A century in the second frame gave White a new tournament high break and he would go on to secure his 13th win in 14 Seniors Championship matches.
White was well-received by the Crucible crowd and wrote on Twitter: "Felt good out there tonight! Thanks to everyone for the support! Appreciate it!"
UK Seniors Champion Lines joined the final four thanks to his 4-1 victory over another former champion Nigel Bond.
Lines will bid to become the first player to hold both the UK and World Seniors Championship titles at the same time.
Walker treading new ground
Earlier in the day, Walker defeated Ken Doherty 4-2 to be the first to clinch a place in the semi-finals.
Walker is the only man among the four who has not previously won the World Seniors Championship title.
He fought back from 2-0 down to gain his spot in the final quartet.
Walker will need to overcome the defending champion Lilley to reach a first World Seniors Championship final; White and Lines will battle in the other semi-final.
The semi-finals will be contested as best of seven frame matches, while the final, scheduled to start at 19:00 GMT, will be a nine frame match.
