White progresses in Irish Masters
Adopted Irishman Jimmy White produced a solid performance to reach the second round of the Irish Masters in Dublin tonight.
Londoner White spends nearly half the year in Ireland and is having a house built in Kilcock, County Kildare.
The ‘home’ advantage seemed to tell as he weighed in with breaks of 65, 53 and 71 on the way to beating Mark Selby 5-1.
“I guess I’m a bit of a ‘plastic Paddy’ these days,” said White, the Irish Masters champion in 1985 and 1986.
“The Guinness is no good in London so I had to come here. I play a lot of exhibitions and my management company is based here, so it’s a good place for me.”
White lost the third frame after Selby had obtained a snooker but stuck to his task to wrap up a comfortable victory.
“I played pretty well,” he said. “I know how good a player Mark is because I’ve practised with him and you don’t qualify for these events without being able to play.
“So I was pleased with my concentration and I managed to score well and keep the pressure on.”
White was later presented with an achievement of the year award by the Snooker Writers Association in recognition of his capture of the Players Championship last April.
Another veteran campaigner, 47-year-old Steve Davis, advanced to the last 16 with a 5-2 defeat of namesake Mark Davis.
Eight times a winner of the Irish title, Davis made breaks of 84 and 66 to move from 2-1 to 4-1 ahead after which the result was never in doubt.
Davis will face old foe Stephen Hendry for a quarter-final place if the Scot beats Robin Hull.
| Related Stories: |
|
